'You have plenty of dancing men; there won't be room to move shortly.' Charley Stratherne was too busy to stay and ask why his friend refused to dance, and would not even remain in the ball-room; the next second he was off. Then the young lieutenant managed to make his way through the crowd to the door; and as there were still plenty of people arriving, he succeeded in passing his hostess unobserved and making his way downstairs. He entered the brilliantly-decorated but quite empty supper-room, and sat down. One of the servants happened to come in and stared at him. 'Look here,' said he, 'could you get me an evening paper?' 'Oh yes, sir,' said the man: and he went off and speedily returned with the newspaper. Frank King sat down, turned his back to the table, and was soon all by himself in this long chamber, apparently deeply absorbed in the evening's news. What he really was doing, however, was listening to the music overhead. Meanwhile, Nan got through the waltz somehow. The crush was so great that her partner, who was not much of a pilot, generally succeeded in steering her into some little side bay, where they came slowly to rest by mere friction, or else landed her right in the middle of the room, where there was a throng of unskilful dancers become stationary in spite of themselves. At last she was surrendered again to her mother's care. 'Well, Nan,' said Lady Beresford, with an amused look, 'how did you get on?' 'You mean how much did I get off?' said she. 'I believe I'm all in rags. And that elephant of a man bumped me against every person in the room.' Here the Admiral came along--bustling as was his wont, talking to everybody at the same time, and invariably putting his hand on the shoulder of those whom he knew best, to give effect to his speech. 'Well, well, my girl,' he said, 'how did you like your partner? Did he amuse you? Did he compliment you on the roses in your cheeks--ah, that's the Brighton air, that is.' 'Oh, if you mean Lieutenant King,' said Nan, without any hesitation or embarrassment, 'I think he is very amusing indeed--very. And very clever, too, is he not? 'Oh yes, he's a smart young fellow--a smart young fellow is Frank King. We've had an eye on him for some time back.' 'I should say now,' remarked Nan, with a wise air, 'that he had got his Three Ones?' The Admiral stared at her, and then burst out laughing. 'You young impertinence! What do you know about the Three Ones? He had got his certificates before he was one-and-twenty. But here, I will tell you something.' He took her a step aside. 'Hush, now--hush-sh. It is a State secret. Don't say a word. But I'll tell you what we're going to do with Frank King to-morrow; we're going to give him the command of the _Fly-by-Night_. What do you think of that for a lieutenant of five-and-twenty?' 'If he has relatives, I suppose they will be very proud,' said Nan.