me home again.
It was now so late that the purchase of this magic toy would be of
little use to him. Nevertheless, he wanted it. Every night when he
went to bed he quieted his conscience's accusations of cowardice by
arguing that the money had not been spent. But not spending it, he was
forced to own, was far from being the same thing as returning it. It was
strange that it should be so hard for him to part with that money!

In the interim he had cashed in his war stamps and with the additional
sum he had earned for doing the chores around the place he and Melville
Carter had paid the bill the _March Hare_ owed and deposited the
remainder of their combined cash in the bank, so that the accounts now
stood even. Whatever should now become of the magazine, its slate was a
clean one so far as its financial standing went.

Having thus disposed of all debts and entanglements, only the adjustment
of the deal with Mr. Carter remained. This was not so easily to be
cleared from Paul's path.

It was his first thought in the morning, his last at night. He could
never escape from it. Whenever he was in jubilant mood and in a flood of
boyish happiness had forgotten it, it arose like a specter to torment
him. What was he going to do with that money that he had kept so long?
And what was he going to say to his classmates to earn it,--for earn it
he must, since he had accepted it. It was a wretched position to be in.
Why hadn't he given the bill back to the great man that day in the
office? Or if he had no opportunity then, why hadn't he carried it
promptly to the _Echo_ building the next morning? He might have gone to
Mr. Carter's house with it. There were a score of ways it might have
been delivered to its rightful owner. Alas, he had been very weak, and
by drifting along and taking no positive action had got himself into the
dilemma in which he now floundered.

It was the president of 1921 who suddenly brought him up with a sharp
turn by remarking one day:

"Well, Kip, you people of 1920 have certainly set us a pretty pace on
the _March Hare_. I don't know whether, when it descends to us, we shall
be able to keep it up to your standard or not."

"Descends to you!" repeated Paul vaguely.

"Yes. Of course 1920 is going to pass it on. You fellows can't very well
take it with you," laughed the junior.

Paul evaded a direct answer.

"You never can tell which way a hare will run," he replied.

"You can usually figure on the dir