Chapter 107

Mr.Sampson,thebuyer,tookafancytoPhilip.Mr.Sampsonwasverydashing,andthegirlsinhisdepartmentsaidtheywouldnotbesurprisedifhemarriedoneoftherichcustomers.Helivedoutoftownandoftenimpressedtheassistantsbyputtingonhiseveningclothesintheoffice.Sometimeshewouldbeseenbythoseonsweepingdutycominginnextmorningstilldressed,andtheywouldwinkgravelytooneanotherwhilehewentintohisofficeandchangedintoafrockcoat.Ontheseoccasions,havingslippedoutforahurriedbreakfast,healsowouldwinkatPhilipashewalkedupthestairsonhiswaybackandrubhishands.

「Whatanight!Whatanight!」hesaid.「Myword!」

HetoldPhilipthathewastheonlygentlemanthere,andheandPhilipweretheonlyfellowswhoknewwhatlifewas.Havingsaidthis,hechangedhismannersuddenly,calledPhilipMr.Careyinsteadofoldboy,assumedtheimportanceduetohispositionasbuyer,andputPhilipbackintohisplaceofshop-walker.

LynnandSedleyreceivedfashionpapersfromParisonceaweekandadaptedthecostumesillustratedinthemtotheneedsoftheircustomers.Theirclientelewaspeculiar.Themostsubstantialpartconsistedofwomenfromthesmallermanufacturingtowns,whoweretooeleganttohavetheirfrocksmadelocallyandnotsufficientlyacquaintedwithLondontodiscovergooddressmakerswithintheirmeans.Besidethese,incongruously,wasalargenumberofmusic-hallartistes.ThiswasaconnectionthatMr.Sampsonhadworkedupforhimselfandtookgreatpridein.Theyhadbegunbygettingtheirstage-costumesatLynn』s,

andhehadinducedmanyofthemtogettheirotherclothesthereaswell.

「AsgoodasPaquinandhalftheprice,」hesaid.

Hehadapersuasive,hail-fellowwell-metairwithhimwhichappealedtocustomersofthissort,andtheysaidtooneanother:

「What』sthegoodofthrowingmoneyawaywhenyoucangetacoatandskirtatLynn』sthatnobodyknowsdon』tcomefromParis?」

Mr.Sampsonwasveryproudofhisfriendshipwiththepopularfavouriteswhosefrockshemade,andwhenhewentouttodinnerattwoo』clockonSundaywithMissVictoriaVirgo—」shewaswearingthatpowderbluewemadeherandIlayshedidn』tletonitcomefromus,I『adtotellhermeselfthatifI『adn』tdesigneditwithmyown『andsI』dhavesaiditmustcomefromPaquin」—atherbeautifulhouseinTulseHill,heregaledthedepartmentnextdaywithabundantdetails.Philiphadneverpaidmuchattentiontowomen』sclothes,butincourseoftimehebegan,alittleamusedathimself,totakeatechnicalinterestinthem.Hehadaneyeforcolourwhichwasmorehighlytrainedthanthatofanyoneinthedepartment,andhehadkeptfromhisstudentdaysinParissomeknowledgeofline.Mr.Sampson,anignorantmanconsciousofhisincompetence,butwithashrewdnessthatenabledhimtocombineotherpeople』ssuggestions,constantlyaskedtheopinionoftheassistantsinhisdepartmentinmakingupnewdesigns;andhehadthequicknesstoseethatPhilip』scriticismswerevaluable.Buthewasveryjealous,andwouldneverallowthathetookanyone』sadvice.WhenhehadalteredsomedrawinginaccordancewithPhilip』ssuggestion,healwaysfinishedupbysaying:

「Well,itcomesroundtomyownideaintheend.」

Oneday,whenPhiliphadbeenattheshopforfivemonths,MissAliceAntonia,thewell-knownserio-comic,cameinandaskedtoseeMr.Sampson.She

wasalargewoman,withflaxenhair,andaboldlypaintedface,ametallicvoice,andthebreezymannerofacomedienneaccustomedtobeonfriendlytermswiththegalleryboysofprovincialmusic-halls.ShehadanewsongandwishedMr.Sampsontodesignacostumeforher.

