“Bert, you’re a lucky fellow. It looks as though you’re going to get another early night.”

“I’ll keep on for another hour or so. Then if there’s no improvement I’ll turn in.”

“Soup, bread and jam, sardines, and coffee,” said Andy. “What’ll you have?”

“A bowl of soup and cup of coffee, thanks,” said Rogers.

“What’re you going to do on the 200-inch? Use the jiggle camera?”

“Yes, I can get along tonight pretty well. There’s several transfers that I want to get done.”

They were interrupted by Knut Jensen, who had walked the somewhat greater distance from the 18-inch Schmidt.

He was greeted by Emerson.

“Hello, Knut, there’s soup, bread and jam, sardines, and Andy’s coffee.”

“I think I’ll start with soup and sardines, please.”

The young Norwegian, who was a bit of a leg-puller, took a bowl of cream of tomato, and proceeded to empty half a dozen sardines into it. The others looked on in astonishment.

“Judas, the boy must be hungry,” said Jim.

Knut looked up, apparently in some surprise.

“You don’t eat sardines like this? Ah, then you don’t know the real way to eat sardines. Try it, you’ll like it.”

Then having created something of an effect, he added:

“I thought I smelled a skunk around just before I came in.”

“Should go well with that concoction you’re eating, Knut,” said Rogers.

When the laugh had died away, Jim asked:

“Did you hear about the skunk we had a fortnight ago? He de-gassed himself near the 200-inch air intake. Before anybody could stop the pump the place was full of the stuff. It sure was some hundred per cent stink. There must have been the best part of two hundred visitors inside the dome at the time.”

“Lucky we don’t charge for admission,” chuckled Emerson, “otherwise the Observatory’d be sunk in for compensation.”