“Of course you know,” commenced Strong after proper urging, “that it has long been the desire of chemists to synthesise rubber by a method that will make possible its cheap production on a large scale.  In a general way I know what Mr. Cushing had done, but there are parts of the process which are covered in the patents applied for, of which I am not at liberty to speak yet.”

“Where are the papers in the case, the documents showing the application for the patent, for instance?” asked Kennedy.

“In the safe, sir,” replied Strong.

Strong set to work on the combination which he had obtained from the safe deposit vault.  I could see that Borland and Miss Winslow were talking in a low tone.

“Are you sure that it is a fact?” I overheard him ask, though I had no idea what they were talking about.

“As sure as I am that the Borland Rubber Works are a fact,” she replied.

Craig also seemed to have overheard, for he turned quickly.  Borland had taken out his penknife and was moistening the blade carefully preparing to cut into a piece Of the synthetic rubber.  In spite of his expressed scepticism, I could see that he was eager to learn what the product was really like.

Strong, meanwhile, had opened the safe and was going over the papers.  A low exclamation from him brought us around the little pile of documents.  He was holding a will in which nearly everything belonging to Cushing was left to Miss Winslow.

Not a word was said, although I noticed that Kennedy moved quickly to her side, fearing that the shock of the discovery might have a bad effect on her, but she took it with remarkable calmness.  It was apparent that Cushing had taken the step of his own accord and had said nothing to her about it.

“What does anything amount to?” she said tremulously at last.  “The dream is dead without him in it.”

“Come,” urged Kennedy gently.  “This is enough for to-day.”

An hour later we were speeding back to New York.  Kennedy had no apparatus to work with out at Goodyear and could not improvise it.  Winslow agreed to keep us in touch with any new developments during the few hours that Craig felt it was necessary to leave the scene of action.

Back again in New York, Craig took a cab directly for his laboratory, leaving me marooned with instructions not to bother him for several hours.  I employed the time in a little sleuthing on my own account, endeavouring to look up the records of those involved in the case.  I did not discover much, except an interview that had been given at the time of the return of his expedition by Borland to the Star, in which he gave a graphic description of the dangers from disease that they had encountered.

I mention it because, though it did not impress me much when I read it, it at once leaped into my mind when the interminable hours were over and I rejoined Kennedy.  He was bending over a new microscope.