"I have my opinion, of course," Dave replied moodily, "but it's hardly for a midshipman to criticise the cadets for their own administration of internal discipline in their own corps. The absence of Prescott and Holmes probably cost the Army the game to-day." "Not a bit of it!" Belle disputed warmly. "Dave, don't belittle your own superb work in that fashion! The Army would have lost to-day if the West Point eleven had been made up exclusively of Prescotts and Holmeses!" As Belle spoke thus warmly her gaze wandered, resting, though not by intent, on the face of a young Army officer passing at that moment. "If the remark was made to me, miss," smiled the Army officer, "I wish to say that I wholly agree with you. The Navy's playing was the most wonderful that I ever saw." Dave, in the meantime, had saluted, then stood at attention until the Army officer had passed. "There!" cried Belle triumphantly. "You have it from the other side, now---from the enemy." "Hardly from the enemy," replied Dave, laughing. "Between the United States Army and the United States Navy there can never be a matter of enmity. Annually, in football, the Army and Navy teams are opponents---rivals, perhaps---but never enemies." Mrs. Meade had strolled away for a few yards, the better to leave the young people by themselves. "Dave," announced Belle almost sternly, "you've simply got to say something savage about the action of the West Point men in sending Dick Prescott to Coventry." "The West Point men didn't do it," rejoined Dave. "It was all done by the members of the first class alone." "Well, then, you must say something very disagreeable about the first class at the Military Academy." "But why?" persisted Dave Darrin. He was disgusted enough over the action of the first class cadets, but, being in the service himself, he felt it indelicate in him to criticise the action of the cadets of the United States Military Academy. "Why?" repeated Belle. "Why, simply because Laura Bentley will insist on asking me when I get home what you had to say about Dick's case. If I can't tell Laura that you said something pretty nearly awful, then Laura will be terribly hurt." "Shall I swear?" asked Dave innocently. Belle opened her eyes wide in amazement. "No, you won't swear," Belle retorted. "Profanity isn't the accomplishment of a gentleman. But you must say something about Dick's case which will show her that all of Dick's friends are standing by the poor fellow." "But, Belle, you know it isn't considered very manly for a fellow in one branch of the service to say anything against fellows in the other branch." "Not even---for Laura's sake?" "Oh, well," proposed Midshipman Darrin, squirming about between the horns of the dilemma, "you just think of whatever will please Laura most to hear from me." "Yes-----?" pressed Miss Meade. "Then tell it to her and say that I said it."