Much disappointed, Larry left the hospital.  It was hard to be almost on the verge of getting the story and then to see his chance slip away.

“I’m sure he was just going to tell me where Mr. Potter is,” thought the reporter.  “Now it means a long wait, if I ever find out at all from him.”

He told Mr. Emberg what had happened.  The city editor decided to follow out his first plan, of not connecting the accident at the pier with the Potter mystery.

“If he has to be operated on for a fractured skull,” Mr. Emberg remarked to Larry over the wire, “he will be in no condition to tell his name, or give any information for some time.  The story is safe with him.  Now you’d better get busy on some other line of the case.  The Scorcher is out, but they only have a scare yarn, without any foundation, to the effect that Mr. Potter is still in Italy, and that his family knows where he is.”

“That’s all bosh!” exclaimed Larry.

“That’s what I think,” the city editor said.  “Now get on the job, Larry, and arrange to give us a good story for to-morrow.  Keep watch of Retto, and as soon as the doctors will let you see him try again, though of course it may not be for several days.”

Larry was all at sea.  He hung up the telephone receiver with a vague feeling that being a reporter on a special assignment was not all it was cracked up to be.

“Easy enough to say get a good story for to-morrow,” he remarked to himself, “but I’d like to know how I’m going to do it?  The story—­the only story there is—­is safe with Retto, and he can’t tell it.”

“What shall I do?” Larry asked himself.  “Let me think.  I guess I’d better go see Captain Tantrella and ask him to keep mum about Retto until I have another chance at the man.  Then I’ll—­I’ll go and tell Grace.  She’ll want to know all about it.”

He found Captain Tantrella at his hotel, having finished all the details connected with the docking of the Turtle.  The commander readily agreed to keep quiet concerning Retto’s identity, since the captain had no desire for further newspaper notoriety.

“I will do more than this,” he declared.  “I will give you the package belonging to that queer man.  I have to sail again soon, on a long voyage, and he might need it before I come back.  You can give it to him if he recovers.  If he does not—­well, the authorities can open it.  It may contain money or something that will tell about the poor fellow.  I leave it with you.”

Larry was glad to get possession of the package that seemed of such importance to Retto.  He wished he could open it, as he thought he might get a clue to the connection between the millionaire and the mysterious man, but he knew he would have no right to do that.  Also it would give him a sort of claim on Retto, and, by returning the package, he could have a good excuse for going to see him.

“Now to tell Grace,” remarked Larry, as he left Captain Tantrella.  “I’m sure she’ll be anxious to hear the news.”