centigrade, was maintained by the use of liquid helium.
At first Tom had tried using helium from his amazing undersea helium wells-a discovery related in Tom Swift and His Deep-Sea Hydrodome. But this had proved inconvenient, so Tom had invented a machine to remove the helium gas from the air and change it to a liquid, thus producing a ready supply.
“When I tested my original design,” Tom explained, “a few bugs showed up.
For one thing, the register was no good. It was made out of organic material and was too susceptible to carbon monoxide.”
SUSPICIOUS NEWS 7
“So?” Bud put in with a puzzled look.
“I redesigned that feature of my machine,” Tom replied, “but Gaspard may not know that.” The youthful inventor added excitedly, “Unless he perfected the register himself, the machine may blow up!”
Bud gave a low whistle. Mr. Swift’s expression was grave.
“Should I warn Gaspard, Dad?” Tom asked uneasily. “Or try to stop the demonstration?”
The elder scientist shook his head. “Frankly, I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do. If you tried to stop Gaspard, the authorities might construe it to mean you’re calling him a thief. You can’t risk that. And don’t forget, Gaspard is a renowned scientist. So let’s hope he knows what he’s doing.”
The demonstration in Paris was scheduled for six o’clock Monday morning, which would be one a.m. in Shopton. Bud and the Swift family planned to watch the proceedings on television.
Sandra Swift, Tom’s vivacious, blond seventeen-year-old sister, was delighted when she heard that Tom and Bud planned to sit up late. “Wonderful!”
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