When Saturday afternoon came both midshipmen hurried to the hotel in the town and sent up their cards.  Mrs. Meade soon appeared, saying the girls would be down shortly.

“Are they both well?” asked Dave.  His tone was as one giving a meaningless greeting, but in his heart he waited anxiously to hear what her mother should say of Belle.

“Well, yes.  But Belle has been moping around the house a great deal, Dave, rather unlike her usual self,” replied Mrs. Meade slowly.

If Mrs. Meade deplored this, Dave Darrin did not.  It showed him at least that the girl’s apparent coldness was not caused by her interest in some other young man.

But when the girls came in and Belle greeted him cordially, to be sure, but with something of restraint, his heart sank again.

“What’s the matter, Belle?  Has something gone wrong?” asked Dave when Dan was engaging the attention of Mrs. Meade and Laura.

“Nothing.  Is all right with you?”

“Surely!”

“Dave, when we’re alone I have something to show you.  I fear you have an enemy here.”

“An enemy!  Oh, no.  But I shall be glad to see what you have to show me.”

It was not long before, at a word from Dave, Dan took Mrs. Meade and Laura out for a walk.  It was then that Belle got the large photograph with the two figures ringed in ink and showed it to Dave.

“Why, what does this mean?  Some one must have taken a good deal of trouble to secure this photograph.  The picture was taken for a pictorial weekly.  One can get a photograph from which the cut is made, but it is troublesome and possibly expensive!”

“You have an enemy, then; some one bent on hurting you?”

“I don’t know who it could be.  My, how angry Miss Stevens would be if she knew of this!”

“Miss Stevens?  Is that the girl?”

“Yes.  She’s visited here often this year.  She knows a number of the officers’ wives.  She’s vivacious and always has a good time, but she’s nothing to me, Belle.  You know that, don’t you?”

“I have never doubted you, Dave.  Let us tear this up.  I thought at first I’d not show it to you; then decided it was best not to begin concealing things from you.  But let us not think of the thing again.”

“Belle, you’re a thoroughbred!” and here the matter dropped as far as it was between Dave Darrin and Belle Meade.

Miss Stevens was at the dance that evening.  Though she tried hard to make that impossible, Dave did not dance with her, nor did he introduce her to Belle, though there again Marian tried to force this.

It would have been well for Marian if Dan Dalzell had been equally circumspect.

This time it was Belle who contrived and got the introduction to the other girl, but Marian was by no means reluctant, so it was that they managed to get a few moments alone together when they had sent their dance partners to get something for them.