n workman, a josser! While Trampy was
an artiste, a bill-topper and rich, no doubt. You had only to listen to
Trampy to see that he was very well off! Chocolates, sweets, jewelry,
ostrich-feathers, patent-leather boots, everything! He would have loaded
her with presents, if she had let him, but she had never accepted anything
except a little gold ring, which she hid in her pocket when she came in,
for, if Ma had caught sight of it, gee, what a smacking!

Trampy often met her; he seemed almost to do so on purpose; he found
pretty speeches, compliments which he had already uttered a score of times
to ever so many girls, on ever so many stages, like a real Don Juan who
had been all over the world and everywhere picked up love-speeches and
jokes to "fetch" the ladies with. He tickled her vanity, told her that a
dear little girl like her was cut out for dress, that a big hat with
ostrich feathers would go well with her fair hair and that men, by Jove,
ought to go on their knees whenever they spoke to her!

All this hummed and buzzed in her head. At night, when she fell asleep in
Maud's arms, she dreamed of big hats and fine dresses and referred to it
during the day. Pa hardly knew what to think; if she did as well as last
night--three encores--Lily could have half a sovereign, to buy a new hat
in the Tottenham Court Road with, said Pa.

"Oh, Pa, I shall do all right, you'll see. Will you be very nice? Then get
me that one at two guineas, you know, in Regent Street."

"But you're mad, Lily!" said Pa, without attaching too much importance to
it, for he had other cares: agents to see, letters to write, business,
damn it!

That took down Lily's cheek a bit; but her luxurious ideas returned,
nevertheless. For instance, from admiring the Three Graces or the Gilson
girl, who looked like Venuses in their silk tights and whose entrance on
the stage caused every opera-glass to glint upon them, the wish to appear
in tights began to grow on Lily. Oh, not the plain tights of living
statues; no, but with flowers and leaves embroidered here and there and
jet braid laced about the right arm. She was tired of bloomers and told Pa
so, straight out, when the apprentices had left the room and Pa, stretched
in his easy-chair, seemed in a good temper. Pa thought this notion about
tights, silly:

"They're very nice, those bloomers; those little shirts. Ask your
mother."

"Oh, yes," said Ma sarcastically, "but bloomers are made at home, in t