“Good. That’s a fine chap. Well, let’s forget the late unpleasantness. Go back to your class. Take your old room, and no more fighting. I think Wade Grenville will be glad to see you. I’ve noticed he hasn’t been in the best of spirits since you left.”
Wade was glad to see him. So was Buck Hart and Cas Gorham and Brownie Davis and Rabbit Warren and all the rest of the fellows, when he met them at Freshman’s corner, the northeast corner of the building where for school generations members of the Freshman class at Pennington gathered at odd times.
“Whoops, he’s back. He’s here again. Dr. Livingston told us about it yesterday,” cried Wade, rushing up to him and pouncing on him good-naturedly.
“Oh, boy, our young hero has returned,” affectionately shouted Buck Hart.
“Rah for the hundred thousand dollar bond hero,” yelled Rabbit Warren enthusiastically.
A dozen boys had gathered around Thatcher by that time, all celebrating his return gleefully and all wanting to know the details of his brief adventure in the business world and his thrilling experiences with the wrecking crew.
And while he was in the midst of this hub-bub two Sophomores turned the northeast corner and strolled past the group. Thatcher looked up in time to look full into the face of Gould. For a moment he was slightly embarrassed. Then he smiled and nodded cordially to his former antagonist indicating very plainly that any malice he might have harbored had disappeared.
But Gould refused to meet him half way. He did not return the nodded greeting. Instead he turned to little Birdie Pell, who still followed him like a shadow, and remarked with the utmost sarcasm in his voice.
“Well, well, I see our young movie hero has returned. The school is saved from certain disaster.”