"The handcuffs are yet to be made that will hold those hands, Señor Hagan," said Felipe, with a laugh.
"Sure you made me wink when you slipped your hands out of them slick and easy. Then it was not so hard to bribe the police to let us both slip away in the darkness as they marched the prisoners downstairs and out through the passage. At that we could not have done it only for my pull with Riley. It's surprised Mr. Merriwell must have been in the morning when he learned that neither of us had been locked up."
"Fiends destroy him!" cried the boy. "How I hate him! I would love to kill him!"
"It's that thing ye'd better not do, unless you want to ruin your prospect of ever handling any of the money he is making from that mine."
"I failed to frighten him that night when I had him with my knife at his throat. He told me I would not kill him, and I am sure he believed it."
"Oh, he's a nervy lad, all right," nodded Hagan. "Del Norte found that out. If he had lived----"
There was a step outside; a sharp knock on the door.
Felipe leaped back toward the window, outside of which was the fire escape. In a moment he had the window open.
Hagan stepped quickly to the door, against which he placed his solid body, at the same time calling:
"Who is it that knocks? and what do you want here?"
"It is I, Señor Hagan," answered a voice that made the Irishman gasp and caused his eyes to bulge. "Have no fear. Open the door!"
"It's the voice of the dead!" gasped Hagan, his usually florid face gone pale.
Instead of answering, with fingers that were not quite steady, Hagan turned the key in the lock and opened the door.
Into the room boldly walked a man who wore a sable overcoat, had hair of snowy white, and eyes of deepest midnight.
"I am Alvarez Lazaro, of Mexico," was the answer, in that same soft, musical voice that had so startled the Irishman.
"But that voice--that voice!" muttered Hagan. "And those eyes! Man, ye gave me a start! Why do you come here? What do you want?"
"I have come to meet the enemies of Frank Merriwell."
"The divvil ye say!" cried Hagan, his excitement flinging him into the brogue he so nearly avoided in quieter moments. "Why do ye come here for that?"
"Because I know you both are his enemies."