ctures, like the Empire?" he said.

"I believe it takes best," she said.

"And costs less," he answered. "But _then_! It's so dull. Oh my
_word_, it's so dull. I don't think I could bear it."

"And our pictures aren't good enough," she said. "We should have to
get a new machine, and pay for the expensive films. Our pictures do
shake, and our films are rather ragged."

"But then, _surely_ they're good enough!" he said.

That was how matters stood. The Endeavour paid its way, and made
just a margin of profit--no more. Spring went on to summer, and then
there was a very shadowy margin of profit. But James was not at all
daunted. He was waiting now for the trams, and building up hopes
since he could not build in bricks and mortar.

The navvies were busy in troops along the Knarborough Road, and down
Lumley Hill. Alvina became quite used to them. As she went down the
hill soon after six o'clock in the evening, she met them trooping
home. And some of them she liked. There was an outlawed look about
them as they swung along the pavement--some of them; and there was a
certain lurking set of the head which rather frightened her because
it fascinated her. There was one tall young fellow with a red face
and fair hair, who looked as if he had fronted the seas and the
arctic sun. He looked at her. They knew each other quite well, in
passing. And he would glance at perky Mr. May. Alvina tried to
fathom what the young fellow's look meant. She wondered what he
thought of Mr. May.

She was surprised to hear Mr. May's opinion of the navvy.

"_He's_ a handsome young man, now!" exclaimed her companion one
evening as the navvies passed. And all three turned round, to find
all three turning round. Alvina laughed, and made eyes. At that
moment she would cheerfully have gone along with the navvy. She was
getting so tired of Mr. May's quiet prance.

On the whole, Alvina enjoyed the cinema and the life it brought her.
She accepted it. And she became somewhat vulgarized in her bearing.
She was _declassee_: she had lost her class altogether. The other
daughters of respectable tradesmen avoided her now, or spoke to her
only from a distance. She was supposed to be "carrying on" with Mr.
May.

Alvina did not care. She rather liked it. She liked being
_declassee_. She liked feeling an outsider. At last she seemed to
stand on her own ground. She laughed to herself as she went back and
forth from Woodhouse to Lumley, between Manchester Hous