Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works. As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.
“What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there. Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance. He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.
“Why—er—you see, Hardy, this thing has gone pretty far, you know.”
“What thing?” demanded Mr. Hardy.
“This airship work.”
“And you expect me to turn in the Dart here to your works?”
“That’s it, Hardy.”
“Well, Mr. Saxton, it can’t be done.”
“Why not?”
“Because it belongs to my son here, Ben.”