"I don't know about that," Darrin answered thoughtfully. "Another good view of it would be that a young lady's private affairs are her own property. Didn't she ever mention the lucky fellow to you?"
"It seems that she did," Dalzell assented. "But I thought, all the time, that she was talking about her brother."
"Why should you especially think it was her brother whom she was mentioning?"
"Because she seemed so mighty fond of the fellow," Dan grunted.
Dave choked a strong impulse to laugh.
"Danny boy," he remarked, "girls, very often, are mighty fond, also, of the fellow to whom they're engaged."
"Why did she let me call?" demanded Dan gloomily.
"How often have you called?" inquired Midshipman Darrin.
"Once, before to-night."
"Only once? Then, see here, Danny! Don't be a chump. When you call on a girl once, and ask if you may call some other time, how on earth is she to guess that you're an intended rival of the man she has promised to marry?"