happy indeed that I am cleared at
last; and, after all, it has done me no harm. I have, of course, lost
the University education which I looked forward to; but I think, after
all, that the three years I have spent in America have in many ways done
me more good than the University could have done."

"Very likely, Norris," the doctor said; "they have in every sense of the
word made a man of you, and a very fine man too, and I sincerely trust
that no further cloud will ever fall upon your career. And now I want
you to come up School with me, for I must publicly make amends for my
error, and set you right before the School."

As Frank followed Dr. Litter into the great schoolroom he felt
infinitely more nervous than he had done in any of the dangers he had
passed through in his journey across the plains. When the head-master
was seen to enter the School accompanied by a gentleman, a silence of
surprise fell upon the boys, for such an event was altogether
unprecedented there. As in the stranger, who stood nearly as tall and
far broader than the doctor, many of the boys in the upper forms
recognised Frank Norris, a buzz ran round the School, followed again by
the silence of excited expectation. Dr. Litter walked to his table at
the further end of the School and then turned.

"You will all stand up," he said. "Boys," he went on, "all of you in the
Fifth Form, and those above it, and some of you in the under forms, will
recognise in the gentleman who stands beside me your former schoolfellow
Norris; those who do will be aware of the circumstances under which he
left, and will be aware that I charged him with stealing a note of the
value of ten pounds from my desk. I am happy to say that it has been
proved that charge was entirely false."

A sudden burst of enthusiastic cheering broke from the upper forms.
Norris's innocence had been a matter of faith among his schoolfellows,
and even his running away had not sufficed to shake their trust in him.
They stood upon the forms and cheered until they were hoarse. At last a
wave of the doctor's hand restored silence, and he went on.

"I wish now, before you all, boys, to express my deep regret to Norris,
and to apologise to him most heartily for the accusation which I made. I
have now in my hand the confession of the real culprit. I shall not
mention his name; he has long since ceased to be among you, and I may
say that he has been punished severely, though to my mind most
insuffi