‘That’s right, Dada,’ said Shatrughan, smiling, ‘but only up to a point. The wood fibres expand with a little moisture, and contract when the moisture disappears. And the wood weakens due to this. But when the moisture content goes above a certain limit – I think for ebony it should be around thirty to forty per cent – wood fibres actually become more stable. The wood becomes harder.’ ‘So let me get this,’ said Bharat. ‘If we subject wood to some moisture, it swells, but when you subject it to excessive moisture, it hardens.’
