"Oh! and I suppose that under the circumstances meant that the situation was very serious, eh?" "Serious! Why, man alive, you don't seem to realize that Merriwell narrowly escaped death outright!" "Huh! I hadn't thought it was as bad as that." "Well it was!" continued Diamond, and it seemed to take him a long while to get his cigar lighted, while Baker was slowly counting his change. Miller was fussing with the cigar boxes with his head bent down. "If Merriwell's muscles hadn't been as tough as steel," continued Diamond, "he would have croaked before this." "Oh, no! Oh, no!" returned Baker, as if incredulous. "I'm sure you're exaggerating the matter, Diamond, on account of your interest in your friend." "Exaggerate nothing!" retorted Diamond, indignantly. "I guess I've spent hours enough with Merriwell to know his condition." "And you say he's worse this morning?" "Decidedly! The critical stage in his trouble has come on and the doctor has cleared the students out of his room. That was why I was out for a walk instead of watching by his bedside. I'm going back there now, for I can't bear the thought of being so far away." "Well, it would be simply awful," remarked Baker, with long breath, "if he should----" "Why don't you say die and have it out!" blurted Diamond. "That's what he's in danger of, poor chap." "Well, if he should die," added Baker, "there ought to be a lot of trouble for the chap who pushed him in front of the car." "Ah! if we only knew who that was!" said Diamond. "I suppose that will always be a mystery," said Baker, and with this both left the shop. "The miserable scoundrel!" exclaimed Diamond, under his breath, as soon as they were well outside. "There isn't any doubt that he was the fellow that did it." "Of course there isn't," responded Baker, "but what makes you so emphatic in saying so now?" "Why this! If Miller had had a spark of manhood in him he would have made some inquiry about Merriwell while we were talking about him. The very fact that he kept his mouth shut showed that he was afraid to speak for fear of giving himself away." "Oh, he's the one, sure enough," Baker declared, "and I don't think there's any doubt that we've given him a good bit of fright for a starter. Now if he doesn't skip the town----" "Rattleton and the others will look out for that," interrupted Diamond. At that moment they saw Hodge idling in a doorway across the street and they knew that Rattleton must be loafing in a similar way in some other spot. These two had been detailed to keep watch of Miller, dog his footsteps wherever he went, and if he made any attempt to leave town, keep him back by force if necessary. Miller did not attempt to leave town. Probably he was too cautious to do so, for that might have been the means of bringing suspicion upon him.