CHAPTER XXV.
TWO ENGLISHMEN.
Zenas Gunn strutted like a peacock. He seemed to feel that he it was whohad accomplished the feat of baffling the girl's pursuers. For a time heput aside his fear of further trouble over the affair, jogged along ather side and talked fluently with her in the language she could bestunderstand.
They left the plateau by way of the marble gate and hastened to descend.
"Trust us, my dear child," said the professor.
"I do," she declared, smiling on him in a manner that made him throw outhis chest still further. "But, oh, I fear Tyrus and Maro! They aredetermined that I shall never see Charlee again."
"Hum! hem! How long have you known this Charlie?"
"It is not long. He is the most beautiful man in all the world!"
"You should have seen me when I was younger," said Zenas. "I beg yourpardon, but I do not think we have learned your name?"
"It is Flavia."
"Beautiful name," declared the professor. "Look out, my child, do notstumble there."
"There is no danger that I will stumble, but you----"
"Oh, I'm as frisky as a young colt! Didn't you see me put Tyrus to thebad a while ago? Don't worry about me."
"The old boy is getting along some!" observed Brad, speaking to Dick, asthey followed Zenas and the girl. "It takes a young girl to wake him upand make him lively."
There was a shadow on Merriwell's face.
"It was our duty to protect the girl," he said; "but now it would be anabsolute relief if we knew where to find this Englishman, Cavendish.There is going to be a great rumpus over this, and we may find ourselvesin a pickle because we took the part of this maid of Athens."
"The Maid of Athens!" exclaimed Brad. "That's the title for her! It fitsher. By the great Panhandle! if it wasn't for Nadia Budthorne----"
Dick laughed.
"Brad, you're smashed! She has a fellow--Cavendish. And that is notmentioning Maro."
"Hang Maro! He doesn't count any whatever."
"But Cavendish does."
"He's lost in the shuffle."
"Well, there is Nadia, and you----"
"She's all right!" exclaimed Brad sincerely; "but she isn't here, and Iopine I've got a right to admire the Maid of Athens some."
"But no right to make love to her."
"No danger of that, pard," grinned the Texan. "I never did cut much icewith the girls. You always were the one, and it's a wonder to me thatthis girl didn't forget Charlee the moment she placed her sky-blue eyeson you."
"Oh, that will about do!" laughed Dick. "You're forever imagining thatgirls are struck on me, when the fact is that they are not, and----"
"How about Doris Templeton?"
"Mere friendship."
"Is that so? How about June Arlington?"
"Friendship just the same."
"Well, then, how about----"
"That will do! Don't try to make me out a chap with a dozen girls!"
The Texan chuckled.
"Don't you get gay with me," he advised. "I can come back at you goodand plenty."
By this time they were well down toward the base of the Acropolis.Suddenly Flavia uttered a wild cry of joy, broke from Professor Gunn andran toward two men who were approaching.
One of the two was a very young man, with a delicate mustache on hislip, while the other was middle-aged, florid and puffy, carrying a heavycane. The younger man had seen Flavia the moment she discovered him, andhe sprang toward her, his hands outstretched.
"Galloping jack rabbits!" exclaimed Buckhart. "Whatever does this yeremean?"
"It means," said Dick, with satisfaction, "that we'll not have to searchall over Athens for Charlee."
"I'm almost sorry," declared Brad, with a comical twist of his face."She didn't have time to discover how much superior I am to Charlee."
Professor Gunn looked both relieved and disappointed. He had feared theywould get into serious trouble, yet now he was disappointed by theappearance of the Englishmen.
For Englishmen they were, beyond question. The elder man had theappearance of a man of the world, given to special delight in the goodthings of life. He surveyed the boys and the professor with mildcuriosity. His eyes were rather bleary and blood-shotten.
At first Flavia was too overjoyed to make an explanation, but finally,in a confused torrent of words, she told what had taken place on theplateau of the Acropolis.
The face of the young Englishman brightened as he began to understandhow she happened to be escorted by Professor Gunn and the boys.
"So you went there thinking you might meet me, Flavia?" he said. "It wason my way to view those ruins that I first met you, and you remembered.I fancied you might, don't you know, and that is why I am here now. Ifound you had been removed from your home, and I could not trace you. Itis pure chance, but, by Jove! luck is with us."
Then he turned to the Americans.
"Gentlemen," he said, "my name is Cavendish--Charles Cavendish, son ofSir Henry Giles Cavendish, of Grantham. This is a particular friend ofour family, Sir Augustus Camberwell. I wish to thank you most heartilyand sincerely for your brave defense of Flavia. Permit me to shake handswith you all."
"Yes," said Sir Augustus, "very gallant, really. Just like you queerAmericans. Never stop to inquire into an affair where a woman isconcerned. Always go in and stand by the woman. Splendid sentiment, butdangerous."
Sir Augustus now turned his attention to Flavia, at whom he gazed in amanner that Dick did not fancy.
"Very charming, my dear Charlie," he admitted. "I'm beginning tounderstand how it happened. Oh, you rascal! Where would you be now if Iwasn't in Athens? Why, you would be in jail. It took my influence to getyou out."
"For which I thank you most sincerely, Sir Augustus."
"All right, my boy--all right. But you want to remember my advice. Youwant to remember what I told you about getting in too deep. Oh, yourascal! you're going to be another case with the girls, just as yourfather was before you. Many's the little toot we've been on together,and Henry always was getting entangled with a female."
"Well, what do you think of that, pard?" whispered Buckhart, in Dick'sear.
"I think Sir Augustus is smelly," was the answer.
Professor Gunn was likewise far from pleased. He regarded the olderEnglishman with an air of pronounced distrust and suspicion.
"Don't worry about me, Sir Augustus," advised Cavendish.
Just then, happening to glance up the path they had lately descended,Professor Gunn uttered an exclamation of alarm and warning.
"Look--look, boys!" he cried. "There come the Greeks!"
Maro and Tyrus were to be seen descending the path.
Flavia was greatly alarmed in a moment.
"Let them not touch me, Charlee!" she entreated, clinging to Cavendish.
"Never fear," he said reassuringly. "They shall not."
"But I opine we'd better be moseying along out of this," said Buckhart.
To this the others agreed, and they lost no time in moving.