But when he reached the door, he looked in vain for the person he fancied he had seen. “My eyes may have fooled me,” he said. He had been followed by several of the cyclists, and they were staring at him in amazement. He saw that he must make some explanation, or they would think him deranged. “It’s all right,” he laughed. “I fancied I saw a person that I know. He appeared there in the doorway, and then retreated into the building. I may have been mistaken.” “You must have been,” said Mart Woodock. “Come out and meet the girls,” said Howard Dustan. “They are waiting to be introduced.” So Merry was escorted into the presence of the girls and introduced to each one in turn. “We had begun to believe you were not coming to Belfast at all, Mr. Merriwell,” said a vivacious little blond named Mabel Mitshef, but called “Mabel Mischief” by her friends. “I came near missing Belfast,” acknowledged Frank; “but, after going to Bar Harbor, I learned something about this place that made it seem very attractive to me, and so I decided to come here. Already I am satisfied that the stories I heard about Belfast are true.” “My!” cried Mabel. “You make me curious. I wonder what stories you could have heard?” “Well,” smiled Frank, “I heard that Belfast had the prettiest girls of any place on the Maine coast.” This threw the girls into confusion, but Mabel had sufficient presence of mind to say: “If you came here because of those stories, I hope you will not be disappointed, Mr. Merriwell.” “If the girls I have already seen fairly represent the fair sex of Belfast, I am sure I shall not,” bowed Frank. Frank’s back was turned toward the freight house door, so he did not see the hateful eyes which peered out at him. The owner of those eyes drew back in a moment, muttering: “Yes, it is Merriwell—curse him! I dodged him just in time. He would have seen me if I hadn’t hidden amid those boxes. He must not see me now.” The speaker was Parker Flynn, who claimed to be the rightful owner of the yacht, _White Wings_, and who had made a desperate attempt to capture her by force in Rockland harbor ten days before this story opens. Flynn wore a bicycle suit, and he quickly stole out of the freight house by another door, found a wheel outside, mounted it and rode away swiftly. In the meantime Frank was chatting with his new friends, fascinating them by his wit and easy manners. They had heard much of him, and not one of them was disappointed in his appearance. “Mr. Merriwell,” said Dustan, “I took care to bring along a wheel for you when I heard you were coming into the harbor. Of course, I took a chance about fitting you, but I have the best wheel to be found in the city, and I think it can be adjusted to suit you, if it is not right.” “But I have my yachting suit on.” “Never mind. I have trouser guards.”