he _Fly-by-Night_!

His face flushed a deep red.

'You are joking, Miss Beresford.'

'Oh no, I am not,' said Nan, hastily. 'Sir George told me to-night; I
am not joking at all----Captain King,' said she, at a wild venture.

For an instant she saw his under lip quiver. He sat quite silent.
Then he said--

'That is Sir George's doing--if it is possible.'

He had scarcely uttered the words when the Admiral himself appeared,
bringing in a little old lady with a portentous head-dress. Nan
instantly conjectured that she must be a dowager-duchess, for she
thought that no one but a dowager-duchess would dare to wear such a
thing.

Sir George paused as he passed them.

'Hillo, here's my sweetheart. I told you I wanted to drink a glass of
wine with you. Doing your duty, Frank King? When's your leave out?'

'I am going down to Portsmouth to-morrow, Sir George.'

'No, no; you'll have a message from the Admiralty to-morrow. I didn't
see you dancing to-night; you young fellows are getting lazy.'

He passed on. Nan looked triumphantly across the corner of the table.
Frank King said--laughing off his embarrassment--

'I have a vague impression that I ought to thank you for it, Miss
Beresford; and I don't know how. I hope it is true. They never gave
me a hint of it. You would have thought Charley Stratherne would have
known.'

'It was very imprudent of my daughter,' said Lady Beresford, severely,
'to mention such a thing; but Sir George makes a pet of her, and I hope
no harm has been done.'

Frank King warmly protested. How could any harm be done? And he
redoubled his attentions to Lady Beresford. Not only that, but when
they returned to the ball-room he was very anxious to be introduced to
Nan's sisters, and was most polite to them, though he did not ask them
for a dance. Moreover, he got hold of Charley Stratherne, and through
him made the acquaintance of Mr. Tom Beresford; and these three, having
adjourned for a time to a certain remote snuggery where were sherry and
soda and cigarettes, Frank King was quite content to accept from Mr.
Tom hints concerning things about town. There was in especial a famous
'lion comique'--the Great Dunse, or the Jolly Ass, or some such
creature--about whom Mr. Tom was much exercised; and Frank King
professed himself quite interested in hearing about this person. The
grave young Lieutenant was indeed extraordinarily complaisant this
evening. He was unusually talkative