t in the vast army of
incapable, stupid women who, sooner or later, drift into the letting of
lodgings as a means of livelihood. After breakfast, Mavis wrote to
"Dawes'," requesting that her boxes might be sent to her present
address. Now that the sun of cold reason, which reaches its zenith in
the early morning, illumined the crowded events of yesterday, Mavis was
concerned for the consequences of the violence she had offered Orgles.
Her faith in human justice had been much disturbed; she feared that
Orgles, moved with a desire for vengeance, would represent her as the
aggressor, himself as the victim of an unprovoked assault: any moment
she feared to find herself in the clutches of the law. She was too
dispirited to look for work; to ease the tension in her mind, she tried
to discover what had become of Mrs Ellis, but without success.

About five, two letters came for her, one of these being, as the
envelope told her, from "Dawes'." She fearfully opened it. To her great
surprise, the letter regretted the firm's inability to continue her
temporary engagement; it enclosed a month's salary in place of the
usual notice, together with the money due to her for her present
month's services; it concluded by stating that her conduct had given
great satisfaction to the firm, and that it would gladly give her
further testimonials should she be in want of these to secure another
place.

Mavis could hardly believe her good fortune; she read and re-read the
letter; she gratefully scanned the writing on the cheque. The other
letter attracted her attention, which proved to be from Miss Meakin.
This told her that, if Mavis could play the piano and wanted temporary
work, she could get this by at once applying at "Poulter's" Dancing
Academy in Devonport Road, Shepherd's Bush, which Miss Meakin attended;
it also said that the writer would be at the academy soon after nine,
when she would tell Mavis how she had found her address. Mavis put on
her hat and cloak with a light heart. The fact of escaping from the
debasing drudgery of "Dawes'," of being the possessor of a cheque for
L2. 12S., the prospect of securing work, if only of a temporary nature,
made her forget her loneliness and her previous struggles to wrest a
pittance from a world indifferent to her needs. After all, there was
One who cared: the contents of the two letters which she had just
received proved that; the cheque and promise of employment were in the
nature of compensa