He went slowly past group after group, and turned at length to the barroom. This place was famous at that time for its remarkable collection of valuable paintings and statuary; it was often referred to jocosely as the "art gallery." Every stranger in New York regarded it as one of the most interesting sights of the town. It was pretty well filled with customers when Frank entered, but everything was quiet and orderly. At the farther side of the room, and partly concealed by the bar, which took up the very middle, was a group of young men just on the point of leaving by the door that opens upon Twenty-fifth Street. "Too bad you've got to hurry," one of them remarked in a pleasant voice. "I'm overdue at the hotel already," said another, "and must get back before they become anxious about me." Frank could not see the speaker, but he recognized the voice as that of Higgins. "He has no business in here, confound him!" thought Frank, angrily. "No one but a freshman would go into a barroom even out of curiosity, at such a time as this." He crossed the room, intending to speak to Higgins and walk back to the hotel with him, and give him some earnest advice on the way. Higgins was a little in advance of the group as they went out, and so Frank did not catch up with him before they were all out upon the sidewalk. He noticed that all the men who had been speaking with Higgins wore orange ribbons in their buttonholes, but it struck him, too, that somehow they did not look like students. He had no time to reflect upon this doubt, for just as he stepped out upon the dark street he saw one of the crowd pretend to stumble and fall rather heavily against Higgins. "I beg pardon," this man said, quickly. "It's all right," Higgins responded, as he staggered to the curb under the force of the shove. At that instant Frank saw another in the crowd making a movement which showed that he was going to trip Higgins and cause him to fall. The attempt was not made, for acting instantly upon his impulse, Frank leaped from the doorway and caught the fellow a terrible blow upon the side of the face. It sent him reeling halfway across the street before he finally lost his balance and fell full length. The attack was so unexpected and sudden that most of the others in the group did not stir for a second. There was one exception to this. It was a man who had edged forward in order to make sure of tripping Higgins if the first man should fail, and he was so intent upon accomplishing this that he did not stop when Frank's form shot past him to attack the other. Therefore when Frank wheeled about to defend himself in case the others should fall upon him, he saw this man just in the act of giving Higgins a violent kick upon the shins. It was all happening so quickly that at this instant Higgins had just made his reply to the apology of the man who had shoved him, and was only beginning to regain his balance.