"A young lady's outside--wants a position--as a stenogerpher." Davidge growled without looking up: "Why bother me? Send her to the chief clerk." "She wants to see you specially." "I'm out." "Said Miss Webling sent her." "O Lord!--show her in." Marie Louise entered. Davidge looked up, leaped up. She did not come in with the drawing-room, train-dragging manner of Miss Webling. She did not wear the insolent beauty of Mamise of the Musical Mokes. She was a white-waisted, plain-skirted office-woman, a businessette. She had a neat little hat and gave him a secretarial bow. He rushed to her hand, and they had a good laugh like two children playing pretend. Then he said: "Why the camouflage?" The word was not very new even then, or he would not have used it. She explained, with royal simplicity: "I want a job." She brought out her diploma and a certificate giving her a civil-service status. She was quite conceited about it. She insisted on displaying her accomplishments. "Give me some dictation," she dictated. He nodded, pummeled his head for an idea while she took from her hand-bag, not a vanity-case, but a stenographer's notebook and a sheaf of pencils. He noted that she sat down stenographically--very concisely. She perched her notebook on the desk of one crossed knee and perked her eyes up as alertly as a sparrow. All this professionalism sat so quaintly on the two Marie Louises he had known that he roared with laughter as at a child dressed up. She smiled patiently at his uproar till it subsided. Then he sobered and began to dictate: "Ready? 'Miss Mamise'--cross that out--'Miss Marie Louise Webling'--you know the address; I don't. 'Dear--My dear'--no, just 'Dear Miss Webling. Reference is had to your order of recent date that this house engage you as amanuensis.' Dictionary in the bookcase outside--comma--no, period. 'In reply I would--I wish to--I beg to--we beg to say that we should--I should just as soon engage Mona Lisa for a stenographer as you.' Period and paragraph. "'We have,'--comma,--'however,'--comma,--'another position to offer you,'--comma,--'that is, as wife to the senior member of this firm.' Period. 'The best wages we can--we can offer you are--is the use of one large,'--comma,--'slightly damaged heart and a million thanks a minute.' Period. 'Trusting that we may be favored with a prompt and favorable reply, we am--I are--am--yours very sincerely, truly yours,'--no, just say 'yours,' and I'll sign it. By the way, do you know what the answer will be?" "Yes." "Do you mean it?" "I mean that I know the answer." "Let me have it." "Can't you guess?" "'Yes'?" "No." "Oh!" A long glum pause till she said, "Am I fired?" "Of course not." More pause. She intervened in his silence. "What do I do next, please?" He said, of habit, "Why, sail on, and on, and on." He reached for his basket of unanswered mail. He said: