“I am ruined now; I shall never dare to hold my head up again.”

“Nonsense, Bobby; you will hold your head the higher.  You have behaved like a hero.”

“I ran away from the State Reform School, sir.  I was innocent, and I would rather have died than staid there.”

“I know all about it, my young friend.  Now dry your tears, and we will talk it all over.”

Bobby blowed and sputtered a little more; but finally he composed himself, and took a chair by Mr. Bayard’s side.  The bookseller then drew from his pocket a ponderous document, with a big official seal upon it, and exhibited it to our hero.

“Do you see this, Bobby?  It is your free and unconditional pardon.”

“Sir!  Why—­”

“It will all end well, you may depend.”

Bobby was amazed.  His pardon?  But it would not restore his former good name.  He felt that he was branded as a felon.  It was not mercy, but justice that he wanted.

“Truth is mighty, and will prevail,” continued Mr. Bayard; “and this document restores your reputation.”

“I can hardly believe that.”

“Can’t you?  Hear my story then.  When I read in one of the Maine papers the account of your misfortune, I felt that you had been grossly wronged.  You were coupled with that Tom Spicer, who is the most consummate little villain I ever saw, and I understood your situation.  Ah, Bobby, your only mistake was in having anything to do with that fellow.”

“I left him at Brunswick because he began to behave badly; but he joined me again at Augusta.  He had spent nearly all his money, and did not know what to do.  I pitied him, and meant to do something to help him out of the scrape.”

“Generous as ever!  I have heard all about this before.”

“Indeed; who told you?”

“Tom Spicer himself.”

“Tom?” asked Bobby, completely mystified.

“Yes, Tom; you see, when I heard about your trouble, Squire Lee and myself—­”

“Squire Lee?  Does he know about it?”

“He does; and you may depend upon it, he thinks more highly of you than ever before.  He and I immediately went down to Augusta to inquire into the matter.  We called upon the governor of the state, who said that he had seen you, and bought a book of you.”

“Of me!” exclaimed Bobby, startled to think he had sold a book to a governor.

“Yes; you called at his house; probably you did not know that he was the chief magistrate of the state.  At any rate, he was very much pleased with you, and sorry to hear of your misfortune.  Well, we followed your route to Brunswick, where we ascertained how Tom had conducted.  In a week he established a very bad reputation there; but nothing could be found to implicate you.  The squire testified to your uniform good behavior, and especially to your devotion to your mother.  In short, we procured your pardon, and hastened with it to the State Reform School.