CHARPIN. Well, what d'you say to a sit down? DESCHAUME [_speaking of Charpin_] That lazy swine's only comfortable when he's sittin' down. CHARPIN. I ain't agoing to tire meself for nix, not 'arf! _Berthe and Constance have mechanically brought chairs for the workmen, who take them without any thanks, accustomed as they are to be waited upon. When all are seated they see that Therese has been left standing._ CONSTANCE [_rising_] Have my chair, Mademoiselle. THERESE. No, thank you, I prefer to stand. CHARPIN. I see that all our little lot's here. There's four on us, but only three 'er you. DESCHAUME [_meaningly_] One of the hens ain't turned up yet. CHARPIN [_sniggering_] Perhaps she's a bit shy, like. THERESE. You mean Mother Bougne. You, workmen yourselves, mock at an old woman wrecked by work. But you're right. She ought to be here. I'll go and fetch her. Only to look at her would be an argument on our side. [_She goes out to the right_] DESCHAUME. Mademoiselle Therese needn't kick up such a dust about a little thing like that. There's four on us; so there must be four on you, in case we have to take a vote. _Therese comes back with Mother Bougne._ THERESE [_to the workmen_] Give me a chair. [_They do so_] Sit down, Mother Bougne. [_Insisting_] Mother Bougne, sit down. MOTHER BOUGNE. Oh, don't trouble, miss, I'm not used to-- THERESE [_sharply_] Sit down. _Mother Bougne sits down._ CHARPIN. Well, here's the bloomin' bunch of us. DESCHAUME. We'd best fix up a chairman. GIRARD. What's the good of that? DESCHAUME. We'd best have you, Girard. You've education, and you're up to all the dodges about public meetings. GIRARD. It's not worth while. DESCHAUME. Well, I only put it forrard because it's the usual. But have it your own way! [_A silence_] Only don't all jaw at once. You'll see you'll want a chairman, I tell you that, but I don't care. It ain't my show. CHARPIN. Get a move on you, Girard, and speak up. GIRARD. Well, ladies-- VINCENT [_interrupting_] Now look here. I want to get at an understandin'. THERESE. Monsieur Girard, will you be kind enough to speak for your friends? We have nothing to say on our part. We're asking for nothing. GIRARD. Well, that's true. We want to have the mending back. THERESE. And we don't mean to give it up. GIRARD. Well, we expected that. Now, to show you that we're not such a bad lot as you think, we'll share it with you on two conditions. The first is that you're paid the same wages as we are. DESCHAUME. Look here, that won't suit me at all, that won't. If my old woman gets as much as me, how am I to keep her under? Blimey, she'll think she's my bloomin' equal! GIRARD [_impatiently_] Oh, bung her into some other berth. Let me go on. The second condition is that you aren't to have a separate workshop. We'll all work together as we used to. THERESE. Why? DESCHAUME. You women do a damned sight too much for your ha'pence.