If ever that plate
was struck by a shell, it would splinter like so much glass."
Montague listened, half dazed. "Can one see that?" he cried.
"See it? No!" said the officer. "It's all on the inside of the
plate, of course. When they got through with their dirty work, they
would treat the surface, and who would ever know the difference?"
"But then, how can YOU know it?" asked Montague.
"I?" said the other. "Because my father had laid before him the
history of that plate from the hour it was made until it was put in:
the original copies of the doctored shop records, and the affidavits
of the man who did the work. He had the same thing in a hundred
other cases. I know the man who has the papers at this day."
"You see," continued the Lieutenant, after a pause, "the
Government's specifications required that each plate should undergo
an elaborate set of treatments; and the shop records of each plate
were kept. But, of course, it cost enormous sums to get these
treatments right, and even then hundreds of the plates would be bad.
Pages:
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236