her eyes from his face, for he could
not see her. What did his words mean? From the expression of his face
little Perrine tried to read the inmost thoughts that stirred this old
man's heart.

"Well," he said, after waiting a moment, "what do you think you will
do?"

"I hesitate because I feel so bad about it," she said. "If I could only
believe that they would be glad to have me and would not turn me
away...."

"You know nothing of life, poor little girl," said the old gentleman.
"Age should not be alone any more than youth."

"Do you think all old people feel like that?" asked Perrine.

"They may not think that it is so, but they feel it."

"You think so?" she said, trembling, her eyes still fixed on his face.

He did not reply directly, but speaking softly as though to himself, he
said:

"Yes, yes; they feel it...."

Then getting up from his seat abruptly, as though to drive away thoughts
that made him feel sad, he said in a tone of authority: "Come across to
the offices. I wish to go there."

CHAPTER XVIII

SECRETARY TO M. VULFRAN

When would Fabry, the engineer, return? That was the question that Perrine
anxiously asked herself, for on that day her role of interpreter to the
English machinists would terminate.

That of translator of newspaper articles to M. Vulfran, would that continue
until M. Bendit had recovered from his illness? Here was another question
that made her even still more anxious.

It was on Thursday, when she reached the factories with the two machinists,
that she found Monsieur Fabry in the workshop busy inspecting the work that
had already been done. Discreetly she waited at a distance, not taking part
in any of the explanations that were being made, but all the same the chief
machinist drew her into the conversation.

"Without this little girl's help," he said, "we should have stood here
waiting with our arms folded."

Monsieur Fabry then looked at her, but he said nothing, and she on her
side did not dare ask him what she had to do now, whether she was to
stay at Saint-Pipoy or return to Maraucourt.

She stood there undecided, thinking that as it was M. Vulfran who had
sent for her, it would be he who would send her away or keep her.

He came at his usual hour, led by the manager, who gave him an account
of the orders that the engineer had given and the observations that he
had made. But it appeared that he was not completely satisfied.

"It is a pity that the li