"Yes, it would, but it's a long way to his house, and he may not be at home. The captain will be in in two or three minutes, and we'll see if I haven't got influence with him." In less time than Matthews had supposed, the captain came in. To Frank's great astonishment, the reporter easily persuaded the captain to release the two students. It is not very often that a police captain has an opportunity to do a favor to a newspaper man, and when a chance does occur, he's quick to take it, for the reporters of New York newspapers can make or unmake a policeman's reputation. The only thing in the way of letting the students go was the fact that the bartenders in the saloon where the fight occurred had made a charge against Frank. That was quickly fixed by the captain, who went himself to the saloon and suggested that the charge be withdrawn. Of course the suggestion of the captain was enough. The bartenders were glad to withdraw the charge if he advised it. Therefore Frank had not been a prisoner half an hour before he and Mellor, accompanied by Matthews, were rolling across the city in a closed cab on their way to the Murray Hill. When they arrived there they used a good deal of caution about going in, for Mellor was quite as stupid as he had been at first, and both Matthews and Merriwell were anxious to prevent anybody from becoming aware of his condition. They got him into the Turkish bath there without observation, and gave an attendant a liberal fee to look after him for the night. CHAPTER XII. ON THEIR GUARD. The other Yale men were out for their evening run when Frank was at last ready to join them. He did not try to follow them, for he had been so disturbed by the excitement of his adventure with the police, that he thought it best to rest; so when the students returned they found Frank in bed, and no one disturbed him. Next morning early he got Rowland and Hill together and explained the whole affair to them. They were indignant, mad and disgusted all together. "We'll send Mellor back to New Haven on the first train!" exclaimed Hill. "It would serve him right," added Rowland, "if the faculty should hear of this and expel him." "The faculty mustn't hear of it," said Frank, decisively. "The thing I've worked for most in all of this is to prevent any sort of disgrace, and if Mellor can be put into condition for making a wrestle, it'll be better for all of us that he should go into the contest." "He'll never be able to last a single round," groaned Hill. "If he should go down at the first catch," said Rowland, "everybody would suspect that he was out of condition, and then what would come of it?" "Well, perhaps he isn't so badly off as you think," suggested Frank. "He may be able to put up a good front. Let's go down and see how he is." The suggestion was adopted at once, and the three went down to the Turkish baths. The assistants who had been feed to look after Mellor said that the student was asleep on a couch.