naughty girl; you were late for work this morning.”
“You police know everything,” said Aileen, laughing. “But don’t tell Mr. Bevan.”
They walked over to where the salesgirls sat. Victoria drew him like a magnet and he went and stood beside her and joined in their easy conversation. A customer came in, fussy and. self-important, and Rachel went to her. “A two-piece, madam? Yes, of course. We have a little silk one that would suit you terribly well. Aileen, put on that ‘July’ model for madam, will you, please … didn’t you have a green one, madam, just before the summer? This is rather the same in style and I’m sure you’ll like it.…”
The customer hated it. “Well, never mind, madam, there’s lots more for you to choose from. Mr. Cecil has some drawings for a new one, in a slightly heavier material … would you like to see those?…”
Cissie appeared from Bevan’s office and Irene went to speak to him. “Mr. Cecil, Lady Mary’s coming in at four o’clock; she isn’t satisfied with the hat, that blue felt you know—isn’t it a bother?…”
Charlesworth, left alone with Victoria, found himself, for once in his life, tongue-tied and self-conscious. She caught his embarrassment, though she was innocent of the cause of it, and, for something to say, commented on his silk handkerchief. He pulled it out of his pocket and she rubbed the thick silk between her fingers and said lightly, “Oh, lovely—how rich and luxurious you must be!”
“You can have it if you like,” he said, foolishly.
“Don’t be silly,” cried Toria. “I didn’t mean it that way at all.” She laughed a soft little laugh, and it rang in his heart like a knell for he thought he knew when he had heard it before.
He picked up the handkerchief and deliberately laid a trap for her. “What will you give me for it?” he said, and she answered as he had known she would, “Not a sausage!” and laughed again.
So it wasn’t Aileen who had been in Bevan’s office; but someone who used Aileen’s absurd phrase and imitated Aileen’s absurd accent and laughed at her own imitation. Victoria! He thrust the handkerchief into his pocket and marched blindly out of the shop.
3
Rachel, released from her customer, came back to the cubby-hole. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, Toria. What the hell shall I do about Bevan? He’s getting terribly amorous again.”
“Smack his beastly face,” said Victoria, viciously.
“He’d give me the sack if I did. I have to keep in with him, that’s the trouble. I can’t afford to be out of a job.”
“I know, darling. But you shouldn’t be so attractive—wherever you go it’ll be the same thing.”
“I must say, it generally is,” said Rachel, mournfully. “It’s this beastly sex-appeal; I wish I didn’t have it. It was awful when I was on the stage; you know what people are like there.”
“Couldn’t be worse than Bevan. What’s he been doing now?”
“Well, he got here at dawn this morning, and made me go into his office and started worrying me again. I’m so petrified my husband will find out about that wretched evening. I tried to make Bevan promise to be a bit more discreet.…”
“That won’t do any good, my dear.”
“Not a sausage,” agreed Rachel, laughing ruefully.
Irene appeared in the doorway. “You sounded just like Aileen when you said that. You two shouldn’t copy her so much; I can’t tell you apart now, and you soon won’t be able to speak the King’s English yourselves.”
“Come and sit down, Irene darling, and tell Rachel what she’s to do about Bevan. He’s been pestering her again.”
“You should never have gone to his flat that evening, dear. We told you so at the time.”
“Well, he was very nice in those days, Rene, and I must say he behaved terribly well up to then.”
“I think he was really keen on her for a bit,” said Victoria, judicially.
“Would you have married him, Rachel?”
“I might
“You police know everything,” said Aileen, laughing. “But don’t tell Mr. Bevan.”
They walked over to where the salesgirls sat. Victoria drew him like a magnet and he went and stood beside her and joined in their easy conversation. A customer came in, fussy and. self-important, and Rachel went to her. “A two-piece, madam? Yes, of course. We have a little silk one that would suit you terribly well. Aileen, put on that ‘July’ model for madam, will you, please … didn’t you have a green one, madam, just before the summer? This is rather the same in style and I’m sure you’ll like it.…”
The customer hated it. “Well, never mind, madam, there’s lots more for you to choose from. Mr. Cecil has some drawings for a new one, in a slightly heavier material … would you like to see those?…”
Cissie appeared from Bevan’s office and Irene went to speak to him. “Mr. Cecil, Lady Mary’s coming in at four o’clock; she isn’t satisfied with the hat, that blue felt you know—isn’t it a bother?…”
Charlesworth, left alone with Victoria, found himself, for once in his life, tongue-tied and self-conscious. She caught his embarrassment, though she was innocent of the cause of it, and, for something to say, commented on his silk handkerchief. He pulled it out of his pocket and she rubbed the thick silk between her fingers and said lightly, “Oh, lovely—how rich and luxurious you must be!”
“You can have it if you like,” he said, foolishly.
“Don’t be silly,” cried Toria. “I didn’t mean it that way at all.” She laughed a soft little laugh, and it rang in his heart like a knell for he thought he knew when he had heard it before.
He picked up the handkerchief and deliberately laid a trap for her. “What will you give me for it?” he said, and she answered as he had known she would, “Not a sausage!” and laughed again.
So it wasn’t Aileen who had been in Bevan’s office; but someone who used Aileen’s absurd phrase and imitated Aileen’s absurd accent and laughed at her own imitation. Victoria! He thrust the handkerchief into his pocket and marched blindly out of the shop.
3
Rachel, released from her customer, came back to the cubby-hole. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, Toria. What the hell shall I do about Bevan? He’s getting terribly amorous again.”
“Smack his beastly face,” said Victoria, viciously.
“He’d give me the sack if I did. I have to keep in with him, that’s the trouble. I can’t afford to be out of a job.”
“I know, darling. But you shouldn’t be so attractive—wherever you go it’ll be the same thing.”
“I must say, it generally is,” said Rachel, mournfully. “It’s this beastly sex-appeal; I wish I didn’t have it. It was awful when I was on the stage; you know what people are like there.”
“Couldn’t be worse than Bevan. What’s he been doing now?”
“Well, he got here at dawn this morning, and made me go into his office and started worrying me again. I’m so petrified my husband will find out about that wretched evening. I tried to make Bevan promise to be a bit more discreet.…”
“That won’t do any good, my dear.”
“Not a sausage,” agreed Rachel, laughing ruefully.
Irene appeared in the doorway. “You sounded just like Aileen when you said that. You two shouldn’t copy her so much; I can’t tell you apart now, and you soon won’t be able to speak the King’s English yourselves.”
“Come and sit down, Irene darling, and tell Rachel what she’s to do about Bevan. He’s been pestering her again.”
“You should never have gone to his flat that evening, dear. We told you so at the time.”
“Well, he was very nice in those days, Rene, and I must say he behaved terribly well up to then.”
“I think he was really keen on her for a bit,” said Victoria, judicially.
“Would you have married him, Rachel?”
“I might
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