Of a sudden he had perceived whither he was drifting.

He realized what false steps he had already taken, and he was heartily ashamed of himself.
Among his treasures was a medal of honor presented to him by Congress for twice saving the life of Inza Burrage, a pretty girl who lived in Fardale, and whose brother, Walter, was a cadet at the academy.

Once he had fought a mad dog with no weapon but a clasp-knife, and kept the creature from biting Inza, and once he had saved her from death beneath the wheels of the afternoon express, which flew through Fardale village without stopping.
Coming across this medal where he kept it choicely deposited, it suddenly brought to him an overwhelming feeling of self-abasement and shame.
What would Inza Burrage think of him if she knew of his weakness--knew that he was playing cards for money, and making associates of such fellows as Gage and Snell?
It was true that she did not know either Gage or Snell for what they really were at heart, but Frank did, and there really seemed no excuse for him.
He tried to excuse himself by saying he had been led into temptation through Hodge, but, in another instant he felt meaner than before.
"You ought to be ashamed, Merriwell!" he told himself.

"You have all the influence in the world over Hodge, if you use your power skillfully, and, instead of trying to shoulder the blame on him, you should be disgusted with yourself for making no attempt to save him from such company and such practices!" Then he thought of the money he had lost.

How could he stop without making an effort to win it back?
If he could have one good streak of luck and win enough to make himself square, he would stop.
This very desire to "get square with the game" has been the ruin of more than one promising youth.
So he told himself over and over that he would stop as soon as he "got square." Saturday came round.