Callahan said, "This kicks the whole thing in the head. The paper can
never be more than a laboratory curiosity, as far as we can see. The
sun, a dry climate, heat, any of these things will drive off the
moisture, and the paper will lose its strength. There's no way we can
market a product like that when it might lose its strength at any time.
I'm afraid the 'Tearproof Paper' must join the huge list of fine
products that can't be sold because of one small flaw."
It was Mr. Spardleton who steered me out of the labs. He slipped an arm
through mine and said, "You can refile the patent application and add
this information about the moisture content. You ought to get the patent
without too much trouble even if the product is of no commercial value."