hink for gin or that there dear comic
Oscar."

In further talks with the "permanent," Mavis discovered that, for all
her acquaintance's good nature, she was much of a liar, although her
frequent deviations from the truth were caused by the woman's boundless
vanity. Time after time she would give Mavis varying accounts of the
incidents attending her many lapses from virtue, in all of which
drugging by officers of His Majesty's army played a conspicuous part.

Mavis, except at meal times, saw little of Mrs Gowler, who was usually
in the downstair parlour or in other rooms of the house. Whenever she
saw Mavis, however, she persistently urged her to board out her baby
with one of the several desirable motherly females she was in a
position to recommend. Mrs Gowler pointed out the many advantages of
thus disposing of Mavis's boy till such time as would be more
convenient for mother and son to live together. But Mavis now knew
enough of Mrs Gowler and her ways; she refused to dance to the woman's
assiduous piping. But Mrs Gowler was not to be denied. One day, when
Mavis was sitting up in bed, Mrs Gowler burst into the room to announce
proudly that Mrs Bale had come to see Mavis about taking her baby to
nurse.

"Who is Mrs Bale?" asked Mavis, much annoyed at the intrusion.

"Wait till you see her," cried Mrs Gowler, as if her coming were a
matter of rare good fortune.

Mavis had not long to wait. In a few moments a tall, spare,
masculine-looking woman strode into the room. Mrs Bale's red face
seemed to be framed in spacious black bonnet strings. Mavis thought
that she had never seen such a long upper lip as this woman had. This
was surmounted by a broken, turned-up nose, on either side of which
were boiled, staring eyes, which did not hold expression of any kind.
If Mavis had frequented music halls, she would have recognised the
woman as the original of a type frequently seen on the boards of those
resorts, played by male impersonators. Directly she saw Mavis, Mrs Bale
hurried to the bedside and seized the baby, to dandle it in her arms,
the while she made a clucking noise not unlike the cackling of a hen.

Mavis noticed that Mrs Bale's breath reeked of gin.

"Put my baby down," said Mavis.

"I'll leave you two ladies to settle it between yer," remarked Mrs
Gowler, as she left the room.

"I'm not going to put my baby out to nurse. Good morning."

"Not for five shillings a week?" asked Mrs Bale.

"Good morning."