But if you are willing we'll drop the entire matter, and you can go to your room and get ready for breakfast." Pepper thought rapidly.

He was angry over being accused of the crimes, yet he knew he had gone too far in his joke at Josiah Crabtree's expense.
"All right, sir; we'll drop the matter, Mr.Crabtree," he said.
"Good-morning," and a moment later he quitted his prison and was on his way to his dormitory.
The cadets had much to talk about that day--the sudden liberation of Pepper, and the losses Bart Conners and Dan Baxter had suffered.

At noon Captain Putnam came back, and he had the captain of Company B and Dan Baxter in his office for the best part of an hour.

But nothing came of the conference, excepting that the owner of the Hall said he would pay all losses and gave Baxter his eleven dollars on the spot.

Then he had a long conference with the new man of all work, who was really a detective in disguise.