ge and Snell
were welcome to all they had won off him, but he would bring their
career to an end.

How was he to do it?

Surely he could not report them, for that would place him beneath a ban
among the cadets.

He studied over the problem.

That night, when Hodge arose to slip away, Frank got up also, and began
to dress. Bartley heard him, and was surprised.

"Where are you going, Frank?" he whispered.

"With you," was the quiet reply.

"But I thought----"

Hodge stopped; he would not say what he thought. But he told himself
that he had known all along that Frank could not keep away.

They got out of the academy, and made their way to the old boathouse,
where the company was already assembled.

Gage and Snell were there, but neither of them spoke to Frank.

Bart sat into the game immediately, but, to the general surprise, Frank
declined.

"I am short, and I don't feel like playing to-night," he said. "I've
got a book I want to read, and it wasn't possible for me to have a
light in quarters, so I came along."

He declined all offers of money, and sat down to read the book. He
turned his back to the table, so the light fell on the pages from over
his shoulder, and in a short time he seemed too much absorbed in the
book to observe anything that was going on.

The game became very warm. It was without limit, and Hodge lost from
the first. Both Gage and Snell were winning steadily.

Still Merriwell seemed to read on calmly. But he was not reading a
great deal. In the palm of one hand he had a small mirror concealed.
By the aid of this mirror, he was watching the movements of Gage and
Snell.

And he was making some very interesting discoveries!

At length there came a large pot. Hodge and Gage stayed in and raised
till every one else fell out. Hodge took one card; Gage, who was
dealing, took two.

Then there was betting such as had never before been known in that old
boathouse.

Hodge's face was pale, and he refused to call, for he believed his time
to get square had come. He put in his "paper" for more than fifty
dollars, after his money was exhausted.

Finally the game came to an end, and Gage proclaimed himself the winner.

He started to take the money lying on the table. Like a leaping tiger,
Frank Merriwell came out of his chair, whirled, thrust Leslie's hands
aside, and pushed the money toward Bart.

"Not this evening, Mr. Gage!" he said. "I am onto your little game,
and it w