was certainly not in a pleasant
frame of mind towards Ted _to-day_. The morning passed much less
cheerfully than usual, for when all was happy between the boys, though
they could not speak to each other in school hours, there were many
pleasant little ways in which they could make each other feel that his
friend was next door. Ted's lessons suffered from his preoccupation,
and, altogether, things seemed to go the wrong way. But Ted did not seem
able to care. "What was the matter with Rex?" That was the one question
always in his mind.

School over, the boys could not help meeting. Their roads lay together,
and both had too much self-respect to wish to make an exhibition of the
want of good feeling between them to the other boys. So they set off as
if nothing were the matter, and walked some little way in silence. At
last Ted could stand it no longer.

"What's the matter with you, old fellow?" he said. "Why wouldn't you
play with me yesterday?"

Rex looked up.

"I couldn't," he said. "I had got my French exercise all blotted, and I
wanted to copy it over without telling any one; that was why I wouldn't
come out. So _now_ you see if it was true what you said of me to
Hatchard."

"What did I say of you to Hatchard?" cried Ted.

"_What?_ Why, what he told me you said--that I was a mean sneak, and
that I wouldn't play because I wasn't as good at it as you."

"I never said so, and you know I never did," retorted Ted, his cheeks
flaming.

"Do you mean to say that I'm telling a lie?" cried Rex in his turn.

"Yes I do, if you said I said that," exclaimed Ted. And then--how it
happened I don't think either of the boys could have told--their anger
grew from words into deeds. Rex hit Ted, and Ted hit at him again! But
one blow--one on each side--and they came to their senses. Ted first,
when he saw the ugly mark his clenched fist had left on his friend's
face, when he felt the hot glow on his own.

"O Rex," he cried, "O Rex! How can we be like that to each other? It's
like Cain and Abel. O Rex, I'm so sorry!"

And Rex was quick to follow.

"O Ted, I didn't mean it. Let's forget we ever did it. I _do_ believe
you never said that. Hatchard's a mean sneak himself. I only didn't want
to tell you that it was you who blotted my exercise by mistake when you
passed my desk. I thought you'd be so sorry. But it would have been
better to tell you than to go on like this."

Rex's explanation was too much for Ted. Ten years old