his desk and drew out a book, which he consulted
for a moment.

"Now, Carnes," he said, "I want some dates from you and I want them
accurately. Don't guess, for a great deal may depend on the accuracy of
your answers. When was this mental disability on the part of the
President first noticed?"

Carnes drew a pocket diary from his coat and consulted it.

"The seventeenth of July," he replied. "That is, we are sure, in view
of later developments, that that was the date it first came on. We
didn't realize that anything was wrong until the twentieth. On the night
of the nineteenth the President slept very poorly, getting up and
creating a disturbance twice, and on the twentieth he acted so queerly
that it was necessary to cancel three conferences."

* * * * *

Dr. Bird checked off the dates on the book before him and nodded.

"Go on," he said, "and describe the progress of the malady by days."

"It got progressively worse until the night of the twenty-third. The
twenty-fourth he was no worse, and on the twenty-fifth a slight
improvement was noticed. He got steadily better until, by the third or
fourth of August, he was apparently normal. About the twelfth he began
to show signs of restlessness which have increased daily during the past
week. Last night, the nineteenth, he slept only a few minutes and Brady,
who was on guard, says that his howls were terrible. His memory has been
almost a total blank today and all of his appointments were cancelled,
ostensibly because of his eye trouble. If he gets any worse, it probably
will be necessary to inform the country as to his true condition."

When Carnes had finished, Dr. Bird sat for a time in concentrated
thought.

"You did exactly right in coming to me, Carnes," he said presently. "I
don't think that this is a job for a doctor at all--I believe that it
needs a physicist and a chemist and possibly a detective to cure him.
We'll get busy."

"What do you mean, Doctor?" demanded Carnes. "Do you think that some
exterior force is causing the President's disability?"

* * * * *

"I think nothing, Carnes," replied the Doctor grimly, "but I intend to
know something before I am through. Don't ask for explanations: this is
not the time for talk, it is the time for action. Can you get me into
the White House to-night?"

"I doubt it, Doctor, but I'll try. What excuse shall I give? I am not
supposed to have told y