And Samuel continued to stare, dumb with terror and dismay.
“I'm very sorry,” said the other—“no need to tell you that. But I don't know of any other place.”
“But what am I to do?” burst out Samuel.
“It's really too bad,” remarked the other.
And again there was a silence.
“Professor Stewart,” said Samuel in a low voice, “what is a man to do who is out of work and starving?”
“God knows,” said the professor.
And yet again there was silence. Samuel could have said that himself—he had the utmost faith in God.
And after a while the professor himself seemed to realize that the reply was inadequate. “You see,” he went on, “there is a peculiar condition here in Lockmanville. There was an attempt to corner the glass industry, and that caused the building of too many factories, and so there is overproduction. And then, besides that, they've just invented a machine that blows as many bottles as a dozen men.”
“But then what are the men to do?” asked Samuel.