Hired as a Barmaid

As I mull his offer over perhaps he reads my mind, as he says: "I'll pay you four coppers a day in addition."

I assume that "coppers" are the copper coins that I used to pay for the room. I have no idea whether what he is offering is a fair wage, but I find myself saying: "All right."

"Good. I'll show you to what will be your room. Your hours will be 6pm till whenever we close, which is usually midnight but can be quite a bit later when business is brisk. Your meals will be taken in the dining annexe off the main bar. Breakfast is at 9am. We aren't early risers here, given the late nights and since we don't open till noon. If you're here during the day, then you can have lunch at 1pm. Dinner is early, at 5pm. You can have supper after we close if you want."

As he speaks, he leads me through the main bar and then up a flight of stairs and along another corridor. "Here's your room," he says. "There's a bathroom and toilet next door. You share it with three other people."

The room is small and rather spartan, but at least it looks clean. "Thank you," I say. "Do I start this evening?" The grandfather clock against the wall - probably the only sort of clocks that they have here, I guess - tells me that it's about 7:30.

"Yes. It's still fairly quiet, though it should get busier later. So I'll have time to show you the ropes: the stock, the prices - especially as you aren't even familiar with our currency, if I guess correctly - and also how to pull a pint of ale using a hand-pump if you've no experience of that. But first I'll go and get you your uniform."

"Uniform?"

"Yes. We had it made for Ilsa, who left a couple of months ago. You look about the same size, so I think it should fit you all right."

"I'll need some shoes as well."

"I'll see if I can find some, though of course I can't guarantee they'll fit."

Ten minutes later he returns with:

1. A fairly demure black dress and a pair of sandals.
2. A red dress with a short skirt and a perilously low-cut top, and high heels. I suspect that my feet will be killing me after a few hours. No doubt Ilsa wore underwear with the dress, but until I can buy some I'll have to manage without.
3. A skirt and shoes. "Where's the rest of the outfit?" I ask. "I suppose I should have told you that you'd be expected to work topless."
4. What looks like a dancer's outfit. "Is there something that you haven't told me?" I ask.

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