There were all the desks, and the men and women working. And near the far corner, on the left, the girl sat studying a sheet of paper. Mrs. Wladek looked at the blond hair and the pretty face and the slight figure, and shivered. But she had no choice; she went across the room and when she had almost reached the desk the girl said: "Good morning, Mrs. Wladek." How had she known? Mrs. Wladek had made no sound in walking to the desk. Yet the girl had known someone was there, and who that someone was, before her head had been raised. Truly, the girl was frightening. Mrs. Wladek eased herself, feeling her bones creak, into a chair at the side of the desk. She said nothing. "How are things going?" the girl said in her pleasant smooth voice. "I am fine," Mrs. Wladek said deliberately. She did not inquire about the girl's health. That would show her; that impoliteness would show her what an old woman thought of her! "That's good," the girl said. "That's very good. And how is Rudi?" "Rudi is my son," Mrs. Wladek said. "I know that," the girl said, and smiled. "We met last week, don't you remember?" "I remember you," Mrs. Wladek said. Then, grudgingly, she added: "Rudi is the same. He is fine." "That's fine," the girl said. "And has he found a job yet?" Here it was necessary to lie, Mrs. Wladek knew. One could not say that Rudi did not look for work. One had to say: "Work is difficult to find. He tries, but there is no job." "And how about yourself?" the girl said. "I am an old woman," Mrs. Wladek said. "Who would hire an old woman?" The girl nodded. "It's been a long time since your husband died," she said. "In an accident with an automobile," Mrs. Wladek said. "I remember that time. It is sad to think of." "And Rudi hasn't found any work in all that time," the girl said. "He looks hard," Mrs. Wladek said earnestly. This was a game that had to be played, she knew, a conversation that started and finished each time she came for an appointment. "He looks but work is difficult to find," she said. "I understand," the girl said. "But I'm sure you and Rudi will both find work soon." She paused and her eyes closed. Mrs. Wladek felt something happen. It was ... she felt ... a stirring, a changing-- She stood up suddenly and the chair clattered, balanced and rocked back upright. "What are you doing?" "Doing?" the girl said. "I go to look for work," Mrs. Wladek said. "You make me want to look for work!" "That's fine, Mrs. Wladek," the girl said. "That's just fine." "But I want to look for work!" Mrs. Wladek said, horrified. "What do you do to me?" The girl only smiled. Mrs. Wladek spun and ran for the door, her eyes wide; but she collided with a desk and backed off, and then managed to find her way. The door banged behind her. Gloria sat at her desk smiling, filled with satisfaction. Of course, a reaction like Mrs. Wladek's was only to be expected, but when it was over she would be looking for work.