He was full of grit, burning with the conviction that he must have a full vindication today.
It was when he returned to barracks and the ranks were broken, that Dick discovered how many friends he had.

Fully twoscore of his classmates rushed to wring his hand and to wish him the best kind of good luck that day.
Yet at 7.55 the sections marched away to mathematics, philosophy or engineering, according to the classes to which the young soldiers belonged.
Then Prescott faced a lonely hour in his room.
"The fellows were mighty good, a lot of them," thought the accused cadet, with his first real sinking feeling that morning.

"Yet, if any straw of evidence, this morning, seems really to throw any definite taint upon me, not one of these same fellows would ever again consent to wipe his feet on me!" Such is the spirit of the cadet corps.

Any comrade and brother must be wholly above suspicion where his honor is concerned.
Had Dick been really guilty he would have been the meanest thing in cadet barracks.
At a little before nine o'clock Lieutenant Topham called.

To Cadet Prescott it seemed grimly absurd that he must now go forth in holiday attire of cadet full-dress uniform, white lisle gloves and all---to stand before the court of officers who were to decide whether he was morally fit to remain and associate with the other cadets.