matter cannot go a step further. You will destroy
those miserable affidavits before my eyes!"

"I am sorry, Mr. Dodge," replied the lawyer, "but I am not at
liberty to do that."

"You can't destroy the affidavits?" howled Bert, his voice breaking.
"Why not! Aren't you our lawyer?"

"I am even more an officer of the court than I am anyone's attorney,"
replied Mr. Griffin gravely. "A lawyer has no right to conceal
a crime when he knows one has been committed not even to save his
own clients."

"Wh---what do you propose to do, Griffins?" demanded the elder
Dodge, shaking.

"Why, I hope to save your worthless son from prosecution, Mr.
Dodge," returned the lawyer. "But a crime has been committed,
in that your son procured others to swear to false affidavits
True, the affidavits have not yet been presented in court, and
on that I base my hope that the matter will not have to go further.
But I feel in honor bound to submit the facts to the district
attorney, and to be governed by his instructions."

"You are going to try to send me to jail?" gasped Dodge, clutching
at the ledge of a bookcase to save himself from falling.

"I am going to try to persuade the district attorney to let the
matter drop," replied Griffin. "It will be the district attorney's
decision that will govern the matter."

"Then what are you doing fooling around here, governor?" screamed
Bert hoarsely. "Don't you see that it's your job to hurry to the
district attorney as fast as you can go? Use your money, your
political influence---"

In his extreme terror young Dodge seemed to forget that he was
providing amusement for his enemies.

But Mr. Dodge cut in quickly. Advancing a step or two, he brought
his uplifted stick down sharply, once, across his son's shoulders.

With a snarl Bert wheeled, crouching as though to spring upon
his father.

Prescott and Holmes jumped up, prepared to step in. But the banker
was not cowed by the evil look in his son's face.

"Begone, you young villain!" quivered the old man. "Get out of
my sight. Never let me see you again. Don't dare to go to what
was once your home, or I'll have you thrown out. I disown you!
You are no blood of mine!"

"I guess you forget," sneered Bert cunningly that you are responsible
for me, and that you will have to pay my bills."

"Not a penny of them," retorted the banker sternly. "It is you
who forget that you reached the age of twenty-one just three days
ago. You