ithout an appointment?"

"What was the need of an appointment?" demanded Dan. "Miss Preston
invited me to call at any time---just drop in. Now, she must
know that Saturday evening is a midshipman's only chance at this
time of the year."

"Nevertheless, you were wrong at that point, in the game," Dave
went on gravely. "Unless you're on the best of terms with a young
lady, don't attempt to call on her without having learned that
your purpose will be agreeable to her. And so Miss Preston, while
receiving your calls, has been engaged to some one else?"

Dan nodded, adding, "She might have given me some hint, I should
think."

"I don't know about that," Darrin answered thoughtfully. "Another
good view of it would be that a young lady's private affairs are
her own property. Didn't she ever mention the lucky fellow to you?"

"It seems that she did," Dalzell assented. "But I thought, all
the time, that she was talking about her brother."

"Why should you especially think it was her brother whom she was
mentioning?"

"Because she seemed so mighty fond of the fellow," Dan grunted.

Dave choked a strong impulse to laugh.

"Danny boy," he remarked, "girls, very often, are mighty fond,
also, of the fellow to whom they're engaged."

"Why did she let me call?" demanded Dan gloomily.

"How often have you called?" inquired Midshipman Darrin.

"Once, before to-night."

"Only once? Then, see here, Danny! Don't be a chump. When you
call on a girl once, and ask if you may call some other time,
how on earth is she to guess that you're an intended rival of
the man she has promised to marry?"

"But-----" That was as far as Midshipman Dalzell got. He halted,
wondering what he really could say next.

"Dan, I'm afraid you've got an awful lot to learn about girls,
and also about the social proprieties to be observed in calling
on them. As to Miss Preston receiving a call from you, and permitting
you to call again, that was something that any engaged girl might
do properly enough. Miss Preston came to Annapolis, possibly
to learn something about midshipman life. She met you and allowed
you to call. Very likely she permitted others to call. From
what you've told me I can't see that she treated you unfairly
in any way; I don't believe Miss Preston ever guessed that you
had any other than the merest social reasons for calling."

"And I'm not sure that I did have," grunted Dalzell.

Dave shot another swift look in