Joan’s first impulse was to refuse, but presently a sense of the fun of the situation prevailed, and she rose to it, mincing, smiling, and praising up the garment, which she hung upon her own shoulders, bending her graceful shape this way and that to show it in various lights and attitudes, till at length Mrs. Bird exclaimed, “Well, I never!—you’re a born actress, my dear. You might have been bred to the business. I should have bought that cloak long ago, I should, though, saving your presence, Mr. Waters, I don’t think it is worth the price asked.”
“You’ll do,” said the manager, rubbing his hands, “if only you can forget that you are a lady, and have nous enough to flatter when you see that it is welcome, and that’s always where ladies and their clothes are concerned. What’s your name?”
“Haste: Joan Haste.”
“Very well, Miss Haste. Let’s see: to-day is Saturday, so you may as well begin on Monday. Hours nine to seven, dinner and tea provided, also black silk dress, that you put on when you come and take off when you leave. I should think that the last young lady’s would fit you pretty well with a little alteration, unless you like to buy one yourself at cost price.”
“Thank you, I think that I will buy one for myself.”
“Indeed! Well, so much the better for us. It is usual to ask for references as to character, and security, or a sum on deposit; but I understand that Mrs. Bird guarantees all that, so we will say no more about it. The wages will be eighteen shillings a week for the first six months, and after that a pound if we are satisfied with you. Do you agree to these terms?”
“Yes.”
“Very well, then. Good morning.”
“There’s a smart girl,” reflected Mr. Waters to himself, “and a real beauty too. But she’s a fool for all that; she ought to go on the boards,—she’d have a future there. However, it’s her affair, not mine.”
“Well, my dear,” said Mrs. Bird to Joan, “you got through that capitally. At first I thought that he would never engage you, but he seemed to take quite a liking to you before the end. What do you think of him?”