divers at work. A fearful length of time to wait!"

"You'd better go back to the shore, sir," urged the superintendent.

"Not while this boat needs to be run," objected Reade. "For the rest of
the night I want a man here whom I can trust."

"Will you trust me with the boat?" proposed the superintendent.

"Why, of course!"

"Then let me run back to the dock and put you ashore, Mr. Reade. After
that I'll come out here and patrol along the wall until broad daylight."

That was accordingly done. The "Morton" lay alongside the dock, and
Nicolas instantly busied himself with casting off the rowboat and making
her fast to the pier instead.

Evarts sullenly remained in the boat.

"Come on, Evarts," spoke Tom quietly.

"Mr. Reade," expostulated the late foreman, "I'm not going to be thrown
out of my job like this."

"Which especial way of being thrown out do you prefer then?" Tom queried,
dryly.

"I'm not going to be put out of my job until I've had at least one good
talk with you," insisted the foreman.

"I'm afraid the time has passed for talking with you," Reade responded,
turning toward the shore. "You lost a great chance, to-night, to serve
the company with distinction, and your negligence cost the company a lot
of money through the second explosion. Are you coming out of that
boat---or shall I come back after you?"

Evarts rose, with a surly air. He stepped slowly ashore, after which one
of the crew cast off. The engine began to move, and the "Morton" started
back to her post.

"Oh, you feel fine and important, just at this minute!" grumbled the
discharged foreman, under his breath, glaring wickedly at the broad back
of the young chief engineer. "But I'll do something to take the
importance out of you before very long, Tom Reade!"

Truth to tell, Tom, though he was still alert to the interests of his
employers, felt anything but important. The thought of Harry Hazelton's
unknown fate caused a great, choking lump in his throat as Reade stepped
from the pier to land.

CHAPTER VI

MR. BASCOMB IS PEEVISH

At the first blush of dawn Tom despatched the tireless Nicolas to Blixton
to notify the police of the explosions and of the disappearance of Harry
Hazelton.

Two men in blue, wearing stars on their coats, came over within an hour,
walked about and looked wise until noon. They discovered nothing whatever,
and their theories did not strike Reade as being worthy of attention.

As soo