e other lad with shining eyes.

"Out," he muttered huskily, "you're a brick!"

West made no reply, but his feet shuffled nervously on the hearth.

"To think of you starting out there after me! Why, you're the--the hero,
Out; not me at all!"

"Oh, shut up!" muttered West.

"I'll not! I'll tell every one in school!" cried Joel. "I'll--"

"If you do, Joel March, I'll thrash you!" cried West.

"You can't!--you can't, Out!" Then he paused and laid a hand
affectionately on the other's shoulder as he asked softly:

"And it's really so, Out? You can't--" West shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's so, Joel," he answered apologetically. "You see out in
Iowa there isn't much chance for a chap to learn, and--and so before
this afternoon, Joel, I never swam a stroke in my life."

CHAPTER XII.

THE PROBATION OF BLAIR.

Wallace Clausen's narrow escape from death and Joel's heroic rescue were
nine-day wonders in the little world of the academy and village. In
every room that night the incident was discussed from A to Z: Clausen's
foolhardiness, March's grit and courage, West's coolness, Cloud's
cowardice. And next morning at chapel when Joel, fearing to be late,
hurried in and down the side aisle to his seat, his appearance was the
signal for such an enthusiastic outburst of cheers and acclamations that
he stopped, looked about in bewilderment, and then slipped with crimson
cheeks into his seat, the very uncomfortable cynosure of all eyes.

Older boys, who were supposed to know, stoutly averred that such a
desecration of the sacred solitude of chapel had never before been heard
of, and "Peg-Leg," long since recovered from his contact with the bell
rope, shook his gray head doubtfully, and joined his feeble tones with
the cheers of the others. And then Professor Wheeler made his voice
heard, and commanded silence very sternly, yet with a lurking smile, and
silence was almost secured when, just as the door was being closed,
Outfield West slipped through, smiling, his handsome face flushed from
his tear across the yard. And again the applause burst forth, scarcely
less great in volume or enthusiasm, and West literally bolted back to
the door, found it closed, was met with a grinning shake of the head
from Duffy, looked wildly about for an avenue of escape, and finding
none, slunk to his seat at Joel's side, while the boys joined laughter
at his plight to their cheers for his courage.

"You promised not to tell!" hissed