nly after they've broken two or three of your
machines as they did Duriot's, or done something worse, perhaps.

FELIAT. My dear Gueret, I get out of the women for a cent what I have to
pay the men three cents for. And as long as I can economize ten cents on
the piece I shall go on.

GUERET. You'll regret it. If I was in your place--[_He stops_]

FELIAT. Well, what would you do if you were in my place?

GUERET. What should I do?

FELIAT. Yes, what?

GUERET. I shouldn't take long to think. I'd cut off a finger to save my
hand, I'd turn out every one of the women to-morrow.

FELIAT. You're mad. You've always objected to my employing women, and I
know very well why.

GUERET. Well, let's hear why.

FELIAT. You want to know. Well, because you've been jealous of Therese
ever since she came here six months ago.

GUERET. Oh, I say!

FELIAT. That's it; my sister can't endure her.

GUERET. Marguerite--

FELIAT. You know she wouldn't even see her when she came down from
Paris; and if Therese got work here, it was in spite of Marguerite. I
was wiser than you about this. The girl's courage appealed to me. She's
plucky and intelligent. Oh, I don't want to make myself out cleverer
than I am. I took her a bit out of pity, and I thought she'd draw me a
few designs; that was all I expected. But she has energy and initiative.
She organized the two workrooms, and now she's got the whole thing into
order by starting this Union.

GUERET. The Hen's Union.

FELIAT. What?

GUERET. That's what the men call her Union. You should hear the things
they say about it.

FELIAT. Well, long live the Hen's Union! A hen's plucky when it has to
be.

GUERET. Seriously, it's just this Union which has annoyed the men. They
feel it's dangerous.

FELIAT. Very well. I'll be ready for them.

_Therese comes in._

GUERET. I'll go and find out what's going on.

FELIAT. Yes, do.

_Monsieur Gueret goes out._

THERESE. I've just been seeing the man who makes our finishing tools. He
says it's perfectly easy to make a tool from the drawing I did that
won't be more expensive than the old one. [_Looking for a paper and
finding it on the table_] Here's the drawing. You see I've thought of
cheapness, but I've not sacrificed utility. After all, it's only a copy
of a Grolier, just a little altered.

FELIAT. Very good, but what will the price come out at?

THERESE. How much do you think.

FELIAT. I can easily do it. [_He calculates