ed down.
But a moment later the sound of water pouring over the condenser pipes
was heard above the chugging of the engine and pump.

Gustav and Ernest fell on each other's necks. "It works!" squealed
Felicia. "It works and I helped make it, I did." Peter, his head as far
in at one of the windows as a very short neck would carry it, brayed.
Roger watched the pressure gauge and scratched his head thoughtfully.

Charley and Felicia slipped outside to inspect the pump, and Charley
called: "Does anybody smell anything?" At the same moment Felicia
shrieked.

"Oh! oh, Roger! There's a terrible leak out here!"

Roger shut off the engine and followed by the others, he darted to the
condenser. The odor of sulphur dioxide filled the night.

"By Jove, it's big enough to lose my charge!" groaned Roger. "Bring
bugs, everybody."

Felicia, "bug" and oil can in hand, was running over the pipes at the
top before the others had arrived.

"Here it is, Roger! Oh, an awful one. There!"

The leak was in a pipe joint at the top of the stack. The odor grew
almost unbearable. For half an hour the men wrestled with it, turn
about, and at last succeeded in stopping it. Other minor leaks occurred
but all were located and controlled. Finally Roger announced all safe
and lighted his pipe. In the flash of the match, his face showed tense
and dripping with sweat, his eyes bloodshot from the gas fumes.

"Darn the leaks!" exclaimed Elsa.

"Well, it's what we'll have to expect as long as I can't afford to buy
bent pipe or an acetylene welding outfit," said Roger. "But after all,
the leaks are the least of my troubles."

"What is troubling you?" asked Charley quickly.

"There isn't as much power there as my calculations had indicated there
would be."

"I told you that you were running pretty close on your absorption area,"
exclaimed Ernest. "You see your temperature readings have been lower
right along down here than that table we had up in the laboratory for
this region."

"But I don't want to increase the absorption area in order to get more
power. It's a clumsy solution. It makes the plant too large and too high
priced. The solution to the problem lies in making that engine more
efficient." Roger sighed.

"Now don't change your engine design, Roger!" cried Ernest. "That is a
peach and has been for years."

"Yes, I know," replied Roger. "But there's a possibility that you and
the Dean and I have been too complacent about that engine