"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Sr 020 - Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

``I see,'' murmured Ned. ``Well, I suppose Tom must have been thinking
of something else at the time.''

``Very likely,'' agreed Mr. Nestor. ``But Tom missed a very profitable
talk. I was very much interested myself in what the professor told us, and
so was Mary. She invited Mr. Beecher to come again. He takes after his
father in being very thorough in what he does.

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``Sometimes I think,'' went on Mr. Nestor, ``that Tom isn't quite
steady enough. He's thinking of so many things, perhaps, that he can't get
his mind down to the commonplace. I remember he once sent something here in
a box labeled `dynamite.' Though there was no explosive in it, it gave us a
great fright. But Tom is a boy, in spite of his years. Professor Beecher
seems much older. We all like him very much.''

``That's nice,'' said Ned, as he took his departure. He had found out
what he had come to learn.

``I knew it!'' Ned exclaimed as he walked home. ``I knew something was
in the wind. The little green god of jealousy has Tom in his clutches.
That's why my inventive friend was so anxious to go on this expedition when
he learned Beecher was to go. He wants to beat him. I guess the professor
has plainly shown that he wouldn't like anything better than to cut Tom out
with Mary. Whew! that's something to think about!''

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Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI
UNPLEASANT NEWS

NED NEWTON decided to keep to himself what he had heard at the Nestor
home. Not for the world would he let Tom Swift know of the situation.

``That is, I won't let him know that I know,'' said Ned to himself,
``though he is probably as well aware of the situation as I am. But it sure
is queer that this Professor Beecher should have taken such a fancy to
Mary, and that her father should regard him so well. That is natural, I
suppose. But I wonder how Mary herself feels about it. That is the part Tom
would be most interested in.

``No wonder Tom wants to get ahead of this young college chap, who
probably thinks he's the whole show. If he can find the buried city, and
get the idol of gold, it would be a big feather in his cap.