Mrs. Walsh chimed in from the side, "Paris City Hall is still planning an 'Indoor Water Supply System.' At the earliest, we should have it by next summer." This time, Broad showed a disdainful expression. "Paris doesn't even have piped water? You can find that almost everywhere in The Hague." He was naturally boasting. Only a very small number of luxury residences in The Hague had piped water—merely a primitive form of running water—and even then, the building had to be suitably located, such as near a river or close to a windmill.
Mrs. Walsh smiled kindly. "It's an entirely new type of water supply system, completely different from piped water. I hear every room can have a switch installed, and once you turn it on, water flows out."
"Oh, they call it 'running water.'"
Walsh added, "They've built many water towers around the city. Steam Engine-powered pumps fill them with water, which is then sent into buildings through iron pipes.
"The Tap Water Company has been established for several months now. They filter water from the Seine River first, so the water used at home will be very clean. And it can maintain a normal supply regardless of the weather.
"The Tap Water Company's posters say the monthly fee is only 6 Francs. I estimate that half of Paris will have it installed." Well, he was boasting too. Less than ten percent of Parisian households could afford to pay 6 Francs a month for running water, not to mention the 45-Franc installation fee for connecting it to their homes.
Still, that was already an extremely high proportion. Paris's population had now surpassed 1.1 million. Once the Tap Water Company had operated for a while and costs gradually came down, 2 Francs a month would probably be enough. Only then