"Has the fellow gone out of his mind?" burst out the mill-owner.
He sent for his son immediately, and ran to meet him. They met in front of the warehouse, Ferdinand with a lighted cigar in his mouth.
"What! you are smoking in the factory? Throw that down at once!" and the old man took it away from him and stamped on it angrily.
"What do you mean? Am I not allowed to smoke a cigar? I—I?"
"Nobody is allowed to smoke inside the factory," bawled Adler. "You will set the place on fire. You are stirring up my workpeople. Get out of this!"
The encounter had many witnesses, and Ferdinand was offended.
"Oh, if you are going to treat me like this, I have done with you. Upon my honour, I won't set foot in your factory again. I have had enough of these pleasant home scenes."
He stamped on his cigar and went into the house without even looking at his father, who was panting hard with mingled feelings of anger and shame.
When they met again at lunch, old Adler said:
"Well, you need not trouble me with your help. I will give you a monthly allowance of three hundred roubles, a carriage, horses and servants, and you can do what you like, provided you promise me to keep away from the mill."