“Certainly,” said Will Palmer, “and that explains why Mr. Morton was so frequent in his visits to the prison.”
“Yes, and why Paul felt so dreadful after he had been there the first time,” said Benny. “It just used him up completely; you’d hardly have thought him the same boy.”
Mention of that incident recalled to the boys the manner in which Paul had come to go to the prison, so one after another looked at Joe Appleby, who had not yet said a word, but Joe did not seem angry; on the contrary, he said,
“Boys, of course I didn’t know how what I said was affecting Paul, but I know now, and I’m going to apologize to him the first chance I get. I’m going to ask him to forgive me, or to take it out of me, if he’d rather; and,” continued Joe, after a short pause, “I’m not going to wait for the chance, but I’m going to make it.”
“Hurrah for Appleby!” shouted Will Palmer, and as three cheers were given Will crossed over to the big boy of whom he had long been jealous, and shook hands with him, and all the other boys understood it; so when Canning Forbes cried, “Three cheers for Palmer!” they too were given with a will.
“I want to make a suggestion,” said Canning Forbes, when the cheering had ended. “We came here to adopt resolutions for Paul Grayson, but I’m sure he’d be better pleased if we would say nothing about the matter; any reference to it would be certain to give him pain. The best we can do is to treat him with special kindness hereafter, if he stays, and never, by any word or deed, make reference to the past. If there is any one who insists on resolutions, let him adopt them for himself and about himself. In spite of having had a father who was a gambler and a criminal, Paul is the most sensible, honest, honorable, pleasant fellow in this town. Let each one of us make a resolution that if a boy can become what Paul is, in spite of such dreadful trouble, those of us who have honest fathers and happy homes ought to do at least as well.”
“I’ll do that,” said Benny Mallow, “right straight away, and I’ll write it down in a book as soon as I get home, so as to be sure never to forget it.”
“So will I,” said Napoleon Nott. “I’ll write it on the first page of ‘The Exiled Prince,’ so I’ll be sure to see it often.”
Such of the boys as did not agree verbally to Canning’s suggestion seemed to be making the resolution quietly, and the meeting soon broke up. As Benny started for home it suddenly occurred to him that, now the secret was out, Paul might go away; he certainly would if Mr. Morton did not open school.
This was too dreadful an uncertainty to be endured, so Benny hurried to old Mrs. Bartle’s and asked to see the teacher. Mr. Morton quickly quieted his mind by saying that the school would continue for at least the half-year that Paul’s father remained in the jail. Of course Paul would be one of the class; indeed, Mr. Morton was willing that Benny should tell every one that the only reason he had opened school at Laketon at all was his desire to be near the old friend whom he could not desert in his trouble, and to have near the prisoner, whose real name was Paul Gray, the son for whom, since the death of his wife, Paul Gray had felt an affection that Mr. Morton knew would make a good man of him when again he had a chance to start in the world.