AT THE GLASS FACTORY
I went out of the dining-room. Paul was waiting by the open door the car.
"You drive," I said. "That whole thing was a mistake. Everything got mixed up in my bag."
He did not answer. We turned left up the hill. Then he said, "I believe you wanted to make me look a
fool in front of everyone--even the servants."
"Nonsense," I said. "Nobody noticed, and I've told you that it was a mistake. Forget it."
"It was done openly and before our wives. It hurt them too. I didn't know that even you could do
such a thing. And there's another thing. Don't you think it's time you topped treating Renee as a
plaything. I was watching Francoise as well as Renee. You hurt her too. Next time you want to give
my wife a present, ask me first."
The road narrowed. I saw in front of me a line of workmen's houses and to our right a long building
with tall chimneys. There were other low buildings round it. Workmen were passing to and fro.
Paul stopped the car and walked away to a second building behind the long building with chimneys. I
followed. The ground under my feet was covered with small pieces of broken glass, as fine as sand.
Workmen passed us: they greeted him politely, but they smiled at me as if they were really glad to
see my face.
Paul came to a long brick house with two floors. We went into a square room with a stone floor.
There was a table in the middle covered with books and papers. An old man, grey-haired, wearing
glasses, stood up from the table when he saw us.
"Perhaps you would like me to leave you while you talk about the business?" said the old man.
"Oh, no, Jacques," said Paul. "The future of the factory matters as much to you as to us. Like you I
am waiting to hear what was settled in Paris." They both looked at me.
"Well," said paul, "do we have to close down?--or not?"
The mother had said something about a contract--an agreement with Carvalet. Jean was expected to
bring back a written agreement with him.
"You want to know if I succeeded in getting Caralet to carry on their agreement with us--to renewit?
The answer is yes."
They looked at me too surprised to speak. Then Jacques said, "Splendid!"
"But at what prices?" said Paul.
"What we asked."
"You mean at the same prices as before, although other people are offering lower prices?"
"Yes."
"So we can carry on for another six months?--I can't understand it. You've done something which I
believed to be impossible. Have you got the agreement with you?"
"No. They're sending it."
"Is it all right to tell everybody that we're not having to close down?" said Jacques. "There's been
a lot of talk among the men for the past week."
"Yes," said Paul. "Spread the news as soon as you like."
There was a woman working in the garden just below the window.
"There's a Julie," said Jacques. "All ears, as usual! She wants to be the first to tell the news,
good or bad." He opened the window and called out to her. "Monsieur Jean succeeded in Paris."
She was a large, strong woman, rather old, with the lined, brown face of a countrywoman.
"Ah!" she said. "It's what I thought. It needed someone with sense to kick those people in Paris."
I looked down at her broad, wrinkled face.
"So the fires will still burn and the chimneys still smoke and the floor of my house will be
covered with glass. You will come and say a word to my Andre, Monsieur le Comte. You heard about his
accident?"
"Oh yes," I said. "I'll come later."
"There haven't been many letters sonce you left," said Paul. "They are all there on table." He went
out.
I opened the letters. Most of them were demands for money. I had no idea what I was expected to say.
"What do you want me to do with all this?" I asked.
Jacques smiled. He seemed more at ease with me now that Paul had gone.
"You need not do anything now tha we have the agreement. I can deal with them."