CHAPTER XVII

INZA’S STRANGE ACTIONS.

“Sure?” questioned Merry guardedly. “Don’t make a mistake, my boy.”

“Dead sure!” asserted Dick excitedly.

The man wore a full beard, dark and wavy. Despite this beard, Merry could see he was a young man. His clothes were of dark material and fitted him loosely, but there was nothing slouchy in his appearance. Instead of that, his general air was that of a person who was rather particular about his appearance. The “misfit” of the clothing was suggestive of London. His overcoat was very loose, but it was of fine material. He wore a soft black hat set squarely on his head.

“Have you ever seen him before?” questioned Dick. “Do you know him?”

“I do not seem to remember him,” confessed Merry.

“He’s a stranger to you! She never told you anything about him. You see! And you trusted her!”

Frank felt like rebuking Starbright, but at this moment the man turned away, and walked briskly down the avenue.

“We’ll follow him,” decided Merry quietly.

“Yes!” panted Dick. “He may take us to her! Then you can demand an explanation!”

“Don’t think I shall make such a fool of myself, my dear fellow. If she saw fit to make an explanation, I might listen; but I have no right to make any demands on her, and I shall not be an ass.”

“Well, I have a right!”

“I hardly think so.”

“But I have! Why not?”

“Because you do not trust her, Starbright. When you cease to trust Inza, you forfeited your rights to demand anything of her.”

Dick gasped.

“What are you talking about? If I still trusted her, there would be no need for me to ask her to explain.”

“Exactly,” nodded Merry. “As you do not, you have no right to ask her. That puts you out of it. I hope she is not badly smitten with you, my boy, for I hardly think you deserve to win her.”

This was plain talk, and it struck home. Starbright felt the wound rankle in his heart, and again he bitterly resolved to convince Merry that Inza Burrage was not all she had been fancied to be.

The man in advance was moving briskly. Frank and Dick kept a certain distance behind him.

“You’ll find out!” said the freshman. “Don’t take your eyes off him! You’ll find you have been fooled by her!”

“Enough of that!” commanded Frank sharply. “I will listen to no more of it! If it were not that I wish to convince you of your shameful mistake, I’d not take the trouble to follow this man, for I trust her fully and completely.”

Starbright was silenced.

The stranger kept straight down Sixth Avenue till Twenty-third Street was reached. As he approached that corner, a handsome, well-dressed girl came quickly toward him.

It was Inza, who, apparently, had been waiting for him there.

“There she is!” panted Starbright.

“Silence!” ordered Frank.

She ran up and grasped the stranger by the arm, and they plainly heard her say:

“Oh, Walter, I’m so glad you’ve come! Three men have followed me all the way from the house and persisted in speaking to me. They hung around and annoyed me when I paused here, where you promised to meet me.”

The man uttered an exclamation of anger.

“Where are the whelps?” he demanded.

“There they are!” said Inza, pointing at a trio of men who looked like sports and fighters. An instant later the stranger had walked straight up to the men, and then——

Smack! smack! smack!

Swift as thought, he slapped the faces of each one of them.

“Perhaps that will teach you to mind your own business and let a lady alone, even though she may not be accompanied by an escort!” he cried.

The men were astounded by this treatment, but they recovered quickly, and the leader—a big fellow with a heavy black mustache—made a jump and delivered a swinging blow at Inza’s companion, growling:

“Take that, you big stiff!”

But the stranger skilfully parried the blow, and gave the fellow one on the chin that sent him staggering.

The others, however, set on him both together, and both hit him, one succeeding in tripping him at the same time, which sent him to the sidewalk. Instantly one of the young ruffians lifted a foot to give the fallen man a kick.

About that time Frank Merriwell got into action, followed closely by Dick Starbright. Merriwell’s fist crashed on the jaw of the fellow who was on the point of kicking Inza’s protector. Down the man went, dropping like a log.

Starbright grasped the other fellow by the neck and shook him as a terrier shakes a rat.

The one who had been struck by the stranger had recovered by this time, and he aimed a vicious blow at the freshman.

Dick would have been hit fairly under the ear, but Merriwell was too quick, and the man with the black mustache was sent staggering with a thrust.

Then Starbright flung his man aside and turned to see if his assistance was needed. He found Frank assisting the fallen stranger to rise.

The fellow with the black mustache saw Frank stoop, and he aimed a vicious kick at Merry’s face, springing forward to deliver it.

Starbright’s heavy hand caught this chap by the neck, and then the big freshman drove the toe of his foot into the fellow’s back, fairly lifting him from the ground.

The astounded ruffian uttered a shout of rage and pain.

“You’re a great kicker,” said Dick. “How do you like some of your own medicine?”

He had not released his hold, and he proceeded to lift the fellow again, using his right foot this time.

“Ow!” howled the bewildered and amazed masher. “Ow! Don’t! Ow! You—ugh!”

Dick used his left foot, and again the fellow howled.

“Help, help!” roared the ruffian.

“Calm yourself,” advised Starbright. “I do not need help. I am able to attend to your case without assistance.”

