FELIAT. You want to know. Well, because you've been jealous of Therese ever since she came here six months ago. GUERET. Oh, I say! FELIAT. That's it; my sister can't endure her. GUERET. Marguerite-- FELIAT. You know she wouldn't even see her when she came down from Paris; and if Therese got work here, it was in spite of Marguerite. I was wiser than you about this. The girl's courage appealed to me. She's plucky and intelligent. Oh, I don't want to make myself out cleverer than I am. I took her a bit out of pity, and I thought she'd draw me a few designs; that was all I expected. But she has energy and initiative. She organized the two workrooms, and now she's got the whole thing into order by starting this Union. GUERET. The Hen's Union. FELIAT. What? GUERET. That's what the men call her Union. You should hear the things they say about it. FELIAT. Well, long live the Hen's Union! A hen's plucky when it has to be. GUERET. Seriously, it's just this Union which has annoyed the men. They feel it's dangerous. FELIAT. Very well. I'll be ready for them. _Therese comes in._ GUERET. I'll go and find out what's going on. FELIAT. Yes, do. _Monsieur Gueret goes out._ THERESE. I've just been seeing the man who makes our finishing tools. He says it's perfectly easy to make a tool from the drawing I did that won't be more expensive than the old one. [_Looking for a paper and finding it on the table_] Here's the drawing. You see I've thought of cheapness, but I've not sacrificed utility. After all, it's only a copy of a Grolier, just a little altered. FELIAT. Very good, but what will the price come out at? THERESE. How much do you think. FELIAT. I can easily do it. [_He calculates during what follows_] THERESE. The beating won't be done with a hammer, but in the rolling machine; the sawing-in and the covering will be done as usual. FELIAT [_having finished his sum_] Two francs forty. THERESE [_triumphantly_] One franc seventy. You've calculated on the basis of men's work. But, if you approve, I'll open a new workroom for women in the old shop. Lucienne can manage it. I could let Madame Princeteau take Lucienne's present place, and I'll turn out the stuff at the price I quoted. FELIAT. But that's first-rate. I give you an absolutely free hand. THERESE. Thank you, Monsieur Feliat. FELIAT. How do you think the men will take it? You know that last year, before you came here, a strike of the workmen was broken by the women taking the work the men were asking a rise for--taking it at lower wages, too. Since then the men feel very strongly against the women. Your godfather is anxious about it. THERESE. Oh, leave it to me, I'm not afraid. FELIAT. Well done. I like pluck. Go ahead. How lucky I was to get you here.