further complicated by there being as many of the workers' faces
turned toward the outside of the building as toward the court. Yet having
determined upon his course, he was bound to see it through.

His position near the corner of the huge rectangle precluded his seeing
anyone working at his own end. He was obliged to pass them over. But of
those opposite, especially those directly so, he could take easy count.
They were all girls of fifteen or so, and could be passed over also
without more than a cursory glance. Further on he saw a row of older
women, and student as he was of human nature, there were faces among them
at which he was tempted to look twice, though once answered his purpose.
There was no Madame there.

Continuing his examination, he next encountered the space so
unaccountably darkened, and having skipped this, came upon a stretch of
benches displaying great activity. Only old hands seemed to be at work in
this section. Their method and despatch showed a training which made it
useless to look among them for one who had probably never worked before
amid the hum of machinery.

In the corner beyond he saw nobody, but when he came to look along the
end connecting the opposite rooms with those on his side, a different
scene awaited him. There every bench seemed occupied both back and front,
and mostly by newcomers, as was apparent from the anxious way the
superintendent moved about among them, explaining the work and directing
them with a zeal which not only attested his interest in the task but
showed how completely he had forgotten the man he had left behind him in
his office. Well, well, such is the way of the world! The old man saw
that he would have to depend upon himself, and realizing this, bent all
his energies to his present far-off inspection of these women, hoping
against hope that he would be able at least to tell the young from the
old.

Yes, he could do that, but the older women seemed to be in the majority;
and this perplexed him. It was all too distant for him to see clearly,
but he took heart of grace as he observed how the faces and figures he
was studying so closely were resolving themselves into mere silhouettes
under his gaze. For as I have already said, he had a quick eye for
outline, and felt sure that he could sufficiently recall that of the
woman whose head and shoulders had been so long under his eye that day,
to recognize it even among fifty others. But not one of them--not one o