"Oh, I thought you did," said Gale, and he showed surprise. "I understood that the man who—"
"Do you mean there was some one here in the shed last night?" cried the young inventor suddenly, all his suspicions aroused.
"Some one here last night?" repeated Mr. Gale. "No, I don't refer to last night. But perhaps I am making a mistake. I—er—I—"
"Some one is making a mistake!" said Tom significantly.
CHAPTER XIX
ANOTHER FLIGHT
For perhaps a quarter of a minute Tom Swift and the president of the Universal Flying Machine Company of New York sat staring at one another. Mr. Gale's face wore a puzzled expression, and so did Tom's. And, after the last remark of the young inventor, the man who had called to see him said:
"Well, perhaps we are talking at cross purposes. I don't blame you for not feeling very friendly toward us, and if I had had my way that last correspondence with you would never have left our office."
"It wasn't very business-like," said Tom dryly, referring to the veiled threats when he had refused to sell his services to the rival company.