w send up
cook, I want to order lunch.'

She could almost have wept as she lay with her face in the cushion. Her
servants had delivered an ultimatum from womankind, and lack of supplies
compelled her to pick up the guage of battle. Mary and cook were links
between her and all those women who shelter behind one man only, and
from that vantage ground hurl stones at their sisters beyond the gates.
The significance of it was not that their services were lost to her, but
that she must now be content to associate with another class. Soon,
however, her will was again supreme. 'After all,' she thought, 'I have
done with Society. I'm a pirate; Society 'll be keen enough when I've
won.'

Within three days she had readjusted her household. She had decided to
make matters easy by engaging two German girls. Laura, the cook, said at
once that it was all one to her who came to the house and who didn't, so
long as they left her alone in the kitchen, and provided she might bring
her large tabby cat. Augusta the maid, a long lanky girl with strong
peasant hands and carroty hair, declared herself willing to oblige the
_herrschaft_ in any way; she thereupon demanded an increase on the wages
scheduled for her at the registry office. She also confided to her new
mistress that she had a _kerl_ in Germany, and that she would do
anything to earn her dowry.

Thus the establishment settled down again. Laura cooked excellently.
Augusta never flinched when bringing in the tea tray. Her big blue Saxon
eyes seemed to allow everything to pass through them leaving her mind
unsoiled, so armoured was her heart by the thought of that dowry. As for
Snoo and Poo: they chased the tabby cat all over the house most of the
day, which very soon improved their figures.

Thus the even tenour of Victoria's life continued. She was quite a
popular favourite. As soon as she sat down under the chandelier
half-a-dozen men were looking at her. Sometimes men followed her into
the Vesuvius; but these she seldom encouraged, for her instinct told her
that so beautiful a woman as she was should set a high price on herself,
and high prices were not to be found in Piccadilly. Among her faithful
was a bachelor of forty, whom she only knew as Charlie. This, by the
way, was a characteristic of her acquaintances. She never discovered
their names; some in fact were so guarded that they had apparently
discarded their watches before coming out, so as to conceal even their
initial