"I'll take you up, then," agreed Mr. Farnum, pleasantly.

Just at that moment the inner door opened. Mr. Melville came out,
followed by his lawyer, Don bringing up the rear of the file.

"I guess you'd better come along with me, gentlemen," called Mr. Farnum.
"Captain Benson has just invited me to witness something new in the
submarine line."

"What is it?" questioned Mr. Melville.

"I don't know," admitted Jacob Farnum.

"What is it, boy?" demanded Mr. Melville, turning upon Jack. The very
tone in which the word "boy" was uttered was meant to reduce the
youthful captain to confusion, but it had the opposite effect. Though
it brought a quick flush to Jack's cheeks, he answered, courteously:

"It is intended, principally, as a surprise to Mr. Farnum. If I were
to tell, now, it would rob him of much of the pleasure of being
astonished."

To this George Melville did not deign to reply, though he compressed his
lips grimly enough. Don flashed a sneering look at Jack, then observed:

"You're pretty independent for a boy."

"Let Captain Jack alone," drawled Farnum, expelling some cigar smoke
between his lips. "He generally knows what he's doing."

Though there was nothing in the builder's tone at which offense could be
taken, this reply quieted both Melvilles for the time being.

"Come on. We'll all go down to the shore and see what it is," added the
yard's owner.

Captain Jack hurried ahead, entered the shore boat and was rowed out
alongside the "Pollard."

"It's all right, fellows," he called, as soon as he boarded. "Everything
ready?"

Receiving assurance that all was ready, Captain Jack turned to wave his
hand to the little group watching from the shore. Two or three minutes
later the "Pollard" slipped slowly away from her moorings, going out
where the little harbor was deeper. Then, the manhole being closed, the
submarine began to sink. Her conning tower was soon out of sight beneath
the surface.

"There's about seventy feet of water, where the boat is going down,"
observed Farnum, to his guests.

"What's the aim of all this mysterious work?" demanded Mr. Melville, with
some irritation.

"You know as much as I do," drawled Farnum, smilingly.

"It seems to me that you allow this young boat tender a good deal of
latitude, and tolerate a good deal of mystery in him," cried the
capitalist, impatiently.

"I have a good deal of confidence in my young _captain_," returned Farnum,
good-humo