CHAPTER XX.
THE PROFESSOR'S COURAGE.
Colonel Vallier seemed utterly crestfallen and subdued, but RolfRaymond's face was dark with anger, as he harshly said:
"Now that this foolishness is over, we will proceed to business."
"That's right," bowed Frank. "The quicker you proceed the bettersatisfied we will be. Go ahead."
Rolf turned fiercely on Frank, almost snarling:
"You must have been at the bottom of it all! Where is she?"
Frank was astonished, as his face plainly showed.
"Where is she?" he repeated.
"Whom do you mean, sir?"
"It is useless to pretend that you do not know. You must have found anopportunity to communicate with her somehow, although how youaccomplished it is more than I understand."
"You are speaking in riddles. Say what you mean, man."
"I will. If you do not immediately tell us where she is, you will findyourself in serious trouble. Is that plain enough?"
A light came to Frank.
"Do you mean the Queen of Flowers?" he eagerly asked.
"You know I mean the Queen of Flowers."
"And you do not know what has become of her?"
"How can we? She disappeared mysteriously from the ballroom. No one sawher leave, but she went."
"She must have returned to her home."
"That will not go with us, Merriwell, for we hastened to the place whereshe is stopping with her father, and she was not there, nor had he seenher. He cannot live long, and this blow will hasten the end. You will beresponsible. Take my advice and give her up at once, unless you wish toget into trouble of a most serious nature."
Frank saw that Raymond actually believed he knew what had become of theFlower Queen.
"Look here," came swiftly from the boy's lips, "it is plain this is notime to waste words. I do not know what has become of the Flower Queen,that is straight. I did know she had disappeared from the ballroom, butI supposed she had returned to her home. I do not know her name as yet,although she knows mine. If anything has happened to her, I am notresponsible; but I take a great interest in her, and I am ready andeager to be of assistance to her. Tell me her name, as that will aidme."
Rolf Raymond could not doubt Frank's words, for honesty was written onthe boy's face.
"Her name," he said--"her name is--for you to learn."
His taunting laugh brought the warm blood to Frank's face.
"All right!" cried the boy from the North. "I'll learn it, no thanks toyou. More than that, if she needs my aid, she shall have it. It strikesme that she may have fled of her own accord to escape being persecutedby you. If so----"
"What then?"
"We'll meet again."
"That we will! Colonel Vallier may have settled his trouble withProfessor Scotch, but mine is not settled with you."
"You are right."
"We may yet meet on the field of honor."
"I shall be pleased to accommodate you," flashed Frank; "and the sooner,the better it will satisfy me."
"Thot's th' talk!" cried Barney Mulloy, admiringly. "You can do th'spalpane, Frankie, at any old thing he'll name!"
"The disappearance of Miss ----, the Flower Queen, prevents the settingof a time and place," said Raymond, passionately; "but you shall bewaited on as soon as she is found. Until then I must let nothinginterfere with my search for her."
"Very good; that is satisfactory to me, and I will do my best to helpfind her for you. Now, if your business is quite over, gentlemen, yourroom would give us much more pleasure than your company."
Not another word did Raymond or Vallier say, but they strode stiffly tothe door and bowed themselves out. Barney closed the door after them.
Then both the boys turned on Professor Scotch, to find he had collapsedinto a chair, and seemed on the point of swooning.
"Professor," cried Frank, "I want to congratulate you! That was the bestpiece of work you ever did in all your life."
"Profissor," exclaimed Barney, "ye're a jewil! Av inny wan iver says youlack nerve, may Oi be bitten by th' wurrust shnake in Oireland av Oidon't break his head!"
"Boys!" gasped the professor, "fan me! I can't seem to get my breath!How did I do it? It scares me to think of it."
"You were a man, professor, and you showed Colonel Vallier that you wereutterly reckless. You seemed eager for a fight."
"Fight!" groaned the little man. "I couldn't fight a child! I neverfought in my life. I don't know how to fight."
"Colonel Vallier didn't know that. It was plain, he believed you adesperate slugger, and he wilted immediately."
"But I can't understand how I came to do such a thing. Till theirunwarranted intrusion--till I collided with the colonel--I was in terrorfor my life. The moment we collided I seemed to forget that I wasscared, and I remembered only that I was mad."
"And you seemed more than eager for a scrap."
"Ye samed doying fer a bit av a row, profissor."
"What if he had struck me!" palpitated the little man. "Oh, gracious! Itwould have been terrible!"
"For him. If he'd struck you, you'd been so mad that nothing could havestopped you. You would have waded into him, and given him the worstthrashing he ever received."
"Thot's pwhat ye would, profissor, sure as fate."
Scotch began to revive, and the words of the boys convinced him that hewas really a very brave man, and had done a most daring thing. Little bylittle, he began to swell, like a toad.
"I don't know but you're right," he said, stiffening up. "I was utterlyreckless and desperate at the time."
"That's right, professor."
"Profissor, ye're a bad mon ter buck against."
"That is a fact that has not been generally known, but, having cowed oneof the most desperate duelists in the South, and forced him toapologize, I presume I have a right to make some pretensions."
"That's a fact."
"Ye've made a riccord fer yersilf."
"And a record to be proud of," crowed the little man, getting on hisfeet and beginning to strut, forgetful of the fact that he was in hisnight robe and presented a most ludicrous appearance. "The events ofthis evening shall become a part of history. Future generations shallregard me as one of the most nervy and daring men of my age. And really,I don't know but I am. What's the use of being a coward when you can bea hero just as well. Boys, this adventure has made a different man ofme. Hereafter, you will see that I'll not quail in the face of the mostdeadly dangers. I'll even dare to walk up to the mouth of a cannon--if Iknow it isn't loaded."
The boys were forced to laugh at his bantam-like appearance, but, forall of the queer twist he had given his last expression, the professorseemed very serious, and it was plain that he had begun to regardhimself with admiration.
"Think, boys," he cried--"think of my offer to fight him with pistolsacross yonder narrow table!"
"That was a stroke of genius, professor," declared Frank. "That brokeColonel Vallier up more than anything else."
"He wilted at that."
"Of course you did not mean to actually fight him that way?"
"Well, I don't know," swelled the little man. "I was reckless then, andI didn't care for anything."
Suddenly Frank grew grave.
"This other matter they spoke of worries me," he said. "I can'tunderstand what has happened to the Queen of Flowers."
"Ye mustn't let thot worry yez, me b'y."
"I can't help it."
"She may be home by this toime."
"And she may be in desperate need of a helping hand."
"Av she is, Oi dunno how ye can hilp her, Frankie."
"Nor do I know of any way. Why should any one kidnap her?"
"Oi dunno."
"It would be a most daring thing to do, as she is so well known; butthere are daring and desperate ruffians in New Orleans."
"Oi think ye're roight, me b'y."
"It may be that she has been persecuted so that she fled of her o
wnaccord, and yet I hardly think that is true."
"No more do Oi, Frankie."
"If it is not true, surely she is in trouble."
"Well?"
"Oh, I can't remain quietly here, knowing she may need aid!"
"Pwhat will yez do?"
"I am going out."
"Where?"
"Somewhere--anywhere! Will you come along?"
"Sure, me b'y, Oi'm wid yez firrust, larrust, an' all th' toime!"