Dan went with Mr. Pennimore to the stairs, and then returned to Gerald, and an excited discussion of the sailing party and the Sunday banquet.
The next morning Gerald was up bright and early, feeling no ill effects from the previous day’s misadventure. He soon found that he was looked on as something of a hero, and had he responded to all the requests for his story of the incident, he would never have reached commons in time for breakfast. When he did give his account of the upset, as he was forced to do at table, he gave most of the credit to Thompson.
“Shucks!” said one of his audience, “you and Thompson make me tired. He says you did it all and you say he did. I’ll bet a dollar Merrow crawled out of the water himself, while you two fellows were wrangling about who was to be the hero!”
To-day was the last day of examinations, and Gerald’s work was over early. At half-past ten he set out for Merle Hall with his arms full. He carried a big basket of fruit from the Sound View hot houses, and the three big stamp books. He found Harry still rather pale and scared looking, but eager to show his gratitude and anxious to talk. Being thanked for saving a fellow’s life was, Gerald found, rather embarrassing, and he switched Harry away from that subject as soon as he could by producing the basket and the books.
“These are the ones I told you about yesterday,” he explained of the books, when Harry had admired and nibbled at the fruit. “You know I was going to give them to you in case Broadwood won the game. But I want you to have them anyhow. So—so here they are.”
But Harry, much as he wanted them, required a good deal of persuasion before he would accept them. And then it was only with the proviso that Gerald was to have them back any time he changed his mind. Then Gerald exhibited some of the rarer treasures, and the two boys were deeply absorbed when there was a knock on the door, and Arthur Thompson entered.
“Thought I’d just drop in and see how you are,” he explained, shaking hands with Harry in an embarrassed way. He, too, had to listen to Harry’s thanks, and by this time Harry was quite an experienced hand at expressing gratitude, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy his privilege. Thompson sat through it as patiently as possible, casting sheepish glances the while at Gerald. Afterwards they went over the adventure together, each one describing his sensations and explaining his actions, and then Gerald got up to leave.
“I must go, too,” said Thompson hurriedly. “Get well, Merrow, and—er—buck up, you know.”
Gerald promised to look in again in the evening and then he and Thompson withdrew. Gerald expected the latter to leave him at the entrance, but instead of that Thompson kept step with him down the walk toward Clarke. Gerald strove to think of something to say, but without success, and the silence was growing rather embarrassing, when Thompson broke out with:
“Say, Pennimore, what have you got against me, anyway? If it’s that little row we had last Winter, why, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm, really.”