a working man) to marry his mistress. Mavis was shocked at what she
heard; it seemed strange to her that such things should exist and be
discussed as if they were the most everyday occurrences.

Often, while busily engaged in serving customers or in hearing and
seeing things which, before she came to "Dawes'," she would never
have believed to be possible, she had a strong suspicion that old
Orgles was watching her from the top of a flight of stairs or the
tiny window in his room; it seemed that he was a wary old spider,
she a fly, and that he was biding his time. This impression saddened
her; it also made her attend carefully to her duties, it being his
place to deal with those of the staff who were remiss in their work.
It was only of an evening, when she was free of the shop, that she
could be said to be anything like her old, light-hearted self. She
would wash, change her clothes, and scurry off to a ham and beef
warehouse she had discovered in a turning off Oxford Street, where
she would get her supper. The shop was kept by a man named Siggers.
He was an affected little man, who wore his hair long; he minced
about his shop and sliced his ham and beef with elaborate wavings of
his carving knife and fork. Mavis proving a regular customer, he let
her eat her supper in the shop, providing her with knife, fork,
tablecloth, and mustard. Although married and henpecked, he affected
to admire Mavis; while she ate her humble meal, he would forlornly
look in her direction, sigh, and wearily support his shaggy head
with his forefinger; but she could not help noticing that, when
afflicted with this mood, he would often glance at himself in a
large looking glass which faced him as he sat. His demonstrations of
regard never became more pronounced. It was as much as Mavis could
do to stop herself from laughing outright when she paid him, it
being a signal mark of his confidence that he did not exact payment