d that, Mr. David Darrin?"

"It shall be as you say, either way," Dave replied happily.

"And now, let us get started, or we shan't get out on the street
to-day," urged Belle.

Then they passed out on the street, and no ordinarily observant person
would have suspected them of being anything more than school friends.

Being very matter-of-fact in some respects, Belle's first move was to go
to a stationer's, where she bought a little notebook bound in red
leather.

Dave tried to pay for that purchase, but Belle forestalled him.

"Why didn't you allow me to make you that little gift?" he asked in a
low tone, when they had reached the street.

"Wait," replied Belle archly. "Some day you may find your hands full in
that line."

"One of my instructors at Annapolis complimented me on having very
capable hands," Dave told her dryly.

"The instructor in boxing?" asked Belle.

It was a wonderfully delightful stroll that the middy and his sweetheart
enjoyed that September forenoon.

Once Dave sighed, so pronouncedly that Belle shot a quick look of
questioning at him.

"Tired of our understanding already?" she demanded.

"No; I was thinking how sorry I am for Danny boy! He doesn't know the
happiness of having a real sweetheart."

"How do you know he doesn't?" asked Belle quickly. "Does he tell you
everything?"

"No; but I know Danny's sea-going lines pretty well. I'd suspect, at
least, if he had a sweetheart."

"Are you sure that you would?"

"Oh, yes! By gracious! There's Danny going around the corner above at
this very moment."

Belle had looked in the same instant.

"Yes; and a skirt swished around the corner with him," declared Belle
impressively. "It would be funny, wouldn't it, if you didn't happen to
know all about Dan Dalzell?"

In the early afternoon, however, the mystery was cleared up.

On the street Dalzell had encountered Laura Bentley. Both were full of
talk and questions concerning Dick Prescott and Greg Holmes, at West
Point, for which reason Dan had strolled home with Miss Bentley without
any other thought, on the midshipman's part, than playing substitute
gallant for his chum, Cadet Richard Prescott, U.S. Military Academy.

A most delightful afternoon the four young people spent together at the
Bentley home.

These were the forerunners of other afternoons.

Belle and Laura, however, were not able to keep their midshipmen to
themselves.

Other girls, former students at the High Sch