It seems I earned their respect — when I came back, work was going on at the construction site.
I dismounted the horse, tying it up to the tree near the trough with water. Mr. Barris approached me as soon as he saw me.
"All is well," he said, looking cheerful. "At this rate, we might finish on time. Although the plumber is complaining about some of the piping layouts — he says it's impossible to do."
"Get me to him," I said, and followed Mr. Barris.
The plumber, an experienced, serious man, explained his problem.
The layout of the pipes we designed was non-standard — and required custom welding. While that was within Mr. Casler's capabilities, he had suggestions on how to change the design — make it more up to code.
"Thank you, Mr. Casler," I said, at the end of the detailed discussi
