"No, indeed. Mr. Bronson sent it to you to use in going to Boston. Unless you wish to go, you have no right to it, and must return it."
"But you'll be too lonesome, Momsy."
"No, she won't, because I'll stay with her," announced a cheery voice, and, turning, the mother and son beheld Margie, who had entered without the formality of rapping, in time to hear the latter part of the conversation. "You must go, Fred. You deserve a little pleasure, if ever any one did."
Thus assured that his mother would not be alone, the boy decided to start that very afternoon, and telegraphed Bronson to that effect.
The lawyer did not seem at all the formidable man Fred supposed him to be, and Mr. Bronson, on his part, took a great liking to the manly boy, of whose persecution by the rich bully, his son had told him.
Under cover of this cordiality, Fred plucked up courage one evening to tell about the strange actions of Mr. Montgomery and Charlie Gibbs at the bank.
Instantly the lawyer was all attention, and, after he had heard the story once, he made the boy repeat it, questioning him searchingly upon the incidents.
"H'm; if Montgomery is in the habit of going to the bank at night with his brother-in-law, it will explain several things," he mused.
But though the boy sought to draw him out, he was unable, Mr. Bronson dismissing the subject with the remark that Fred was too young to understand such things. Yet, on the day of his return to Baxter, he had the satisfaction of being asked by the lawyer to advise him of any suspicious actions by either Mr. Montgomery or Gibbs.
After the opening of the second semester, the students amused themselves as best they could after school hours until the call was issued for candidates for the baseball team.