AT THE HOSPITAL
Next morning, refreshed by their sleep, Frank, Joe and Chet were
downstairs early, but not earlier than Fenton Hardy, who was already
busy in his office clearing up some work before breakfast. He welcomed
them cheerily.
"Back so soon!" he exclaimed. "I thought this trip would keep you away
at least a week. What's the matter? Did you get frightened by the sea
serpent?"
"We didn't get frightened, Dad. We had to come back with a man who got
hurt."
"Oh." Fenton Hardy's expression changed to one of concern. "Who is he?"
"We think he's Todham Todd."
"Todham Todd!" exclaimed the detective. "Are you sure?"
"We're not sure. But we have an idea that's who he is. And he may be a
murderer too."
Mr. Hardy motioned the three boys to chairs. "Sit down and tell me all
about it. A murderer! That sounds bad."
With Frank as spokesman, and Chet and Joe prompting him once in a
while, they told Mr. Hardy about their meeting with Captain Royal,
about the eccentric behavior of the old man and of his actions
on finding the brothers looking over the clippings in the cave,
culminating in his fall from the cliff.
"And he's at the private hospital now," concluded Frank.
"Well," said Mr. Hardy, "we'll have breakfast now and then we can soon
settle the matter once and for all. Evangeline Todd is staying at the
summer hotel and we can ask her to come over to the hospital and have a
look at this Captain Royal."
"Do you think he can be this Lieutenant Patwick, Dad?" asked Joe.
"Possibly. If so, the crime may have turned his mind. Such things have
happened."
"Well, if he's Patwick then we'll have cleared up something anyway,"
remarked Frank.
Breakfast was announced a few minutes later, and after the Hardy boys
had been warmly greeted by their mother they sat down to fruit, bacon
and eggs, toast and coffee and jam, to which they did full justice.
They were anxious, however, to call on Miss Todd.
Mr. Hardy called up the private hospital and inquired about Captain
Royal. He came back, his face serious.
"The old chap is still unconscious. The doctor seems to think he has
only a slim chance."
"It will be tough if he turns out to be Todham Todd after all," said
Joe. "Too bad if we've found him, only to have him die."
"Everything may turn out all right," said Mr. Hardy. "Of course he may
not be Todham Todd. You have only your suspicions to go on, although I
must say it's very strange that the old man should have had all those
lecture clippings in the cave. I've been thinking that Todham Todd may
have lost his memory and forgotten his identity. He may have had a dim
recollection of once having been a lecturer of some kind so he took to
collecting all the newspaper stories he could, in an effort to awaken
his memory again."
"I'll bet you're right!" exclaimed Chet. "That sounds mighty reasonable
to me."
"It's just a theory. Still, it may be true. We'll call on Miss Todd."
They left the house and went on down to the hotel at which Miss
Evangeline Todd was staying. She had just concluded her breakfast when
they arrived.
"Have you any news?" she asked quickly, when she recognized her
visitors.
"We have news, of a sort," admitted Fenton Hardy.
"Tell me. What is it? Has Todham been found? Is he well?" Miss Todd
sank back in a chair and fanned herself with a magazine. "Don't keep me
in suspense."
"We have found a man who may or may not be your brother."
"Where is he?" demanded Miss Todd, getting up quickly. "Take me to him
at once?"
Mr. Hardy laid a restraining hand upon her arm.
"Don't count on this too much, Miss Todd," he advised. "This man may
not be your brother at all. As a matter of fact, we have nothing
definite to go on, but we'd like to have you come with us and identify
him if you can."
"Identify him? Is he dead?"
"No. But he's in a local hospital."
"Todham in a hospital? Where? I must go to him at once."
"Now, as I've already said, we're not at all certain that this man is
your brother. If you will come with us we will show you this man and
you will be able to see for yourself if he is your brother or not."
"Just a minute, until I put on my hat. I'll go with you right away. My
goodness, if it's really Todham--"
Talking to herself in her excitement, Miss Todd bustled away upstairs
and returned in a few minutes, her hat awry.
"Hurry!" she said. "Where is the hospital? We'll take a taxi and get
there more quickly."
Fenton Hardy smiled sympathetically. Miss Todd was tremendously
agitated at the prospect of again seeing her long-lost brother. The
hospital was less than three blocks away, so they did not hail a taxi
after all, but walked the short distance, and in a little while they
found themselves in the doctor's waiting room.
A uniformed nurse entered.
"You want to see the patient called Captain Royal?"
"If you please."
"The doctor is with him now, but he says you may go up. I will show you
to his room."
"Captain Royal!" exclaimed Evangeline Todd. "That isn't his name! I
thought you said he might be my brother."
"That is the name he has been using," explained Frank. "How is he this
morning, nurse?"
"There isn't much change in his condition. The doctor says it is a
strange case. But, I'm afraid--"
"Isn't he going to live?" asked Miss Todd sharply.
Fenton Hardy soothed her anxiety.
"Now, Miss Todd, try to calm yourself. We must be very quiet, you know.
This man is very, very sick."
The lady heeded his advice. During the rest of their journey down the
long corridor she talked only in whispers. At length they reached the
door of a private room. The nurse knocked. The boys heard the doctor's
voice, saying, "Come!"
The nurse held open the door and they entered a spacious private room,
spotlessly clean and well-lighted. Lying on the bed was Captain Royal,
with a white bandage around his head.
Evangeline Todd looked at the man wildly, then rushed to the bedside.
"My brother!" she cried. "It's my brother, Todham!"
She leaned over the unconscious figure.
"Speak to me, Todham! Speak to me! Don't you recognize me? It's you're
sister. I've hunted everywhere for you, and now I've found you at last."
Then, overcome with emotion, she sank beside the bed and burst into
tears.
"It's the missing professor, after all!" exclaimed Chet, in awe.
The Hardy boys, while they had expected that Evangeline Todd would
identify Captain Royal as her brother, were electrified with delight.
"We were right!" said Frank, "He was Todham Todd all along."
Mr. Hardy and the doctor tried to calm the weeping woman, who was
almost hysterical with relief, now that her long search was ended.
"It's Todham!" she said, over and over again. "It's my brother. I would
know him anywhere."
But the man in the bed knew nothing of what was going on. His eyes were
closed. His face was white and calm. Had it not been for an occasional
slight twitching of the nostrils one might have thought that he was
dead.
The doctor, who knew nothing of the reason for Miss Todd's outburst,
was astonished, but in a few words Fenton Hardy explained the situation
to him. He shook his head sadly.
"And this is where she has found her brother, at last?"
"Yes. He has been missing for months."
"I'm afraid," said the doctor, "that she has found him only to lose
him."
"Is it that serious?"
"It's concussion of the brain, and there seem to have been
complications. He has only a slim chance to live."