flowers.

She found her island the same as she had left it, each thing in its place.
The birds had even shown respect for the berries beneath the willow tree
which had ripened in her absence. Here was something for her supper. She
had not counted upon having berries.

She had returned at an earlier hour than when she had left the factory,
so she did not feel inclined to go to bed as soon as her supper was
over. She sat by the pond in the quiet of the evening, watching the
night slowly fall.

Although she had been away only a short time, something seemed to have
occurred to disturb the quietness of her little shelter. In the fields
there was no longer the solemn silence of the night which had struck her on
the first days that she had installed herself on the island. Previously,
all she could hear in the entire valley, on the pond, in the big trees and
the foliage, was the mysterious rustling of the birds as they returned to
the nests for the night. Now the silence was disturbed by all kinds of
noises--the blow of the forge, the grind of the axle, the swish of a whip,
and the murmur of voices.

As she had tramped along the roads from Saint-Pipoy she had noticed that
the harvest had commenced in the fields that were most exposed, and soon
the mowers would come as far as her little nook, which was shaded by the
big trees.

She would certainly have to leave her tiny home; it would not be possible
for her to live there longer. Whether she had to leave on account of the
harvesters or the bird catchers, it was the same thing, just a matter of
days.

Although for the last few days she had got used to having sheets on her
bed, and a room with a window, and closed doors, she slept that night on
her bed of ferns as though she had never left it, and it was only when
the sun rose in the heavens that she awoke.

When she reached the factory, instead of following her companions to
where the trucks stood, she made her way to the general offices,
wondering what she should do--go in, or wait outside.

She decided to do the latter. If they saw her standing outside the
doors, someone would see her and call her in.

She waited there for almost an hour. Finally she saw Talouel, who asked
her roughly what she was doing there.

"Monsieur Vulfran told me to come this morning to the office to see
him," she said.

"Outside there, is not the office," he said.

"I was waiting to be called in," she replied.

"Come up then."

She w