"Hurrah!" yelled Ned, clapping his friend on the back. "You've done it
again, Tom Swift!"

[Illustration: He Bent the Glass]

"Don't crow too soon. Perhaps it won't bend back again. If a rod of
copper is annealed in a certain way it can be bent ONCE like rubber but
then the crystal breaks up and it becomes as rigid as ever. Maybe this
glass will act the same way."

"Then try it! Don't keep me in suspense!"

Perhaps Tom had been tantalizing his business manager, or maybe he
really was doubtful about the flexibility of the bar. At any rate, when
he applied pressure he did not seem surprised when the glass became
straight again. Then he proceeded actually to tie a knot in it, so
bendable was the new substance!

[Illustration: The Glass Became Straight Again]

"This will revolutionize the glass industry!" declared Ned, noting that
even the blows of a heavy sledge-hammer failed even so much as to crack
the rod.

"It's not half as wonderful as that other kind of glass," said Tom,
dreamily.

"Your glass eye, d'you mean?" chuckled Ned in high good humor. In his
mind he could already see fat profits for the company.

[Illustration: A Heavy Hammer Did Not Crack It]

"I'll give you a pair of black eyes if you make another bad joke!"
laughed Tom, giving his chum a playful push. "But seriously, I'm mighty
well pleased with this stuff; it turned out better than I dared hope.
You know, I got the idea for bendable glass while I was trying to figure
out a way to make a huge telescope mirror. That was before we found the
meteorite."

"And I suppose you'll go back to the glass mirror if you can't find
the big stone so you can make the large green disk."

[Illustration: "I'm Well Pleased With This."]

"Yes, that's what I'll have to do if the salvage attempt fails. But I'm
sure we'll succeed."

Captain Britten had been given a room at the Swift home. When the boys
got there they found their guest and Tom's father deep in a game of
chess.

[Illustration: The Two Men Were Playing Chess]

"Well, son," laughed Mr. Swift, "I've met my match at last. John Britten
has beaten me three straight games! But don't tell Damon about it!"

"I won't, Dad," grinned Tom. "What do you think of this?" He handed his
father the bar of bendable glass.

"What do I think of it? Why, it looks like a glass rod, that's all I can
see."

"Then watch!" Tom took the bar and deftly twisted it into the shape of a
fat pretzel.

"You've done it