“I’ll get a crack at you before I’m done, see if I don’t!”
“You will follow your friend Harris, and he won’t trouble anybody again!”
“I’ll not follow him till I have settled with you! Down with him, men!”
A door opened and closed, and a huge form loomed in the gloom of the place.
“Browning! You are just in time! Come on, old man, give me a hand!”
The gigantic form loomed at Merry’s side, and then Frank was struck a terrible blow that stretched him on the floor.
“Treachery!” he gasped, trying to struggle up. “Browning, you have turned——”
They piled upon him. With a fearful effort, he flung them right and left.
There was a sudden burst of light, as the door leading to the passage flew open. A man entered, bearing a lamp that was lighted. Struggling to his feet, Frank Merriwell saw the Mystery was there, having entered from the passage!
The strange man was dressed in black from his head to his feet. His hair and his beard were black as the raven’s wing, and his deep-set eyes seemed like pools of ink, while his face was pale as marble. His appearance caused the ruffians to desist for a moment from their attack on Frank. There was something terrible in the demeanor of the man who called himself Mr. Noname. Before him Martin Brattle shrank and cowered.
But one of the ruffians uttered a snarl, crying, in French:
“Down with them both! They are both spies!”
The mob crouched like tigers about to spring.
“Back!” rang out the deep voice of the mysterious man.
“Back!” he cried, lifting one hand above his head. “I hold a bomb here, and, by the eternal heavens, I’ll drop it, and blow this building to atoms, if you do not keep off!”
That stopped them. They could see a round object in his uplifted hand, and a sudden fear seized upon them. There was something in his pose and manner that awed them.
“Now,” said the strange man, speaking to Frank Merriwell, “the time for you to depart has come. No one will lift a hand to stop you. The way is open.”
Frank realized that the Mystery had appeared at the proper moment to save him, and he was thankful, but cool.
“I will go with you. Never fear for me. Nothing can harm me. But I shall blow them to pieces if they try to stop us!”
Frank stepped past him, and entered the passage. Still holding his hand uplifted, the Man of Mystery retreated backward into the passage.