“All the same,” counseled Curt, hoping to lighten the burden of unhappiness for his chums, “I’d go slow. You know—they may be just friends, close ones. There may not be anything wrong about Griff. We are likely to be suspicious, because that’s what we are there for.”
“But look!” objected Al. “The cable snaps. Now that’s almost a spick-span new crate. That cable ought not to fray apart—it could never wear so soon. It was—filed or scraped.”
“But that doesn’t involve Griff,” urged Curt, hoping, if he lightened their suspicion of Griff the cousin who was his friend would be less suspected. “He works in the engine department. Anyhow, he knew his friend, your cousin, would fly the ’plane. He’d never——”
“Sh-h-h!” warned Bob.
Langley, looking very glum, came up to them.
“I talked to Griff,” he said. “Told him what had happened. He was flabbergasted.”
“You ought to have reported to Barney—or to Mr. Parsons,” Bob declared.
“Why did Griff have to know anyhow?” Al was impulsive and did not care if he started a fresh quarrel or not. The conclusion he jumped to was that an angry Langley would disclose “secrets.”
“I wanted to warn him against—you!”
Langley walked away. But they did not let him get far ahead of them as they approached the airplane.