Page:Stanwood Pier--Harding of St Timothys.djvu/146

120 "Oh, well," Belmont answered, "when a fellow 's trying to be decent, why can't you let him?"

Stoddard flushed at the reproof, and refrained thenceforth from merciless remarks. As the days went by and he had a chance to observe personally the improvement in Herrick's demeanor, and to come a little more often under the influence of Rupert's tolerant attitude, his hostility relaxed; and at last one day, meeting Herrick alone in the corridor of the dormitory, he stopped on a sudden impulse, and said:— "I have n't been treating you very decently; I'm sorry.

Herrick looked surprised and then embarrassed. "Well," he said, after a moment, "I was n't blaming you much."

After that they met and walked and talked together without much constraint.

Meanwhile Herrick had been working faithfully to fill the responsibility with which Rupert had charged him. He had picked on Holder