Page 260 of Fall of Giants (The Century 1)

"How do," Hall said to Lev, then he turned back to Vyalov. "Peter Fisher got a nasty cut on his face from a flying shard of steel this morning. Had to be taken to the hospital. "

"I'm sorry to hear that," Vyalov said. "Metalworking is a hazardous industry, but no one is forced to work here. "

"It just missed his eye," Hall said indignantly. "We ought to have goggles. "

"No one has lost an eye in my time here. "

Hall became angry quickly. "Do we have to wait until someone is blinded before we get goggles?"

"How else will I know you need them?"

"A man who has never been robbed still puts a lock on the door of his house. "

"But he's paying for it himself. "

Hall nodded as if he had been expecting nothing better and, with an air of weary wisdom, returned to his machine.

"They're always asking for something," Vyalov said to Lev.

Lev gathered that Vyalov wanted him to be tough. Well, he knew how to do that. It was the way all factories were run in Petrograd.

They left the plant and drove up Delaware Avenue. Lev guessed they were going home to dinner. It would never occur to Vyalov to ask whether that was okay with Lev. Vyalov made decisions for everyone.

In the house Lev took off his shoes, which were dirty from the foundry, and put on a pair of embroidered slippers Olga had given him for Christmas, then he went to the baby's room. Olga's mother, Lena, was there with Daisy.

Lena said: "Look, Daisy, here's your father!"

Lev's daughter was now fourteen months old and just beginning to walk. She came staggering across the room toward him, smiling, then fell over and cried. He picked her up and kissed her. He had never before taken the least interest in babies or children, but Daisy had captured his heart. When she was fractious and did not want to go to bed, and no one else could soothe her, he would rock her, murmuring endearments and singing fragments of Russian folk songs, until her eyes closed, her tiny body went limp, and she fell asleep in his arms.

Lena said: "She looks just like her handsome daddy!"

Lev thought she looked like a baby, but he did not contradict his mother-in-law. Lena adored him. She flirted with him, touched him a lot, and kissed him at every opportunity. She was in love with him, though she undoubtedly thought she was showing nothing more than normal family affection.

On the other side of the room was a young Russian girl called Polina. She was the nurse, but she was not overworked: Olga and Lena spent most of their time taking care of Daisy. Now Lev handed the baby to Polina. As he did so, Polina gave him a direct look. She was a classic Russian beauty, with blond hair and high cheekbones. Lev wondered briefly whether he could have an affair with her and get away with it. She had her own tiny bedroom. Could he sneak in without anyone noticing? It might be worth the risk: that look had shown eagerness.

Olga came in, making him feel guilty. "What a surprise!" she said when she saw him. "I didn't expect you back until three in the morning. "

"Your father has moved me," Lev said sourly. "I'm running the foundry now. "

"But why? I thought you were doing well at the club. "

"I don't know why," Lev lied.

"Maybe because of the draft," Olga said. President Wilson had declared war on Germany and was about to introduce conscription. "The foundry will be classified as an essential war industry. Daddy wants to keep you out of the army. "

Lev knew from the newspapers that conscription would be run by local draft boards. Vyalov was sure to have at least one crony on the board who would fix anything he asked for. That was how this town worked. But Lev did not disabuse Olga. He needed a cover story that did not involve Marga, and Olga had invented one. "Sure," he said. "I guess that must be it. "

Daisy said: "Dadda. "

"Clever girl!" Polina said.

Lena said: "I'm sure you'll make a good job of managing the foundry. "

Lev gave her his best aw-shucks American grin. "Guess I'll do my best," he said.

{II}

Gus Dewar felt his European mission for the president had been a failure. "Failure?" said Woodrow Wilson. "Heck, no! You got the Germans to make a peace offer. It's not your fault the British and French told them to drop dead. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. " All the same, the truth was that Gus had not succeeded in bringing the two sides together even for preliminary discussions.

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