“Yes, sir.”
Jack Benson's composure was perfect. His sense of discipline was also exact. He did not propose to offer any explanations until such were asked of him.
“Have you anything to say, Mr. Benson, as to that condition, and how you came to be in it?”
[pg 100] “Shall I explain it to you, sir?”
“I shall be glad to hear your explanation.”
Thereupon, the submarine boy plunged into a concise description of what had happened to him the night before. The lieutenant commander did not once interrupt him, but, when Jack had finished, Mr. Mayhew observed:
“That is a very remarkable story, Mr. Benson. Most remarkable.”
“Yes, sir, it is. May I ask if you doubt my story?”
Jack looked straight into the officer's eyes as he put the question bluntly. An officer of the Army or of the Navy must not answer a question untruthfully. Neither, as a rule, may he make an evasive answer. So the lieutenant commander thought a moment, before he replied:
“I don't feel that I know you well enough, Mr. Benson, to express an opinion that might be wholly fair to you. The most I can say, now, is that I very sincerely hope such a thing will not happen again during your stay at the Naval Academy.”