Both felt that they could not move if they so desired.
For at least a full minute the duel of eyes continued. The mysterious man outside seemed putting all his strength of soul and will into the struggle.
Was it a flickering flare of the gas jet, or did the midnight eyes waver the least bit?
Without moving his head or his body, Dade Morgan turned his glance toward Merriwell. What he saw in Frank"s face gave him a feeling of relief and unspeakable satisfaction.
Merriwell wore the look of a conqueror. He was the same undaunted, undismayed Merry as of old. He was master of this mysterious foe beyond the closed door.
Again Morgan lifted his eyes to the midnight orbs beyond the transom. A sensation of triumph thrilled him like an electric shock.
The deadly eyes wavered!
The silent duel was ended!
Something like a muttered curse and a choking cry of rage came from the lips of the man beyond the door.
Then the deadly eyes suddenly vanished.
There was a thud, as if some one had leaped down from a chair on which he had stood.
At the same instant Merriwell sprang up and attempted to open the door.
It was locked.
On entering the room Morgan had left the key in the lock, and this key had been softly turned by the mysterious eavesdropper.
There was the sound of fleeing feet in the corridor and a soft laugh, which trailed away and grew fainter in the distance.
Frank Merriwell stepped back from the door and flung his shoulder against it with fearful force.
With a splintering crash, the door gave way before the shock, and Merry staggered into the corridor. He was followed by Starbright and Morgan.
Recovering his equilibrium, Frank straightened up and whirled to follow and overtake the mysterious unknown if possible.
The man of the midnight eyes had disappeared.
The smashing of the door had startled and aroused others in adjacent rooms, and they now came swarming into the corridor. One of them clutched at Frank, but was flung aside; others dodged back to let him pa.s.s.
Merry ran to the head of the stairs, down which he leaped.
A man was coming up the second flight.
"Anybody run past you just now?" asked Frank.
"Naw. Wot"s der matter?"
Merriwell did not pause to answer the question, but whirled into the office.
He was met at the door by a man in shirt sleeves, who grabbed at him and demanded to know what was "doing."
One glance about the place was sufficient to convince Frank that the eavesdropper had not fled in there.
Starbright appeared, followed by Morgan. The latter was known to the man who had grabbed Frank, and his hasty explanation was sufficient, although the "clerk" declared that some one must settle for the smashed door.
"I"ll do that," said Merry promptly. "The spy has escaped. Come back with us, take a look at the door, and estimate the damage."
Merry had no trouble in settling to the satisfaction of every one, but he could not repress his regret over the escape of the man who had been peering through the transom.
Morgan had paid in advance for his room at the hotel, and therefore he was at liberty to leave any time he wished. Merry and Starbright lost no time in getting him out of the place.
d.i.c.k drew a breath of relief when they reached the open air.
"That place will serve for the cla.s.s of men who patronize it," he observed; "but I"m glad Morgan has left it for good."
"So am I!" exclaimed Dade. "The only thing I regret is that the fellow who peered through the transom made his escape. Who could it have been?
Have you an idea, Merry?"
"Never yet have I seen but two men with such eyes," declared Merriwell.
"One man is dead. The other man, Alvarez Lazaro, claims to be Del Norte"s avenger. I thought him dead, but it must be that he escaped from the burning building on the East Side. How he escaped I cannot tell; but, as it was not Del Norte who peered through the transom, it must have been Lazaro."
"Look out for him, Frank," urged Starbright. "I saw murder in those eyes."
"I"ll have the police raking the city for him without delay," said Merry. "Let"s go directly to police headquarters."
This they did, and Merriwell told his story. As it was known that Lazaro had tried to poison Watson Scott and had bribed the driver of Warren Hatch"s automobile to wreck the machine with Mr. Hatch in it, Merriwell"s story was listened to with the greatest interest, and he was given the a.s.surance that, in case Lazaro still lived, no stone would be left unturned in the effort to capture him.
From police headquarters the three friends of college days visited several p.a.w.n shops, where Morgan recovered his clothing and trinkets.
Two large suit cases were purchased and the recovered articles packed into them.
Merry called a cab, and they proceeded uptown. A room was engaged at the Hoffman House, and Morgan reveled in the luxury of a bath and a shave.
In due time he appeared clothed in a respectable manner, and looking wonderfully changed. There was color in his cheeks, life in his eyes, and springiness in his step.
"Now," said Frank, "we"ll away to Hotel Astor. Starbright has sent in some copy by messenger to his paper, at the same time giving notice that he has quit, and so things are pretty well arranged to my satisfaction."
A few minutes later they were again in a cab, northward bound.
"I"ll leave Lazaro to the police," said Merry. "Now that they know the man is not dead, having proof that he tried to murder Scott and Hatch, they"ll either capture him or make New York too hot to hold him. I"ll take care that Felipe Jalisco has every attention. But I don"t propose to let anything upset my plan of an athletic tour."
Upper Broadway was blazing with light. Morgan laughed with satisfaction as they were carried along the street; but he grew sober suddenly as his eyes fell on the Imperial Hotel.
"I made the mistake of my life there," he said; "but I think it taught me a lesson I"ll not soon forget."
They reached Long Acre Square and stopped in front of Hotel Astor.
"Here we are, boys!" said Merry, as he sprang out and paid the driver.
"Yes, and you"ve been gong enough letting here--I mean long enough getting here," said a voice, as Harry Rattleton hurried forward.