"After all, it may be just his misfortune that he can't look you in the eyes," Jack told himself.
But if he had been in the wireless room that night he would have deemed his suspicions only too well founded. Thurman busied himself with routine matters till he was sure Jack was asleep. Then he began calling Washington with monotonous regularity.
An irritable operator answered him. By the wave length the Washington man knew that it was not a naval station or vessel calling.
"Yes—yes—what—is—it?" he snapped.
"I know the fellow who has that Universal Detector."
"What!" The other man, hundreds of miles away, almost fell out of his chair. Recovering himself, he shot out another message:
"Who is this?"
"Never mind that, just for the present."
"Say, you're not that fresh fellow himself talking just to kid us, are you?"
"No, I'm far from joking. I expect to make some money out of this."