THE LAST OF CAPTAIN ROYAL
Todham Todd hovered between life and death for almost two weeks. For
days he lay unconscious, knowing nothing of the efforts that were being
made to save him. He had the best of care, and the doctor gave him
every attention, but admitted that the case was one in which he could
do little.
"We simply have to wait," he told the Hardy boys and Miss Todd. "He may
be restored to consciousness at any moment. On the other hand, he may
die just as quickly. He has a good constitution, so we may at least
hope for the best."
They were anxious days. Every morning, the Hardy boys called at the
hospital to inquire about the strange patient, and every morning the
answer was the same.
"Mr. Todd's condition is unchanged."
One morning Fenton Hardy came to his sons with a newspaper in his hand.
He was smiling broadly.
"I think the mystery is explained," he said. "Read this."
In the newspaper was an account of the capture of Lieutenant Patwick.
The man had been shot down on the seacoast by detectives. Thinking he
was going to die, he had admitted the murder of Barton Bixby. He also
spoke of hiding in a cave with a strange old man, a lunatic.
"Todham Todd," murmured Frank.
"That makes everything as clear as day," added Joe.
"He must have left his clippings with Captain Royal," said Mr. Hardy.
"Murderers usually like to read all that is printed about their crimes."
The boys told Evangeline Todd the entire story of their meeting with
Captain Royal, although in deference to the good lady's feelings they
refrained from mentioning the fight in the cave or the incident of the
shotgun. How Todham Todd had found his way down to the coast and what
had prompted him to call himself Captain Royal and take up his hermit
existence in the cave, were mysteries.
"If he recovers, he may remember nothing about that phase," the doctor
had said. "You may use your own judgment whether to tell him of it or
not."
"We shan't tell him," declared Evangeline Todd decisively. "Let him
take up the threads of his old life anew."
Then her face clouded.
"That is--if he recovers," she added, with a catch in her voice.
There came a morning when the nurse in charge saw the eyelids of the
sick man flutter, and then he spoke.
"Where am I?" he asked, in a puzzled tone.
"You are quite safe," the nurse told him. "You have met with an
accident. You are in the hospital."
"Ah, yes," he said. "I remember now. There was a railroad accident.
Something must have struck me on the head. I can remember a sudden
blow, and that is all."
"You have been unconscious for a long time, Captain. You must be quiet."
"Captain?" he said. "I'm not a captain. My name is Todd. My name is
Todham Todd. I'm a professor at the university."
The doctor was called. He questioned the patient carefully and it
was soon evident that Todham Todd had recovered his memory with the
exception of the time following the first accident that had resulted
in amnesia. From that time, everything was a blank. He knew nothing of
his wanderings, knew nothing of what had happened in the caves, knew
nothing of the accident that had restored his memory again.
"He will live," the doctor told Evangeline Todd a short time later.
"His memory is completely restored. Unless complications set in, he
should be able to leave the hospital within a few days."
The doctor's prediction was correct.
Todham Todd, completely restored in memory, was able to leave the
hospital before the week was out. The reunion between the man and his
sister was an affectionate one. The professor had not the slightest
inkling of all the strange events that had transpired from the time of
the first accident until he woke up in the hospital at Bayport. He was
deeply puzzled when he learned where he was, but the doctor covered up
his bewilderment by explaining that his case had been so unusual that
he had been brought there for special treatment when the doctors of his
home city had failed to bring him back to consciousness.
He was introduced to the Hardy boys by Miss Todd, who was pathetically
grateful to the lads for restoring her brother to her, safe and sound
again. But there was no sign of recognition. Seeing the boys struck no
responsive chord in Professor Todd's memory. He knew nothing of the
days when he had played at being Captain Royal. To all intents and
purposes, he was seeing the Hardy boys for the first time.
They were content to let it remain at that and were careful to say
nothing that might indicate they had known him previously. And when
Todham Todd finally left the hospital and went to the hotel where his
sister was staying, to rest there a few days before going back home,
the Hardy boys were his firm friends.
"We must never let him know," said Evangeline Todd to the boys that
evening.
"You may rely on us, Miss Todd," they assured her.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am," she said. "If you boys had not
been shrewd enough to think that Captain Royal might be Todham Todd
after all, things might not have turned out as they have. You might
not have concerned yourselves with him any more, and he might still be
living that wretched life in the caves. I want to reward your father
and yourselves for finding him."
But Fenton Hardy had already expressed himself on the subject of the
reward.
"I want nothing," he said. "You have already paid any expenses I
incurred in trying to trace Mr. Todd. As for finding him, the credit
belongs to the boys."
But the Hardy boys were insistent in their refusal.
"We're only too glad that we helped find him," they told Miss Todd. "We
couldn't accept a reward for what we did. In a way, it was chance that
threw him in our path."
Although Miss Todd pleaded with them to alter their decision, they were
firm.
"Our greatest reward is in seeing your brother with you again, with his
memory restored," declared Frank. "We want nothing more than that."
But Miss Todd expressed her appreciation in tangible form before she
left Bayport. She invited the Hardy boys and some of their chums,
Chet Morton, Biff Hooper, Phil Cohen, Tony Prito, Jack Dodd and Jerry
Gilroy, to a banquet at the hotel, and there the lads sat down to
a "spread" the like of which they had not seen before. There was
everything dear to the heart of a boy, from fried chicken, fluffy
mashed potatoes and sweet pickles, to ice-cream and five different
kinds of pie.
Professor Todham Todd, white-haired, kindly-faced, looking quite
different from the wild-eyed Captain Royal of Honeycomb Caves, presided
at the banquet and made a little speech in which he thanked them all
for their interest in his welfare and their kindness to him. Although
he had no idea of the real part the Hardy boys and their chums had
played in his recovery, he had taken a genuine liking to them and it is
probable that he enjoyed the banquet as much as any one.
When the lads had eaten of chicken and ice-cream until they could eat
no more, Miss Todd stood up and said she had an announcement to make.
"You all know something of the circumstances under which we have
gathered here to-night. You all know the debt of gratitude I owe to the
Hardy boys, in particular, and to Chet Morton and Biff Hooper. So if
they will stand up, I have something for them."
Blushing, the four lads got to their feet.
"All I can say," continued Miss Todd, "is that my brother and I thank
you very, very much."
Todham Todd looked a bit bewildered, but he smiled quite as though
he knew what it was all about. It was probable that the good man was
mildly puzzled until the end of his life as to the reason for the
presentations.
For Miss Todd thereupon handed Frank and Joe an order for a handsome
motion picture camera, something they had long wished to own. To Chet
and Biff she gave each a gold watch and chain.
"Speech! Speech!" shouted the other boys, as the recipients of the
gifts stammered their thanks.
After considerable pressure, Frank was at last prevailed upon to say a
few words.
"I'm not a very good orator," he said.
"You're a better detective," shouted one of the lads at the table.
"I'm not a very good orator," he repeated, "but I certainly want to
thank Miss Todd very much indeed, although we don't deserve such a
beautiful present. I'm sure we're going to have a lot of fun with it.
But we're mighty glad Professor Todd is better and--I guess that's all."
There were loud cheers for this effort, and Frank sat down blushing.
"Speech from Chet Morton!"
"Say, listen--" protested the bashful Chet.
But he was shoved to his feet.
"Speech! Chet Morton's going to make a speech!"
"Gosh, I can't say anything except that I thank Miss Todd very much and
I'm glad Professor Todd is well again and--and I wonder if there's to
be a second helping of ice-cream."
There was.
THE END