rmined opposition, overwhelmed by the shower of punches
and whacks that seemed to be freighted with painful reminders; and
startled by the cries of the fleeing Ward, not to mention the little
shrieks of Arline, the three boys who had been the cause of all this
excitement soon had enough.

"Skip out, fellers!" roared Ted, as he almost doubled up when the
swinging bat came with considerable force against his ribs.

The others were only too willing to obey. Away they clattered after the
fleeing Ward, who, hearing what he took to be a hot pursuit, let loose
more vigorously than ever, still crying for assistance.

Paul was laughing now, for the comical side of the thing seemed to have
occurred to him. He took out a match and struck it. As the light flamed
up, Arline, who had by now ceased her cries of alarm, possibly guessing
the truth, stared at the face of the victor.

"Oh! Paul! is it you?" she said; and somehow he seemed to understand that
she was more than glad of the opportunity to make up with him.

Boylike he pretended to hold back, and as the light went out, leaving
them once more in the gloom, he remarked:

"Yes, those fellows were lying in wait for me. They expected to give
me a sound thumping; but I was warned and ready. I'm sorry that you were
annoyed by the row, Miss Blair. I'll stay here with you until your
company comes back. I think he must have gone for help!" this with some
bitterness and scorn.

She moved closer to him. Possibly the darkness made her afraid; and then
again some other cause may have influenced her.

Paul felt her hand on his arm, and was thrilled when she said:

"Please don't mention him to me again. Oh! what a miserable coward, to
run off and leave a girl that way. Won't _you_ take me home, Paul?"

He could not say anything for a minute, he was so overcome. And perhaps
Arline thought he must still be angry because she had treated him so
shabbily of late.

"Please, please do, Paul. I want to tell you how sorry I am for believing
what came to me in a roundabout way. I'll never forgive myself, never!"
she went on, clinging to his arms.

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 m