Some men have the easiest way imaginable of dropping into familiar speech with bar-maids and waitresses at a moment's notice, or less. I had never cultivated the art, and now I was sorry for my neglect. Still, I might try, and I did. But somehow it was difficult to hit the right note. My key varied. A patronizingly uttered "My dear," seemed a good general standby to begin or finish a sentence; so I said: "Ah--Hannah--Hannah, my dear!" The words startled me when I heard them--I feared my tone had scarcely the correct dignity. Hannah's red head turned, and she came across, grinning slily. "Yus?" she said, interrogatively, and still grinning. I feared I had begun wrong. It was all very well to be condescendingly familiar with a waitress, but it would never do to allow the waitress to be familiar with me. So I said, rather severely, "Just give me a newspaper. Ah--Hannah!" I think I hit the medium very well with the last two words. "Yus?" she said again, and now she positively leered. "I--I meant to have given you sixpence yesterday; you're very attentive, Hannah--Hannah, my dear." (That didn't sound quite right, somehow--never mind.) "Very attentive. Here's the sixpence. Er--er"--(what in the world should I say next?) "What-er-what" (I was desperate) "what is the latest fashion in hair?" "Not _your_ colour ain't," she said; "so now!" And she swung off with a toss of her red head. I had offended her! I ought to have guessed she would take that question amiss--I was a fool. And before I could apologize a customer came in--a waggoner. I had lost another day! And Aunt Sarah was growing more and more impatient. At last I resolved to go at the business point-blank, as I should have done at first. Plainly it was my only chance. The longer I made my approach, the more awkward I got. I had the happy thought to take a flower in my button-hole, and give it to Hannah as a peace-offering, after my unintentional rudeness of yesterday. It acted admirably, and I was glad to see a girl in her humble position so much gratified by a little attention like that. She grinned--she even blushed a little--all the while I ate that repulsive early lunch. So I seized the opportunity of her good humour, paid for the food as soon as I could, and said, with as much business-like ease as I could assume:-- "I--ah--I should like, Hannah, ah--if you don't mind--just as a--a matter of--of scientific interest, you know--scientific interest, my dear--to buy a small piece of your hair." "'Oo ye gettin' at?" she replied, with a blush and a giggle. "I--I'm perfectly serious," I said--and I believe I looked desperately so. "I'll give you half a sovereign for a small piece--just a lock--for purely scientific purposes, I assure you."