re
with had the air of encouraging them to think it. I wondered what kind
of things they said to girls and secretly longed to find out.

It seems that in summer the cadets leave their barracks and go into
camp, which is a time of year that the girls who visit West Point and
those whose fathers are stationed there, like very much. We had a
glimpse of the tents from the long street of the officers' quarters;
and after we had visited a few technical things in which I was too
polite to show that I was hardly interested, we strolled over to where
we could see the little white pyramids gleaming under the Stars and
Stripes.

I had been afraid that all the cadets would have gone away to
Flirtation Walk, with girls, but to my joy there were plenty left in
camp. On chairs under the trees near by two or three ladies were
sitting with some white-butterfly girls; and a crowd of cadets were
talking to them.

"There's a great pal of mine, Mrs. Laurence," said Captain Collingwood.
"She would love to know you, Lady Betty. Do you mind if I introduce you
to each other?"

"See here, that means we shall be hitched up with all that lot of
cadets," Potter objected, quite crossly. "What's the good of wasting
time?"

I hurried to say that I shouldn't consider it a waste of time, that I
should be delighted to meet Mrs. Laurence, and also a few sample
cadets, if any could be provided for the consumption of an enquiring
British tourist.

Captain Collingwood thought that one or two might be found who would
not object to the sacrifice; and five minutes later I was having more
fun than I had ever had before in my life.

Mrs. Laurence was sweet, and so tactful. She scarcely talked to me at
all, except to ask me how I liked America, and a few of the things
people are obliged to get off their minds when they meet a foreigner;
and then she introduced five cadets.

I was terrified for a minute, because until I left home my whole
(youthful) male experience consisted of one brother, three cousins, and
two curates, dealt with separately and with long sleepy intervals
between. I began to wonder how I could possibly manage five tall youths
at once, and to rack my brains for the right kind of conversation; but
before I should have had time to say "knife" to a curate, I found
myself chatting away with those cadets as if I had grown up with them.
I never once stopped to think what I should say next, and neither did
they.

Some girls were introduced