The only disadvantage we could associate with his coming was that by some
means Jimmy's Nellie had got on to the staff. No one seemed to know when
or how it had happened, but she was there, firmly established working
better than any one else, and Dan was demanding payment of his bets.
Cheon would not hear of her dismissal. She was his "right hand," he
declared; and so I interviewed Nellie and stated my objections in cold,
brutal English, only to hate myself the next moment; for poor Nellie,
with a world of longing in her eyes, professed herself more than willing
to wear "good fellow clothes" if she could get any.
"Missus got big mob," she suggested as a hint; and, although that was a
matter of opinion and comparison, in remorse I recklessly gave her my
only bath wrapper, and for weeks went to the bath in a mackintosh.
Nellie was also willing to use as much carbolic soap as the station could
afford; but as the smoking and spitting proved more difficult to cope
with, and I had discovered that I could do all the "housework" in less
time than it took to superintend it, I made Cheon a present of the entire
staff, only keeping a lien on it for the washing and scrubbing.
