"Inasmuch as no seaman is allowed to enter the after cabin, your meetings there were, to all intents and purposes, secret. You proposed to keep the offices among yourselves, and you nominated the candidates, without consulting the crew, who were to find most of the votes to elect them, if they were elected. I think Scott was perfectly justified in taking the course he did. The secret society, I suspect, is rather for amusement than for anything else. You knew of its existence, and it is only a fair counterbalance for your meetings in the after cabin." "We have come to the conclusion, sir, that our plan does not work very well," added De Forrest, rather sheepishly. "It has not been tried under favorable circumstances. I have a higher opinion of it than you seem to have," replied Mr. Lowington. "It was brought forward, I am told, by yourself and others, to prevent Cantwell from becoming captain or first lieutenant. This was an unworthy purpose, and in the eyes of the crew it amounted to persecution." "We did not think he was fit for either of these places." "Perhaps he was not; and if your plan had not been adopted, he would only have been fourth lieutenant. As the matter stands now, you have actually made an unpopular officer your captain by your attempt to persecute him. However odd and ridiculous Scott's tactics may have been to defeat your intentions, they were based upon a genuine love of fair play. You have been caught in your own trap." "I confess that we have, sir; and we would like to get out of the trap," replied De Forrest. "That is quite impossible. Cantwell has been fairly elected, and he shall serve out his month." "But after that, sir?" "I adopted the new plan to please you, and I purpose to give it a full and fair trial. It has some very manifest advantages, the principal one of which is, that it makes the officers in some measure responsible to the crew for their conduct. It encourages courtesy and kindness in the superior. But I am aware that it has some disadvantages, not the least of which is this electioneering, though this is inseparable from republican institutions." "I think we shall ask to have the old plan restored," added De Forrest. "After two or three months' trial of the present plan, if a large majority of the squadron desire it, I shall be willing to make the change; but I hope to see one election which shall be fairly conducted, and in which no false issues shall be introduced. In the last, the main question was whether the officers should deprive Cantwell of his merit-rank; and every other issue was in some manner related to this." "But Cumberland, whose rank by merit was No. 1, was displaced from his office, though all the students like him very well; perhaps not so well as Lincoln, but very well," suggested De Forrest.