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.
"What did you do at Saint-Pipoy?" he asked, turning to look at her.
She told him in what capacity M. Vulfran had employed her.
"Monsieur Fabry then had been messing up things?"
"What do you mean--you don't know? Are you a silly?"
"You're not, and you know it; and if you don't reply it's because you don't want to. Don't forget who is talking to you; do you know what I am here?"
"That means the master. And as your master you do as I tell you. I am going to know all. Those who don't obey I fire! Remember that!"
This was indeed the man whom she had heard the factory girls talking about when she had slept in that terrible room at Mother Françoise's. The tyrant who wanted to be everything in the works, not only at Maraucourt, but at Saint-Pipoy, at Bacourt, at Flexelles, everywhere, and who would employ any means to uphold his authority, even disputing it with that of Monsieur Vulfran's.
"I ask you what Monsieur Fabry has been doing?" he asked, lowering his voice.
"I cannot tell you because I do not know myself. But I can tell you what observations Monsieur Vulfran had me interpret for the machinists."
She repeated what she had had to tell the men without omitting a single thing.
"Did Monsieur Vulfran make you translate his letters?"
"No, he did not. I only read some articles from the 'Dundee News' and a little paper all through; it was called the 'Dundee Trades Report Association.'"