Morgan realized that he was being hypnotized!
Instantly he aroused all his will power to fight against it. At the same time he resolved on a crafty course. He determined to pretend that he was succumbing to the hypnotic spell.
This he cleverly did, his head sinking against the back of the chair and his eyes closing. By closing his own eyes he shut out the view of those terrible eyes, which he feared might conquer him.
There was a brief silence, and then the triumphant voice of the mysterious man said:
"I have him now, and he is mine. From this night he shall do my bidding. And he is the trusted friend and companion of Frank Merriwell! Ah! through him I will strike Merriwell, even as I promised to strike him. I told him I would ruin his beauty. Through this friend of his I will accomplish the deed. Here I have a vial of vitriol. I always carry several vials of poison with me. This one I will place in this chap's pocket, and with it he shall do my command."
Then Morgan felt the man thrusting something into a pocket of his vest. A moment later the soft voice spoke to him.
"Do you hear me?" it asked.
Morgan had witnessed hypnotic exhibitions, and so he answered in a low, mechanical manner:
"Yes, sir."
"Good! I am your master, now and forever. Do you recognize and acknowledge me as your master?"