“You poor fool!” sneered Bart. “You thought you were clever, but you were easily deceived. The certificate you found was left for you to find. It was last year’s certificate.”
“No!” contradicted Hollingsworth. “I took special pains to look at the date. It was this year.”
“You unblushingly confess your villainy! Well, let me tell you how you were fooled still further. Expecting you to do just what you did, Merriwell had altered the date on his certificate of last year. His last certificate he placed in the safe at the hotel, where it remained until he called for it to-day.”
The outwitted scoundrel saw his last hope vanish. He realized he was baffled and done for.
“Take off your coat!” Hodge suddenly cried, stripping off his own and flinging it upon a locker.
“What are you going to do?” gasped Hollingsworth.
“I’m going to give you the soundest thrashing you ever received,” was Bart’s answer.
He did.