Henry and George now stood very high in the estimation of the great majority of their school-fellows. They were caressed, honoured, and looked upon as their first boys; while Greene and his friends were treated with contempt and derision. They had no longer the power to command and overawe the rest, with a blow or a black look. Their power had ceased; but, unfortunately, the chastisement they had received, instead of convincing them of their error, had only roused their evil dispositions; and they now anxiously looked for an opportunity to avenge the punishment they had received, through the interference of Henry Wardour, against whom, in particular, they had an inveterate spite. Nor did they long wish in vain; for, in a very short time, another occurrence took place, of a far more serious nature, and which had nearly thrown Henry into a severe illness. It was nothing less than a suspicion of theft. His bed-fellow, whose name was Scott, when he arose one morning, discovered that his box had been broken open, and his purse, which had contained a new sovereign and two or three shillings, had been emptied of its contents, and then replaced under his Sunday clothes. Scott missed the money while looking for some trifling article in his box; and having mentioned the thing, the boys collected round him to hear his account of the matter. There were also some boys who came out of another room up stairs, and among them Greene and Walker, who, having heard what Scott had to say, at once declared, that it was impossible for any one but the boy who slept in the same room, to have stolen the money.

George, who heard this direct charge against his friend Henry, instantly fired up, and, in his passion, flew upon Greene, who had made the charge, and struck him; when a scuffle ensued, the noise of which brought out Dr. Harris, who, upon hearing an account of the loss from Scott, told him that he was very likely to have mislaid the money somewhere; and that he had no doubt but that, if he made search for it, he would soon find it. George, with whom he was extremely angry for his rashness in striking Greene, was immediately ordered into the school-room, and punished by having a long lesson given him to learn. Before he went, he turned round to Dr. Harris, and said that he was sorry for having struck Greene; but he should have been ashamed of himself, if he had stood quietly by, and heard his friend accused in his absence, of so shameful a crime. "I am sure," he added, with his usual vehemence, his face reddening, and his hand closely clenched, "that Henry is not guilty; and Greene ought to be ashamed of himself, for making such a charge against him."

Greene, who stood behind the other boys wiping his face, which was a little bruised by the blow he had received, then said, "that he should not be surprised if Master George himself had had something to do in it; for he seemed very much offended by what he had said."

"You are a mean-spirited fellow," said George; "and——"

"Silence! silence, boys!" cried Dr. Harris. "How dare you make such accusations against each other! The money may have been mislaid, and will, no doubt, be found. I desire that a strict search may be made: until that is done, let me not hear another word about it. I never had a thief in my school; and if I ever find a boy out in such practices, he shall meet with the severest punishment I can inflict."

Every eye was now anxiously looking out for Henry Wardour, who had obtained leave of Mrs. Harris, to accompany her daughters, to gather some flowers at the gardeners, and to go on another little errand or two. For so much was Henry beloved by this good lady, that she had made him her little messenger; and whenever she wanted to send any thing into the town, he was sure to be the lad chosen so carry it. Dr. Harris was made acquainted with his absence this morning, but wished for his return, that he might question him as to this unpleasant affair.

The business, however, which Henry had been sent upon, detained him until after school had commenced; and, having hastened with his breakfast, and brushed his clothes, he immediately entered the school, when all eyes were directed towards him. Henry being a very bashful lad, could not bear this unusual stare; and fearing, at the same time, that Dr. Harris had been saying something about his long absence, he blushed deeply, as he hung his hat upon the peg and took his seat.

Walker, who sat at the further end of the same desk, seeing Henry somewhat confused, cried out, loud enough for some of the boys to hear him, "Look at him!" When George, who sat near, turned round, and said, "Well, what do you see?" "Why, guilt in his face," added Greene.

This conversation would probably have continued, had not Dr. Harris, who had hitherto been engaged at his desk, suddenly arose from his seat, and walked down the school; when, observing Henry in his place, he, with a smile on his countenance, beckoned him to follow to his desk, which Henry immediately obeyed, though with a trembling step.

This was a moment of great interest. Every eye was attracted to the top of the school; and a tear of joy stood in George's eye, as he saw Dr. Harris affectionately take his friend by the hand, and whisper something to him. It was at this moment too, that every boy in the school took upon himself to translate the looks and actions of Henry and his master. They observed every change in Henry's countenance, with an anxiety equal to the love they bore him; for very few, if any of his school-fellows, for a moment thought him guilty of the charge brought against him by Greene; although four or five of them, whose jealousy had been roused by the general respect in which Henry was held, and who still remembered their own disgrace by his interference, readily seconded the accusation, in the hope that, by so doing, they would lessen the esteem which Mrs. Harris and her daughters appeared to have for him. The tyrants, indeed, were noted as the enemies of Henry and George; and this charge coming from, and being strenuously supported by this party, led the rest of the boys to examine their probable motive.

During this long interview with Dr. Harris, Henry was alternately depressed and surprised. At one moment a tear would be seen to start in his eye, and at another he seemed about to appeal to his school-fellows, when he was soothed by the kindness of his master, who told him to calm his fears, and return to his seat for the morning, assuring him of his assistance to clear up the matter.

