A door was opened and Miller was forced inside. He gave a loud gasp when he entered, fell upon his knees, and beat his hands helplessly upon the floor. CHAPTER XXIV. HUMPERDINK TO THE RESCUE. What Miller saw was this: A room lighted by one solitary candle and rendered more gloomy by heavy curtains hanging before the windows; a cot bed was in the middle, and upon it was a body all covered over with the exception of the face, and the face above it was that of Frank Merriwell. It need hardly be said here that Frank was as much alive at that moment as he had ever been in his life, but his face had been covered with chalk so as to resemble that of a dead man. Miller was thoroughly convinced that Frank was dead, and he was not too frightened to realize that he had admitted having been the cause of it. "Oh! what shall I do? What shall I do?" he groaned. "I never meant that it should be as bad as this!" "It isn't a question of what you shall do," remarked Baker, sternly. The other students had come into the room and now stood around, looking on solemnly. Not one of them so much as winked at another for fear that the spectacle would lose some of its force upon the mind of the frightened victim. "The point is," continued Baker, "that you are not in a position to do anything; the question is, what shall we do?" "He ought to have his head chopped off where he is!" muttered Bruce Browning, gruffly. Miller started and edged away from the spot where he was kneeling. "No!" exclaimed Baker, sternly; "that would be too easy; I should rather think that it would be better to boil him in a vat!" "Or might burn him alive out on the marshes!" said another. "I think a good straight forward hanging is the best thing for him!" muttered Jack Diamond. "Oh, for Heaven's sake, gentlemen!" groaned Miller, "don't let it be to-night. Give me a chance to make up for this!" "How can you make up for it?" retorted Baker. "Do you know any way of restoring a dead person to life?" "No, I don't, but I never would have gone to do it if I'd supposed that it would be serious, so help me, I never would!" "I don't think that that makes any difference." At this moment there was a stir in the room back of the students. Baker turned inquiringly. One of the students who had really been present all the time now pretended to be coming in from the outside in a hurry. "Prof. Humperdink," said this student, "is on the way, and will be here in a minute or two." "Ah!" responded Baker, in a tone of relief, "perhaps then that may make things better, for, of course, while we are bound to punish this man Miller, we want Merriwell restored to life if such a thing can be done." "Humperdink can do it if anybody can!" said Rowe. "Do you mean to say, gentlemen," gasped Miller, "that there's a chance that Merriwell may be restored?" "We can't tell until Humperdink comes," responded Baker, solemnly. "Haven't you ever heard of Humperdink?"