tonight none
of these resources were at hand with which to make appetising the soapy
compound on her plate. Miss Striem, the dark little woman at the head
of the table, noted her disinclination to tackle the cheese.

"You can have anything exthra if you care to pay for it," she remarked.

"What have you?" asked Mavis.

"Ham, bloater, or chicken pathte, and an exthellent brand of thardines."

"I'll try the ham paste," said Mavis.

An opened tin of ham paste was put before her. Mavis noticed that the
other girls were looking at her out of the corners of their eyes.

She put some of the paste on to her plate; it looked unusual, even for
potted meat; but ascribing its appearance to the effect of the light,
Mavis spread some on a bit of bread and put this in her mouth. Only for
a moment; the next, she had removed it with her handkerchief. One of
the girls tittered. Miss Striem looked sharply in this person's
direction.

"I can't eat this: it's bad!" cried Mavis.

"Perhaps you would prefer a thardine."

"Anything, so long as it's fit to eat."

Some of the girls raised their eyebrows at this remark. All of them
were more or less frightened of Miss Striem, the housekeeper.

An opened tin of sardines was set before Mavis. She had only to glance
inside to see that its contents were mildewed.

"Thanks," she said, pushing the tin away.

"I beg your pardon," remarked Miss Striem severely.

"They're bad too. I'm not going to eat them."

"You'll have to pay for them juth the thame."

"What?" cried Mavis.

"If you order, you pay. Ith a rule in the houth," said Miss Striem, as
if the matter were forthwith dismissed from her mind.

"To sell girls bad food?" asked Mavis.

"I cannot discuth the matter; the thum due will be deducted from your
wageth."

Mavis's blood was up. Her wage was small enough without having anything
deducted for food she could not eat.

"I shall go to the management," she remarked.

"You'll what?"

"Go to the management. I'm not going to be cheated like that."

"You call me a cheat?" screamed the little woman, as she rose to her
feet.

Mavis was, for the moment, taken aback by Miss Striem's vehemence. The
girl next to her whispered, "Go it," under her breath.

"You call me a cheat?" repeated Miss Striem.

"I shall say what I have to say to the management," replied Mavis
coolly.

"And I'll thay what I have to thay; and you'll find out who is believed
in a way you won't like."

"I