Then, without seeming to see the extended hand, he responded in his quiet way:
“Clemmons, what Breslin did he has suffered for, and your seemingly frank offer of friendship under other circumstances I might appreciate; but I am no hypocrite, and I will not profess a friendship I do not feel. I shall treat you with respect, yes, and shall exact the same treatment from you, but friendship between us is not to be thought of, as in your heart, you know as well as I do, that it is not sincere.”
Clemmons felt sorry that he had not gone to Merrill in private, for the rejection of his proffered friendship cut him to the quick.
His face flushed, then paled, and he said in a tone of suppressed feeling:
“So be it, sir, if you desire it,” and he wheeled on his heel and walked away.
The cadets present felt that there was an undercurrent between the two, a feeling that they were not in touch with, and somehow they decided that Mark Merrill’s response left him master of the situation, notwithstanding the very manly _amende honorable_ of Scott Clemmons, as it had at first seemed to them.
That Mark was jealous of Clemmons as a rival for honors they did not for a moment believe.
He had some secret cause of bitterness against Clemmons, and he was of too manly a nature to play the hypocrite, they decided.
Of course the story of the friendly offer by Scott Clemmons and its rejection by Mark Merrill became known to the whole corps, and finally reached the ear of the commandant.
A cadet who happened to be present when the commandant heard the story, engaged in some work at a table near, told what he had overheard.
The manner in which Mark Merrill had shown himself both a “slugger” and a wrestler in knocking out and giving a fall to Barney Breslin, convinced the corps that there was a latent power in the youth that should not be allowed to lie dormant.
He had shown himself a most clever gymnast, but always in a modest way, and when special attention was attracted to him, cadets came to understand that he was as thorough an athlete as he was a student.
This became an undisputed fact when the young sailor quietly carried off the prizes from his class one day for feats of strength, and captured the gold badge as the “best-drilled man in his company.”