Then, he repeated with the right foot, and the kick seemed to raise the man two feet from the sidewalk.

“You’re killing me!” groaned the masher, trying to twist round, but finding himself helpless in the grasp of the Andover giant.

“Not at all,” said Dick. “I intend to only about half-kill you. That will be enough to teach you a wholesome lesson.”

And then he kicked with both feet in quick succession, and did not cease till the demoralized masher was limp and helpless. Then Dick held him up, steadied him on his feet, and grimly said:

“I’ll give you two minutes to get out of sight. Steady! If you don’t hustle away, I may take a notion to overhaul you and kick you some more. I have enjoyed kicking you very much.”

The fellow staggered away when Dick released him.

Turning, Starbright found that Merriwell had easily handled the other two fellows and put them to flight.

“The opportunity was just what I’ve wanted,” muttered Dick. “I’ve been longing to kick somebody for several hours.”

Of course, this encounter had attracted attention, but its sudden termination without police interference seemed to disappoint the crowd, which began to melt away in short order.

Inza had stood aside while Merriwell and Starbright disposed of the three men, but now she came forward and spoke to them, although seeming not a little astonished and distressed.

“I’m so glad you were on hand to help us!” she said. “If I’d been a man, I think I should have enjoyed taking part in that!”

“I think I owe the gentlemen thanks,” said the stranger. “They were too many for me, and it’s lucky somebody happened along to help me out. I must say you disposed of them very finely.”

Starbright was scowling at the stranger, but Frank laughed quietly.

“I assure you,” said Merry, “we enjoyed the pleasure.”

“But Frank, Dick,” said Inza, plainly bewildered, “I thought you both in New Haven.”

“As you see, we are not.”

“But how does it happen?”

“I was detained in the city,” Merry explained, “and Dick ran down to—to see me and to take me back.”

“Why doesn’t she introduce her bearded friend?” Starbright was asking himself.

Frank wondered a little over this, but fancied Inza had forgotten in her excitement caused by the encounter.

“Well, it’s a great surprise,” said Inza. “I thought you both many miles away.”

“Haven’t a doubt of it,” thought Dick.

“We expect to return to New Haven to-morrow,” said Frank.

The stranger was silent now, having stepped back a little. He stood looking at Frank in a rather peculiar and penetrating manner.

“To-morrow?” repeated Inza, her embarrassment seeming to increase, as she looked from Frank and Dick to the strange man.

The latter shook his head slightly. With his eyes wide open for every move, Merry saw this, and knew it was a signal to Inza.

“Yes,” nodded Merry. “I called at your hotel in Brooklyn to see you, but found you were gone.”

“Yes, we—we left there after we supposed you had returned to New Haven. We’re stopping in New York for a few days.”

“Near here?” inquired Merry, with deferential politeness.

“Yes—quite near.”

Again Inza looked toward the man in the background, and again Merry saw the stranger shake his head a trifle.

“We’re going to leave the city very soon,” Inza hurried on, as if anxious to say something, but finding herself quite at a loss for words. “I’m truly glad to see you both. Oh, Dick! what a horrid scowl you have on your face!”

“Have I?” murmured Starbright, bowing.

“Why, you big boy! don’t you see it does not disturb Frank at all? I’m sorry I—I can’t invite you to call; but you—you are go—going away so soon—you know—of course——”

Usually Inza was quite self-possessed, but now she floundered badly.

“We might be able to stay longer, Miss Burrage, if——”

“Miss Burrage, indeed!” cried Inza resentfully. “Why do you call me that, Dick? Why are you so formal? You’re not a bit like yourself.”

“And I fancy you are not just like your usual self,” Dick returned.

“Why, of course—of course, I—I was flustered by that horrid affair. A street-fight! But it could not be helped, and the men had insulted me.”

“The scoundrels!” exclaimed Frank, rousing again at the thought of it. “They got off altogether too easily!”

The stranger had turned and walked away a short distance. Seeing this, Inza, who appeared more perplexed and distressed than ever, said:

“I must go! I’ll see you both at New Haven during the Easter holidays, for I expect to be there then.”

Starbright was glaring after the stranger, and did not seem to hear her words. Merry, however, was giving her the closest attention, and he quickly said:

“That’s right, Inza—do come. Everybody will be delighted to see ‘the Mascot of the Crew.’”

She held out her gloved hand.

“And you?”

“You know how pleased I’ll be,” he said, taking her hand.

She gave his fingers a little pressure, while she tried to smile into his eyes.

“I know,” she murmured; “but—there was a time——”

What did she mean? She stopped short, forced a laugh, said “good-by,” and turned to Dick.

“Good-by, Dick,” she said, offering her hand. “I hope you make the ball-team this spring.”

He actually seemed to hesitate about accepting her hand, but it was only for a fraction of a second. Then he bent low over her fingers, his hat lifted, murmuring something polite—but frigid.

Inza hastened to the stranger, took his arm, and accompanied him westward along Twenty-third Street.