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.
"Better than ever, I hope, Paul. I've had my lesson. It will never happen again, I promise you," she answered, pressing his arm as she spoke.
So Paul saw her safely to her door, and then said good-night; but Arline insisted upon shaking hands with him; and the tingle of his fingers as he walked down the street made him laugh with joy.
"What luck!" he kept saying to himself, as he made out to shake his own hand; "and what a mess of it Ward made of his chances. He thought to have the laugh on me if we met, and here the shoe is on the other foot. Oh! I'm not complaining a little bit. Everything's coming my way now."