The War-Workers

wearily at

the successive cups of strong tea, which formed her only indulgence, brought to her at five o'clock. They were g

of papers on the table. She was excessively tired, and she knew

her devotion to an immense and indispensable task, just as surely as would a trivial, easy interruption to the day's work in the shape of John Trevellyan and his new car, or an hour consecrated to fresh air and luncheon. Necessity compelled Char to work twelve hours a day some two evenings a week, in order that the a

, to her inspection of those Army Forms which were

Miss Delmege came in with her

tatingly, "that Miss Jones has come-the new

ighed

isn't tonight, it will have to be tomor

iss Vi

d. I shan'

n smiled r

evening. The Army Forms in question had failed to repay inspection, in the sense of presenting any glari

, and began to open the inkpot, although she had no further writing to do. The pen was poised between h

her heavy-lidded eyes, and sai

ing, Miss-

ny member of her staff. The trick was purely instinctive, and indicated both her own ov

do?" said

tonation of good-breeding, and Char instantly observed that s

out twenty-seven, and was not pretty. But she had a fine pair of grey eyes in her little colourl

elf. She made a point of avoiding personalities with the staff. But t

. I have had some secretarial experien

reflecting on the fluttered gratification which Miss Delmege or Miss Henderson wo

ittle. "Now, I wonder what you

ring smile on her small, serious face. "I have been his only secretary for four years. Since the

our letter that you had b

cl

rols the hospitals in Questerham and round about. I want you to work in this ro

l do m

Jones narrowly. "I hope you'll be happy here and like the work. You must always let me know if there

es

me one to sho

it is. I left my luggage

doing anything else," said Char, indefinably vexed at h

let you go now, so as to be in time

very quiet in spite of her solid build, and she moved lightly enough, but the Hostel perceived a certain i

strange sort of popularity, nominally due to the fact that "you never knew what she was going to say next"; in reality owing to a curious quality of absolute sincerity which was best translated by her surroundings as "originality." Anothe

as that favourite test one of the enthusiasti

ughtfully, "that she is a rein

tunned silence in th

riety to several listeners. Nor was any one at the moment sufficiently au courant with the Virgin Queen's leading char

oiced the popular feeli

a strange thing

obvious. Why, even to look at, you know-that sandy colouring, and the wa

as the trend of the conversation shifted from that dreaded line of abstract discussio

er wardrobe when she died," said Tony, voicing, as it happened, the solitary fact concerning the Sovereign under disc

and personal magnetism, you

s Delmege exclaimed, sure of her ground. "You'

e result of Miss Jones's activities in the room

g. She remained entirely self-possessed under praise, blame, or indifference, and Miss Vivian was half-unconsciously irri

think of Miss Vivian," her room-mate demande

anion so frequently neglected these modest adjuncts to privacy, and often took off her stockings, or folded u

r clothes with scrupulous tidiness. She rolled up a pa

e's rather

er interesting! The Director of the Sacred Supply Dep?t!

anizer, but I don't think her as marvellous as you or Miss Delmege or To

tation and of bad form; and although she could not believe Grace to be at all an affected person, she felt it due to her own nationality t

you lik

not s

her well enough to say y

wing them a bit," said Grace cordially; "and certainly I quite often dislike t

appearances, which

ly, and supposed regretfully that Miss Marsh would think she was "swanking" if

sweet cami

ou like it. The ribbon always takes a long time to put in, but

a knock a

s, bare-armed and bare-legg

dst of a shuffling process by which her clothes were removed und

n melancholy tones, walking in. "I'm

the landing just out

look

with your hair down!"

ouring with astonishment and embarrassment,

plained Grace, gazing at t

ely, of

e bit of praise had restored her spirits. But she sat down on Grace's bed in her pink cotton k

eberry-bush?" was the sympa

ivian, you know. She can be awfu

will sympathize; she's just been abusing her like a pickpocket," sa

atmosphere of adulation such as that which appeared to her to surround Miss Vivian, even such

f fascination, don't you think?" said Miss Plumtree eagerly. "I

ant comparison was successfully conveyed by the qualifyin

ssured her. "And of course she does work one fearf

d as we do-harder. I suppos

ye

sumably with reference to some indefinable quality

might really be better if she didn't do quite so much.

e simply has

ould m

ith Miss Vivian. I mean, really it

f a thick plait of dark hair with

n you'll admit

little laugh, and sa

, I'm n

what on earth

would work quite so hard or keep such very strenuous

two exchan

, isn'

tter, I shou

hat sort of war-work peop

Miss Vivian does partly work so very hard because there are so many people

in my opinion," said Miss Plumtree with si

ound betrayed that her kettle had overboil

been effected she loo

ea tomorrow morning, would you, dear? Ours is absolutely

"This extraordinary girl doesn't take

hout most things, but I can't do w

tel that, although one could do without mos

nice hot tea," and watched, with a sort of interested surprise, while Miss Marsh got out of bed a quarter of an hour earlier than was necessary in order to fill and boil a small kettle and make herself three and som

ered from a chronic inability to arrive at the office punctually, although breakfast was at nine o'clock, and she ha

do my washing. It's Monday, and

energies until the desperate moment when she would look at her wrist-watch, exclaim in a mechanical sort of wa

the tea-thi

uld you? I can quite w

accordingly took the little heap of crockery into the bathroom. Standing over the tiny basin jutting out of the wall, Miss Jones, with her sleeves carefully

'll be late. Ca

y I can just scramble throug

icating a respectable brown-paper parcel tied up with s

sighed Miss Marsh.

ow kind it was of the others not to call her a prig, since her methodical habits and innate neatness appeared to be in such startling contrast to the standards prevailing at the Hoste

her name at the door, and procee

s regarded this law very matter-of-factly as an example of cause and effect. She felt sure that Miss Vivian only felt at her best when conscious of looking her best, and hope

ching a foot-warmer from the Supplies Department, and

mparative equanimity that Miss Vivian received the anno

d you can tell the clerk in the outer hall that I won't have tho

Miss V

oom. Grace, whose powers of mental detachment permitted her to concentrate on w

by Miss Vivian seldom int

tion, struck her forcibly when the sudden sound of a pi

r heard such nonsensical red-tape in my life.

was invariably shortened by her acquaintances to Char, it came as a shock even to the imperturbable Mis

e door flew open before her caller, who exclaim

is Willoughby, and when I was Lesbia Carroll your mother and I

e outraged Miss Vivian had been audibly and overpoweringly kissed i