‘I’ve took a day off because I’m thinkin’ of changin’ me job,’ she said, and felt heat invade her cheeks as she spoke. ‘I – I suppose you and C-Caitlin aren’t needin’ a waitress? Someone small what could nip atwixt the tables without so much as brushin’ agin ’em? I know I haven’t done much waitressin’, but I’d learn quick, and as to kitchen work, I knows that like the back of me hand. I’m rare good at peelin’ veggies, gratin’ carrots, makin’ soup—’
Dana interrupted at once, though she smiled very kindly. ‘Oh, Poll, I wish we could employ someone; it’s going to be really tough with only the two of us. But we’ve spent all the money Mr Mortimer paid us for cleaning up his property and we’ve only just managed to scrape up enough to pay the bakers and the greengrocers and so on. To be truthful …’ she lowered her voice so that Polly had to get closer to hear what she was saying, ‘if we don’t make money in our very first week, we shan’t be able to pay ourselves anything and we’ll be hard put to it to meet our bills. Oh, Poll, I am sorry.’
Polly conjured up a grin. ‘It don’t matter. No harm in askin’, is there?’ she said, speaking as chirpily as she could. ‘I’m on me way to Everton Library to borry a book. If you ain’t rushed off your feet when I come back, I’ll pop in for that cuppa.’
Dana returned to the tea room and immediately forgot all about Polly, though she had spoken the truth when she had said they could do with another pair of hands.As it was, the girls had agreed that for the time being at least they would be kitchen workers, waitresses, cooks and the takers of money; in fact, each would do whatever was needed at the time.
At first their customers came mainly out of curiosity and to slake their thirst with pots of tea. Naturally, both Dana and Caitlin tried to tempt them with a display of cakes and scones, but no one succumbed. Still, it was early days. They knew from their experience at the Willows that customers followed one another, a little like sheep following a shepherd, so that when one said she’d try a scone others would follow suit. Even so, it was a sad couple who faced each other across the ancient till at six o’clock that evening, when they finally put up the shutters and swung the Open sign to read Closed .
‘We haven’t taken enough money to reorder scones for tomorrow. I did think we might pop today’s batch into the oven, put it on a low heat and let customers think they were newly baked, but since most people know Sample’s scones when they see them I suppose that wouldn’t work. Oh, whatever will James say when we show him the till roll?’ Caitlin mourned. ‘He’s meeting us here at half past six, to give us time to clear up.’
‘I expect he’ll guess that Mondays aren’t good trading days,’ Dana said comfortingly. ‘If we’ve not done better by the end of the week, he might indeed be upset, but I’m sure things will improve, especially if you smile, Caitlin.’
And half an hour later, Dana was proved right. James came in, cast a desultory look at the till roll and said: ‘Well done! Oh, I can see from your faces that you think you’ve done badly because you only sold cups of tea,but think of it like this. Every person who came into the tea room today and drank tea looked around her and undoubtedly liked what she saw. I don’t know if you realise, but you sold one hundred and forty cups, so now you have a hundred and forty satisfied customers.’
Dana interrupted without compunction. ‘How do you know they were satisfied customers?’ she asked pugnaciously. ‘For all we know, they might go off and tell their friends the tea was too weak or too strong. They might say they didn’t have a scone because we charge twice as much as they would have to pay if they bought it straight from Sample’s. They might say our chairs were uncomfortable …’
‘Did they?’ James Mortimer said
Dana interrupted at once, though she smiled very kindly. ‘Oh, Poll, I wish we could employ someone; it’s going to be really tough with only the two of us. But we’ve spent all the money Mr Mortimer paid us for cleaning up his property and we’ve only just managed to scrape up enough to pay the bakers and the greengrocers and so on. To be truthful …’ she lowered her voice so that Polly had to get closer to hear what she was saying, ‘if we don’t make money in our very first week, we shan’t be able to pay ourselves anything and we’ll be hard put to it to meet our bills. Oh, Poll, I am sorry.’
Polly conjured up a grin. ‘It don’t matter. No harm in askin’, is there?’ she said, speaking as chirpily as she could. ‘I’m on me way to Everton Library to borry a book. If you ain’t rushed off your feet when I come back, I’ll pop in for that cuppa.’
Dana returned to the tea room and immediately forgot all about Polly, though she had spoken the truth when she had said they could do with another pair of hands.As it was, the girls had agreed that for the time being at least they would be kitchen workers, waitresses, cooks and the takers of money; in fact, each would do whatever was needed at the time.
At first their customers came mainly out of curiosity and to slake their thirst with pots of tea. Naturally, both Dana and Caitlin tried to tempt them with a display of cakes and scones, but no one succumbed. Still, it was early days. They knew from their experience at the Willows that customers followed one another, a little like sheep following a shepherd, so that when one said she’d try a scone others would follow suit. Even so, it was a sad couple who faced each other across the ancient till at six o’clock that evening, when they finally put up the shutters and swung the Open sign to read Closed .
‘We haven’t taken enough money to reorder scones for tomorrow. I did think we might pop today’s batch into the oven, put it on a low heat and let customers think they were newly baked, but since most people know Sample’s scones when they see them I suppose that wouldn’t work. Oh, whatever will James say when we show him the till roll?’ Caitlin mourned. ‘He’s meeting us here at half past six, to give us time to clear up.’
‘I expect he’ll guess that Mondays aren’t good trading days,’ Dana said comfortingly. ‘If we’ve not done better by the end of the week, he might indeed be upset, but I’m sure things will improve, especially if you smile, Caitlin.’
And half an hour later, Dana was proved right. James came in, cast a desultory look at the till roll and said: ‘Well done! Oh, I can see from your faces that you think you’ve done badly because you only sold cups of tea,but think of it like this. Every person who came into the tea room today and drank tea looked around her and undoubtedly liked what she saw. I don’t know if you realise, but you sold one hundred and forty cups, so now you have a hundred and forty satisfied customers.’
Dana interrupted without compunction. ‘How do you know they were satisfied customers?’ she asked pugnaciously. ‘For all we know, they might go off and tell their friends the tea was too weak or too strong. They might say they didn’t have a scone because we charge twice as much as they would have to pay if they bought it straight from Sample’s. They might say our chairs were uncomfortable …’
‘Did they?’ James Mortimer said
Similar Books
