rteen and sixteen shillings for
these same names, and after a pause the manager admitted that the pound
had been earned by adding night work.

This question of whether night work is ever done had been a most
difficult one to determine. The girls themselves declared that it often
was, and that they liked it because they got three shillings and their
breakfast; but the managers had in more than one case denied the charge
with fury.

"It's over-work," the present one said, his eyes on the rows of figures.

"When?" asked my companion quietly, and he burst into a laugh.

"You've got me this time," he said. "You've given your word not to
mention names, so I don't mind telling you. It's like this. There's a
new firm to be floated, and they want two hundred thousand circulars on
two days' notice. Of course it has to be night-work, and we put it
through, but we give the girls time for supper, and provide a good
breakfast, and there's hundreds waiting for the chance. But you've seen
for yourselves. Some of them make a pound a week. What in reason does a
woman want of more than a pound a week?"

This remark is the stereotyped one of quite two-thirds the employers,
whether men or women. The old delusion still holds that a man works for
others, a woman solely for herself, and although each woman should
appear with those dependent upon her in entire or partial degree
arranged in line, it would make no difference in the conviction. It is
quite true that many married women work for pocket-money, and having
homes, can afford to underbid legitimate workers. But they are the
smallest proportion of this vast army of London toilers, whose pitiful
wage is earned by a day's labor which happily has no counterpart in
length with us, save among the lowest grade of needlewomen.

In the case under present consideration pay for over-time was allowed
at the rate of fourpence an hour and a penny extra. If late five minutes
the workwoman is fined twopence, and if not there by nine is "drilled,"
that is, sent away, or kept waiting near until two, when she goes on for
half a day. If tardy, as must often happen with fogs and other causes,
she is often "drilled" for a week, though "drilling" in this trade is
used more often with men than with women, who are less liable to
irregularities caused by drink. In some establishments the bait of
sixpence a week for good conduct is offered, but this is deducted on the
faintest pretext, and the worker fined a