"There," he said, as he and Bart were returning together, "I can stay
away from the game now, and no one will have a right to accuse me of
meanness, for I have dropped more than I made at both of the other
games I have been in."

"That's right," assured Bart, "you may do as you like now, and I'll
fight the fellow that dares open his trap about it."

But Frank had taken the false step that leads to others, and he was to
find it no easy thing to keep away from the game that fascinated him
so. For a little time he succeeded, but he was uneasy and in a bad way
so long as he knew a game was going on. Night after night he heard
Bart dress and slip out, and the longing to accompany him grew and grew
till it was unbearable.

"What's the matter with Merriwell?" one of his classmates asked of
another. "He was making right along at one time, and we all thought he
would head the class, but now he is making an average of less than 2.5."

"Oh, he is flighty," replied the other. "Do you notice that he doesn't
seem to be as jolly and full of fun as he was once."

"I believe he is in some kind of trouble," declared the first. "He
doesn't ever get a max lately."

By way of explanation, let us state, a "max" was the highest mark
obtainable, or 3; 2.9 or 2.8 was considered first class, 2.5 was really
good, 2 was fair, and below that it fell off rapidly too, which meant
utter failure.

Frank was, indeed, in trouble. He found it impossible to keep away
from the poker parties, and so, one night after Bart had departed,
being unable to sleep, he got up and followed his roommate again.

Gage and Snell were rejoiced, for they saw they had Merriwell fairly
within the meshes. All that was needed now was to close the net
carefully and draw it tighter and tighter about him, till there was no
possible escape.

This trick was accomplished with consummate skill. Frank's luck seemed
to have deserted him, but at first his losings were just heavy enough
to provoke without alarming him. Sometimes he would win a little, and
then he would fancy his luck had turned, but the tide soon set the
other way.

Made angry by his petty losses, he followed the game with dogged
persistency. And those petty losses soon began to grow larger and
larger. His money melted away rapidly, and still fortune frowned on
him.

In vain Hodge counseled his friend to drop the game and stay away.
Such advice was now wasted on Frank, and it made him angry.