Mr. Merriam and his comrades made no reply in words.  Nor did their faces express much.  They stood at attention, looking stolidly ahead of them, though their faces were turned toward the officer.  It was not the place of any of them to speak unless the officer asked questions.

Severe as the hazing had been, however, Jack and Hal, at least, had taken it all in good part.  Nor was Jack bound by any of the rules of etiquette that prevented the cadets from speaking.

“May I offer a word, sir?” asked Jack, wheeling upon the officer.

“You were one of the victims of a hazing, were you not?” demanded the officer, regarding Jack, keenly.

“Why, could you call it that, sir?” asked Jack, a look of innocent surprise settling on his face.  “We called it a demonstration—­an explanation.”

“Demonstration?  Explanation?” repeated the officer, astonished in his turn.  “What do you mean, Mr.—­er—­”

“Benson,” Jack supplied, quietly.

“I think you would better tell me a little more, Mr. Benson,” pursued the unknown naval officer.

“Why, it was like this, sir,” Jack continued.  “My two friends—­Hastings and Somers—­and myself were talking about the West Point and Annapolis hazings, of which we had heard and read.  We were talking about the subject when a cadet came along.  I suggested to Somers that we ask the cadet about hazing.  Well, sir, to make a long story short, some of the cadets undertook to show us just how hazing is—­or used to be—­done at Annapolis.”

“Oh!  Then it was all thoroughly goodnatured, all in the way of a joke, to show you something you wanted to know?” asked the naval officer, slowly.

“That’s the way I took it,” replied Jack.  “So did Hastings and Somers.  We’ve enjoyed ourselves more than anyone else here has.”

This was truth surely enough, for, in the last two minutes, not one of the cadet midshipmen present could have been accused of enjoying himself.

“Then what took place here, Mr. Benson, really took place at your request?” insisted the naval officer.

“It all answered the questions that we had been asking,” Jack replied, promptly, though, it must be admitted, rather evasively.

“This is your understanding, too, Mr. Hastings?” demanded the officer.

“Surely,” murmured Hal.

“You, Mr. Somers?”

“I—­I haven’t had so much fun since the gasoline engine blew up,” protested Eph.

“We entered most heartily into the spirit of the thing,” Jack hastened on to say, “and feel that we owe the deepest thanks to these young gentlemen of the Navy.  Yet, if our desire to know more about the life—­that is, the former life—­of the Academy is to result in getting our entertainers into any trouble, we shall never cease regretting our unfortunate curiosity.”

For some moments the naval officer regarded the three submarine boys, solemnly, in turn.  From them he turned to look over the cadet midshipmen.  The latter looked as stolid, and stood as rigidly at attention, as ever.