“You care for him very much—you love him?”
“Yes! yes! yes!” she cried. “And you must help me find and save him, Frank!”
Starbright was right! The face of Frank Merriwell was pale as death, and he stood for a moment like a man turned to stone. With a great effort he flung off the spell that seemed to have seized upon him.
“I’ll help you!” he promised. “Inza, I—I’ll do—anything—for you!”
As they left the parlor they found Jack Diamond and Dick Starbright waiting outside.
“Is there anything we can do?” asked the Virginian.
“Yes,” said Frank instantly; “you can come along, both of you, for you may be needed. Is the cab at the door, Inza?”
Two minutes later all four were in that cab, and soon it was rattling swiftly toward a street and number Inza had given.
As they rolled along Frank explained to Diamond and Starbright what had brought Inza to the hotel. Diamond had known nothing of the affair till now, and it was necessary to make an explanation to him. This took up most of the time until the cab had rumbled down into a dingy and dirty street not far from Bleecker. At last it turned a corner and stopped.
As the door was opened and Frank jumped out there came a sudden cry of fire and out from a dark doorway plunged two figures. They were Chinamen, and they fled across the street. Near at hand was a Chinese laundry. From somewhere over the laundry came the muffled cries of fire.
“This is the place!” panted Inza, pointing. “See—there is the doctor’s sign! His office is up there somewhere! Ah! Look! look! It’s all afire inside! Walter—he is in there! Save him! save him!”
Behind the curtains which had been drawn at the upper windows there was a hideous red glare.
“Come on!” rang out Frank’s voice. “Take care of her, somebody! The other one come with me!”
Merry had decided that the doctor’s office must be on the first floor above the laundry, but there he found himself in a dark corridor and he could not seem to tell from what direction the cries came. He paused a moment to try to locate them, and then felt his way forward with his hands.
“Where are you?” he shouted, at the top of his voice.
Smoke was beginning to creep into the corridor. Then he saw a gleam of light through a crack, and, a moment later, he found a door. From beyond that door came the cries.