“You refer to Santenel?”
“Yes; not since his death. I gave you a promise then, and I have kept it.”
“I believe you have.”
“I have wondered if you quite believed me when I told you of the power Santenel held over me. He was my guardian, and he brought me up to hate you, Frank Merriwell. He led me to believe that your father did him the greatest wrong one man could do another, and that you were the worthy son of such a father. Before I ever saw you I was led to hate you with all my heart, and a Morgan hates intensely when he hates at all.”
“I believe you.”
“He trained me, as far as he could, to meet you in any manner, and it was his fondest hope that I might accomplish your overthrow by fair means or foul. He taught me that, in this case, foul means would be quite as honorable as fair. I came to believe it, for I looked on you as one who would hesitate at nothing to gain your ends. It took a long time for me to realize that I had been falsely instructed. When I had learned that, I had begun to hate you because I could not get the best of you. Nothing galls a Morgan worse than defeat, and you had left the bitter taste of defeat in my mouth many times.”
Frank was wondering what the fellow could be leading toward.
“The death of my uncle left me utterly in your power,” Morgan continued, looking at Merry from beneath those dark lashes, something like a faint, sad smile coming to his face. “I have the tattered remnants of his fortune left me, which will be enough to carry me through college. I was forced to beg for mercy, and you agreed to withhold your hand for a time. Since then there has been a truce between us. I hope that truce may never be broken. But I know you have a particular friend who hates me like poison, and who has tried to hurt me in your eyes. I mean Hodge. He has told you that I am still at work against you. I do not think you have accepted his statements, for I was permitted to remain on the ball-team.”
“Which was in need of just such a man as you are,” said Frank.
“Thank you. It is kind of you to say that. I don’t know how you induced Hodge to catch my pitching, but you did that. And now I am anxious to show that I appreciate what you have done. I think I have detected a plot against you, and I have come to put you on the scent.”