aud begaa turning over the pages. Thus he remained till
the voices of the approaching men could be heard close at
hand and their footsteps sounded on the cinder in front of
the door. As the form of Gray appeared in the doorway the
Chemist sprang up, exclaiming—
“ Mr. Gray—Mr. Garrett—come right in.” Gray entered
without a word. The fat furnace-man l'emained in the door
way, resting one hand some distance up on the wood work
of the door, and with the other applied a large handkerchief
to his perspiring forehead.
“Number one furnace is running very badly, Johnson,”
quietly began Gray, refusing the chair the Chemist offered
him.
“80 I have heard,” put in Johnson.
“I should like, if you please,” continued the superinten
dent, looking inquiringly at Johnson, “to see your record
book. This trouble has been caused either by very poor ore,
or by a mistake in burdening the furnace. Garrett tells me
the burdens have been according - to analysis in every case,
and your reports to me, for two weeks back, show a high
percentage ot iron.”
Johnson hastily produced Ihe record book, knowing only
too well, however, that no explanation would be found
there, yet glad of a little time in which to prepare for the
confession he had determined to make. Rapidly Gray’s long
forefinger moved down page after page of the record book.
Johnson soon became nervous. Suddenly he stepped l'or
waid and, holding out his hand for the book, exclaimed in
unsteady voice:
“There is one—an-alysis in here—that is—not correct,
“Not correct? What do you mean?” slowly demanded
Gray, whereupon Johnson, making a great effort to appear
calm, explained the whole affair from beginning to end;
how the first analysis had been destroyed just before com-