Chapter 102 Chapter 102

Athelny told Philip to his face that he would have no trouble finding Philip a job at the big linen company where he worked.Several of the clerks in the company went to the front, and Ryan Sedley, a patriotic company, guaranteed jobs for those clerks who went to the front.The company puts the work of the heroes on the remaining clerks without increasing the wages of these people. In this way, the company not only shows the spirit of public welfare, but also saves a lot of money.But the war is still going on, and the business is not too sluggish. When the holidays come, some of the clerks will go on vacation as usual, and they will go out for half a month. In this way, the company has to hire some more clerks.Philip's life experience made him doubt whether the company could employ him even in this situation.Athelny, however, put himself on the top of the company and insisted that the managers of the company could not refuse any of his proposals.He added that Philippe's drawing training in Paris had been very useful, and that he would surely get a well-paying position designing clothes or drawing advertisements if he waited a while.Philip drew an advertisement for the summer sale, and Athelny took it away.Two days later he brought back the poster and told Philip that the manager had praised his drawing, but that the manager sincerely regretted that there were no vacancies in the design department at the moment.Philip asked Athelny if there was nothing else to do.

"It might be gone." "Are you sure?" "Well, tomorrow the company is looking for a customer attendant," said Athelny, looking suspiciously at Philip through the glasses. "Do you think it's possible for me to get the position?" Athelny felt a little lost.He had been leading Philip to wait for a more dignified and honorable position, and on the other hand, he himself was helpless and unable to provide Philip with board and lodging indefinitely. "You can accept this position and wait for a better position. Once you are hired by the company, you can always get a better opportunity."

"I'm not one of the sort to climb up and down, as you know," said Philip, smiling. "If you make up your mind, you have to go to the company tomorrow at a quarter to eight in the morning." In spite of the fighting it was evident that it was not easy to find a job, for there was already a great number of people waiting for Philip when he went into the shop.He recognized a few people he had run across while out looking for work, including one whom he had seen lying in a park at noon.To Philip, this person is just like himself, a homeless, sleeping-out character.There are all kinds of people crowded here, old and young, tall and short, but everyone is carefully groomed for the upcoming meeting with the manager: they all comb their hair to be smooth, and take the trouble to wash and clean their hands. wash.They were all waiting in a corridor which, Philip learned afterwards, led from the dining-room to the studio.This corridor had door openings five or six paces wide at intervals of a few yards.Although the store was equipped with electric lights, the corridor was lit with gas lamps, protected by wire mesh, and the gas lamps hissed and burned.Philip arrived punctually at a quarter past eight, but was not called into the office until nearly ten o'clock.It was a room with only three corners, and it looked like a piece of cheese that had been sliced ​​and tossed aside.On the walls were photographs of women in corsets, and a couple of advertisements.One depicts a man in baggy pajamas with grass-green and white stripes; the other shows a boat plowing a blue sea with its full sails emblazoned with the words "Large White cloth for sale" in large characters.The longest wall in the office turned out to be the back of one of the store's window displays, which are currently being furnished.During the meeting, an assistant walked in and out, busy.The manager is looking at a letter.The man had a ruddy complexion, sandy hair and a large sandy beard, and a large string of soccer medals hung from the center of his chest fob.He sat behind a large desk in shirt-sleeves, a telephone strapped to his hand, and in front of him were piles of the day's advertisements, Athelny's masterpiece, and newspaper clippings pasted on cards.He glanced at Philip, but said nothing, dictated the letter to the typist.The typist was a girl, and sat at a small table in another corner.Then he asked Philip's name, age, and previous employment history.It seemed that he could not control himself when he spoke, and always raised his voice in a raspy voice, and there was a strong Cockney accent in his voice.Philip noticed that his upper teeth were frighteningly large and protruding forward, giving the impression of loose roots which would fall out with a jerk.

"I think M. Athelny has already told you about me," said Philip. "Oh, are you the young man who drew the advertisement?" "Yes, sir." "It's not of any use to us, you know, not at all." He looked Philip up and down, and seemed to notice that in some respects, Philip was different from the few applicants who came in earlier. "You've got to get a frock coat to wear, you know. I reckon you haven't got one. You look like a decent young lad. I suppose you don't think art's worth it." Philip could not guess from his words whether he meant to hire him or not.He spoke to Philip in a hostile manner.

"Where is your house?" "My parents died when I was a child." "I like to give young people a chance. I have given a lot of young people that opportunity and they are now heads of departments. They are very grateful to me and I have to say this for their sake. They know I did something for them. Starting from the bottom rung of the ladder is the only way to learn business. Afterwards, as long as you persevere and keep going up the ladder, there is no telling where it will lead you. If you are fit, some day you will find yourself in the same position as I am. Remember what I just said, young man."

"Sir, I am more than willing to do my best to get the job done," said Philip. Philip knew that whatever he said he said "sir" whenever he could, but the phrase itself was harsh, and he was afraid he had gone too far.The manager is very eloquent.As he spoke, he felt how great he was, and a feeling of joy arose in him.It was not until he had eloquently said a lot that he gave Philip an affirmative answer. "Well, I'm sure you're going to do that," he said at last haughtily. "Anyway, I'm not opposed to giving you a chance to try." "Thank you very much, sir."

"You can come to work right away. I'll pay you six shillings a week and your living expenses. That's all, you know, six shillings are pocket money, pay monthly, and spend as you like. Start on Monday From now on, I suppose you have nothing to complain about." "Yes, sir." "Harrington Street, do you know where this street is? On Shaftesbury Boulevard. That's where you live. It's number ten. Well, yes, it's number ten. Sunday night, if you like." Just live there. It's up to you, or you can move your suitcase there on Monday," the manager nodded and said "goodbye."