To Maggy's amazement Alexandra handed her the amount.
"Write the receipt and go, please," she said.
When they were alone Maggy stood still waiting for an explanation.
"Where did you get it?"
To add to her astonishment Alexandra began to cry brokenly. She had never seen her give way before.
"Lexie, darling, what is it?" Her voice was sharp with alarm.
Alexandra stopped crying as suddenly as she had begun.
"A fortnight's salary in lieu of notice," she said. "I think I've been walking ever since. The pavements were hot, and—my head."
Maggy said nothing more. With a world of sympathy in her touch she unpinned Alexandra's hat. Alexandra sat with her hands in her lap staring in front of her. Maggy knelt on the floor and gently drew off her friend's shoes, brought slippers and put them on, after which she poured out a cup of tea and silently put it before her.
This was dire news. Lexie would tell her more by and by. Maggy knew she couldn't talk now. She couldn't have said a word herself without breaking down. Tea would relieve the tension.