There was silence for a moment, during which the boys looked first at the damaged and overturned ice boat, and then at the figures of the professor, and the lady teacher of Fairview.
“I—er—I think we had better be getting on, Mr. Tines,” the lady said, at length. “It is getting late.”
It was a gentle hint, and he took it.
“I shall see you young gentlemen later,” said the professor significantly, as he started up the river bank with Miss Philock.
“And it’s us for a walk back,” spoke Tom slowly, when they had remained in silence for about a minute. “Dutch, we are much obliged for your evening of pleasure,” he added sarcastically.
“Oh, hang it all, I didn’t mean——” began the fun-loving lad.
“Oh, forget it! Of course it wasn’t your fault,” broke in Sid. “Come on. Let’s haul the boat up on shore, and hoof it back. We can explain to Zane.”
Fortunately for themselves our friends had held good records of late, and the proctor did not question them too closely, as they drifted in some time after the locking-up hour. They told of the accident, but did not mention Mr. Tines and his companion.
“We’ll just hold that in reserve,” decided Tom. “Fancy him being out with Miss Philock!”
Probably the walk back to Randall from Fairview gave Professor Tines a chance to change his views regarding the happening of the night. For, though he looked rather grimly at our heroes in chapel the next morning, he said nothing, and there was no official report of the occurrence, for which Tom and his chums were duly thankful.