With the tale of Bligh's audacity went everywhere the story of how he had saved Blunt. And midshipmen were touched deeply in suddenly realizing the sad, lonely, ostracized life Bligh had led; of the generosity of conduct by one so universally despised. And thus there was a reaction by leaps and bounds of generous feeling toward that once unhappiest of young men. Bligh's character was hardly changed in these few days; the strongest thing in it was still a desire for applause, and he fairly drank in the kindly words that were now profusely showered upon him. The direct effect was to make him tremendously happy; Bligh really had never been hopelessly vicious, unwarrantable as had been some of his acts. And no midshipman had ever lived a sadder life at the Naval Academy. And the sudden change from ostracism to popularity overwhelmed him with happiness and filled him with ambition to merit the kindly feelings that went with him in his final days at Annapolis. On the following Wednesday Bligh received an official letter from the Secretary of the Navy with the curt information that his resignation as midshipman had been accepted, and so the fear of disgraceful dismissal vanished. He was to reënter civil life without the stigma of expulsion from the naval service. He was all packed up and left on the afternoon train. Beside him in the car sat Frank Stonewell. "Stonewell," remarked Bligh, "you will never know the good you've done me; you came to me with your friendship when I had no friend and when I needed one badly. I was going to the dogs and hated everybody; you helped to restore my self-respect and gave me a hope I might be of some account after all. I'm going to try to live right from now on, to make a point of deserving friends." "You're all right, Harry," replied Frank Stonewell; "you just needed to get a good grip on yourself; you had the academic regulations and standards on the brain when I first met you; you were actually morbid about them. Perhaps I pushed my defiance of them a little too far when I played the last trick, but I love to dare. However, it's all a phase of life. But, I say, Bligh, look out there! What are all those midshipmen running into the station for?" "Oh, that's Blunt and a lot of third and fourth classmen. I guess they had a late dress parade and are trying to get to this train to bid somebody good-bye. Probably some girl is aboard whom they all like." "All aboard!" shouted the conductor. Then came a sharp cry in staccato words, from the well-known voice of Harry Blunt. "Four N yell, fellows," he cried, just before the train started. And then from over a hundred throats came a well-known Naval Academy shout, as follows: "N N N N A A A A V V V V Y Y Y Y Navy-- Bligh, Bligh, Bligh."