She must appear to be “all there,” and trust to finding out the routine of a New York shop-girl’s life from one of themselves.  She hoped the sardine would be engaged—­nice, trim little sardine with smooth black pompadour, small white face, jewel-bright eyes, pugnacious nose, determined chin!  A snappy yet somehow trustworthy sardine.

Still the superintendent was observing her, as if to see whether she were warranted sound and kind.  “I’m going to put you into a bargain square,” said he thoughtfully.  “Do you know what that means?”

“I can guess,” said she.

“One of our two-hour bargain sales will tell better than anything else whether you’ve got stuff in you,” he went on.  “Have you ever seen a check book?” was the question now flashed at her.

Win had just sense enough left not to blurt out any nonsense about a bank.  In an instant she realized that the pads upon which salespeople did hasty sums must be called check books, anyhow in America.  She answered that she had seen one.

“Know what to do with it?”

“On principle.  I can soon learn the method.”

“Soon’s a long word.  You may have time for it, your side.  We haven’t.  Things have gotta be learned on the nail.  See here, what about your dress?  Are you wearing black under that jacket?”

Win’s heart jumped.  She had not expected, if engaged, to begin work the next moment.  She had supposed that she would be told to return the next morning before the opening hour for customers; otherwise it might have occurred to her that it would be well to get a ready-made black dress.  But she must not throw away this chance which seemed to be hanging in the balance.

“No,” she answered quickly.  “I thought it would be better to buy something here when I knew just what was wanted.  I can find a dress which will fit, I know.  I always can, and I can be in it fifteen minutes from now.”

“Well,” the superintendent said with half-grudging approval that lit a faint twinkle in his eyes, “you’re no slow coach for an Englishwoman.  You may do.  We sell 10 per cent. off to our employees.  Here’s the key of your locker.  Here’s your check book.  When you’ve got your dress, ask for the schoolroom.  Take fifteen minutes’ lesson on the blackboard for making out your checks, and the rest’s up to you.  But look sharp.  We’ve been open to customers for half an hour now.  At ten-thirty a two-hours’ bargain sale of blouses, sashes, and ladies’ fancy neckwear opens on the first floor.  That’s yours.  You must be in the square more than half an hour before the sale begins, to see stock and learn your job.”

He eyed her sharply to see if she were “feazed.”  But Win had the feeling that a “stiff upper lip” was needed for the honour of England and the pluck of its womanhood.  She remembered one of the stories she had loved best as a child—­the story of the task Venus set for Psyche before she could be worthy of Cupid, the lover whose wings she had burned with a drop of oil from her lamp.  Now the girl, grown out of childhood, understood how Psyche had felt when told to count the grains of wheat in Venus’s granary within a certain time limit.