As she entered the apartment house she was arguing still with herself about him.  Her intuition told her that Frederic Hoff was a gentleman, and how could a gentleman be what Mr. Fleck seemed to think he was?  As the door swung to behind her she gave a little quick breath of delight, for she had caught sight of a uniformed figure standing by the switchboard.  She had recognized him at once.  It was the naval lieutenant who had been at the Ritz.  She heard him saying to the girl at the switchboard: 

“Tell Mr. Hoff, young Mr. Hoff, that Lieutenant Kramer is here.  I’ll wait for him down-stairs.”

Quick as a flash a course of action came into her mind.  She saw an opportunity too good to be neglected.  She hurried forward to where the lieutenant was standing, her hand outstretched, with a smile of recognition—­feigned, but well-feigned—­on her lips.

“Why, Lieutenant Kramer,” she cried, “how delightful.  Have you really kept your promise at last and come to see the Strongs?”

She could hardly restrain her amusement as she watched the embarrassed young officer strive in vain to recall where it was that he had met her.  She had relied on the fact that the men in the navy meet so many girls at social functions that it is impossible for any of them to remember all they had met.

“Really, Miss—­” he stammered, struggling for some fitting explanation.

“Don’t tell me,” she warned reprovingly, “that it isn’t Jane Strong that you are here to see, after all those nice things you said to me that day we had tea aboard your ship.”

She was hoping he would not insist on going into particulars as to which ship it was.  Fortunately she had been to functions on several of the war vessels, so that she might find a loop-hole if he was too insistent on details.

“Indeed, Miss Strong,” said Kramer, gallantly pretending to recall her, “I’m delighted to see you again.  I’ve been intending to come to see you for ever so long, but you understand how busy we are now.  In fact, it was business that brought me here to-day.  I’m calling on Mr. Hoff, who lives here, to take him to lunch to discuss some important matters.”

At his last phrase Jane’s heart thrilled.  What important matters could there be that a navy lieutenant could fittingly discuss with a German, with the nephew of the man whose secret code message they had just succeeded in reading?  Determining within herself to keep fast hold on the beginning she had made, she masked her real thoughts and let her face express frank disappointment.

“How horrid of you,” she continued, “when I was just going to insist that you stay and have luncheon with us.”

He was protesting that it was quite out of the question when the elevator brought down her mother, whom Jane at once summoned as an ally, feeling sure that considering how many men of her daughter’s acquaintance she had met, it would be perfectly safe to keep up the deception.