Coquette

  BOOK TWO: GAGA

  i

  Ten days later, Sally began her work with Madame Gala. She arrivedpunctually, but found Nosey before her, keeping a record of arrivals.She also found one or two other girls, who stared at her in aninquisitive fashion and went on talking among themselves. Only when aforewoman--Miss Summers--arrived did the big room take on any air ofbeing used for work, and within five minutes all the girls were in astate of preparation. Sally saw that they all had sleeved pinafores oroveralls; she had none. As she had not a farthing to buy material tomake such a thing, and had only a couple of slices of bread andmargarine in her coat pocket for lunch, and would have to walk all theway home, Sally could not fight against the chilling of her heart whichquick glances about the workroom produced. The girls were of all sortsand sizes, some of them smartly dressed and coiffed; others wearingclothes less expensive even than her own, and with a general air of notknowing how to make the best of themselves. Looking round at the facesshe could see none that indicated cleverness or special intelligence.One ferrety-looking little thing seemed as though she might be eithersharp or half-witted; a tall dark girl who was rather pretty and hadbeautiful hair used her hands with assurance; but observation did notmake Sally feel ashamed of herself or of her ability. These girls coulddo almost as they were told, but not quite. But the pinafore was aserious question. Sally had never been used to such a thing. She had noteven brought an apron.

  While the others settled down, whispering among themselves and lookingsharply at Sally, the forewoman, after a greeting, ignored her until shehad attended to all that was more important. In her hands was the givingout of work. Sally saw that she was supposed to know what each girlcould do. She also saw that some girls were favourites and others not.If she were to make progress here she must be a favourite. She must showquickly that she had the brains and could work well. It took a veryshort time to make her realise that. For a moment she was inclined to beover-confident; but that mood collapsed before a side glance and atitter from two of the girls. Their instinctive ridicule warned andstiffened Sally. They did not know her. She would have to prove herqualities. She then concentrated upon Miss Summers, watching how sheturned, how she smiled and frowned, and how she explained what had to bedone to each girl who was receiving new work. Miss Summers was a shortstout woman with cat's eyes and a long nose. She licked her lips like acat. She was inconsistent and short-tempered; but Sally afterwards foundthat while she was extraordinarily vain she was rarely unkind. But ingeneral she was severe, because severity was the only course to pursuewith these chattering girls, who were full of scratches and jealousies,and who would have taken advantage of weakness with rapidunscrupulousness. So the little stout woman, feline and easilyexasperated, was a good person to control the room. Her kindness mightbe part of her vanity, but it was not assumed. She loved her work, andshe was always glad to praise good work from the girls, and to encourageit by favouritism to good workers. It was not the pretty ones or the slyones who were the favourites. It was the workers. Following each girlwith her eye, Sally could not observe that at the beginning; but it didnot take her long to add it to her now formidable collection of facts.

  When at last Sally was called to Miss Summers's side, and questioned,she walked the length of the room feeling as though her legs had nojoints, and as though her shoulders were fixed. There were only elevengirls in the room besides herself, but they were all looking at her. Andwhen she stood before Miss Summers in her little black dress she lookedso slight, with her slim body and thin pale face, that several of thegirls went on with their work again immediately, having lost interest inher. Sally, confronted by Miss Summers's cat-like eyes, which were agooseberry green, twisted her fingers, and blurted out:

  "I'm sorry, I got no pinafore. I didn't know I had to have one."

  She was relieved when Miss Summers smiled and licked her lips.

  "Well, let's make you one for a start-off. Shall we?"

  Sally could have fallen down, so astonished was she at this retort.Still she blurted further:

  "I got no money for the material."

  Again Miss Summers smiled. She might almost have given a purr. Sherubbed her cold nose with the back of her hand, like a cat washing itsface.

