Piper eighteen years," replied Madame Flora composedly,
"but I've always kep' on my business, Modam. It's not much of a business
now, worse luck! Ladies won't part with their clothes, not when they're
dropping off them. In old days, if Piper was down, I was up, so we was
all right. But we've both struck a streak of bad luck."
For a few moments neither of them spoke. Mrs. Crofton was staring,
astonished, at her visitor, and through her shallow mind there ran the
new thought of how very, very little any of us know of other people's
lives. After her first shock of dismayed surprise to find that Piper was
married at all, she had imagined Piper's wife as something young and, of
course, in a way, attractive and easily managed.
"Did you ever come down to my house in Essex?" she asked, still trying to
speak pleasantly.
"No, Modam, I never was there. Piper and I 'as always kep' clear of each
other's jobs, and I wouldn't be interfering _now_, but that the matter's
becoming serious. Piper's worse than no good when 'e's idle." She
hesitated, then went on, "If 'e's to keep off 'is failing, 'e must be
working."
There was a pause, and then Enid Crofton spoke, in a low, uncertain tone.
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