“They’re too easily worried,” mused Ned, half-smiling. “Tom is all right, I’m sure.”
But this certainty gradually disappeared when several seconds went by and there was no answer to the bell that must be ringing in Tom’s office at the works.
“Isn’t he there?” Ned could not help asking.
“He doesn’t seem to be,” Mr. Swift replied.
“Maybe he’s on his way home,” Ned was saying when Mr. Swift suddenly exclaimed:
“Some one is at the ’phone now! Oh, hello, Koku!” he called into the transmitter. “Yes, I am here. But where’s Tom? Is he there? What? He isn’t? Has he been there? No!”
The silence on Mr. Swift’s part, following his last word, told Ned and Mrs. Baggert, more than anything else, how worried he was. He appeared to be listening to what the giant at the other end of the wire was saying. Then he spoke again:
“We’ll be right over, Koku. Yes, I’m coming and so is Mr. Newton. Don’t bring Eradicate? Well, he might be of some help. There’s no use in you being jealous. Look around until we get there. Tom may be in some of the other buildings!”
Slowly Mr. Swift replaced the receiver on the hook and then, turning to Ned and the housekeeper, he said:
“Tom isn’t there and hasn’t been since he left early in the afternoon. Koku has just made his rounds and hasn’t seen him, but I told him to go over the place again and have the other watchmen go with him. We’ll go ourselves and help search. I’m sure something has happened to Tom!”