ed his brain into unwonted activity; Trevannion found himself
wondering whether this was so, or whether it was a normal state--the
last thought was horrible!

At any rate, there was no doubt that within these four stuffy walls
Garstin was in his element. Trevannion clearly was not. In half an hour
his treasured theories had been picked to pieces and his stock of
argument was exhausted, whilst his rival appeared as fresh as the
woodwork.

But the climax was reached when Section D came up for discussion. Things
had not gone well with Section D in practice. Trevannion incautiously
admitted as much when he said that Section D represented a point on the
wharf where the river persistently--more persistently than at other
points--forced its way into the cavity intended for good concrete.
Garstin promptly demonstrated the probable reason why. This was too
much. Trevannion shut up the demonstration by opening the door.

"Phew!" he said. "Let's go out and get a little fresh air. We'll have a
look at the section itself."

He stepped out, followed by the other--meekly.

It was still raining. Under the leaden sky the works looked more dismal
than ever. Lakes of water lay where there had been pools; rails and
machinery glistened as if they had been carefully oiled. A thick
light-brown river raced past. The echoing wind and the hoarse murmur of
the gang at work on Section D mingled with the groaning and clattering
of the cranes. Garstin missed the warmth of the fire and shivered; he
had forgotten his overcoat; and he experienced only the mildest
curiosity in the surroundings. Trevannion walked rapidly and in silence.
He was thinking mainly of how he could get his own back from this
usurper.

They came to the edge of Section D. Below them yawned a huge pit with
uneven walls sheer from top to bottom. Fronting them, on the river side,
solid piles went down into an abyss that ended in black water; these
were a barrier--a support to the wedge of earth that the mighty river
pressed against their backs. From the land side to the tops of the piles
stretched transverse beams, two and three yards apart; more beams lower
down, constituting stays against the piles buckling; the whole a giant
scaffolding embedded in the bowels of the earth. A few rough blocks of
concrete peeped from the water below. Fountains spurted from between the
piles and splashed into the basin.

Trevannion looked at the fountains and frowned. There would be work for