"That ain't telling us who was here,
Larry."

"Guess again," answered the other, who liked to tease.

"I just can't think of anybody; unless it might happen to be that
meddling, mysterious Mr. Marsh again," and then, seeing the raised
eyebrows of Larry admit that he had hit the nail on the head, Andy went
on: "What d'ye think of that, Frank; the bump of curiosity is pretty
big with that gentleman. Now, what excuse did he have this time for
invading our camp; and did he try to push into the shop like the last
time he dropped around?"

"I saw him looking all about a lot, and he seemed right interested in a
heap of little things," Larry remarked.

"Yes," put in Elephant, who did not like to hear his chum do all the
talking. "Lots of times he'd turn to the other chap, and nod his head
or wink his eye, just like he wanted to say: 'There! what did I tell
you, Longley; wasn't I right?'"

"Oh! he did, eh?" grumbled Andy, shaking his own head in an angry
fashion; "well, all I can say is, that Mr. Marsh'd better keep his nose
away from places where it ain't wanted. He's just after something
slick, Frank. He means to steal some of your clever ideas, that's
what."

But Frank was not so easily convinced. He believed in hearing all he
could before making up his mind.

"Look here, Larry," he said, earnestly, "he must have given some sort
of an excuse for coming out here again, didn't he?"

"More than a few, Frank," was the other's prompt reply.

"As what?" continued the young aviator.

"Oh! he kept on saying he was so much interested in you fellers that he
just couldn't continue his vacation tour without seeing more of you.
In town they're talking already about the race that's going to take
place between you and the other biplane; make up your mind Percy was
the one to scatter the news, and spread his boasts about how he's going
to make you look like thirty cents. And Mr. Marsh, he just wanted to
know if it was so, and all about the same; because he says he means to
hang around Bloomsbury till that event is pulled off."

"Hear that, Frank, will you?" burst out Andy. "Told you he was a spy
of some kind. Perhaps Mr. Marsh expects to spring a neat little
surprise just before we start in that bully old race. Mebbe he's got a
few cards up his sleeve. Mebbe he wants to stop us from starting, and
claim we're using a device that is patented by the firm that employs
him. Anyhow, he's bound to give us trouble."

Appar