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"Sir, I fear you have been ht I did not take Young Caulder to Dark Evening I did not even knoas there until I saw hiive hio to him after he had drunk a full bottle of liquor and passed out, and see that he got safely ho to do with your son’s downfall"

I felt as ifwith my fervor I knoayed onColonel Stiet looked atabout them? Do you think my son is unconscious still? Do you think I don’t know everything? He has confessed all to ht the liquor and put it in his hands You and your friends urged hih The others will be discharged as well; they were to be culled anyway" He looked down at the paper he still gripped in his hand "I only wish there were soe that I could inflict on you I will be notifying your uncle By this afternoon’s mail, he will know of how you have shamed his name"

"I didn’t do it," I said, but uts see cramp in my side I could not helpill Permission to leave, sir"

"You have it Take your papers with you I never want to see you in this office again"

He thrust the paper intostoered from the room In the outer office, the colonel’s secretary stared at me as I passed him by without a word I hastened out the door and down the steps Sergeant Rufet aiting for an a quick march back to the doro swept over eant Rufet spoke in a low voice "Thatit hard, I see Buck up, Cadet Be a man"

Be aBlackness kept trying to close in froes of my vision I would not faint Never before had foul news had such a profound physical effect on me My belly boiled with acid and ered on

"So Howoff?" he asked His tone was genial, as if to ht there was an edge of concern in it, too

I could scarcely find breath to answer "I won’t be ed, ashamed of how my voice hitched on the words "I’ve been dishonorably discharged They’re sending race I’ll never be a soldier, let alone an officer"

The sergeant halted in surprise I think he thought I would stop too, but I kept on walking I feared I would collapse if I did not One foot in front of the other He caught up with me and asked me in a toneless voice, "What did you do, Cadet, toIt’s what Caulder accused ot higed hi, I added bitterly, "His old noble friends are the ones who took hiot hiet into a whorehouse without hi about it Those old noble bastards left hiround I picked hied him home, and I’m the one to be kicked out All because I’rowled the word like it was a curse Then he added, in a low, vicious voice, "New noble, old noble, that’s all I hear, and not a damn bit of difference do I see between the lot of you Any noble’s son is the same to me, born to lord it over me Damn lot of you wet behind the ears still, but in three years you’ll be polishing your lieutenant’s bars while I’sters"

A fresh wave of misery washed over eant’s desk, I’d never stopped to wonder what he thought of us I glanced over at hirown, years of service behind him, and in two years at the Acadereat as what had just befallen ainst the misery that had swollen my throat shut and tried to speak