‘Where have you been, Clara?’ her father asked.

She did not answer immediately, but finished drawing off her gloves and rolled them up by turning one over the other.  Then she said indifferently: 

‘I’ve been to see Mrs. Tubbs.’

‘And who gave you leave?’ asked Hewett with irritation.

’I don’t see that I needed any leave.  I knew she was coming here to speak to you or mother, so I went, after work, to ask what you’d said.’

She was not above the middle stature of women, but her slimness and erectness, and the kind of costume she wore made her seem tall as she stood in this low-ceiled room.  Her features were of very uncommon type, at once sensually attractive and bearing the stamp of intellectual vigour.  The profile was cold, subtle, original; in full face, her high cheekbones and the heavy, almost horizontal line of her eyebrows were the points that first drew attention, conveying an idea of force of character.  The eyes themselves were hazel-coloured, and, whatever her mood, preserved a singular pathos of expression, a look as of self-pity, of unconscious appeal against some injustice.  In contrast with this her lips were defiant, insolent, unscrupulous; a shadow of the naivete of childhood still lingered upon them, but, though you divined the earlier pout of the spoilt girl, you felt that it must have foretold this danger-signal in the mature woman.  Such cast of countenance could belong only to one who intensified in her personality an inheritance of revolt; who, combining the temper of an ambitious woman with the forces of a man’s brain, had early learnt that the world was not her friend nor the world’s law.

Her clothing made but poor protection against the rigours of a London winter.  Its peculiarity (bearing in mind her position) was the lack of any pretended elegance.  A close-fitting, short jacket of plain cloth made evident the grace of her bust; beneath was a brown dress with one row of kilting.  She wore a hat of brown felt, the crown rising from back to front, the narrow brim closely turned up all round.  The high collar of the jacket alone sheltered her neck.  Her gloves, though worn, were obviously of good kid; her boots—­ strangest thing of all in a work-girl’s daily attire—­were both strong and shapely.  This simplicity seemed a declaration that she could not afford genuine luxuries and scorned to deck herself with shams.

The manner of her reply inflamed Hewett with impotent wrath.  He smote the table violently, then sprang up and flung his chair aside.

‘Is that the way you’ve learnt to speak to your father?’ he shouted.  ’Haven’t I told you you’re not to go nowhere without my leave or your mother’s?  Do you pay no heed to what I bid you?  If so, say it!  Say it at once, and have done with it.’

Clara was quietly removing her hat.  In doing so, she disclosed the one thing which gave proof of regard for personal appearance.  Her hair was elaborately dressed.  Drawn up from the neck, it was disposed in thick plaits upon the top of her head; in front were a few rows of crisping.  She affected to be quite unaware that words had been spoken to her, and stood smoothing each side of her forehead.