“I suppose,” sighed Jack, to himself, as he turned away, “a woman can’t begin to understand why we must be so secret aboard a submarine craft that all the naval men in the world would like to know about.  If she only could understand!”

Had Benson been able to guess just how well the handsome young spy did understand, and how much she had hoped to learn through appealing to his interest in her, he would have been furious at the thought of his own great simplicity.

“Your charming partner of last night was rather disappointed,” observed Hal Hastings.

“Yes; she must feel that I have used her mighty shabbily,” Jack responded.  “I am afraid she won’t forgive me.”

“Oh, well, after a few days you’ll never see her again,” murmured Hal.  “Just because a girl is pleasant—­and pretty—­one can’t forget all the orders that he’s working under.”

Captain Jack Benson talked to himself in about the same strain, yet he couldn’t wholly get over the notion that he had been—­though helplessly—­rude to a woman.

“You won’t need me on deck any more, will you, sir?” asked Williamson, saluting.

“No; I shall be on deck,” Jack replied, returning the salute.  “Very likely Mr. Hastings will be here with me, for that matter.”

Soon after the machinist had gone below Eph Somers returned to the deck.

“I’ve been posting that Kimono,” Eph explained.

“Kamanako,” laughed Captain Jack.

“Oh, it’s all the same to me,” sighed Eph.  “To my untrained ear all Japanese names sound alike.”

“Whatever you do,” warned Jack, “don’t, hurt the poor fellow’s feelings by calling him Kimono.”

“Why not?”

“Well, the Japanese are a proud and sensitive race.

“Suppose they are?”

“Do you know what ‘Kimono’ means, Eph?”

“Haven’t even a guilty suspicion.”

“It’s the Japanese name for a woman’s dress.”

“Wow!” muttered Somers.  “I shall surely have to, forget ‘Kimono,’ then.  What do you call his truly name?”

“Kamanako,” Jack responded, and spelled it.  Eph wrote the name down on a slip of paper, saying: 

“Thank you, Jack.  I’ll try to commit this name to memory.  I don’t want to hurt the feelings of a sensitive little fellow.  It would be a shame to have to punch him if he felt insulted and made a pass at me.”

“Punch him, eh?” laughed Jack in genuine enjoyment.  “Eph!  Eph!  Don’t make any false start like that!”

“What are you talking about?” questioned Somers.

“Don’t make the mistake, at any time, Of trying to punch that Japanese.”

“Trying to?” gasped Somers.  “Say, if I made a swing at that light colored little chocolate drop, do you think I’d make a false pass and hit my own nose?”

“You might be lucky if nothing worse happened,” grinned Jack.  “Eph, did you never hear of the Japanese jiu-jitsu?”