"Mr. Mallory," said he, "will you please have the goodness to explain to me your extraordinary conduct of this morning?"
Mark looked him squarely in the eye as he answered, for he knew that he had nothing to be ashamed of.
"I can explain my conduct better," he said, "by explaining that of Cadet Powers first."
The colonel frowned impatiently.
"I want to know about it; I do not care how. I want to know whatever induced a cadet of this academy to behave in the disgraceful way that you two did this morning."
"I can explain it very easily, sir. It was simply that Cadet Powers was drunk."
"Drunk!" echoed the superintendent.
He started back and stared at Mark in amazement. Mark returned his look unflinchingly.
"Yes, sir," he said. "Drunk. You will probably receive a report from the hospital to that effect this afternoon."
"And now," thought Mark to himself, "the cat is out of the bag. I wonder what will happen."