Frank and the others went to the sleeping room and stood by the couch looking at Mellor in silence for a full minute. As he had been very carefully rubbed and thoroughly steamed the night before, and as he had been sleeping for many hours, he looked now quite as well as usual. The three managers looked at each other and nodded. They understood each other; it was better that Mellor should be allowed to appear in the wrestling match that night, even though he was almost surely doomed to defeat. They were about to withdraw when the wrestler opened his eyes. "Hello, boys," he said, suddenly, and he sat up. "How are you feeling?" asked Merriwell. "Bully!" replied Mellor, with emphasis. Then his face flushed and he looked down at the floor. "I guess you remember what has happened," remarked Hill, contemptuously. "Yes, I do," responded Mellor. "What do you think of yourself?" asked Rowland. "You're a fine man to carry Yale's banner to victory, aren't you!" demanded Hill, savagely. "Hold on, fellows," interrupted Frank; "there's no use in rubbing it in. How did it happen, Mellor?" "Oh, it's just my confounded foolishness," Mellor replied, with a groan; "I wanted to see a little bit of city life, but I had no idea of drinking. I had heard of a place where all sorts of toughs resorted, and I went in there simply to look on." "Better have stayed in the hotel," muttered Hill. "Go on," said Merriwell. "Well, there was quite a crowd there, and among them were two or three Princeton students." "How do you know?" "Why, I saw the orange colors that they wore, and I heard them offering bets on Princeton to other men who were standing around." "Did you speak to them?" "Not until they spoke to me." "How did that happen?" "Why, one of them caught my eye, looked at me sharply, and then asked politely if my name wasn't Mellor, and if I didn't belong to Yale. I felt kind of flattered at being recognized----" "It made you think you were a great man, didn't it?" exclaimed Hill "Oh, keep still!" said Frank. "Let him tell his story; this is important to all of us." Mellor ground his teeth and exclaimed: "You can't make me feel any worse about this than I feel already." "We don't want you to make any confession, Mellor," said Frank, gently; "that isn't what we're after, for, unfortunately, I know only too well what you'd have to confess to. "The point we want to get at is, what these Princeton men said, for I'm inclined to think that there's something of a conspiracy on foot to down Yale and the other colleges by unfair means." Mellor looked a little puzzled, but answered: "After I had admitted who I was, the fellow who spoke to me asked how I felt about the wrestling match. I told him I was all ready to meet Princeton's best man, and then he asked if I was betting any money on it. I shook my head, and he said 'that's right.'" "What followed?"