unusualness there may be two
very different men who have that name. I think the only way to find out
for certain is to see Mr. Keith. He'd know a picture of the Dixwell
Hardley who, he claims, cheated him, wouldn't he?"

"Indeed he would!" exclaimed Mrs. Nestor. "But where could we get a
picture of your Mr. Hardley? I call him that, though I don't suppose
you own him, Tom," and she smiled at her future son-in-law.

"No, I don't own him, and I don't want to," was Tom's answer. "But I
happen to have a picture of him. I made him furnish me with proofs that
he was on the Pandora at the time she foundered in a gale, and among
the documents he gave was his passport. It has his picture on. I have
it here."

Tom drew the paper from his pocket. In one corner was pasted a
photograph of the man who had been introduced to Tom by Mr. Damon.

"It looks like the same man my brother described," said Mrs. Nestor,
"but of course I couldn't be sure."

"There is only one way to be," Tom stated, "and that is to show this
picture to Mr. Keith. Where is he?"

"Ill at his home in Bedford," answered Mrs. Nestor.

"Then we'll go there and see him!" declared Tom.

"But it's a hundred miles from here!" exclaimed Mary. "And you are
leaving on your submarine trip the first thing in the morning, Tom!"

"No, I'm not leaving until I settle this matter," declared the young
inventor. "I'm not going on an undersea voyage with a man who may be a
cheater. I want this matter settled. I'll postpone this trip until I
find out. A day's delay won't matter."

"But it will take longer than that," said Mr. Nestor. "Bedford is a
small place, and there's only one train a day there. You'll lose at
least three days Tom, if you go there."

"Not necessarily," was the quick answer. "I can go by airship, and make
the trip in a little over an hour. I can be back the same day, perhaps
not in time to start our submarine trip, as Mr. Keith may be too ill to
see me. But I won't lose much time in my Air Scout.

"Mary, will you go with me to see your uncle? We'll start the first
thing in the morning and I'll show him this picture. Will you go?"

"I will!" exclaimed the girl.

"Good!" cried Tom. "Then I'll make preparations. I don't want to form
any rash judgment, so we'll make certain; but it wouldn't surprise me a
bit to have it turn out that the Dixwell Hardley who wants me to help
him recover the Pandora treasure is the same one who is trying to cheat
Mr. Ke