ard shoe
box, cast elongated shadows of the occupier of the room on walls and
ceiling as she moved. The atmosphere of the room was heavy with the
mingled smell of paraffin oil and fugginess.

"Where--where am I?" asked Mavis.

"You've come round, then?" said the woman, who had just cleansed one
side of her face of artificial complexion.

"How did I get here?"

"I found you outside as I came 'ome. I couldn't very well leave you
like that."

"You're very kind."

"'Elp that you may be 'elped is my motto. An' then you didn't smell of
drink. I wouldn't 'ave took you in if you had. Girls who're 'on the
game' who drink ought to know better, and don't deserve sympathy."

Mavis stared at her wide-eyed, striving to recalled where she had heard
that expression before, also what it meant.

"You sit quiet, dear; you'll be better directly," said the woman. "I've
got to wash this stuff off. Beastly nuisance, but, if you don't, it
stains the sheets and pillers, as I daresay you know."

Had Mavis possessed sufficient strength she would have combated this
suggestion; it was as much as she could do to concentrate her wandering
attention on the doings of the woman who had played good Samaritan in
her extremity.

Mavis saw her cleanse the other side of her face and remove two false
teeth from her mouth, actions which completed the transformation from
that of a comely, interesting-looking, youngish woman to that of an
elderly, extremely commonplace person with foxy, shifty eyes.

"Now I'm 'done.' I never feel reely at home till I get into my shirt
sleeves, as you might say," remarked the woman.

Mavis sat up.

"'Ave a drink?" asked her benefactor.

"No, thank you."

"I don't mind a drop out of business hours, when I feel I've earned it,
as you might say. I've got a quartern in a bottle. If I'd expected
visitors, I'd have got more, but I'll go 'alves."

"No, thank you," repeated Mavis.

"Ah! Don't mind if I do?" said the woman, in the manner of one relieved
of the possibility of parting with something that she would prefer to
keep.

"Not at all."

The woman heated some water in a tin kettle, before mixing herself hot
gin and water in a tooth glass, the edge of which was smudged with
tooth powder.

"Smoke?"

"I do, sometimes," replied Mavis.

"Have a fag? A gentleman brought me these to-night."

Mavis somewhat reluctantly took and lit a cigarette. The woman did
likewise, sipped her grog, and then brought a chai