“I do! I have believed you for some time. But how can I repay you for——”
“There is nothing to be repaid. Some day you shall understand what seems so mysterious now.”
Diamond was hastening to set Frank free. The Virginian knew better than to question him then and there.
“Thank you,” said Merry, as he stepped away from the pillar, rubbing his arms to start the circulation. “This is much better. That position was becoming painful.”
“Where are the devils who brought you here?” hissed Jack.
“They took to flight when the gendarmes began hammering at the door up there. There was another way out of the cellar, and the officers are after them.”
“The officers will not capture them,” announced Mr. Noname. “My mission is complete now that you have been saved.”
Frank seized the strange man’s hand and wrung it warmly. A thrill shot over him at the touch. It was a most peculiar sensation, and afterward, when he thought about it, he wondered much.
“Again I must thank you!” said the young American, with deep feeling. “I do not understand how it is that you always arrive in time to save me.”
“There is an unseen tie between us. When you are in danger, I am drawn to you by a power which no man may measure. I feel your peril, and I hasten to your aid. The stars may fade into endless night, and the sun may turn to ashes, but death alone can break the bond between us!”