lves,"
murmured Dalzell wisely. "I'll get along at the proper time."

Dave didn't delay to argue. He stepped briskly outside, then
into the field, his eyes roving over the thousands of spectators
who still lingered. At last a waving little white morsel of a
handkerchief rewarded Darrin's search.

"Oh, you did just splendidly to-day," was Belle's enthusiastic
greeting, as Dave stepped up to the young lady and her mother.
"I've heard lots of men say that it was all Darrin's victory."

"Yes; you're the hero of Franklin Field, this year," smiled Mrs.
Meade.

"Laura Bentley and her mother didn't come over?" Dave inquired
presently.

"No; of course not----after the way that the cadets used Dick
Prescott," returned Belle. "Wasn't it shameful of the cadets
to treat a man like Dick in that fashion?"

"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 som