"But what do they fight about?" inquired Belle.
"Well, one man, who probably will never be thought of highly again," replied Anstey, "spoke slightingly of a girl at the hop last night. The cadet who heard him didn't even know the girl, but he called the cadet a 'dog' for speaking that way of a woman."
"What happened?" inquired Laura.
"The man who was called a 'dog' was, according to our code, compelled to call his insulter out."
"Are they going to fight?" asked Belle eagerly.
"The 'dog' was whipped at the first streak of daylight this morning," the Virginian answered. "That particular 'dog' is now in a special little kennel at the hospital. Hasn't he learned anything? He knows more about practical chivalry than he did last night."
"This talk is getting a bit savage," laughed Dick. "Let me call your attention to the beauty of the view here."
The view was, indeed, a striking one. The two couples had halted at a rock-strewn point on the walk. The beauty of the woods was all about them.
Through the trees to the east they could see the Hudson, almost at their feet, yet far below them. Looking northward, they saw a noble sweep of the same grand river, above the bend.
"Come forward a bit" urged Anstey of Belle. "I want to show you a beautiful effect across the river."