"what's happened?" cried texas, as soon as he'd managed to get calm enough to talk coherently. "what's happened?"

"sit down," said mark, laughing in spite of himself. "sit down and stop your dancing. everybody in the place is staring at you."

texas sat, and then mark described to him just what had happened. as might have been expected, he was up in arms in a moment.

"where is that feller? now, look a 'yere, mark, leggo me. thar he goes! say, if i don't git him by the neck an'——"

the excitable youth was quieted after some ten minutes' work or so, and immediate danger was over.

"and now," said mark, "where's the parson?"

"over in library," responded the other, "a fossilizin'. what do you want with him?"

[pg 92]"you be good," said mark, "and i'll let you see. come on."

they found the parson as texas had said, and they managed to separate him from the books and drag him over to barracks. then mark, who by this time had recovered his usual easy good-nature, told of "mr. murray's" insult again.

"now, i haven't the least objection," he continued, "of being sent to coventry. in fact, so long as it means the cadets' leaving me alone, i rather like the idea. but i don't propose to stand a thing like that which just happened for a moment. so there's got to be a fight, and if they won't let me, i'll have to make 'em, that's all."

"um," said the parson, looking grave. "um."

"now, as for that fellow murray," added mark, "i don't propose to fight him."

"wow!" shouted texas. "what in thunder do you mean? now if you don't, by jingo! i'll go and do it myself!"

"take it easy," said mark, laughing. "you see, williams is the man the class has selected to beat me; he's the best fighter. now, if i beat anybody else it won't do me the least bit of good; they'd still say i'm afraid of[pg 93] williams. so i'm going to try him first. how's that, texas?"

"reckon you're right," admitted powers, rather sheepishly. "i 'spose you'll let me go and arrange it, hey?"

"i'd as soon think of sending a dynamite bomb," laughed mark. "you'd be in a fight before he'd said three words. that's what i wanted the parson for. i think he'd be grave and scholarly even if they ate him."

"thank you," said the parson, gravely. "i should try."

"wow!" growled texas.

and thus it happened that the parson set out for "camp mcpherson," a short while later, his learned head full of prize fighting and the methods and practice of diplomacy.

it was rather an unusual thing for a plebe to do—this venturing into "camp;" and the cadets stared at the parson, wondering what an amount of curiosity he must have to go prospecting within the lines of the enemy. the parson, however, did not act as if curiosity had brought him; with a businesslike air and a solemn visage he strode down the company street, and, heedless of the cadets who had gathered at the tent doors to see him,[pg 94] halted in front of one before which he saw "billy" williams standing.

"mr. williams?" said the parson.

mr. williams had been engaged in vigorously drying his face; he paused, and gazed up out of the towel in surprise, and one of his tent mates, cadet captain fischer, ceased unwinding himself from his long red sash and stared.

"my name is stanard," said the parson—"peter stanard."

"pleased to meet you," said williams, stretching out a long, brawny arm.

there was a twinkle in the yearling's eye as he glanced at the skinny white fingers which stanard put out in return. and, taking in the stranger's lank, scholarly figure, williams seized the hand and squeezed with all his might.

he expected to hear a howl, but he was disappointed. the parson drew up his "prehensile muscles," as he called them. the result was that cadet williams turned white, but he said nothing about it, and invited the stranger into his tent.

the parson deposited himself gently in one corner and[pg 95] drew up his long legs under him. then he gazed out of the tent and said—"ahem!"

"warm day," said williams, by way of a starter.

"it is not that the temperature is excessively altitudinous," responded the parson, "but the presence of a larger proportion of humidity retards perspiratory exudation."

"er—yes," said williams. "yes, i think that's it."

"i have come—ahem!" continued stanard, "as a representative of mr. mallory."

the other bowed.

"mr. mallory desires to know—if you will pardon my abruptness in proceeding immediately to the matter in hand—to know if it is not possible for you to fulfill a certain—er—engagement which you had with him."

"i see," said williams, thoughtfully, and he tapped the floor with his foot for a minute or so.

"mr. mallory, of course, understands," he continued at last, "that i have no grudge against him at all."

"certainly," said the parson.

"in fact, i rather admire mr. mallory, on the whole, though some of his actions have been, i think, imprudent. in this matter i am simply the deputy of the class."

"exactly," said the parson, bowing profusely.

[pg 96]"therefore, i fight when the class says so, and when they say no, what reason have i for fighting? now, the class thinks that mr. mallory has had chance enough, and——"

"but they don't know the circumstances!" protested stanard, with more suddenness than was usual with him.

"they do not," responded the other. "but they'd like to."

"i do not know them myself," said the parson. "but i have faith enough in mr. mallory to take his word that it was unavoidable."

"you must have a good deal," added williams, his handsome face looking grave, "a good deal to risk being sent to coventry."

"i am willing. examples of yet higher devotion to a fides amicus, so to speak, are by no means extraordinary. take the popular instance of damon and pythias, or, if you look for one yet more conspicuous, i would mention prylocates and tyndarus, in the well-known play of "the captive," by plautus, with which you are doubtless familiar."

and the parson closed his learned discourse with his favorite occupation of wiping his brow.

[pg 97]"the risk is your own," responded the yearling, calmly. "you must not mind if the class resents your view of the case."

there was a few moments' silence after that, during which the parson racked his head to think what to say next.

"you refuse, then, to fight mr. mallory?" he inquired at last.

"absolutely!" responded the other. "absolutely, until the class so directs."

then the parson drew a long breath, and prepared for the culminating stroke.

"what i say next, mr. williams," said he, "you will understand is said with all possible politeness and good feeling, but it must be said. mr. mallory has been insulted by some cadets as a coward. he must free himself from the suspicion. mr. williams, if a plebe should strike an older cadet, would that make a fight necessary?"

"most certainly," said williams, flushing.

"well, now, suppose he simply threatened to do so," continued stanard. "would that be cause enough?"

"it might."

"well, then, mr. williams, mr. mallory desires me[pg 98] with all politeness to beg permission to threaten to strike you."

"i see," said the other, smiling at the solemn air with which the lank stranger made this extraordinary request. "i see. i have no objection to his so doing."

"thank you," said stanard. "a fight is now necessary, i believe?"

"er—yes," said williams. "i believe it is." the fact of the matter was that he saw that mark was in a position to force a fight if he chose, and the yearling was by no means reluctant, anyhow.

"i thank you for your courtesy," he continued, bowing stanard out of the tent. "tell mr. mallory that i shall send my second to see him this evening. good-day."

and stanard bowed and strode away with joy in his very stride.

"we have met the enemy," was his report to mark. "we have met the enemy, and there's going to be a fight!"