Tom Swift and His Diving Seacopter by Victor Appleton II Read Free Book Online Page A

this.
    "Remarkable chap, your brother," commented Ferd Acton as he whipped out a foreign cigarette and inserted it in a long, carved ivory holder.
    "Do you really think so?" asked Sandy coolly, eyeing the cigarette.
    "Yes, indeed. Really, I’m such a great admirer of Tom Swift—he’s produced so many amazing, er—"
    "Inventions?"
    "Precisely. I dare say he’s busy on some new project right now, isn’t he?" The inflection in his voice proclaimed that he was prying, ineptly, for secret information.
    "I suppose so," Sandy smiled. "He usually is." Not discouraged by her noncommittal response, Kelt Price asked bluntly, "What’s the wonder boy working on these days?"
    Sandy and Bash glanced at each other. Sandy managed to answer the question without giving a direct reply. But the two Wickliffe engineers soon resumed their probing.
    Ferd Acton’s next question took Sandy by surprise. "Is Tom improving his jetmarine to do some underwater searching?"
    Sandy did not reply to Acton’s question at once. Had he heard rumors about Tom’s new seacopter and his plans to join George Braun and Ham Teller in searching for buried lands beneath the ocean?
    "You’ll have to ask my brother about that," she said sweetly. "I don’t keep up with all the details of his work. But I am curious as to why you asked about that particular invention."
    "Oh, I don’t know." The thin, blond engineer blew out a cloud of purplish smoke that made Sandy wince. "Sometimes I get these hunches."
    "He really does," said Price.
    "It’s a gift," continued Acton.
    "It really is," said Price.
    "No doubt he’s hard at work on some labor-saving idea, hmm?" Though made in an offhanded way, the remark to Sandy probably was a new attempt to wheedle information, she realized. She was sure of it when Ferd Acton stared at her with one eyebrow raised quizzically.
    But Sandy ignored the hint. Instead, she decided to do a little probing on her own—in a subtle, roundabout way. "Have you been working for Munson Wickliffe very long?" she inquired.
    "About four years," Acton replied. "Charming fellow! Before that I was in Europe."
    "In Europe? How interesting!"
    "I received a good deal of my technical education over there, you see. I studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and got my master’s degree at the University of Gottingen in Germany."
    Bashalli said, "I have heard of Gottingen, but please, what is the sore bone?" Sandy stifled a giggle, realizing that her friend was teasingly commenting on Acton’s poor pronunciation.
    Acton frowned. "Are you joking?"
    "Oh, living abroad must be exciting!" Sandy exclaimed quickly.
    "Ah, yes, it is indeed. After all, Europe is the home of cult- yoor." Acton waved his cigarette holder gracefully, like a conductor’s baton. "It’s a place where art and beauty are truly appreciated. I find America so crude by comparison."
    "But you do enjoy your work at the Wickliffe lab, don’t you?" Sandy pursued.
    "Oh, quite—in a different way. It offers a challenge to my scientific talents."
    "I’m sure it must." Sandy’s face assumed an eager, fascinated look. "Of course it’s probably way over my head, but what exactly does your work consist of?"
    "You mean, what do we do?" asked Price.
    "Oh, we carry on research in many different fields," said Ferd Acton vaguely.
    "Sure, we dabble in everything," boasted Price. "Electronics, plastics, computers, atomic physics—what have you."
    "Then I suppose you’ve done some underwater research yourselves," said Sandy innocently. This time, it was Ferd Acton’s turn to smile. "Naturally some of our work may find application in the submarine field. Then again it may be connected with aircraft design—or it may be strictly earthbound."
    From his reply, Sandy had the feeling that Acton was secretly making fun of her attempts to gain information. She felt annoyed but knew it would do no good to lose her temper if she hoped learn anything from him.
    Bashalli seemed to guess what her friend was trying to