the brief period of relaxation had been appreciated
hugely throughout camp. Three quarters of the cadets under canvas
had found time for at least a two hours' sleep.

When the battalion marched back from supper, and was dismissed,
the young men turned to for their evening of leisure and pleasure.

Over at Cullum Hall there was to be a hop for the evening.

Not all cadets, however, attend hops at any time.

Not long after supper many of the cadets began to dress carefully.

"Going to the hop, old ramrod?" inquired Mr. Furlong, standing
just outside his tent while he fitted a pair of white gloves over
his hands.

"Not to-night," returned Dick indifferently.

"Why, do you know, you haven't shown your face at hop yet?" Furlong
demanded. "Yet when we were under instruction in the plebe class,
you turned out to be one of our best dancers."

"Oh, I'll be in at one of the hops, later on in the summer," responded
Prescott.

"One?" gasped Furlong. "Oh, you wild, giddy thing! You're going
to do better, aren't you, Holmesy?" continued Furlong, as Dick's
old chum came out, fitting on a pair of white gloves.

"I'm going over and put my head in danger of being punched, I
suppose," grinned Greg. "I'm going to have the nerve to 'stag
it' tonight."

The man who "stags it"---that is, does not escort any young woman
friend to the hop, must needs dance, if at all, with the girl
some other cadet has "dragged." This sometimes causes bad feeling.

"I'm going to drag a 'spoony femme' tonight," declared Furlong,
contentedly. "She's no 'L.P.,' at that."

"Dragging a femme" is to escort a young woman to the hop. If
she be "spoony," that means that she is pretty. But an "L.P."
is a poor dancer.

"Hotel?" inquired Greg.

"Yes," nodded Mr. Furlong, turning to leave. "Miss Wilton. I
don't believe you've met her. Unless she dislikes your looks
I may present you to her."

"Do," begged Greg. "I'd enjoy going through a few dreamy numbers."

Mr. Furlong, having permission to go to the hotel for Miss Wilton,
started off, moving at his best soldier's step. After registering
at the hotel office, in the book kept for that purpose, as every
cadet is required to do, Mr. Furlong hoped for several minutes
of talk with his pretty partner, either in a corner of the parlor,
or on the veranda. Only the parlor and the veranda are open to
cadets having permission to call at the hotel.

Greg, having no companion to go after, brought