She well understood his passionate and revengeful disposition, and felt that he might be led hastily into something he would ever after regret in case he afterward found that the gossip of the school had no real foundation of truth in it. She believed it her duty to prevent him from any rash action and to hold him in check. “Hal,” she said, “you must promise me you will have no trouble with Dick—for my sake. I am not blind. I can see through some things. If I have treated you shabbily, it was because of my pride. Let’s forget it. Let’s let things be as they were long ago before we came to Fardale.” “Do you mean it?” he cried eagerly. “I mean it, Hal. We will be friends, just as we were of old. If there is a shadow of truth in this gossiping talk, which I don’t wish to believe, Dick Merriwell will soon see that he has made a mistake in thinking I care—I will not speak to him. Promise me—promise me you will not quarrel!” “I promise, Doris,” he said earnestly. “We must walk back now, for we cannot miss our train.” When they arrived at the station, however, it was nearly train time, and the Fardale boys were there, while the Fairport lads had come down to see them off. There was a great crowd on the platform. “Oh, here you are, Doris!” exclaimed Zona Desmond, as with Bessie Dale she hastened to meet her friend. “We have been worrying about you.” “No need of worrying about me,” laughed Doris. “Hal can take care of me; can’t you, Hal?” “I think I can,” he declared. And the light in his eyes and the look on his face made such a change in him that Zona was astonished. Not only was she astonished, but suddenly she grew worried; and, at the first opportunity, while Doris was speaking with Bessie, she drew Hal a little to one side and whispered anxiously: “What have you been telling her? I hope you didn’t breathe a word of what I told you. If you did she will never forgive me.” “Don’t worry,” he retorted. “Whatever I have said, I have not mentioned your name.” “You mustn’t,” said Zona. “If you do I will never tell you anything else as long as I live, Hal Darrell!” “It is all right,” he again assured her. “Here comes the train.” The train drew up at the station, and the Fardale crowd boarded the cars, while the Fairport boys merrily bade them “so-long!” “We will see you again Wednesday, Merriwell!” cried Don Roberts. “We will finish the game then.” “And we will give you the handsome trimming you so narrowly missed to-day!” asserted Jack Ware. “Anticipation is sometimes more satisfactory than realization!” laughingly retorted Dick. “Look out that you are not disappointed Wednesday!” As the train pulled out the Fairport boys gave a lusty cheer, which was answered from the open windows of the cars. “Well, by juj-juj-juj-jingoes!” said Chip Jolliby. “I am gug-gug-gug-glad of one thing: We’re not going home bub-bub-bub-bub-beaten.” “But we did come within a hair of it,” said Barron Black. “If we had not lost Gardner——”