Writing to glorify God

Yo Tommy (Minor Theatr. and 

Peoples'). Exclamation of condemna- 

tion by the small actor. Amongst the 

lower classes it is a declaration of 

admiration addressed to the softer sex 

by the sterner. 

--

The next hour was taken up with perfectly normal routine... being introduced to the filing system, the various bookkeeping records for the investments. Mr. Bennettson had just started to introduce her to some of the products they sold when there was a knock at the door of his office.

"Come in," Mr. Bennettson said, and a young man walked into the office.

"Ah, Mr. Paul. This is Miss Crump, and she will be our new secretary. Miss Crump, this is Mr. Rick Paul, one of our sales associates."

"He says, 'our'," Mr. Paul said, after a small bow, "but you will be mostly 'his' secretary, I'm afraid. Mr. Bennettson is largely responsible for the managing a secretaries, a fact which I deeply regret, Miss Crump."

Mr. Bennettson's face tightened at this, rather inappropriate, pleasantry but, as Mr. Paul turned to leave he said, "Perhaps I should introduce you to the rest of the staff, Miss Crump," and they followed Mr, Paul into a small hallway which, she saw, opened unto a door next to Bobby Welch's bench, and ran most of the length of the building.

"This is my abode," Mr, Paul said, going into the door opposite that, she realized, of her own. She walked to the door and looked in. Except for the lack of ante-room, and safe, it looked to be exactly the same as that of Mr. Bennettson.

Mr. Bennettson waited while she looked in, and then turned down the hallway and opened a door just past his. "Miss Rivers?" he said,"I would like to introduce you to Miss Crump, the new secretary.

Miss Rivers and Miss Crump shook hands, and Miss Crump saw that her office, which was a trifle smaller than the other two, was much more nicely decorated. "Miss Rivers is our junior sales associate," Mr. Bennettson said.

"This office belongs to Mr. Williams," Mr. Bennettson said, opening the office across from Miss Rivers. Mr. Williams, a slightly older man wearing (she noticed) a wedding ring, looked up from a pile of papers at his desk and nodded briefly at Miss Crump.

"This is our storage closet," Mr. Bennetson said, opening a door next to Mr. William's office. I'm afraid we don't have our own loo, here, unfortunately. The men use the one on the second floor, and the women share with the store on the ground floor. It is just for employees, however, or the occasional woman customer who has an urgent need, so I am assured it is kept relatively clean.

Miss Crump nodded her head. This was better than the situation at her previous employement where, inspite of the rather modern look of the building and public offices, the employee room and private rooms had been of the most basic, with the loo's outside. So a few flights of stairs were luxury as far as she was concerned.

"Scurse me, Mr. Bennettson, customer!" Bobby said, coming up behind them.

"Very well, Bobby," Mr. Bennettson said, hurrying back to his office. Miss Crump, if you could show him into my office?"

"Certainly, sir."

She walked out into 'her' room and then, composing myself, she opened to door to the landing. "Mr. Bennettson will see you now, Sir," she said to the gentleman standing there, a bit surprised at his look. She had expected someone in a suit and tie, but this man was in a shirt and sweater.

She was a little awkward knowing what to do but, based on her experience at the bank, she walked him back to Mr. Bennettson's office and left the door between them open, and prepared to note down anything of interest.

"My name is Mr. Bennettson," she heard.

"Professor Jones," the other man said. Ah, a Professor, of course. That explained the clothes. "I have been considering investments for my later years. I am thinking of starting a family and my friends have advised me to begin saving in a more appropriate way."

"Well, we're certainly glad you have come to us," Mr. Bennettson said. "We have a variety of investment instruments. We have a policy of personalized investment counseling. How much do you think you will have to invest?"

"I am hoping to be able to invest four pounds a month."

"An excellent start," Mr. Bennettson said, "let me introduce you to one of our counselors, Miss Rivers." She heard Mr. Bennettson's chair scraping on the floor. "She is our newest associate, and I think she will be perfect for you. You know how it is when you are new, you work harder? Well, she has been working very hard for her clients. I can't give her any of our old, established, accounts, you understand... old Tory's. They'd never understand my giving their account to a new associate, let alone a female one...

Miss Crump had to suppress a laugh, Mr. Bennettson was an excellent salesman. He made it sound like he was doing the professor a favor, one that he could only do because the professor was so 'progressive'. And, unless she missed her guess, he thought that giving a professor that was 'thinking about starting a family' a female associate might just work, too.