The noise roused Bill, who sprang up.  But Bill must have found the police wonderfully soothing, for he quieted down at once.

Both rascals were taken care of.  Then Theodore Dodge was found lying bound and gagged on the floor.  A ragged, foul-smelling coat had been substituted for the one that had been left at the river’s bank.  The banker looked up at the intruders with a stupefied leer, betraying neither alarm or pleasure.

As soon as the two rough-looking fellows had been handcuffed Mr. Dodge was freed, and his tongue also, but Chief Coy, after raising the banker and questioning him, muttered: 

“Clean out of his head.  Daffy.  Must have wandered away from Gridley during a loony streak.  He isn’t over it yet.”

The two rough-looking ones protested loudly against being deprived of their liberty.

“I don’t really know that you fellows have done anything,” admitted Chief Coy.  “But I’m taking you along on suspicion that it was you, and not Mr. Dodge himself, who bound and gagged him.”

This retort, given with a great deal of dry sarcasm, silenced the prisoners for the time being.

“We ought to have this out an hour before ‘The Evening Mail’ people,” exulted Editor Pollock.  “Prescott, my boy, you’re a born reporter!  And, Darrin, you’re not much behind.”  “Theodore Dodge found by two “Blade” reporters!  That won’t sound bad!”

The briefest questioning was enough to show that Theodore Dodge was in no condition to give any account of himself.  He did not reply with an intelligible word.  His eyes held only a vacant stare.  It was as though memory and reason had suddenly snapped within his brain.

“The doctors will want him,” commented Chief Coy.  “And we can’t be hustling back a bit too soon.”

It had been a gloomy morning at the home of Banker Dodge.

Through the night, none had slept.  Anxiety had kept them all on the rack.

Mrs. Dodge, a thin and nervous woman, had gone from one spell of hysterics into another, as morning neared.  A trained nurse had to be sent for.

Then in a calm lull Mrs. Dodge had telephoned for Lawyer Ripley, who lost his breakfast through the speed with which he obeyed the summons of the distracted wife.

As a result of the lawyer’s visit the reward of a thousand dollars had been offered.

The house was quiet again.  Dr. Bentley, having been called for the third time, had administered an opiate, and Mrs. Dodge was sleeping.  The other members of the family tip-toed restlessly about.

Bert Dodge felt in a peculiarly “mean” frame of mind that morning.  The young man simply could not remain in one spot.  The more he had thought, through and through the night, the more he had become convinced that his father had killed himself because of some entanglement in the bank’s affairs.

“And I’ll be pointed out as the defaulter’s son,” thought Bert bitterly.  “Oh, why couldn’t the guv’nor think of some one besides himself!  We’ll have to move away from Gridley, of course.  But the disgrace will follow us anywhere we may go.  Oh, it’s awful—–­awful!  Of course, I’m not in any way to blame.  But, oh!  What a disgrace!”