gone, well--clean over the edge."

Somehow his innocent euphemism annoyed her. "You mean they are
prostitutes?" she asked.

He frowned in protest at her employment of the word but assented
unequivocally. He was used--as who is not--to hearing young women discuss
outspokenly such topics but he couldn't forgive it from one who looked
like Mary Wollaston.

"I have a hunch," he said, "that the two boys who are with them are
officers out of uniform. I noticed that they looked the other way
pretty carefully when that major who is sitting at the next table to
ours came in."

"Let's dance again," she said. "I love this Hawaiian Moonlight thing."

He saw her take the opportunity that rising from the table gave her for
a good square look at the party he had been talking about and some change
in her manner made him say with quick concern, "What is it?"

But she ignored the question and stepped out upon the floor with him.
They had danced half-way round the room when she said quietly, "One of
the boys at that table is my brother Rush."

Baldwin said, "He has seen you, I think." He felt her give a sort of gasp
before she replied but the words came steadily enough.

"Oh, yes, we saw each other at the same time."