When Bob came back down the hall both Ned and Alan were busy at their desks, in which all sorts of mail had accumulated.
“Hey,” called Ned as Bob passed the door on his way upstairs. “Here’s an idea. There isn’t one of us really fit to go up there and have luncheon with the _Herald_ man. Let’s ask him down here. This is the place to talk it over; we’ll cut out the eatin’.”
“It may happen to be just our host’s time for eatin’,” laughed Bob.
“I’ll chance it,” answered Ned, “on the theory that newspaper men can always go without food. If I can catch him, I’ll try to call it off and have him come down here.”
A little later all three boys met in a sunny front room on the second floor, the comfortable office of Major Baldwin Honeywell, treasurer of the Universal Company. The white haired, military looking, elder man tried to absorb and digest three lines of talk; the result of the previous evening’s experiment, the prospects of the new airship; matters in abeyance in relation to the Universal Transportation Company; the experience in the _Herald_ office, the unique proposal, its acceptance and the coming contract.
“We were goin’ to carry you up to the Knickerbocker,” explained Ned. “Now our man is comin’ here at one o’clock. It’s up to you, Major, to see that every thing is all right.”
Again Bob was off and up on the third floor. One following him would have known at once that in the back room that overlooked a grass plot in the rear, telegraph instruments were busy. A chief operator and two assistants were recording reports. One of the assistants sat at a wireless desk.
“Get the works at Newark,” exclaimed Bob with a good-natured salutation for all. “I want to hold some conversation with Tom.” A moment later he was busy with the key of the wireless.
Neither J. W. Osborne, president of the Universal Transportation Company, nor Major Baldwin Honeywell, its treasurer, had any financial interest in the new airship. This had been planned and manufactured under the supervision of and paid for by young Napier, Hope and Russell. The cost, approximately $25,000, did not include any pay for the services or ideas of the projectors.
After a trial of the novel airship it was understood that the machine was to be sold to the Aerial Utilities Company in which the Airship Boys and the underwriter of the Universal Transportation Company were the sole stockholders. In the few minutes that Ned and Alan were together in their office on the first floor they decided that the sale of the new _Ocean Flyer_ to the Aerial Utilities Company should not be consummated until the transatlantic flight had been made.