「Iwantsomethingstriking,」shesaid.「Idon』twantanyoldthingyouknow.Iwantsomethingdifferentfromwhatanybodyelsehas.」

Mr.Sampson,blandandfamiliar,saidhewasquitecertaintheycouldgethertheverythingsherequired.Heshowedhersketches.

「Iknowthere』snothingherethatwoulddo,butIjustwanttoshowyouthekindofthingIwouldsuggest.」

「Ohno,that』snotthesortofthingatall,」shesaid,assheglancedatthemimpatiently.「WhatIwantissomethingthat』lljusthit『eminthejawandmaketheirfrontteethrattle.」

「Yes,Iquiteunderstand,MissAntonia,」saidthebuyer,withablandsmile,buthiseyesgrewblankandstupid.

「IexpectIshall『avetopopovertoParisforitintheend.」

「Oh,Ithinkwecangiveyousatisfaction,MissAntonia.WhatyoucangetinParisyoucangethere.」

WhenshehadsweptoutofthedepartmentMr.Sampson,alittleworried,discussedthematterwithMrs.Hodges.

「She』sacautionandnomistake,」saidMrs.Hodges.

「Alice,whereartthou?」remarkedthebuyer,irritably,andthoughthehadscoredapointagainsther.

Hisideasofmusic-hallcostumeshadnevergonebeyondshortskirts,aswirloflace,andglitteringsequins;butMissAntoniahadexpressedherselfonthatsubjectinnouncertainterms.

「Oh,myaunt!」shesaid.

Andtheinvocationwasutteredinsuchatoneastoindicatearootedantipathytoanythingso

commonplace,evenifshehadnotaddedthatsequinsgaveherthesick.Mr.Sampson『gotout』oneortwoideas,butMrs.Hodgestoldhimfranklyshedidnotthinktheywoulddo.ItwasshewhogavePhilipthesuggestion:

「Canyoudraw,Phil?Whydon』tyoutryyour『andandseewhatyoucando?」

Philipboughtacheapboxofwatercolours,andintheeveningwhileBell,thenoisyladofsixteen,whistlingthreenotes,busiedhimselfwithhisstamps,hemadeoneortwosketches.HerememberedsomeofthecostumeshehadseeninParis,andheadaptedoneofthem,gettinghiseffectfromacombinationofviolent,unusualcolours.TheresultamusedhimandnextmorningheshowedittoMrs.Hodges.Shewassomewhatastonished,buttookitatoncetothebuyer.

「It』sunusual,」hesaid,「there』snodenyingthat.」

Itpuzzledhim,andatthesametimehistrainedeyesawthatitwouldmakeupadmirably.Tosavehisfacehebeganmakingsuggestionsforalteringit,butMrs.Hodges,withmoresense,advisedhimtoshowittoMissAntoniaasitwas.

「It』sneckornothingwithher,andshemaytakeafancytoit.」

「It』sagooddealmorenothingthanneck,」saidMr.Sampson,lookingatthedecolletage.「Hecandraw,can』the?Fancy『imkeepingitdarkallthistime.」

WhenMissAntoniawasannounced,thebuyerplacedthedesignonthetableinsuchapositionthatitmustcatchhereyethemomentshewasshownintohisoffice.Shepouncedonitatonce.

