There was just the least touch of astonishment in his voice—­masculine, unconscious—­which raised an equally unconscious touch of exultation in Mary’s answer.

“Perhaps sooner than you think,” she said.

For no one knew better than she that the new organization was rapidly finding itself now that the roadway of production had been rebuilt.  Every day weak spots had been mended, curves straightened out, narrow places made wider.

“Let’s speed up today,” she finally said, “and see what we can do.”

At the end of that day the reports showed that all the departments had made an improvement until the bearings reached the final assembling room and there the traffic had become congested.  For the rest of the week the assembly room was kept under scrutiny, new methods were tried, more women were set to work.

“Let’s speed up again today,” said Mary one morning, “and see if we can make it this time—­”

And finally came the day when they did make it!  For four consecutive days their output equalled the best ever done by the factory, and then just as every woman was beginning to thrill with that jubilation which only comes of a hard task well done, a weak spot developed in the hardening department.

Oh, how everybody frowned and clicked their tongues!  You might have thought that all the cakes in the world had suddenly burned in the ovens—­that every clothes line in America had broken on a muddy washday!

“Never mind,” said Mary.  “We’re nearly there.  One more good try, and over the top we’ll go....”

One more good try, and they did go over the top.  For two days, three days, four days, five days, a whole week, they equalled the best man-made records.  For one week, two weeks, three weeks, the famous Spencer bearings rolled out of the final inspection room and into their wooden cases as fast as man had ever rolled them.  And when Mary saw that at last the first part of her vision had come true, she did a feminine thing, that is to say a human thing.  She simultaneously said, “I told you so,” and sprung her secret by sending the following message to the newspapers: 

“The three thousand women at this factory are daily turning out the same number of bearings that three thousand men once turned out.

“The new bearings are identical with the old ones in every detail but one, namely:  they are one thousandth of an inch more accurate than Spencer bearings were ever made before.

“Our customers appreciate this improvement and know what it means.

“Our unfriendly critics, I think, will also appreciate it and know what it means.”

Upon consideration, Mary had that last paragraph taken out.

“I’ll leave that to their imaginations,” she said, and after she had signed each letter, she did another feminine thing.

She had a gentle little cry all by herself, and then through her tears she smiled at her silent forbears who seemed to be watching her more attentively than ever from their frames of tarnished gilt upon the walls.