It was over an hour past the time I would usually leave for the evening. I had pulled my greatcoat around my shoulders and I held my cane ready in my hand, but I was still waiting alone in my office.
I’d never thought of myself as a particularly introspective man, yet I’d been restless all day. The factory floor had settled down again after the morning’s disaster, but the accident had lingered in my mind. I’d given my report to the local police, and the undertaker had arrived and taken the body away to bury it at my charitable expense. In most people’s minds the business had now moved on. Accidents happen. No point dwelling on it. You’ve done your duty as an employer, why waste any more time? Neither the manager nor the supervisors said anything aloud—they were too cautious of angering me
