A few minutes later Creighton appeared.
"h.e.l.lo, fellows!" he cheerfully called. "I"m glad you are here, and I see you have found the parties who told me to be sure to invite you."
This confused Bessie somewhat, but Mabel immediately confessed that she had told her brother to be sure to invite Frank.
Charlie sat down a few moments and talked, and then strolled away, saying he must see that every one was enjoying the evening.
CHAPTER x.x.xIII-A GIRL"S REMORSE
During the greater part of the evening Frank and Mabel were together, while Bessie seemed to cling to Hodge, who appeared very well satisfied.
Several of the fellows Frank and Bart had met at the club were present, and it was natural that all should drift together after a time, and fall to discussing the affair between Merriwell and Hegner.
The boys were almost universal in positively declaring that Hegner was entirely in the wrong, and Frank was glad to know he was not blamed for what he had done.
While they were talking Hegner drifted past, but seeing Merriwell in the group did not pause.
A little later, however, Frank and his foe came face to face. Hegner turned as if to walk away, but whirled back swiftly, saying:
"You have had your turn; mine comes next. I won"t do a thing to you!
I"ll make you sorry you ever saw the inside of the Fairmount Athletic Club!"
Then without waiting for Frank to speak he hastened away.
"That fellow is full of threats," thought Merry; "and I fancy he means to make them good if he gets a chance. I must keep my eyes open, for he would strike a fellow behind his back."
He found Bart talking to Bessie and Mabel, and they all went over to a distant part of the grounds, where there were to be fireworks on the lawn.
There was music, laughter and song. It was a night for youth and happiness. It was a night when a hand touch, the perfume of a breath, a half-understood whisper, the rustle of the leaves caused the blood to flow swift and warm in youthful veins.
The fireworks consisted mainly of mines, Roman candles and red fire.
There were a few pinwheels, but no rockets.
Wallace Hegner and f.a.n.n.y Darling were together again. With her usual daring, the girl was touching off Roman candles and laughing merrily.
She seemed to be enjoying herself thoroughly, but it seemed certain that she had avoided Frank since he had overheard her talking with Hegner the first of the evening.
The musicians played a lively air as the candles burned, the mines exploded, the pinwheels buzzed, and the red fire glared. f.a.n.n.y Darling ran across the lawn swinging a Roman candle and letting the fireb.a.l.l.s pop into the air. Hegner was close behind her, with a glowing stick of fire in either hand.
Suddenly there was a scream of terror, followed by a chorus of shrieks and hoa.r.s.e cries. Then it was seen that f.a.n.n.y"s dress was blazing.
The girls scattered and fled from her, while the boys stood still for the moment and stared at her stupidly. Hegner dropped both sticks of red fire, but fell back, calling for water.
Through the circle burst a youth who stripped off his coat as he ran. He leaped straight toward the imperiled girl, who was vainly trying to beat out the flames with her hands, a look of terror pitiful to see upon her face.
"Steady, Miss Darling!" called the voice of Frank Merriwell. "Don"t resist me and I will save you!"
He flung the coat about her, lifted her, dropped her upon the gra.s.s, knelt over her, rolled her, smothered the flames and beat them out with his hands.
It was all over in a moment. He had extinguished the fire before others could think to move. As they gathered around he lifted her to her feet, anxiously asking:
"Are you severely burned, Miss Darling? I sincerely hope you are not. I reached you as soon as possible."
She tried to speak, and her eyes met his. She choked, her chin quivered, and she burst into tears, sobbing:
"Oh, Mr. Merriwell!"
It was all she could say, but there was a world of self-reproach, shame and remorse in that exclamation.
It was found that f.a.n.n.y Darling had been burned, but her injuries were not severe. In beating out the flames Frank had burned his hands, but there was a doctor present who attended to the girl and her rescuer.
Frank"s hands were covered with a coating of creamy stuff and bound up with handkerchiefs.
"I think that will prevent them from blistering," said the doctor. "I always take a small case with me wherever I go, and it is fortunate I was here to-night."
"Oh, I am all right!" laughed Merry; "but I sincerely hope Miss Darling was not injured much. I reached her as soon as possible."
"It is almost certain you saved her life, and I am sure you prevented her from being disfigured as long as she lives," declared the physician.
"She has much to thank you for."
In another room, with her girl friends hovering about her, f.a.n.n.y Darling distinctly heard what the doctor said, for there was an open door between the two rooms.
Her face was very pale, and she bit her lip till the blood started, while her hands were tightly clinched.
"Is the pain so terrible, f.a.n.n.y?" tenderly asked Mabel Creighton.
"Pain? What pain?"
"Why, the pain of your burns."
"That"s nothing. It was another pain that I felt."
She covered her face with her hands, and they saw a tear steal down between her fingers, although she made no sound.
"Mr. Hegner wishes to see you," said Bessie Blossom. "He is at the door, and he is very anxious to learn from your lips just how you are."
f.a.n.n.y"s hands dropped, and her face grew crimson.
"Tell Mr. Hegner that I do not care to see him!" she exclaimed.
So Wallace Hegner was turned from the door, much to his rage and chagrin.
"I suppose she wouldn"t see me because I didn"t happen to be the one to put out the fire," he grated, as he left the house. "What could I do? My coat was too thin. It was just that Merriwell"s confounded luck to jump in there and do the trick. Oh, but I"m going to settle with him!"
After a time the most of the girls left the room, and f.a.n.n.y was alone with Mabel and Bessie. Then it was that she burst into tears, sobbing as if her heart were breaking.