middle of the day, there was
nothing to worry her. After two months she had worked up a fair
connection; she could not rival the experienced Lottie, nor even Gertie
whose forward little ways always 'caught on,' but she kept up an average
of some fourteen shillings a week in tips. Thus she scored over Gladys
and Cora, whose looks and manners were unimpressive, lymphatic Bella
being of course outclassed by everybody. Twenty-one and six a week was
none too much for Victoria, whose ideas of clothes were fatally upper
middle class; good, and not too cheap. Still, she was enough of her
class to live within her income, and even add a shilling now and then to
her little hoard.

A door opened downstairs. 'Four o'clock! Come down! Vic! Bella! Lottie!
Vat are you doing? gn?'

Bella jumped up in terror, her fat cheeks quivering like jelly. 'Coming,
Mr Stein, coming,' she cried, making for the stairs. Victoria followed
more slowly. Lottie, secure in her privileges as head waitress, did not
move until she heard the door below slam behind them.

Victoria lazily made for her tables. They were unoccupied save by a
youth of the junior clerk type.

'Small tea toasted scone, Miss,' said the monarch with an approving look
at Victoria's eyes. As she turned to execute his order he threw himself
back in the bamboo arm chair. He joined his ten finger tips, and,
crossing his legs, negligently displayed a purple sock. He retained this
attitude until the return of Victoria.

'Kyou,' she said, depositing his cup before him. She had unconsciously
acquired this incomprehensible habit of waitresses.

The young man availed himself of the wait for the scone to inform
Victoria that it was a cold day.

'We don't notice it here,' she said graciously enough.

'Hot place, eh,' said the customer with a wink.

Victoria smiled. In the early days she would have snubbed him, but she
had heard the remark before and had a stereotyped answer ready which,
with a new customer, invariably earned her a reputation for wit.

'Oh, the hotter the fewer.' She smiled negligently, moving away towards
the counter. When she returned with the scone, the youth held out his
hand for the plate, and, taking it, touched the side of hers with his
finger tips. She gave him a faint smile and sat down a couple of yards
away on a chair marked 'Attendant.'

The youth congratulated her upon the prettiness of the place. Victoria
helped him through his scone by agreeing with him