The men ogled her; the women
guests tried her patience. A pretty girl, it was only natural that she
should attract attention from the men, but the persistent manner in
which they stared, and tried to make acquaintance, annoyed her beyond
measure. When they spoke to her in the ordinary course of business
they were courteous enough, but their eyes were bold, and sometimes
they said things in an undertone which made her face flush scarlet.
She complained to her associates, but she got no sympathy. The other
girls--sorry they were not attractive themselves--only laughed at her
for being so particular. They said that the men meant no harm, and
that she should consider it a compliment to her good looks if they
took the trouble to address her at all.
Otherwise the work was congenial enough and the hours were not long.
She still lived with her sister in the same house where their mother
died. The millinery business had grown sufficiently large to take all
Fanny's time, and it brought in enough to keep the little household
going. When her sister married Jimmie, she would, of course, be
compelled to give the shop up, but meantime it helped defray expenses
and gave Fanny an occupation.
After that first morning of dictation in Robert Stafford's rooms,
Virginia saw a good deal of the handsome railroad man. The first
business interview had been followed by others, and when there was no
regular correspondence to be answered he would stop at the desk
downstairs on all sorts of pretexts.
Pages:
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64