「What』sthat?」shesaid.「Whycan』tI『avethat?」

「That』sjustanideawegotoutforyou,」saidMr.Sampsoncasually.「D』youlikeit?」

「DoIlikeit!」shesaid.「Giveme『alfapintwithalittledropofgininit.」

「Ah,yousee,youdon』thavetogotoParis.You』veonlygottosaywhatyouwantandthereyouare.」

Theworkwasputinhandatonce,andPhilipfeltquiteathrillofsatisfactionwhenhesawthecostumecompleted.ThebuyerandMrs.Hodgestookallthecreditofit;buthedidnotcare,andwhenhewentwiththemtotheTivolitoseeMissAntoniawearitforthefirsttimehewasfilledwithelation.InanswertoherquestionsheatlasttoldMrs.Hodgeshowhehadlearnttodraw—fearingthatthepeoplehelivedwithwouldthinkhewantedtoputonairs,hehadalwaystakenthegreatestcaretosaynothingabouthispastoccupations—andsherepeatedtheinformationtoMr.Sampson.Thebuyersaidnothingtohimonthesubject,butbegantotreathimalittlemoredeferentiallyandpresentlygavehimdesignstodofortwoofthecountrycustomers.Theymetwithsatisfaction.Thenhebegantospeaktohisclientsofa「cleveryoungfeller,Parisart-student,youknow,」whoworkedforhim;andsoonPhilip,ensconcedbehindascreen,inhisshirtsleeves,wasdrawingfrommorningtillnight.Sometimeshewassobusythathehadtodineatthreewiththe『stragglers.』Helikedit,becausetherewerefewofthemandtheywerealltootiredtotalk;thefoodalsowasbetter,foritconsistedofwhatwasleftoverfromthebuyers』table.Philip』srisefromshop-walkertodesignerofcostumeshadagreateffectonthedepartment.Herealisedthathewasanobjectofenvy.Harris,theassistantwiththequeer-shapedhead,whowasthefirstpersonhehadknownattheshopandhadattachedhimselftoPhilip,couldnotconcealhisbitterness.

「Somepeople『avealltheluck,」hesaid.「You』llbeabuyeryourselfoneofthesedays,andweshallallbecallingyousir.」

HetoldPhilipthatheshoulddemandhigherwages,fornotwithstandingthedifficultworkhewasnowengagedin,hereceivednomorethanthesixshillingsaweekwithwhichhestarted.Butitwasaticklishmattertoaskforarise.Themanagerhadasardonic

wayofdealingwithsuchapplicants.

「Thinkyou』reworthmore,doyou?Howmuchd』youthinkyou』reworth,eh?」

Theassistant,withhisheartinhismouth,wouldsuggestthathethoughtheoughttohaveanothertwoshillingsaweek.

「Oh,verywell,ifyouthinkyou』reworthit.Youcan『aveit.」Thenhepausedandsometimes,withasteelyeye,added:「Andyoucan『aveyournoticetoo.」

Itwasnousethentowithdrawyourrequest,youhadtogo.Themanager』sideawasthatassistantswhoweredissatisfieddidnotworkproperly,andiftheywerenotworthariseitwasbettertosackthematonce.Theresultwasthattheyneveraskedforoneunlesstheywerepreparedtoleave.Philiphesitated.Hewasalittlesuspiciousofthemeninhisroomwhotoldhimthatthebuyercouldnotdowithouthim.Theyweredecentfellows,buttheirsenseofhumourwasprimitive,anditwouldhaveseemedfunnytothemiftheyhadpersuadedPhiliptoaskformorewagesandheweresacked.Hecouldnotforgetthemortificationhehadsufferedinlookingforwork,hedidnotwishtoexposehimselftothatagain,andheknewtherewassmallchanceofhisgettingelsewhereapostasdesigner:therewerehundredsofpeopleaboutwhocoulddrawaswellashe.Buthewantedmoneyverybadly;hisclotheswerewornout,andtheheavycarpetsrottedhissocksandboots;hehadalmostpersuadedhimselftotaketheventuresomestepwhenonemorning,passingupfrombreakfastinthebasementthroughthepassagethatledtothemanager』soffice,hesawaqueueofmenwaitinginanswertoanadvertisement.Therewereaboutahundredofthem,andwhicheverwasengagedwouldbeofferedhiskeepandthesamesixshillingsaweekthatPhiliphad.Hesawsomeofthemcastenviousglancesathimbecausehehademployment.Itmadehimshudder.Hedarednotriskit.