Caroline Legrand. Are all the men dead?
Thérèse. No, not yet; but I've heard that in a small country town they're starting a Woman's Trade Union.
Caroline Legrand. It won't succeed. Women are too stupid.
Thérèse. They've opened a special workshop there, and they're going to have work that's always been done by men done by women.
Caroline Legrand. That's splendid! A woman worker the more is a slave the less.
Mademoiselle de Meuriot [gravely] Are you quite sure of that?
Caroline Legrand. Oh, don't you misunderstand me! [Forcibly] Listen to this. A time will come when people will be as ashamed of having made women work as they are ashamed now of having kept slaves. But, until then—
Thérèse. The employer is rather disturbed about it.
Caroline Legrand. He's quite right. Very soon there'll be a fierce reaction among the men about this cheap women's labor. There's going to be a new sex struggle—the struggle for bread. Man will use all his strength and all his cruelty to defend himself. There's a time coming when gallantry and chivalry will go by the board, I can tell you.
Madame Nérisse comes in.