Miller again beat his hands upon the floor helplessly.
"Yes! Yes!" he groaned, "I"m all that, but I don"t want him to die! Do save him if you can, professor."
"It"s this way, professor," said Baker, quietly. "This man groveling on the floor is not worth the turn of a thumb, but the rest of us are very fond of Merriwell, and would like to have him restored to life if such a thing can be done.
"Do it for our sakes, and the sake of science, professor."
"Well," grumbled the "professor," after hesitating a moment, "for the sake of science I"ll take a look at him. The rest of you clear out."
He turned slowly into the dark room, while the rest of the students withdrew, taking Miller with them; then a long ten minutes pa.s.sed.
Meantime, acting according to their former programme, the students in the main room discussed various plans for the punishment of Miller.
The victim of their fearful proceeding squatted on the floor, rocking his body back and forth, moaning and wringing his hands.
At last "Prof." Humperd.i.n.k appeared in the doorway and started slowly across the room. Miller jumped to his feet, ran to him, and caught him by his robe.
"Tell me," he cried, frantically, "will he recover?"
"Bah! don"t touch me!" returned the "professor," giving the cigar dealer a vigorous kick.
Miller fell over on his side, while the "professor" went slowly out of the room.
"Why don"t you ask him," said Browning, anxiously turning to Baker, "has he succeeded or failed?"
"He must have failed," responded Baker, sadly, "or he would have said something about it. We"ll take the prisoner in there again and decide what to do with him."
By this time Miller was a complete wreck. He could not possibly stand upon his feet, and students picked him up to carry him to the darkened room.
Just then the door of that room opened again, and Frank appeared in the doorway.
He had rubbed some of the chalk off his face so that he appeared more natural than before, but he leaned against the doorpost as if weak.
"Well, fellows," he said, feebly, "what"s the matter?"
The students set up a great shout, ran to Merriwell, grasping his hand and congratulating him warmly. Frank appeared to be dazed by the proceeding.
"What"s the matter, anyway?" he asked. "What am I here for in this condition?"
"You"ve been dead!" shouted the students, in chorus.
"Dead, is it?"
"Yes, and Prof. Humperd.i.n.k has restored you to life."
Frank looked as if he did not believe it.
"This is some joke," he said.
"Joke? Why, we thought you were going to tell us what happened in the other world."
"I"m not going to tell anything until I understand this!" he retorted.
"h.e.l.lo, there"s Miller."
During this Miller had been half lying in a chair where the students had dropped him at sight of Frank. He was staring in speechless astonishment at the figure in the doorway.
The probability is that he was still so frightened that he believed that Frank had not really come back to life, but that it was his ghost that was speaking.
"What"s Miller doing in the Pi Gamma rooms!" exclaimed Frank, starting toward him. "He"s the fellow that pushed me under the car! Did you bring him up here for me to give him a thrashing?"
This was said in such a perfectly natural tone, and Frank appeared to be so much in earnest, that Miller was restored to a good deal of his ordinary condition.
He jumped up from the chair, and tried to make for the door; of course, he was caught before he could get out.
Then while he was held there, Baker pretended to explain to Frank that death had taken place and that Humperd.i.n.k had restored him by some secret scientific process.
"We had Miller here," he concluded, "so that we might punish him for causing your death."
Frank listened very gravely.
"Well," he said, "the main thing is that I"m alive again. As for you, Miller, you deserve to be hanged just as much as if you had succeeded in what you tried to do, but I"m so much alive again that I"m inclined to beg the boys to let you off."
"Oh, don"t let them hurt me, Mr. Merriwell!" groaned Miller. "On my life I didn"t mean to do you any harm, and I"ll never do anything wrong again as long as I live."
"I think it"s safe enough to take his word for that," said Frank, turning to the others.
They looked a little doubtful, but Baker answered for them.
"Well, Merriwell is the most interested party, and what he says ought to go. You may get out, Miller, but remember if there is ever any sign of you attempting dirty work with a student again, we"ll be after you, and next time we won"t give you any chance for a trial, either."
"I"ll behave myself for the future, I will, so help me!" stammered Miller, as he made for the open door.
After he had been seen well out of the building the students indulged in an uproarious laugh at the success of their plan, and all declared that it was a much better way of getting even with the cigar dealer than any of the plans suggested by the other students.
They had another supper on the spot to celebrate the event, and they were not surprised a day or two later to learn that Miller had disposed of his cigar business and left New Haven forever.
CHAPTER XXV.
FRANK HAS A VISITOR.
After the affair with Miller matters went along quietly for some time with Frank.
He turned to his studies with a will, paying particular attention to mathematics, so that no complaint might be made against him by Prof.
Babbitt.