“Now we are on the straight road once more!” declared Dick, after these matters and a number of others had been cleared up.

“And I’m mighty glad of it,” returned Tom, with a beaming face.  “I think we all ought to go off and celebrate.  What’s the matter with a trip to Coney Island, or something like that?”

“Wow!  I thought he was going to suggest a honeymoon trip for himself and Nellie,” cried Sam, mischievously.

“Say, young man, don’t get so previous!” retorted Tom, growing red in the face.  “Just the same, that’s coming a little later,” he added, quickly.

“Provided Nellie is willing,” went on the youngest Rover, teasingly.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that, Sam.  By the looks of things you’ll be in the same boat some day.”

“Well, a fellow might do worse,” answered Sam, coolly.

The days to follow were full of combined business and pleasure for the boys.  When they were not at the office they were with the girls, and all took numerous trips to various places of amusement in and out of the metropolis.  As was to be expected, Tom was the life of the party, and the way he “cut up” was “simply awful,” as Nellie declared.

“Well, I can’t help it,” was the way the fun-loving Rover explained his actions.  “I’ve got to let off steam or ‘bust,’” and then he did a few steps of a jig, finishing by catching Nellie up in his arms and whirling her around in the air.

Of course the boys had lost no time in sending word to the folks at Valley Brook Farm that all business complications had been straightened out, and that everything at the offices was running smoothly.  In return came back word that Mr. Anderson Rover was feeling stronger than ever, and hoped ere long to be well enough to visit the city.

“But I don’t expect to do much in business,” wrote Mr. Rover.  “I am going to leave that entirely to Dick and Tom.  I understand that Tom expects before a great while to get married, and when that happens I want to form The Rover Company, and take him and Dick in with me, Sam, of course, to come in later, after he has finished at college, although he won’t have to take an active part unless he wishes to do so.  My best love to all of you, and may you have no more trouble.”

“Dear old dad!” murmured Tom, when he had perused this communication, and for a moment his voice grew husky and his eyes moist.

Now that it had been definitely settled that Tom and Nellie were going to be married, Sam wanted to know if the date couldn’t be set early enough so that he could be on hand before returning to Brill.  This bolstered up Tom’s plea for an early ceremony, and it was decided that the wedding should come off the first week in September.

Then followed great preparations on the part of Nellie and the others.  Mrs. Laning and Mrs. Stanhope came down to New York, and numerous shopping tours were instituted, in which the boys had no part.  Then the Lanings and Mrs. Stanhope returned to Cedarville, and Tom and Sam went back to the farm.