The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-06-14
CHAPTER V

Coral heard but little of the first 20 minutes of the weekly assembly program. Her eyes were focused on David sitting between Professor Bendroff and Professor Maxwell, on the platform. Four days had passed since thelr quarrel and he had not recognized her, outside of monosyl- labic words in the classroom, In all that time. She tried in vain to catch his eye, to smile at him
 give some token that she, at least, had not changed. He did not see her. or if he did, ignored her.
 "Why has this had to happen?' Coral thought. Why did we quar- rel when we have been so happy?" She wondered idly why David and the two senior professors of the chemistry department were sitting on the platform today. She thought for a moment of the thing of which David had hinted, the work he had been doing in the laboratory, then dismissed the idea. If he had made a discovery important enough to be publicly announced he would have told her surely he would have broken the barrier of silence between them for such a momentous thing.
 Her reverie was interrupted then, and she stod up automati- cally with the people around her as the president of the university came out on the platform. When she sat down she was more and more curious. There was some thing exciting to be revealed this morning. There must be. Presi- e6nt Norton appeared at the stu dent assemblies but seldom. What was it? She waited eagerly for him to speak.
 For interminable minutes Presi- dent Norton spoke of plans for Commencement, of a distinguished lecturer who was coming to the university, of a new ruling to be put in effect among the freshmen. Then he paused, and Coral leaned forward in her seat, feeling cer- tain that the next announcement was the one for which she had been waiting.
 The deep, resonant voice of Pres ident Norton broke the silence in the auditorium once again. T have another announcement to make" he said. "One which will be of deep in- terest not only to us here at Elton, but to the country at large in- deed to the whole world. Through the brilliant and untiring work of three of our faculty members, men in the department of chem istry, a commercially feasible process for the extraction of gold from sea water has been discov- cred.
 "The idea is not new in itself, but previously the cost of the op- eration has ben greater than the value of the gold received. The new process of extraction, which in its details must still remain a secret to the world at large, makes it not only possible but practical to tap the great wealth of gold and other precious metals, includ- ing silver and platinum, known to exist in dilute form in the waters of the seven seas. This process also makes easier and less expensive the extraction of bro- mine from sea water. Bromine, as students in the chemistry depart ment know, is important in the manufacture of anti-knock gaso- line.
 "1t has been many years since a discovery of such significance has been made here at Elton, not in fact since the electrolysis ex- periments of Professor Sanderson in the early years of this cen- tury. am proud, indeed, to pre- sent to you the three men who through their genius and industry have brought fame to themselves and thus to Elton, and who have given the world a gift of greater knowledge; Professor Arthur Max well, Professor Andre Bendorf and Professor David Armstrong;"
 The big auditorium boomed with applause as the three men rose somewhat diffidently to their feet