Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

strangers' faces; but Kitty whispered that we sat rather heavily. Kitty said that she was very pleased to had better go down, or the other lodgers would think us know him. Mrs Dendy pointed next to a thin, red-headed proud. So we called to Mrs Dendy to give us a moment, and boy on the Professor's right.
    while Kitty changed her dress I combed and re-plaited my
    'Sims Willis,' she said. 'Corner Man -'
    hair, and beat the dust from the hem of my skirt into the
    'Corner Man Extraordinary, of course,' he said quickly, fireplace, and washed my hands; and then we made our way leaning to shake our hands. 'As is. And this' - nodding to downstairs.
    another hoy across the table from himself - 'this is Percy, The parlour was a very different room, now, to the one that my brother, who plays the Bones. He's also extraordinary.'
    we had sat and taken tea in on our arrival. The table had As he spoke Percy gave a wink and, as if to prove his been opened out and pulled into the centre of the room, and brother's words, caught up a pair of spoons from the side of 81

    82

    his plate, and set them rattling upon the tablecloth in a
    'Training you up?' This was Tootsie again. 'Take my advice wonderful tattoo.
    and don't train her too well, Kitty, or some other artiste'll Mrs Dendy cleared her throat above the noise, then take her from you. I've seen that happen.'
    gestured to the pretty, pink-lipped girl who had the seat Take her from me?' said Kitty with a smile. 'Oh, I couldn't next to Sims. 'And not forgetting Miss Flyte, our ballerina.'
    have that. It is Nan that brings me my good luck ..."
    The girl gave a simper. 'You must call me Lydia,' she said, I looked at my plate, and felt myself redden, until Mrs extending a hand, 'which is what I am known as at - do Dendy, still busy with her platter, held a piece of quivering cheese it, Percy! — what I am known as at the Pav. Or meat my way and coughed: 'A bit of tongue, Miss Astley Monica, if you prefer, which is my real name.'
    dear?'
    'Or Tootsie,' added Sims, 'which is what her pals all call her The supper-talk was all, of course, theatrical tittle-tattle,
    - and if you've read Ally Sloper's I'll leave you to work out and terribly dense and strange to my ears. There was no one why. Only let me say, Miss Butler, that she was in half a in that house, it seemed, who had not some link with the panic when Walter told us he was moving you in, lest you profession. Even plain little Minnie - the eighth member of turn out to he some flashy show-girl with a ten-inch waist.
    our party, the girl who had brought us tea on our arrival and When she learned you were a male impersonator, why, she had returned now to help Mrs Dendy dish and serve and turned quite gentle with relief.'
    clear the plates - even she belonged to a ballet troupe, and Tootsie gave him a push. 'Pay no mind to him,' she said to had a contract at a concert hall in Lambeth. Why, even the us, 'he is always teasing. I am very pleased to have another dog, Bransby, which soon nosed its way into the parlour to girl about the place - two girls, I should say - flashy or beg for scraps, and to lean his slavering jaw against otherwise.' As she spoke she gave me a quick, satisfied Professor Emery's knee -even he was an old artiste, and had glance that showed plain enough which kind she thought I once toured the South Coast in a dancing dog act, and had a was; then - as Kitty took the seat beside her, leaving me stage name: 'Archie'.
    with Percy for a neigh-hour - she went on: 'Walter says you It was a Sunday night, and nobody had a hall to rush to will be very big, Miss Butler. I hear you're to start at the after supper; no one seemed to have anything to do, indeed, Star tomorrow night. I remember that as a very fine hall.'
    except sit and smoke and gossip. At seven o'clock there was
    'So I've heard. Do call me Kitty
    a knock upon the door, and a girl came halloo-ing her way
    'And what about you, Miss Astley?' asked Percy as they into the house