onde?"

"Yes," Dan nodded.

"I shall be glad to meet Miss Atterly. But how about her? Do
you think she could stand the shock?"

"Miss Atterly is very anxious to meet you both," Dalzell assured
Belle.

"Take me over and shock her, then," laughed Belle.

Dan stood gazing about the scene. "I---I wonder where Miss Atterly
is?" Dan mused aloud.

"Oh, I can tell you," Belle answered. "A moment ago she went
through the entrance over yonder."

"Alone?"

"No; an older woman, probably Miss Atterly's mother, was with
her."

"Oh! Let's look them up, then, if you don't mind."

As Belle rose, taking Dave's arm, Dan and Laura took the lead.

Just beyond the entrance that Belle had indicated no one else
was in sight when the four young friends reached the spot. There
was a clump of potted tropical shrubbery at one side.

On the other side of this shrubbery sat Mrs. and Miss Atterly,
engaged in conversation.

"Why do you prefer to sit in this out-of-the-way place, Catharine?"
her mother inquired, just as the young people came up.

"I want to get away from two rather goodlooking but very ordinary
girls that Mr. Dalzell wants to present to me, mamma," she replied.

"If they are midshipmen's friends are they too ordinary to know?"
inquired Mrs. Atterly.

"Mamma, if I am going to interest Mr. Dalzell, I don't want other
girls stepping in at every other moment. I don't want to know
his girl friends."

"Are you attracted to Mr. Dalzell, Cathy?" asked her mother.

"Not especially, I assure you, mamma."

"Oh, then it is not a serious affair."

"It may be," laughed the girl lightly. "If I can learn to endure
Mr. Dalzell, then I may permit him to marry me when he is two
years older and has his commission."

"Even if you don't care much for him?" asked Mrs. Atterly, almost
shocked.

"If I marry," pouted Miss Atterly, "I don't want a husband that
leaves the house every morning, and returns every evening."

"Cathy!"

"Well, I don't! In some ways I suppose it's nice to be a married
woman. One has more freedom in going about alone. Now, a Naval
officer, mamma, would make the right sort of husband for me.
He'd be away, much of the time, on long cruises."

"But I understand, Cathy, that sometimes a Naval officer has a
year or two of shore duty."

"If that happened," laughed the girl, "I could take a trip to
Europe couldn't I? And the social position of a Naval officer
isn't a bad one. His wife enjoys th