"Little!" exclaimed Helen, the real girl coming out, her philosophizing over; "well! I guess it won't be little. I'm to be out in front of seven hundred midshipmen, all by myself, and there will be ten thousand other people looking at me. I will have on a new gown made at the Convent at Baltimore and a new hat and a gorgeous bouquet of American beauties. I imagine you won't think it's little when it happens, Robert Drake." Robert laughed. "That's right, Helen; that's the way to feel. By the way, do you remember that Sunday long ago, when we took our first walk? It was soon after I first met you." "Oh, yes. And you helped me jump over a mud-puddle." "Do you remember the invitation I gave you then to our class graduation german and ball?" "Yes, Robert, I remember all that and you have spoken of it since. Indeed I shall be glad to go with you." "I was just thinking how pleasant our friendship has been, Helen, and how all of these things have come to pass. I was so blue and unhappy the day I first went to your father's house--you see there weren't many people who had a friendly word for me then. Your father has always been a true friend of mine." "Indeed he is. He is here to-night; hunt him up later; he always speaks of you when he comes to Annapolis; he will talk to you of your father; he sees him every day now. But, Robert, I can't help but be surprised that though you are so friendly to father and mother and me, you are always so hostile to Harry. Harry wants to be friendly; he said only yesterday that he liked you, but that you cut him every time you met him." "I wish your brother every good luck, Helen, and I hope he'll be worthy of his father. Some time----" "Robert, there's that old colored man in the doorway again, old Grice--he is surely beckoning to you--I wonder if he has 'disregarded' with his wife again about religion. Go and see what he wants and come back and tell me about it." It was now nearing eleven o'clock. In their talk Robert and Helen had walked several times around the room, so engrossed with each other that they paid but little attention to the beautiful music and none to the happy throng of young people gliding over the floor. Robert looked with annoyance at Grice. The latter was now gesticulating frantically at him through the open doorway. "What do you want, Grice?" he asked almost roughly. "Come 'long, Mistah Drake," the old colored man cried; "come 'long or yo'll be too late." "Come along where?" "To the department of mathmax. The two midshipmen gwine ter steal the zamnation at 'leven 'clock ter-night." "How do you know?"