Channing opened the door to his apartment and Arden went in. Channing followed, and then stopped cold.
"Great Jeepers!" he said in an awed tone. "If I didn't know—"
"Why, Don! What's so startling?"
"Have you noticed?" he asked. "It smells like the inside of a chicken coop in here!"
Arden sniffed. "It does sort of remind me of something that died and couldn't get out of its skin." Arden smiled. "I'll hold my breath. Any sacrifice for a drink."
"That isn't the point. This is purified air. It should be as sweet as a baby's breath."
"Some baby," whistled Arden. "What's she been drinking?"
"It wasn't cow juice. Nor yet lake filler. What I've been trying to put over is that the air doesn't seem to have been changed in here for nine weeks."
Channing went to the ventilator and lit a match. The flame bent over, flickered, and went out.