it was fastened more firmly on you than you
thought?"

"That's about the size of it. I have been longing for a cigarette all
day, and, when I came by accident upon this one, finding myself all
alone, I could not resist the desire to have a whiff."

"That shows the habit had a firmer hold on you than you thought."

"Yes. I fancied I could leave it off readily enough; but I was
mistaken. It seems a fellow never knows what a hold the nasty little
things have on him till he tries to stop smoking them."

"And were you going to give up the struggle without another effort?"

"Oh, no! I didn't mean to smoke only this once. That is, I didn't
mean to at first, but after I got to smoking I thought it would be a
good plan to taper off."

"Which meant that you were going to tamper with the stuff again, and,
finally, you would smoke as much as ever, and would not leave off at
all."

"Perhaps you're right," confessed Hodge, who showed his shame.

"I am sure I am right; but you will give over the plan of tapering
off--you will stop at once. You are not weak-minded enough to let
cigarettes get a hold on you that you cannot break."

"Well, I thought I wasn't; but I don't know about it now."

"Oh, this is bad, but it doesn't mean failure. I don't believe you are
the kind of a fellow to give in thus easily to an enemy. You have more
fight in you than that."

Frank spoke in a confident tone, as if he did not doubt Hodge's ability
to conquer the habit, and Bart gave him a grateful look.

All at once, Bart jumped up and opened the window, out of which he
fiercely flung the half-smoked cigarette.

"If I hadn't been a fool by nature, I'd never lighted the thing!" he
cried, in supreme self-contempt. "Your confidence in me, old man, has
given me confidence in myself. This settles it! I am done with
cigarettes forever. You'll never again discover me with one in my
lips!"

Bart had meant to keep his pledge in the first place, but Frank's
failure to reproach him for falling, and Frank's confidence in his
ability to stop smoking gave him the needed confidence in
himself--filled him with a determination not to be defeated. And from
that hour he never again smoked a cigarette.

"Now we're all right again," said Merriwell, heartily, as Bart came
back from the window. "Sit down while I relate a very interesting tale
to you."

Bart sat down, and Frank told what he had seen and heard through
following Snell.

"That snea