CHAPTER XX.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.