Chapter XVII. Frank and His Jailer

The Cash Boy

by Horatio Alger

It was twenty minutes before Frank, waiting impatiently, heard the
steps of his late companion ascending the stairs.

But the door was not unlocked. Instead, a slide was revealed,
about eight inches square, through which his late traveling companion
pushed a plate of cold meat and bread.

"Here's something to eat," he said; "take it."

"Why do you lock me in?" demanded our hero.

"You can get along without knowing, I suppose," said the other,
with a sneer.

"I don't mean to," said Frank, firmly. "I demand an
explanation. How long do you intend to keep me here?"

"I am sorry I can't gratify your curiosity, but I don't know
myself."

"Perhaps you think that I am rich, but I am not. I have no
money. You can't get anything out of me," said Frank.

"That may be so, but I shall keep you."

"I suppose that was all a lie about your keeping store?"

"It was a pretty little story, told for your amusement, my dear
boy," said Graves. "I was afraid you wouldn't come without it."

"You are a villain!" said Frank.

"Look here, boy," said Graves, in a different tone, his face
darkening, "you had better not talk in that way. I advise you to eat
your dinner and be quiet. Some supper will be brought to you before
night."

So saying, he abruptly closed the slide, and descended the
stairs, leaving Frank to his reflections, which it may be supposed,
were not of the pleasantest character.

Frank did not allow his unpleasant situation to take away his
appetite, and though he was fully determined to make the earliest
possible attempt to escape, he was sensible enough first to eat the
food which his jailer had brought him.

His lunch dispatched, he began at once to revolve plans of
escape.

There were three windows in the room, two on the front of the
house, the other at the side.

He tried one after another, but the result was the same. All
were so fastened that it was quite impossible to raise them.

Feeling that he could probably escape through one of the windows
when he pleased, though at the cost of considerable trouble, Frank
did not trouble himself much, or allow himself to feel unhappy. He
decided to continue his explorations.

In the corner of the room was a door, probably admitting to a
closet.

"I suppose it is locked," thought Frank, but on trying it, he
found that such was not the case. He looked curiously about him, but
found little to repay him. His attention was drawn, however to
several dark-colored masks lying upon a shelf.

He also discovered a small hole in the wall of the size of a
marble. Actuated by curiosity, he applied his eye to the opening,
and peeped into what was probably the adjoining room. It was
furnished in very much the same way as the one in which he was
confined, but at present it was untenanted. Having seen what little
there was to be seen, Frank withdrew from his post of observation and
returned to his room.

It was several hours later when he again heard steps ascending
the stairs, and the slide in the door was moved.

He looked toward it, but the face that he saw was not that of
Nathan Graves.

It was the face of a woman.