Hal, however, turned white—though from a cause that few would have guessed.
"Hold on, Benson! One moment—" protested Fred Radwin.
"Oh, get out of my sight, this instant," quivered Jack, taking another step toward his enemy.
Before all the curious throng Fred Radwin, strangely enough, felt too abashed, for the moment, to persist in his expressions of surprise.
"I'll talk with you later," he muttered, with a sickly smile, then turned away.
"If you do," Jack called after him, "I'll—"
Benson's voice died down as the young captain felt Hal Hastings's strong, impassioned grip on his arm.
Radwin, fortunately, did not turn, but kept on until he had taken himself out of sight.
Jack turned an inquiring glance on his chum's face. But Hal's warning look seemed to say:
"Silence! Wait!"