He had returned to the spot where he had found the skeleton, when he was startled to hear a jarring, scraping sound far along the passage.
In a moment the boy was on the alert, his heart thumping violently, his whole body quivering with excitement.
Some one was coming.
At the farther end of the passage there was seen a gleam of light.
“They are coming to finish me!” thought Frank. “It must be that. Well, they may have a heavy job.”
He had no weapon save his bare hands, but he was desperate, and he felt capable of coping with several men. He would be fighting for his life, and he would possess all the fury of a cornered tiger.
The light moved, and he could see that its bearer was coming down the steps of stone, moving rapidly.
Swiftly the boy moved toward the passage, making no noise. He would be ready to meet the bearer of the light the moment the vault was entered.
Peering along the passage, he saw a strange figure approaching—a girl, muffled and veiled, holding a lighted lamp of quaint and curious make above her head.
Her face below the eyes was hidden by a veil.