With a cry of pain, the Celestial clapped his hands to his eyes and reeled backward. Quick as a flash, the stranger shot past him and was gone. This had happened so swiftly that Merriwell and Starbright could do nothing. When they rushed out of the room the stranger had vanished and the Chinaman was groaning and jabbering with pain. “What’s the matter?” asked Frank. “What did he do?” “Puttee out eyles! Yi! yi! Oh, glivee watal quickee! Oh! oh!” They dragged the Chinaman into the room and Merry soon had some water on his face. “Red pepper!” cried Frank, as he detected the powder on the clothes of the Chinaman. “That man threw it in his eyes!” “Yi! yi! yi!” yelled the Celestial. “Oh, eyles burnee likee led-hot fial! Oh, pooal John go to die velly quickee! Hi-yi!” The yells of the frightened fellow soon brought people to investigate, and Merry explained what had happened. The Chinaman belonged in the kitchen. How he came to be on that floor was a mystery, and he would not tell. All he seemed able to do was to howl with pain. When the Celestial had been removed and the excitement was over, Merry flung himself on a chair, laughing outright. “I fail to see what you are laughing about,” cried Starbright, who was striding up and down the floor. “Well, if things to laugh about have not happened this night, they never did!” declared Frank. “Then you see things in quite a different light from what I do.” “It all depends on the mood a man is in how he looks at things, my boy,” said Merry. “In certain moods a tragedy may seem like a comedy.” “Look here, Merriwell,” said Dick, stopping where he could face Frank squarely. “I want to know what you think about this matter now.” “What matter?” “This Inza Burrage business.” Frank stopped laughing. “Do you think just the same thing that you did?” persisted Dick. “Have you not changed your mind in the least?” “Why, I have seen nothing to cause me to change my mind.” “You haven’t?” “No.” “Not even after this fellow came here and refused to state his name or make any explanation?” “Not even after that.” “Well, you are queerly constructed. You trust her still?” “Fully!” “Do you think that man just the sort of a companion for Inza?” “I don’t know.” “He is a comrade of gamblers, the possessor of stolen property, a creature without a name!” Frank was silent. “Perhaps,” Dick went on, “he is a gambler himself. It is likely he may be, else why should he have a friend who was a gambler?” Still Merry did not speak. “It would not surprise me to learn that he is an escaped convict or a criminal wanted for some great offense.” Merry’s lips tightened. “How do you know he is not, Frank?” Dick demanded. “Because he was with Inza!” Frank exclaimed. “That is quite enough to satisfy me, Starbright. I would trust her with my life, and nothing can shake my confidence in her.” “Nothing?” “No! It is useless to talk!” “You would refuse to believe if I placed proof before you!”