"Absolutely," said Teddy cheerfully. "Not a sign of steam except from two or three puddles of hot water that were cooling off when we left to get back to the fort. The commandant was setting his men to work with the navy-yard men when I started here." "Tell me about this, won't you?" said the reporter briskly. "I'll catch the devil from the city editor for missing out on that part of it, but if you'll give me the full story----" "What's your paper?" The reporter told him. "That's all right," said Teddy easily. "They were calling extras of that paper as I came uptown. The professor has told you the theory of the thing?" "No," said Evelyn. "He was starting to, but the black flyer appeared and shot down the other aëroplane, and father was so much upset that he couldn't go into details. Was the pilot of the aëroplane killed?" Teddy nodded. "Frozen, poor chap. He never knew what struck him." "What did happen?" asked the reporter again. "You people seem to take this so much as a matter of course, and no one else can do anything but guess." "The professor knows more about low temperatures than any other man in the world," explained Teddy. "It's only natural that he should be fairly certain of his facts." He smiled at the professor as the old man made a deprecating gesture. "Father is much upset," said Evelyn. "I think it would be best if Teddy explained. Will that be all right?" "Only, in your account of the matter," said Teddy decidedly, "the professor must be given credit for the whole thing. It's his work, and he's entitled to it." "No, no," protested the professor. "Teddy did a great deal." Evelyn pressed his arm, and he obediently was quiet. The two young people smiled at him. "You see how I am ruled," said the professor in mock tragedy. "My daughter----" "Is going to see that you rest a while," said Evelyn, with a twinkle in her eyes. "Teddy, you go and explain the whole thing while I take father out and discipline him." With a laugh, she led the old man away. Teddy smiled. "We aren't accustomed to reporters," he said, "or I suspect we'd act differently. Miss Hawkins is a most capable physicist, and helps her father immensely. The three of us work together so much that----Well, come along to the laboratory." The two went to the rear of the house. On the way they passed through a long room full of glass cabinets in which odd bits of metal work glittered brightly. "The professor's hobby," said Teddy, with a nod toward the cases. "Antique jewelry and ancient metal work. He's probably better informed on low temperatures than any one else I know of, but I really believe he's as much of an authority on that, too. This is Phoenician, and that's early Greek. These are Egyptian in this case. This way." He opened a small door and they were in the laboratory. "I'm afraid I'll have to lecture a bit," said Teddy. "Here's how the professor used to work out what was taking place out in the harbor."