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instructions about their work.
When they had made the exchange of their clothing Elizabeth did not seem
able to look at Denton at first; but he looked at her, and saw with
astonishment that even in blue canvas she was still beautiful. And then
their soup and bread came sliding on its little rail down the long table
towards them and stopped with a jerk, and he forgot the matter. For they
had had no proper meal for three days.
After they had dined they rested for a time. Neither talked--there was
nothing to say; and presently they got up and went back to the
manageress to learn what they had to do.
The manageress referred to a tablet. "Y'r rooms won't be here; it'll be
in the Highbury Ward, Ninety-seventh Way, number two thousand and
seventeen. Better make a note of it on y'r card. You, nought nought
nought, type seven, sixty-four, b.c.d., gamma forty-one, female; you
'ave to go to the Metal-beating Company and try that for a
day--fourpence bonus if ye're satisfactory; and you, nought seven one,
type four, seven hundred and nine, g.f.b., pi five and ninety, male;
you 'ave to go to the Photographic Company on Eighty-first Way, and
learn something or other--I don't know--thrippence. 'Ere's y'r cards.
That's all. Next! What? Didn't catch it all? Lor! So suppose I must go
over it all again. Why don't you listen? Keerless, unprovident people!
One'd think these things didn't matter."
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