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.