But what she liked least of all, and now could not get out of her mind, was Innes's barren tomorrow. The tomorrow that she had slaved those years for, the tomorrow that was to have been such a triumph. Lucy longed to provide her with a post at once, instantly, here and now; so that when tomorrow that tired happy woman with the luminous eyes came at last to see her daughter she would not find her empty-handed.
But of course one could not hawk a P.T.I. from door to door like a writing-pad; nor offer her to one's friends like a misfit frock. Goodwill was not enough. And goodwill was practically all she had.
Well, she would use the goodwill and see where it got her. She followed Miss Hodge into her office as the others went upstairs, and said: "Henrietta, can't we invent a post for Miss Innes? It seems all wrong that she should be jobless."
"Miss Innes will not be long jobless. And I can't imagine what consolation an imaginary post would be to her meanwhile."
"I didn't say imagine, I said invent; manufacture. There must be dozens of places all up and down the country that are still vacant. Couldn't we bring the job and Innes together somehow without her going through the slow suspense of applying? That waiting, Henrietta. Do you remember what it used to be like? The beautifully written applications and the testimonials that never came back."
"I have already offered Miss Innes a post and she has refused it. I don't know what more I can do. I have no more vacancies to offer."
"No, but you could get in touch with some of those advertised vacancies on her behalf, couldn't you?"
"I? But that would be most irregular. And quite unnecessary. She naturally gives my name as a reference when she applies; and if she were not commendable —»
"But you could-oh, you could ask for particulars of the post since you have a particularly brilliant student —»
"You are being absurd, Lucy."