[She goes out by the door into the factory. Mifflin, smiling with benevolent anticipation, places his umbrella and hat on a chair, then takes his fountain pen and a pencil from his pocket, smilingly decides to use the pencil, sharpens it without going to a wastebasket over by the desk; then beamingly looks about the room.  He is about to strike a chord on the piano, seems alarmed by the idea, moves away from it, dusts the lapel of his coat, adjusts his collar, studies the posters, shakes his head over them as if they were not to his taste, goes to the desk, and after studying it smiles at the rose and gives it a kittenish peck with his forefinger. Nora comes back and MIFFLIN turns to her with his benevolent smile.]

NORA [going back to her work at the piano]:  He’ll be right here.

     [GIBSON appears in the open doorway, speaking with crisp
     determination to someone not seen.]

GIBSON:  That’s my last word on it; that’s in accordance with the agreement you signed two weeks ago.

A HARSH VOICE:  We don’t care nothin’ about no agreement!

GIBSON:  That’s all!

[He comes in.  He is a man of thirty-something; well but not clubbishly dressed; an intelligent, thoughtful face; a man of affairs.  Just now he is exercising some self-control over irritations which have become habitual, but he is not uncordial, merely quiet, during his greeting of MIFFLIN.]

NORA:  This is Mr. Mifflin, Mr. Gibson.

GIBSON:  How do you do, Mr. Mifflin.

MIFFLIN [heartily, as they shake hands]:  I am very glad to meet you, Mr. Gibson!  I hope you don’t mind my not writing to you myself for this interview.

GIBSON:  Not at all!

MIFFLIN [taking a chair]:  I heard Miss Gorodna speak at a meeting two nights ago—­

GIBSON:  Yes?

MIFFLIN:  And learning that she was one of your employees I asked her to speak to you about it for me.

GIBSON:  I see.

MIFFLIN:  Now, in the first place, Mr. Gibson—­

     [There is a telephone on GIBSON’S desk; its bell rings.]

GIBSON:  Excuse me a moment!

[At the telephone]:  Hello!...  Yes—­Gibson....  Oh, hello, McCombs!...  Yes.  I want you to buy it....  I want you to buy all of that grade wire you can lay your hands on.  Get it now and go quick.  All you can get; I don’t care if it’s a three years’ supply.  There’ll be a shortage within a month....  No; I don’t want any more of the celluloid mixture....  No, I don’t want it.  They can’t make a figure good enough.  I’ve got my own formula for keys and we’re going to make our own mixture....  I’m going to have my own plant for it right here.  I can make it just under fifty per cent, better than I can buy it....  Wait a minute!  I want you to get hold of that lot of felt over in