alk about and stretch our legs, look in at a few store
windows and make a few trifling purchases that won't exhaust our small
store of pocket money."

"Exciting prospect!" remarked Joyce.

"Well, what ails you?" demanded Dalzell with unusual quietness. "What do
you want to do? Something that will get us into big trouble with the O.C.
and the com.?"

"Joyce can't tell you what he longs for, for he doesn't know himself,"
explained Dave.

"But I know. He wants to do something irregular; anything that is
slightly in breach of the regulations--something that will get him hauled
up before the O.C. and the pap."

"You're a wonderful guesser," laughed Joyce. "Well, I'll admit that I'm
simply restless, and that anything that will stir my blood and my liver
will fill the bill. I'm afraid I'm so depraved to-night that even a
street-fight wouldn't go against the grain."

"You'd better forget it," advised Darrin quietly. "It's a dangerous frame
of mind for a future officer and gentleman, who must acquire control over
himself before he can be fit to command men."

"You talk like a padre!" (chaplain) uttered Joyce in disgust "Can't you
forget, for one evening, that you're a midshipman?"

"No; I don't want to," Dave returned quietly.

"Prig!" uttered Joyce again, and this time he did not take the pains to
speak under his breath. But Darrin only smiled indulgently.

By way of simple dissipation the three midshipmen went to a drug store,
enjoying themselves with ice cream sodas. Soon after they found
themselves in a Main Street bookstore, looking over post cards. They
could, however, find no new ones, and so left without buying.

"And there's the theatre right over there!" sighed Joyce.

"It would be against our word as midshipmen and gentlemen to visit it,"
Dave urged. "Come on, Joyce; we'll turn into one of the very quiet side
streets and stroll along. Then we'll be out of temptation."

Accordingly they went to one of the all but deserted side streets of the
better sort.

"There's a comrade ahead of us," said Dave in an undertone presently, as
he made out the uniform half a block away.

Hardly had he spoken when a door opened and a young man in evening
clothes came lightly down the steps. At once the unknown midshipman
wheeled and sprang at the young civilian. There was a swift interchange
of blows, over almost as soon as it started, for the unknown midshipman
speedily knocked down the man he had assaulted. Nor did th