ce. Two days after that Dave was actually permitted to sit up.

On the sixth day after he had been taken to the hospital Dave was mending
so rapidly that Belle, who was obliged to leave that afternoon for her
Red Cross post in France, felt wholly easy in mind as to his condition.

"It was a lucky chain of events, my two swims in the channel," Darrin
told her before they parted.

"Lucky, when the experience nearly cost you your life?" exclaimed Belle.

"It gave you an excuse for coming to me, and gave me the time and leisure
to be with you."

"Dave Darrin, you don't mean any such thing! You are needed aboard your
ship, and I am needed for my work in France, and nothing can be called
really good luck that takes either of us away from his post of duty in
war-time."

"You little patriot!" Dave laughed, jestingly.

"You believe it just as much as I do," Belle maintained stoutly. "I'm
glad to have been here with you, dear, but I shall be glad to find myself
back at my post. And you know you are glad that you will return to your
ship tomorrow."

"If she comes in," Darrin amended.

"Dave, aren't you nearly wild to get back to duty?" she persisted.

"Yes, I am, for as you say, dear, we are all needed at the posts assigned
to us. There is another reason why I must get back. The work that has
been cut out for us is not proceeding as it should. We have made some
good 'catches' in the way of mines, yet the fact is that mines are being
planted much faster than we have been taking them up. I must get back to
duty and see if I can find out what is wrong."

Buttoning his overcoat tightly Dave Darrin walked with Belle to the
railway station. The train left so soon after their arrival that there
were not many moments left the young couple for leave-taking. After the
train had started Dave watched it out of sight. There had been something
uncomfortable in his throat, but as he turned away the lump vanished and
his jaws set squarely.

"Now, my work is cut out for me," he told himself. "I can do only one
man's part in this war, but I must do that to the limit and try to make
the world a safe place of residence for that little woman and all others
like her!"

No sooner was the "Grigsby" in port, the next forenoon, than Lieutenant
Fernald came ashore and straight to the hospital.

"Going on board today, sir?" was Fernald's greeting.

"You couldn't keep me ashore any longer," Darrin declared.

"Good enough!" said the executiv