第20章

BARTON KEITH'S STORY

"What's this Mary tells me, Tom?" asked Mr.Nestor, as he followed his daughter back into the room.

"You mean about Dixwell Hardley?"

"Yes.Do you suppose he can be the same man who has so meanly treated my brother-in-law?""I wouldn't want to say, Mr.Nestor, until you describe to me the Mr.Hardley you know.Then I can better tell.But from what little I have seen of the man to whom I was introduced by my friend Mr.Damon, I'd say, off hand, that he was capable of such action.""Does Mr.Damon know this Mr.Hardley well?" asked Mrs.Nestor, who accompanied her husband.

"I wouldn't say that he did," Tom replied."I don't know just how Mr.Damon met this chap--I think it was in a financial way, though.""Well, if it's the same Mr.Hardley, I'll say he has some queer financial ways," said Mr.Nestor."Now let's see if we can make the two jibe.Describe him, Tom."This the young inventor did, and when this description had been compared with one given of the Mr.Hardley with whom Mr.Keith once was associated, Mrs.Nestor said:

"It surely is the same man! The Mr.Hardley who wants you to get wealth from the bottom of the ocean, Tom, is the same fellow who is keeping my brother out of the oil well property! I'm sure of it!""It does seem so," Tom agreed."Dixwell Hardley is not a usual name; but we must be careful In spite of its unusualness there may be two very different men who have that name.I think the only way to find out for certain is to see Mr.Keith.He'd know a picture of the Dixwell Hardley who, he claims, cheated him, wouldn't he?""Indeed he would!" exclaimed Mrs.Nestor."But where could we get a picture of your Mr.Hardley? I call him that, though I don't suppose you own him, Tom," and she smiled at her future son-in-law.

"No, I don't own him, and I don't want to," was Tom's answer."But I happen to have a picture of him.I made him furnish me with proofs that he was on the Pandora at the time she foundered in a gale, and among the documents he gave was his passport.It has his picture on.I have it here."Tom drew the paper from his pocket.In one corner was pasted a photograph of the man who had been introduced to Tom by Mr.Damon.

"It looks like the same man my brother described," said Mrs.Nestor, "but of course I couldn't be sure.""There is only one way to be," Tom stated, "and that is to show this picture to Mr.Keith.Where is he?""Ill at his home in Bedford," answered Mrs.Nestor."Then we'll go there and see him!" declared Tom.

"But it's a hundred miles from here!" exclaimed Mary."And you are leaving on your submarine trip the first thing in the morning, Tom!""No, I'm not leaving until I settle this matter," declared the young inventor."I'm not going on an undersea voyage with a man who may be a cheater.I want this matter settled.I'll postpone this trip until I find out.A day's delay won't matter.""But it will take longer than that," said Mr.Nestor."Bedford is a small place, and there's only one train a day there.You'll lose at least three days Tom, if you go there.""Not necessarily," was the quick answer."I can go by airship, and make the trip in a little over an hour.I can be back the same day, perhaps not in time to start our submarine trip, as Mr.Keith may be too ill to see me.But I won't lose much time in my Air Scout.

"Mary, will you go with me to see your uncle? We'll start the first thing in the morning and I'll show him this picture.Will you go?""I will!" exclaimed the girl.

"Good!" cried Tom."Then I'll make preparations.I don't want to form any rash judgment, so we'll make certain; but it wouldn't surprise me a bit to have it turn out that the Dixwell Hardley who wants me to help him recover the Pandora treasure is the same one who is trying to cheat Mr.Keith."Early the next morning, when Tom arose in his own home, he met Mr.

Damon and Mr.Hardley, both of whom were guests at the Swift house, pending the beginning of the undersea trip.

"Well, Tom," began the eccentric man, "we have good weather for the start.Bless my rubber boots! Not that it much matters, though, what sort of weather we have when we're in the submarine.But I always like to start in the sunshine.""So do I," agreed Mr.Hardley."I suppose we'll get off early this morning," he added.

"We'll go to the dock in the auto, as usual, shall we not?" he asked."We aren't going to start this morning," said Tom, as he sat down tobreakfast.

"Not going to start this morning!" exclaimed Mr.Hardley."Why -- why--""Bless my alarm clock!" voiced Mr.Damon, "has anything happened, Tom? No accident to the M.N.1 is there? You aren't backing out now, at the last minute, are you?" "Oh, no," was the easy answer."We'll go, as arranged, but not today.I had some unexpected news last night which necessitates making a trip this morning.I expect to be back tonight, if all goes well, and we'll start tomorrow morning instead of this.It's a matter of important business.""Well, I don't know that we can find fault with Mr.Swift for attending to business," said Mr.Hardley, with a short laugh."Business is what keeps the world moving.And we are a little ahead of our schedule, as a matter of fact.May I ask where you are going, Mr.Swift?""To Bedford, to call on a Mr.Barton Keith," answered Tom quickly, looking the adventurer straight in the eyes.

Mr.Hardley was a good actor, or else he was a perfectly innocent man, for he showed not the least sign of perturbation.