ill manage in the one room?" she said. "I will give you
another pillow."

She led the way upstairs. Geoffrey followed, heavily. Then Ciccio.
On the landing Alvina gave them the pillow and the candle, smiled,
bade them good-night in a whisper, and went downstairs again. She
cleared away the supper and carried away all glasses and bottles
from the drawing-room. Then she washed up, removing all traces of
the feast. The cards she restored to their old mahogany box.
Manchester House looked itself again.

She turned off the gas at the meter, and went upstairs to bed. From
the far room she could hear the gentle, but profound vibrations of
Geoffrey's snoring. She was tired after her day: too tired to
trouble about anything any more.

But in the morning she was first downstairs. She heard Miss
Pinnegar, and hurried. Hastily she opened the windows and doors to
drive away the smell of beer and smoke. She heard the men rumbling
in the bath-room. And quickly she prepared breakfast and made a
fire. Mrs. Rollings would not appear till later in the day. At a
quarter to seven Miss Pinnegar came down, and went into the scullery
to make her tea.

"Did both the men stay?" she asked.

"Yes, they both slept in the end room," said Alvina.

Miss Pinnegar said no more, but padded with her tea and her boiled
egg into the living room. In the morning she was wordless.

Ciccio came down, in his shirt-sleeves as usual, but wearing a
collar. He greeted Miss Pinnegar politely.

"Good-morning!" she said, and went on with her tea.

Geoffrey appeared. Miss Pinnegar glanced once at him, sullenly, and
briefly answered his good-morning. Then she went on with her egg,
slow and persistent in her movements, mum.

The men went out to attend to Geoffrey's bicycle. The morning was
slow and grey, obscure. As they pumped up the tires, they heard some
one padding behind. Miss Pinnegar came and unbolted the yard door,
but ignored their presence. Then they saw her return and slowly
mount the outer stair-ladder, which went up to the top floor. Two
minutes afterwards they were startled by the irruption of the
work-girls. As for the work-girls, they gave quite loud, startled
squeals, suddenly seeing the two men on their right hand, in the
obscure morning. And they lingered on the stair-way to gaze in rapt
curiosity, poking and whispering, until Miss Pinnegar appeared
overhead, and sharply rang a bell which hung beside the entrance
door of the work-rooms.