FRANK PROTECTS THE MYSTERY.
Mystery had followed mystery with astonishing swiftness, and the very
atmosphere of Paris now seemed full of danger and death. Of this Frank
Merriwell and Jack Diamond were aware, while Bruce Browning and Harry
Rattleton were in blissful ignorance. Harry and Bruce did not understand
why, as soon as Merry and Jack returned to the hotel, they shut
themselves into a room, and seemed to hold a secret conclave.
Diamond’s excitement had increased. He paced up and down the floor, his
face pale, and his eyes glowing.
“I tell you, Merriwell, it is madness to remain here!” he asserted. “You
must confess it now. The one on whom I believe you depended almost
wholly for protection has turned against you. What can you do now? I am
certain you had begun to think this Mr. Noname possessed of supernatural
powers, and you fancied he could protect you from the assassins who
sought your destruction. Now you can no longer rely on his aid. Instead
of that it is certain he will do all he can to destroy you.”
“Why should he?”
“Answer your own question.”
“I cannot.”
“I can!”
“Then do!”
“He is mad.”
“You think so?”
“I have no doubt of it. I have believed it all the time. You know, I
have told you so before.”
“I know.”
“He has the eyes of a maniac.”
“Do you say that because his eyes are deep and dark?”
“No. They have a strange glitter. He seems to look a person through and
through.”
“That is true.”
“Besides, at times his words have been those of a maniac. He has not
talked like a sane man. You must confess it.”
“I do not know.”
“You must know—you do know! You cannot say you have never observed
anything remarkable in his language. He has claimed to be your good
genius.”
“Well he might, for he has saved my life repeatedly.”
“He has seemed to.”
“What do you mean by ‘seemed to’?”
“How do you know he has not been plotting your destruction all the
time?”
“It is not possible.”
“It is possible! Wait a minute. You have been in no end of trouble since
you met him, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but——”
“How do you know he has not been at the bottom of it all?”
“Ridiculous!”
“Nothing of the sort!” persisted the Virginian warmly. “It would be like
the unaccountable acts of a madman. He might get you into all this
trouble, Frank, so that he could pretend to save you.”
“Why should he do that?”
“Who can account for the actions of a madman? He wishes to make himself
notorious. He had wished that you should believe him very wonderful. He
may have plotted against you all the time, and——”
“No!” cried Frank; “I cannot, and will not, believe that of Mr. Noname!”
“Thank you!”
The door had swung open, and Mr. Noname himself stepped in, speaking the
words of thanks as he entered. Diamond stood in the middle of the room,
thunderstruck for the moment, his hands clenched, his finely chiseled
face stern and grim.
The Man of Mystery closed the door behind him, and turned toward the two
young Americans, quietly saying:
“I have just learned of what happened to you this morning, Mr.
Merriwell, and I have come here to listen to the story from your own
lips.”
“Well, that is what I call bluff!” grated Jack.
“Why should you come to me, when you were concerned in it?” asked Merry.
“You know what happened as well as I. But I am glad you have come, for
now you must give me an explanation.”
“You say I know what happened, but I swear that I know nothing beyond
what I have heard!”
“You were there.”
“I was not.”
“Liar!” panted the Virginian. “We both saw you! We saw you throw the
bomb!”
The strange man turned his dark eyes on the hot-blooded Virginian, and
he spoke in a calm tone:
“It makes no difference what you may think you saw. I deny taking any
part in it.”
“Do you deny that you hurled a bomb at me?” asked Frank, astonished.
“Yes.”
“Deny it as much as you like!” cried Diamond; “you did it! But for
Merriwell’s quick wit, we should have been blown to pieces! You tried to
kill us!”
“What folly! Why should I try to kill you?”
“Answer that question yourself.”
“I answer it by swearing that I know nothing about it. Of you, Mr.
Merriwell, I ask to know the full story. As I have saved you from danger
and death many times, I appeal to you now.”
“And this is the creature who professed to be your guardian angel!”
sneered Jack. “This is the creature who said he’d always be near to
protect you!”
The Mystery made a gesture, half of anger, half of reproof.
“You know not what you are saying,” he declared. “Tell me all, Frank
Merriwell.”
Frank did so, in a very few words. The man listened till he had
finished.
“Now,” exclaimed Diamond, “what have you to say to that? We both saw you
at the window! We both saw you throw the bomb!”
“You may have thought you saw me.”
“Listen to that, Frank! What do you think of it for nerve?”
“It seems,” said the man, “that somebody who looked like me must have
thrown this bomb.”
“That is thin! Why, do you think we would not know your clothes, your
beard, your long black hair, your face? We are not fools! You are the
man! You have pretended to be Merriwell’s friend, but to-day you sought
to blow him to pieces!”
“I would sooner think of putting a gun to my head, and blowing out my
own brains,” said the man solemnly.
“Bah! You cannot make us believe that now!”
“I have been misunderstood all my life,” said the man rather sadly. “It
is not remarkable that such should be the case now. Well, it makes no
difference. I do not care. I will continue to prove my friendship to
Frank Merriwell by protecting him from peril.”
“By Heaven!” shouted Diamond fiercely; “you shall answer for your
attempt on his life! I believe you have been at the bottom of all his
trouble in Paris! I believe you have brought all this danger upon him!
You shall not escape now!”
The Mystery took a step toward the door, but, of a sudden, the Virginian
drew a revolver, and pointed it straight at the man, fiercely
commanding:
“Stop! Take another step, and I’ll drop you! You shall not slip away
this time!”
The man paused, and looked at Frank.
Merry had been surprised by the swift action of his friend, and now he
cried:
“Down with that revolver, Diamond! If you do not——”
“Never!” snarled Jack. “If you will not hold this man for the officers,
I will! I shall turn him over to them, and——”
“You will do nothing of the sort!”
Frank made a leap, and was upon Diamond. He grasped Jack’s wrist, and,
like a flash, wrenched the revolver from his hand. Then he turned to the
Man Without a Name.
“Go!” he said. “I will protect you once, in return for the many times
you have protected me. For all that appearances are against you, I will
trust you.”
“And you shall never have cause to regret it,” assured the Mystery, as
he departed.
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