  "That's all right," she said. "We'll find some stuff. It can come offyour wages. I want to see what you can do, d'you see? And that's as gooda way as any. I shall be able to notice how you do it, and give you aword of advice if you want it. And you won't waste much time, and youwon't waste much material. And so why not? Just stand here while I getthe length." As she measured the length of Sally's frock, and allowed afew additional inches for the pinafore, she sharply said in a low voicethat only Sally could hear: "That's right: never use scent. It'svulgar. From the look of you I was afraid you'd use scent and be saucy.But I'm glad you aren't."

  "Oh, no, miss," answered Sally. Quite truthfully, she added: "I've neverthought of using scent. I don't like it. Only common girls use it."Unconsciously she was emphasising all her sibilants.

  "Well, some of the girls here do," said Miss Summers. "Hold still."

  The pinafore was a simple matter for both Miss Summers and Sally; andbefore the morning was over Miss Summers had visited Madame Gala.

  "The new little girl's a quick worker," she said. "Very clever. I thinkshe'll be very useful."

  At which Madame Gala raised her straight brows and looked piercingly atMiss Summers. If Sally could have heard and appreciated the speech asMadame Gala did she would have known that she had become a favourite ata bound. She did not even guess it, so absorbed was she in deservingcommendation, until the end of the week, when she received her fullwages, without deduction. She was tempted. How easy to say nothing, andtake the risk of it being remembered! She could easily say she was sorryshe had forgotten all about it. Then some strong impulse of honesty madeher go up to Miss Summers.

  "You haven't taken off the money for the pinafore," she whispered.

  "That's all right," said Miss Summers. "Good girl to come to me aboutit."

  Good girl! Sally wondered if she really was such a very good girl.

  ii

  She was not, morally, being a very good girl; for her mother was stillin the hospital, and she and Toby were taking risks. So far there hadbeen no discovery; but they were getting bolder, and only the day beforegoing to Madame Gala's, when his aunt had been out for the afternoon andevening, Toby had had Sally to tea in his aunt's room, and they had sattogether over a good fire, and had silently made love to each other forhours. The more love-making they had, the more they wanted, and Sallyhad been living all the week for the time she spent with Toby. But hermother would be coming home soon, even though she would be unable towork; and both knew that the wild ecstasy would end with her return. Itwas that, probably, which made them less careful, or, if not lesscareful, at any rate less cautious in the use of their opportunity.Sally had a dread, which she would not face, and if Toby had any dreadhe never told her. For all her feeling of intimacy with him, Sally neverreached below his manner and his strength; and her ignorance of him itwas that gave the whole relation its charm for her. He was mysterious, acompelling strength outside her, a strange man who responded to all herwishes and who loved her as she wished to be loved--brutally anddominatingly. She was dazzled and infatuated. But already, in her firstdays with Madame Gala, she had recovered sufficient of her old coolnessto be set upon definite personal success. This was her strongestimpulse. Her love was outside it, a gratification now, and not atorment. She had no sense whatever of wrong-doing; only of hostility toher mother because her mother's return would interrupt the tenour of herlife. Once only she said to Toby, secure in her trust of his love andcare: "Toby ... if I have a baby, you'll ... you'll marry me, won'tyou?" And Toby gave her the necessary promise in obvious good faith.Neither, therefore, troubled about the future. They were both tooanxious to live only in the exhilarating present.

  But at last Mrs. Minto returned, and by that time Sally was living uponmoney borrow
ed from Mrs. Perce, her one friend and protector. Mrs. Mintocould not work. She wrote to Aunt Emmy, and Aunt Emmy helped her fromher prizewinnings, and for several weeks they were thus enabled to staveoff want. Once Mrs. Minto was back at home the old order of parsimonywas revived, and it cost them very little to keep life going on from dayto day. Sally's seven shillings a week helped. And at last Mrs. Mintowas allowed to go out, and Mrs. Roberson took her back. Slowly,half-starving, they managed to exist. Sally still had her evenings withToby, with their glory dimmed; and as the weeks went on she knew thatshe was safe from the causes of her dread, and carried herself jauntily,and she began to earn a little extra money by working in the eveningsfor Miss Jubb. This meant that she saw Toby less often, and Toby now hada man