r face away.

'Give us yer lips, Liza,' he whispered--'give us yer lips.'

He turned her face without resistance and kissed her on the mouth.

At last she tore herself from him, and opening the door slid away into
the house.

6

Next morning on her way to the factory Liza came up with Sally. They
were both of them rather stale and bedraggled after the day's outing;
their fringes were ragged and untidily straying over their foreheads,
their back hair, carelessly tied in a loose knot, fell over their
necks and threatened completely to come down. Liza had not had time to
put her hat on, and was holding it in her hand. Sally's was pinned on
sideways, and she had to bash it down on her head every now and then
to prevent its coming off. Cinderella herself was not more transformed
than they were; but Cinderella even in her rags was virtuously tidy
and patched up, while Sally had a great tear in her shabby dress, and
Liza's stockings were falling over her boots.

'Wot cheer, Sal!' said Liza, when she caught her up.

'Oh, I 'ave got sich a 'ead on me this mornin'!' she remarked, turning
round a pale face: heavily lined under the eyes.

'I don't feel too chirpy neither,' said Liza, sympathetically.

'I wish I 'adn't drunk so much beer,' added Sally, as a pang shot
through her head.

'Oh, you'll be arright in a bit,' said Liza. Just then they heard the
clock strike eight, and they began to run so that they might not miss
getting their tokens and thereby their day's pay; they turned into the
street at the end of which was the factory, and saw half a hundred
women running like themselves to get in before it was too late.

All the morning Liza worked in a dead-and-alive sort of fashion, her
head like a piece of lead with electric shocks going through it when
she moved, and her tongue and mouth hot and dry. At last lunch-time
came.

'Come on, Sal,' said Liza, 'I'm goin' to 'ave a glass o' bitter. I
can't stand this no longer.'

So they entered the public-house opposite, and in one draught finished
their pots. Liza gave a long sigh of relief.

'That bucks you up, don't it?'

'I was dry! I ain't told yer yet, Liza, 'ave I? 'E got it aht last
night.'

'Who d'yer mean?'

'Why, 'Arry. 'E spit it aht at last.'

'Arst yer ter nime the day?' said Liza, smiling.

'Thet's it.'

'And did yer?'

'Didn't I jest!' answered Sally, with some emphasis. 'I always told
yer I'd git off before you.'

'Yus!' said Liza