"That was only an incidental cause, sir; the real reason was I wanted to do one decent thing at the Naval Academy. I have done so many things that I am not proud of; and I want to justify Frank Stonewell's belief that there is some good in me. I have had a hard time here, sir. I commenced wrong, and I have been punished severely--for months not one single midshipman at the Academy has spoken a friendly word to me. Then some weeks ago I met Frank Stonewell, and somehow I opened up my heart to him--I was in a bad way at that time; but he made me feel I was not hopelessly bad; it is hard lines, sir, to be made an outcast, a pariah, by one's classmates." "I see," remarked the commandant, a bit unbelieving and skeptical; "apparently Mr. Frank Stonewell stirred up the good that was in you and the direct stirring up resulted in your shameful act of last night. I sincerely hope Mr. Frank Stonewell will not try to stir up any more good at the Naval Academy. But, Mr. Bligh, you at least seem disposed to tell the truth. I wish to get to the bottom of this whole affair. Tell me how you got hold of Mr. Blunt's disguise. Did he know of it?" "No, sir. My room is next to the divisional officer's office, on the ground floor. Late one night, months ago, while I was getting a glass of water, I observed Mr. Blunt enter that office. Two hours later I saw Mr. Blunt, in disguise, come over the terrace and soon I saw him leave the office. I didn't understand it at first, but suddenly it flashed over me that Mr. Blunt kept civilian clothes somewhere in his divisional officer's office. Then I knew it was Mr. Blunt in disguise, and not a civilian, who had left and entered that office by the window. So later I took a wax impression and had a key made for the door of that office; I went in one night and found on top of the wardrobe (it is a regular midshipman's wardrobe) the coat, hat and false beard,--well, that's about all, sir. I used them several times besides the twice you know of." "That's enough, quite enough to dismiss you from the Naval Academy. I am glad indeed finally to have arrived at the facts. The one thing I cannot understand is that after these shameful acts you should talk such twaddle about wanting to prove there is some good in you. Faugh! There's no good in a cheat, and your attempt to steal that examination was caused by a desire to cheat. You can't convince me there's anything particularly good in you by what you have done in the last twenty-four hours."