He had forgotten the man in black for the time, and he whistled a lively air, thinking of the charming girl he had left a few moments before.
It had now grown quite dark, for the moon had not yet risen; but there was a spring-time sweetness in the air, which was not yet enervated by the languorous heat of summer.
Frank passed beyond the limits of the village, where lights were twinkling from the windows of the houses, and he swung down the road toward the cove at a lively gait, still whistling.
At a certain point the road was lined with bushes, and not far away was the village cemetery.
Frank had reached this lonely locality, when, of a sudden, a feeling of uneasiness came over him.

Somehow it seemed that he was in danger.
Then came a rustle in the bushes, and, the following moment, a dark form confronted the lad, blocking his path.
Frank recoiled, and through his mind flashed the thought: "It is the man in black!" At the same moment, the unknown sprang forward and clutched the lad, snarling: "Give me that ring! I will have it! Give it up peaceably, or I will choke the breath out of your body! Don't shout! It will be the worse for you if you do!" Right there and then the man in black met with a great surprise.
Frank grappled with the stranger, and, for some moments, they engaged in a fierce struggle.

At length the boy got the best of it, and, as he threw the man, he gave his assailant a terrible upper-cut blow.
Having freed himself Frank took to his heels and ran down the road toward the academy..