The others were only too willing to obey.  Away they clattered after the fleeing Ward, who, hearing what he took to be a hot pursuit, let loose more vigorously than ever, still crying for assistance.

Paul was laughing now, for the comical side of the thing seemed to have occurred to him.  He took out a match and struck it.  As the light flamed up, Arline, who had by now ceased her cries of alarm, possibly guessing the truth, stared at the face of the victor.

“Oh!  Paul! is it you?” she said; and somehow he seemed to understand that she was more than glad of the opportunity to make up with him.

Boylike he pretended to hold back, and as the light went out, leaving them once more in the gloom, he remarked: 

“Yes, those fellows were lying in wait for me.  They expected to give me a sound thumping; but I was warned and ready.  I’m sorry that you were annoyed by the row, Miss Blair.  I’ll stay here with you until your company comes back.  I think he must have gone for help!” this with some bitterness and scorn.

She moved closer to him.  Possibly the darkness made her afraid; and then again some other cause may have influenced her.

Paul felt her hand on his arm, and was thrilled when she said: 

“Please don’t mention him to me again.  Oh! what a miserable coward, to run off and leave a girl that way.  Won’t you take me home, Paul?”

He could not say anything for a minute, he was so overcome.  And perhaps Arline thought he must still be angry because she had treated him so shabbily of late.

“Please, please do, Paul.  I want to tell you how sorry I am for believing what came to me in a roundabout way.  I’ll never forgive myself, never!” she went on, clinging to his arms.

Paul could hold out no longer.

“Of course I will, Arline, and glad of the chance.  Come on before anybody hurries out to see what all this noise means.”

So they walked down the street together, Paul with his faithful bat tucked under one arm, and a pretty girl clinging, oh! so confidingly to the other.

But the boys of Stanhope often made more or less of a noise on the streets after dark, being filled with exurberant spirits; and so no one thought it worth while to investigate what all the racket meant.

Paul heard what had been carried to the ears of Arline, and had no trouble in proving to her complete satisfaction that he was entirely innocent of the charge.

“And to think that I allowed myself to believe it,” said the girl, almost crying; “oh!  Paul, will you ever forgive me?  Nothing can ever make me listen to anything wrong about you again.  I wonder if he had a hand in hatching that wretched story up.  If I knew it I would tell him to his face what I thought of him!”

“You mean Ward.  Please don’t do that.  I really can’t believe any fellow would be so mean and low.  It must have been just accident that coupled my name with that affair.  But I’m satisfied if you say we’re going to be just as good friends as ever,” Paul said, warmly.