“That will hold him,” came the muffled voice of Mr. De Lorme. “Give him water too. I shall have to work all night now, if this dynamite and the infernal machines are finished in time. Better take a nap, Zip. You are worthless when you are sleepy.”
“Will you rest?” asked Zip.
“No, not I,” said the arch plotter. “I need no rest when I do this work, only I must not be annoyed. Do not mention the boy to me!”
Heavy footsteps passed down the hall and a door closed. Stepping backwards up the stairs, Dee gained the top and lighted the electric light.
He wondered what next. The next came quickly. Zip appeared, locking the door behind him. He had a pitcher of water in his hand. Setting it down he looked at Dee with a queer grin. Dee did not speak.
“What made you do that?” Zip asked finally.
“Do what?” said Dee, willing to talk in the hope of gaining some information from the plotter.
“Monkey with the wireless,” explained Zip. “You must know about the whole thing.”
Dee laughed. “I reckon I do,” he said. He resorted to a trick.
“I wonder if you thought I was all in the dark all the time,” he asked. “Don’t you suppose I knew what you were working on back there in that laboratory? What do you think I am? As blind as he pretended to be? I guess not! What do you think about the men who come here in the middle of the night? You make me tired!”