As Henry walked down the school, with a dejected countenance, his eye instinctively turned toward his friend George, who had been anxiously observing him during the whole time his master had been conversing with him. It seemed to George to say, "I am charged with a serious fault, and I shall stand in need of all the help you can afford me;" and a careless observer might, in a moment, have seen, by the friendly and benignant smile upon George's face, that he would surely have it.

During the whole of the morning's school-hours, Henry found it impossible to attend to his lessons. His mind was so absorbed in the approaching examination, which his master had told him should take place directly after twelve o'clock, that his sums were all done wrong, and his copies badly written. Nor was he the only boy in the school who was in this state of mind. His friend George felt for him, and appeared as anxious about it, as though he himself had been charged with the theft. The last words of Mr. Wardour occurred to his thoughts: "Above all, be friends to one another;" and the impressive manner in which it was said, was still fresh upon his memory. "Be friends to one another!" he exclaimed to himself: "ay, I will be his friend, because I am sure he is mine; and because I am sure, also, that he is innocent of this suspected robbery."

Little Ned too was restless all the morning, and longed for the time to arrive, when Henry would once more be enabled to put the tyrants to the blush. His little merry heart was, for once, depressed; but he had strong hopes that it would all end in the discomfiture of Greene and his friends.

Doctor Harris had as yet refrained from stating the circumstance to his family; but as the hour was near at hand when he determined to have a general search, he thought it best to make them acquainted with it, though with little hopes of gaining any information from them. When Mrs. Harris heard the tale, she treated it with indifference, and said that she had no doubt but that the money would be forthcoming; for it was her opinion, that some of the boys had taken it merely to tease Scott, whom she stated to be rather too fond of hoarding. The daughters thought the same, and were quite unhappy to think that their little favourite should be suspected. Juliana, indeed, was about to hasten to the school-room, in the hope of affording him some consolation, but was requested by her papa to remain where she was.

At length the school broke up; and, by the command of Dr. Harris, search was made in every part, not merely amongst the boys, but also amongst the servants; but, unfortunately, without finding the new coin. The boys were now all assembled with the family, and Dr. Harris commenced his examination, by asking Scott when he last saw his money. "Last Sunday morning, Sir," he replied; "and Henry was with me at the time." This Henry corroborated, by saying it was true, and that he saw him put it in his purse again; when Greene stepped forward and said, that he believed no person but Henry knew of Scott's possessing this new coin; and that he, therefore, was the only person that could have taken it.

At this direct charge Henry stood for some time amazed; and then bursting into a flood of tears, vehemently protested against the truth of his assertion, and dared him to the proof; when Walker, who stood close by Greene and Scott, said, "It is of no use for you to deny it, Master Wardour, as I know those that can prove they saw you take the money." Henry was for a moment speechless; when George said it was false, and demanded, with more than common earnestness, that he would bring forth his accusers, and let him meet them face to face.

This request was repeated by the rest of the boys, who feared they might have said something, in an unguarded moment, which Walker had construed into an assertion of Henry's guilt. Dr. Harris also requested Walker to name the person who saw him take the money; when he replied, that he knew no more than what Greene had told him, who said he saw Henry steal it.

Mrs. Harris now stepped forward, and earnestly entreated Greene, in common justice, if he had any proof that Henry took the money, or knew any thing of it, that he would instantly make it appear. At this Greene was a good deal confused; and after first of all acknowledging that he had said so, he then as plainly said that he knew nothing about it, but was sure that nobody else could have taken the money. Mrs. Harris, who was a sincere lover of justice, possessing too a great deal of discrimination, inveighed in very strong terms against charging a boy with theft, and casting aspersions upon his character, without any foundation whatever. "He has now been a considerable time in the school," she added, turning to her husband, "without ever having created any suspicion of his honesty, or without doing the slightest act upon which to ground such a charge. Besides, I have frequently trusted him with money to fetch various articles for me, and he has always acted with the strictest honesty; and," raising her voice, "I will myself be bound for his innocence upon this occasion, for there is not a more honest lad in the school; and it is my belief, that some of those who throw out hints of suspicion against Master Wardour, are much more likely, from their general character, to have robbed Scott than he is."

Greene now slunk behind the rest of the boys; and in consequence of this tone being taken by this excellent lady, Walker apologized for having accused Henry of so great a crime, and added, that he should never again believe what Greene said.

"You may go, Master Henry," said Dr. Harris, in the kindest manner possible, "and I have no doubt that the thief will be found out; and then those who have accused you will have cause to be ashamed of themselves."

George, little Ned, and a great number of his school-fellows, now crowded round Henry, congratulating him upon his victory, as they were all anxious to see him fairly acquitted of the charge. Eliza and Juliana also joined the little throng, and, by their caresses, endeavoured to rally him into his usual good spirits, which they continued to do for some days after. As, however, no discovery was made about the money, he felt himself very uneasy, and could not but think that many of the boys looked upon him as a thief; especially as insinuations were sometimes thrown out by the elder boys, which made him very miserable; and those who had first accused him, would frequently ask, in his hearing, "Who stole Scott's money?"