“My dear,” he said deferentially. “There’s been a misunderstanding, due to the interference of outsiders. It’s not too late to put it all smooth and right again, but at the same time I’m bound to say such conduct is altogether inexcusable. When I come across Miller, I shall tell him so to his face. Who asked him to come to me, and give me wrong information, I should like to know?”
“I did!” she remarked. “But I’ve just made up for it by giving correct information on another subject to my young mistress.”
Chiswell threw himself back in his chair, and gazed severely at the roof of the saloon carriage.
“All I can say is,” he declared, “it’s absolutely ruined my lunch.”
XI—COUNTER ATTRACTIONS
Half the time I don’t trouble to look up at them, especially when I happen to be busy. They put their money underneath the brass wire; they ask for what they want; it’s given to them, and off they go. If any other plan was adopted we should never get through the work at our office, and there would be complaints to answer, and the superintendent might send some one along to kick up a row. As Miss Maitland says, when all the customers are made on one pattern everything will be much easier to manage; meanwhile we can’t do better than to do the best we can, and to recognise that some are in a hurry, some are just the reverse.
“Above all,” mentioned Miss Maitland, when I first came here, “no carrying on across the counter with young gentlemen.”
“When you’ve known me longer, Miss Maitland,” I said, “you’ll see how unnecessary it is to make a remark like that.”
“I’m only warning you for your own good.”
“I can behave myself,” I said, “as well as most girls. The fact that I’m a bit above the average in regard to looks—”