In School and Out; or, The Conquest of Richard Grant.

A wayward boy named Richard Grant repeatedly lands in scrapes at home and in town before enrollment at a military-style institute subjects him to drill, guard duty, and disciplinary consequences that expose his temper and pride. Through boating contests, confrontations with a rival faction called the Regulators, and the practical demands of duty and comradeship, he faces setbacks and learns restraint, responsibility, and leadership. The narrative traces his internal moral struggle from impulsiveness toward principle, showing how repeated trials and the influence of peers and authority lead to a genuine change of character.