“Like Hodge.”
“To save myself, I faked up a pretty little story about being compelled by Morgan to do what I did. I thought Merriwell would come down on Morgan’s neck, and I had it in for Morgan.”
“He’s like all the others—beginning to crawl before Merriwell.”
“That’s why I hate him! I thought he would stand out, but he has thrown up the sponge. He’s even said sharp things to me. I told him he could not make the ball-team. I expected Merriwell would drop him from that, at least. Instead of that, he came upon me one night here in this room and forced me to acknowledge that I had lied about Morgan. More than that, he made me promise that I would never again lift a hand to harm him. And,” finished Defarge, in a husky whisper, “may I drop dead if I’ve ever been able to do so from that time to this!”
CHAPTER XXI.
MERRIWELL’S RESERVE POWER.
“Fancy,” said Packard.
“Nothing of the sort!” declared Defarge.
“Then beyond a doubt you have been hypnotized by the fellow. It is useless for you to squirm and deny it, that’s just what has happened. I know he has hypnotic power, although he does not make a practise of displaying it. You cannot make a physical move to do him harm?”
“No.”
“But mentally——”