"Oh! Thank you, ma'am. I don't know what to say!" Ellie said. Then reality set in. "But, ma'am. I just popped round from my current employer. Can I rush back and grab my things?" she said. Sod two weeks, she'd dowse the kitchen fire and leave her key, maybe even leave a note, but wanted her shawl and apron.

Christine looked startled. "Oh, yes of course. " She walked with her to show her the way out as the rows of the book shop could get one lost easily. "I will ask that you do not leave me so suddenly as you left this employer." She laughed softly, hoping the girl would never want to leave. "May I ask how much your current employer pays you?" She asked curiously as she got to the door. Maybe it could be this simple, is this rude to ask?

"Oh no, Ma'am. I'd like to stay for a long time. I'd like to work for a good employer." she said making her way to the front of the store.  Ellie also silently added who cares to the end of that sentence. On the threshold, Ellie then told her the truth of how much she made. "People call me Ellie, Ma'am." the girl smiled brightly reaching for the door handle. The bell hanging above, rang out. The sound seemed joyous to Ellie's ears, heralding a celebration.

Christine nodded and seemed in thought. "Alright, I will pay you that exact amount this month. After everything is purchased, next month you will get double. That seems fair." She said though it mostly was to herself. "Though I may pay you a bit less any time I decide to buy you something new. And you may call me Christine." She smiled as she watched her new maid go. It was nice to have a maid who was like a little sister, definitely not what she had been going for, but the turn was a pleasant one.

Ellie nodded eagerly. The same wage for less work seemed fair, adding in the prospect of new clothes, and it seemed alright to a girl used to not very much. "Yes ma' - sorry. Christine." Ellie verbally stumbled. This informality would take considerable getting used too. Yet, she didn't seem like a 'ma'am' anyway. It was almost like having an older sister; a more sophisticated, wealthy older sister.

"I'll be right back." She said

Ellie dashed back to Argyle Street as fast as her boots could carry her without running. The front door slammed. "That you darling? The maid's bunked off" came a faint voice from upstairs. Ellie didn't answer. Retrieving her apron, Ellie tied it around her waist, and wrapped her shawl about her. Placing the half polished boots on the floor, Ellie dipped a finger, wrapped in the polishing cloth into the boot polish.

I QUIT! - Ellie

She scrawled in large capital letters on the scrap paper spread across the table. Letting the rag drop, she took water and dosed the stove. No reference for her, but she didn't need one.

"Darling? You alright?" the male voice was louder at the top of the stairs or something. Ellie turned on her heel and let her house key fall on the table. She headed straight out the front door, not stopping to chat, offer an apology, or anything.

"Hey! Where have you been? What are you doing? Where are you going?" Ellie kept walking. The shouted threats of unemployment and destitution following her every step down Argyle street eventually shrinking to silence.

Christine had seemed in thought as she looked over what had been a half hearted storage room when she heard the chime. "Ah, Ellie, is that you?" She called out cheerfully and headed back down to see her. She smiled brightly. "Ah, you weren't long at all! Wonderful. Well, let us first get you washed. It will be easier for us to look at clothing if they are not too worried about them getting dirty." The woman said as she gestured to her hands. "No worries, I've already got things in the wash room, and I think I found a dress for you. I still have a few things with fond memories in a trunk so a dress I had in my younger days will be perfect." She said and waved for her to follow. In the wash room there, she started the water and let it warm and fill the tub as she gestured to the variety of soaps and things for her hair. "This to clean it, and this to add nutrients and stuff to make your hair look nicer and smoother." She said as she knew some of them didn't have such things, her own family didn't until she moved out on her own.

She continued gesturing to things the girl could use and what they did and by the time she was done a very warm bath was filled. "Alright, and here is your outfit." She held up a rich green velvet dress with draping sleeves and some stockings and black boots that would match the look. "It might be a little more extravagant than needed for the day, but you won't be cleaning just yet. It's perfect for a shopping trip in town." The woman sighed happily, "And it's nice to see someone wear it again." She looked to Ellie, hoping she hadn't overwhelmed her. "You will be alright now, dear?"

Ellie was indeed overwhelmed by the kindness of a stranger. The dress was beautiful, in her favourite colour no less. Hand-me-down or keepsake, it was still the nicest dress young Ellie had seen outside of a shop window. She wanted to hug Christine, but wasn't sure that was proper.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Ellie babbled instead, her voice trailing off.

The matter of a bath wasn't a problem for Ellie. Some in the Cragg still distrusted water as an agent of disease - and not so long ago, they would have been right - so back home it could be argued: who smelt worse the fishermen or the catch? Yet for Ellie, she had accepted the axiom Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and tried her best with that sort of thing. Yet, her baths were still infrequent and usually cold with such a crowded house. The act of a hot bath to herself in the day was a luxury unknown to her. There were a few moments of idle bliss, before she got to the business of the wash with the products shown her.

She felt wonderful afterwards, and probably looked better too.. if the grey scummy bath water was anything to go by. Soon she had changed and smoothed down the fabric of her 'new' dress, it felt wonderfully soft to the touch. Ellie looked down at the dark servant's uniform, now a shade of grey and she was struck by how ugly it was comparison.

Christine had laughed at the many thanks she received and lightly touched the girl's face. "It's alright. You don't need to thank me! I am sharing with you since you will be helping me out so much and staying with me. I think I might like the company." She waved as she left the girl alone to bathe.

When the girl was finished, she was sitting outside in a chair, relaxed and reading a paper. She looked up when the girl came out and giggled standing. "You are adorable! And it fits perfectly, I couldn't have guessed. Let me see.." she held up a hand for the girl to wait and went into a room nearby that was clearly a bedroom. A moment later she came out with some deep green ribbon and a brush. "Let's braid that lovely hair and then we'll go out!"

She didn't even wait for Ellie to agree or complain before she began to brush back her hair. "You'll be cleaning up after me, the least I can do is spoil you some in between, right?"

Ellie couldn't contain her excitement, she shifted from one foot to another. Her mother had brushed her hair years ago, but that task had long been left to Ellie herself. The young girl from the Cragg closed her eyes as she enjoyed the sensation of the brush moving through her locks.

Christine looked sweetly at Ellie as she brushed her hair slowly so it wouldn't pull any tangle. As she went through it all, she slowly worked on braiding it back. When she got to the end, she tied it back with the ribbon and then moved around and tilted her chin up to check her handy work. "Looks great." She grabbed a hand mirror for her. "What do you think? I haven't braided my hair in years, but some things you don't forget."