"You may leave, Miss Laning," said one of the other teachers. "We have had trouble enough for one night."
"Nellie started for the door, and Tom did the same; but before the youth could leave, Miss Harrow clutched him by the arm.
"Mr. Rover, just a word," she said in a low voice. "You did me a great service and I shall not forget it. If I have done Miss Laning an injustice, I am very sorry for it." And having thus spoken, she turned back and sank down on a couch. Tom and Nellie left and hurried to the campus, where they were speedily rejoined by Sam and Grace.
"How did you make out?" asked the younger Rover. And then Tom gave the particulars of what had occurred.
"Oh, Tom, I am glad you said what you did," cried Grace, heartily. "Now, maybe, Miss Harrow will be more careful in her actions."
"Well, I simply said what I thought," answered Tom. "They are not going to lay anything at Nellie's door if I can help it."
"Oh, Tom, but you told them that—that And Nellie grew red and could not go on.
"Well, what if I did? It's the truth, isn't it?"
"What was that?" asked Sam, curiously.
"Why, I told them that Nellie and I had been friends for years and that, sooner or later, we were going to be married."