"Well, I am sure I knew your voice the moment I heard it, and the sound
gave no small amount of satisfaction."

The boys now hurried back along the narrow passage, and soon reached the
doorway by which they had entered.

The procession had passed on, and the great crowd of people had melted
from the street.

As soon as they were outside the passage, Barney explained that he had
arrived in town that night, and had hurried to the St. Charles Hotel,
but had found Professor Scotch in bed, and Frank gone.

"Th' profissor was near scared to death av me," said Barney. "He
wouldn't let me in th' room till th' bellboy had described me two or
thray toimes over, an' whin Oi did come in, he had his head under th'
clothes, an', be me soul! I thought by th' sound that he wur shakin'
dice. It wuz the tathe av him chattering togither."

Frank was convulsed with laughter, while Barney went on:

"'Profissor,' sez Oi, 'av it's doice ye're shakin', Oi'll take a hand at
tin cints a corner.'"

"What did he do then?"

"He looked out at me over the edge av th' bed-sprid, an' he sez, sez he,
'Are ye sure ye're yersilf, Barney Mulloy? or are ye Colonel Sally de la
Vilager'--or something av th' sort--'in disguise?'"

Frank laughed harder than before.

"What did you do then, Barney?"

"Oi looked at him, an' thot wur all Oi said. Oi didn't know what th' mon
mint, an' he samed to be too broke up to tell. Oi asked him where yo
wur, an' he said ye'd gone out to see th' parade. Whin Oi found out thot
wur all Oi could get out av him, Oi came out an' looked fer yez."

When Frank had ceased to laugh, he explained the meaning of the
professor's strange actions, and it was Barney's turn to laugh.

"So it's a duel he is afraid av, is it?"

"Yes."

"An' he wants a substitute?"

"Yes."

"Begobs, it's niver a duel was Oi in, but the profissor wuz koind to me
at Fardale, an' it's a debt av gratitude Oi owe him, so Oi'll make me
bluff."

"I do not believe Colonel Vallier will meet any one but Professor
Scotch, but the professor will be too ill to meet him, so he will have
to accept a substitute, or go without a fight."

"To tell ye th' truth, Frankie, Oi'd rather he'd refuse to accept, but
it's an iligant bluff Oi can make."

"You're all right, Barney."

"Tell me what brought this duel aboit."

So Frank told the whole story about the rescue of the Flower Queen, the
appearance of Rolf Raymond and Colonel Vallier, and how the masked gi