There was a merry party around the table at dinner, though now and then Ned noticed that Tom had an abstracted and preoccupied air.
“Thinking about the idol of gold?” asked Ned in a whisper to his chum, when they were about to leave the table.
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“The idol of gold? Oh, yes! Of course! It will be great if we can bring that back with us.” But the manner in which he said this made Ned feel sure that Tom had had other thoughts, and that he had used a little subterfuge in his answer.
Ned was right, as he proved for himself a little later, when, Mr. Damon and the professor having gone home, the young financial secretary took his friend to a quiet corner and asked:
“What’s the matter, Tom?”
“Matter? What do you mean?”
“I mean what made you make up your mind so quickly to go on this expedition when you heard Beecher was going?”
“Oh — er — well, you wouldn’t want to see our old friend Professor Bumper left, would you, after he had worked out the secret of the idol of gold? You wouldn’t want some young whipper-snapper to beat him in the race, would you, Ned?”
“No, of course not.”
“Neither would I. That’s why I changed my mind. This Beecher isn’t going to get that idol if I can stop him!”
“You seem rather bitter against him.”
“Bitter? Oh, not at all. I simply don’t want to see my friends disappointed.”
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“Then Beecher isn’t a friend of yours?”
“Oh, I’ve met him, that is all,” and Tom tried to speak indifferently.
“Humph!” mused Ned, “there’s more here than I dreamed of. I’m going to get at the bottom of it.”