All six were reported to the officer in charge. At breakfast formation Midshipmen Farley, Oates, Scully, Brimmer, Henkel and Page were assigned fifty demerits each for unauthorized absence during the night.
Farley and his friends were furious. More, they were talkative.
Had Dave Darrin been less occupied that day he would have noted that many of his classmates avoided him.
Dan did notice, and wondered, without speaking of the matter.
That day all the upper class men returned, and Bancroft Hall hummed for a while with the bustle of the returning hundreds.
Just before the dinner formation Youngster Trotter encountered
Dave in the corridor.
"Hullo, mister!" was Trotter's greeting, and the youngster actually held out his hand.
"I hope you had a mighty pleasant leave, sir," replied Dave, returning the handclasp.
"Passably pleasant, passably, mister," returned Midshipman Trotter.
"But see here, mister, what's this about you and your class that
I've heard?
"Nothing, so far as I know, sir," replied Dave, scanning the youngster's face closely.