asked Ned Newton, attracted by the strange
manner of his chum at the telephone. "Has
anything happened?"

But the young inventor was too busy listening
to the unseen speaker to answer his chum,
even if he heard what Ned remarked, which is
doubtful.

"Well, I might as well wait until he is
through," mused Ned, as he started to leave the
room. Then as Tom motioned to him to remain,
he murmured: "He may have something
to say to me later. But I wonder who is talking
to him."

There was no way of finding out, however,
until Tom had a chance to talk to Ned, and at
present the young scientist was eagerly listening
to what came over the wire. Occasionally Ned
could hear him say:

"You don't tell me! That is surprising! Yes
--yes! Of course if it's true it means a big
thing, I can understand that. What's that? No,
I couldn't make a promise like that. I'm sorry,
but----"

Then the person at the other end of the wire
must have plunged into something very interesting