only fooling all summer. You've heard, Greg, of plenty of cadets
who have engaged themselves while here at the Academy."

"Yes," nodded Greg. "There's no regulation against a cadet becoming
engaged to a girl. The regulation only forbids him to marry while
he's a cadet."

"Now, a fellow like one of us either goes so far, in his lonesomeness,
that he's grateful to a bright girl for cheering him and imagines
he's in love with her; or else he finds that the girl thought
he was in love with her, and she expects him to propose. Greg,
I don't want to make any mistakes that way. It's easy for a cadet
to capture the average girl's heart; it's his uniform, I suppose,
for women always have been weak when uniforms enveloped fellows
who otherwise wouldn't attract their notice. Greg, I wonder how
many cadets have been lonesome enough to propose to some girl,
and afterwards find out it was all a mistake? And how many girls
fall in love with the uniform, thinking all the while that it's
the fellow in the uniform? How many cadets and girls recover
from the delusion only in after years when it's too late. I tell
you, Greg, when a fellow gets into this cadet life, I think the
practice of going too often to a hop may be dangerous for cadets
and girls alike!

"I'll get cold feet if I listen to you long," laughed yearling
Holmes grimly. "I wonder if I'd better pull these gloves off
and stay where I am?"

"I didn't have any idea of seeking to persuade you," Dick replied.
"If you feel proof against the danger, run right over to Cullum