She turned to him suddenly again. "What's wrong over at that factory, Charley?" she asked. "Why haven't you made good before this? My father has been on the point of tearing up things a dozen times! He's sore at you--awfully sore."
"Yes? How do you know I haven't made good?"
"For the very good reason that he doesn't know any better than to talk that way. He hasn't got any more sense. He didn't talk that way to me."
"Then you have got it--you've made the discovery--it'll work?"
"Our machines not only will work, but have been working," said he calmly. "I haven't seen fit to tell your father. I'm going to tell you, however, that all this was _my_ idea from the first. If I haven't been a competent manager, let him get some one more competent. I'll take what I know with me in my own head. I'm saying to you, his daughter, that _I_ worked out this idea, myself, and all he did was to get the money in the first place for it. For that reason I call this discovery mine, to do with as I like. I haven't been bought and paid for, myself. I don't want money when it costs too much. I've just begun to understand things lately."
"Yes, I've worked it out into practical form," he concluded, as she sat silent. "Your father never did and never can. He's got to come to _me_, to _me_, right here. Since you drive me to it, I'll just tell you one thing. I've had this whole thing in my own hands for more than eight months! The company doesn't know it, he doesn't know it, no one knows it. I've been just waiting--to see whether I had a wife or not."
"You never told? Then you've been disloyal, you've been a coward! You took his money--"
"All right," said Halsey suddenly, grimly, "that's all I need. I see, now. I know what to do now."
"But you _didn't_ tell father!" she went on fiercely. "And we all knew how much has been depending on that factory. Weren't we all in that--didn't we all help, from the very first? Didn't I?"
"Yes, you did, you and your mother," said Halsey. "You've had or will have all you earned. She got divorced from her husband, you may get divorced from me! It's a fine world, isn't it? We've all been chasing for more money. Well, here we are! There's a couple over there, here's another one here. Fine, isn't it?"