“Now, my dear Miss Harrow, pray do not agitate yourself too much,” broke in another of the teachers.  “This is all very painful.  You had better drop the matter.”

“I am willing to drop it,” answered Tom, before Miss Harrow could speak.  “Only I want it understood that Miss Laning is to be treated with the consideration she deserves.  Otherwise I may suggest to her father that she be taken away from this institution and a suit for damages be instituted.”

“Oh, no!  Not that!  Not that!” came from Miss Harrow, and now she was plainly much frightened.  “I did not accuse Miss Laning of anything, and I do not accuse her now.  The ring is missing.  That is all I can say about it.”

“I think we had better go, Tom,” whispered Nellie.

“You may leave, Miss Laning,” said one of the other teachers.  “We have had trouble enough for one night.”

“Nellie started for the door, and Tom did the same; but before the youth could leave, Miss Harrow clutched him by the arm.

“Mr. Rover, just a word,” she said in a low voice.  “You did me a great service and I shall not forget it.  If I have done Miss Laning an injustice, I am very sorry for it.”  And having thus spoken, she turned back and sank down on a couch.  Tom and Nellie left and hurried to the campus, where they were speedily rejoined by Sam and Grace.

“How did you make out?” asked the younger Rover.  And then Tom gave the particulars of what had occurred.

“Oh, Tom, I am glad you said what you did,” cried Grace, heartily.  “Now, maybe, Miss Harrow will be more careful in her actions.”

“Well, I simply said what I thought,” answered Tom.  “They are not going to lay anything at Nellie’s door if I can help it.”

“Oh, Tom, but you told them that—­ that And Nellie grew red and could not go on.

“Well, what if I did?  It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“What was that?” asked Sam, curiously.

“Why, I told them that Nellie and I had been friends for years and that, sooner or later, we were going to be married.”

“You did!” shrieked Grace.  “Oh, Tom Rover!”

“Folks might as well know it,” returned Tom.  “They’ve got to know it when the affair comes off.”

“Don’t you think it’s about time you boys started back for college?” came from Nellie, who was blushing deeply over the personal turn which the conversation had taken.

“Oh, there’s no great rush,” answered Tom, coolly.

Nevertheless, now that the conflagration was over, it was thought best by all the students to get back to the college, so a little later the crowd was rounded up by Spud and Stanley, and all climbed into the automobile.  Sam ran the car, and the return was made without special incident.

“Say, Tom, if that wedding is to come off so soon, perhaps I had better be saving up for a wedding present,” remarked Sam, dryly, when the two brothers were retiring for the night.