“Henderson!” repeated Gordon scornfully. “Don’t quote Henderson to me! Such a foul-mouthed cad as he is, is a disgrace to any school. I’ll admit that I’ve never caught him in a lie, but all the same I haven’t an atom of confidence in him, and I don’t think Clark or anybody else ought to be condemned on no stronger evidence than his word.”
“I don’t know but you’re right,” was the reply, “but I doubt if Clark comes back at all. I wouldn’t if I were in his place.”
But Clark did go back; to the surprise of many of the boys he was in his seat as usual the next morning; he might have been the only boy in the room, however, for all the attention he paid to his classmates.
Several of them, feeling that he had been hardly used, and not feeling at all sure that he deserved all the blame that had fallen upon him, were inclined to make advances, but he met them with a coldness that repelled the most friendly, and after one or two such rebuffs they left him again alone. Not one of them could begin to understand the bitter agony of his proud young soul, and the unspeakable mortification he suffered continually through the father of whom he had once been so proud.
The law and order society met regularly once a week after this, and its influence soon began to be felt, even though it worked against heavy odds, for those who had not joined seemed determined to do all in their power to lessen its influence and to maintain the undesirable reputation that the section had already acquired. On the other hand, the members of the new society, realizing the fact that so many were working against them, were impelled to do their utmost for the improvement of their class record. The result was that the nineteen members soon showed a marked improvement in scholarship, while their orderly and gentlemanly deportment was in striking contrast to the rough, turbulent behavior of the other half of the class.
CHAPTER V.
HAMLIN RETURNS.
“Well, Hamlin, are you holding a reception? I’m sure we are all very glad to see you back again,” said Mr. Horton, as he entered the school-room one morning and found Hamlin the center of a merry, noisy group.
“It’s no wonder he’s a favorite. That smile of his is enough to win anybody,” the teacher thought, as from his seat at the desk he glanced again and again at the constantly increasing group about Hamlin; but at a stroke of the bell the group dissolved as if by magic, and each boy dropped into his own seat.
At recess Hamlin was seized almost bodily and hurried off to the playground. Clark had obtained permission to stay in that day, and Mr. Horton chanced to glance towards him just in time to note the expression on his face as he looked after Hamlin and the eager crowd that bore him away. As they disappeared Clark sighed, and opening his book, began to read.