“Lots,” was the brief answer. “Have you seen that scoundrel Barsky?”
“Barsky!” cried Ned. “Why, we thought you had taken him away to some quiet place to work on your train-stop invention. But we’ve been a bit worried about you for some time, and when, a little while ago, Mr. Damon said you weren’t at his place and Mrs. Baggert telephoned that you had not come home, we didn’t know what to tell your father. We’ve been keeping from him the fact that you haven’t been seen for a number of hours, and dad and I were just wondering how much longer we could keep him in ignorance.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t have to worry him,” said Tom. “I’m all right now. But we’ve got to catch this Barsky. Where’s Koku?”
“Out looking for you, I imagine. He seemed to think you might be about the grounds somewhere.”
“I was. In the old cistern. I got out through the tunnel.”
Tom quickly told all that had occurred up to the time when Eradicate mistook him for a ghost.
“Whew!” whistled Ned. “This means something, Tom! Those fellows are getting desperate!”
“I should say so!” agreed the young inventor. “I don’t just see what the game is, but it’s a deep one, I’m afraid. I must look at once to my chest of secrets.”
“It was all right when I left the office, Tom,” said Mr. Newton. “I looked at it the last thing.”
“I’m taking no chances,” was the grim reply. “I’ll just let my father know I’ve come back. Let him suppose that I have been over to Waterford. Don’t tell him what happened. It would do no good and only worry him. Then we’ll make some plans for catching this fellow Barsky and those in with him. For he isn’t working alone, I’m sure of that.”