"They will both be killed!" gasped Rattleton.
"Sure!" groaned Dismal.
"I don't believe we shall ever see Hodge again!" Ready declared, and his
cheeks grew even whiter.
Bruce moved as if he, too, thought of rushing into the flames. Diamond's
hand was laid on his shoulder.
"Wait a minute. No use risking any more lives! Bart can do that, if any
one can!"
Browning felt that this was true, and fell back with a groan, while a
bit of suspicious moisture shone in his eyes. The walls were in such a
state that the firemen now began to disconnect the hose and to get the
engines away. They warned back the crowd, and policemen began to shout
orders and to enforce them with batons.
In the meantime, what was Bart Hodge doing, and what had befallen Frank
Merriwell? Hodge was sure that Frank had made his way to the stairway
where Willis Paulding had said Jack Ready had fallen. It was the center
stairway leading from the third story.
Hodge had not much difficulty in passing through the hotel office, for,
after the dash through the doorway, he found the smoke not so dense. It
seemed to be sucked into the doorway, and the clerk's desk and vicinity
were comparatively free of it. The room was deserted, and there were
everywhere evidences of a hasty leave-taking.
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