Hallie looked puzzled. “Mrs. Kirsch? I don’t understand.”
“Never mind. You don’t have to understand.”
“Can you tell me anything?”
“No, I can’t.”
“I feel like a cow.”
Miss Evans laughed. “Hallie, don’t you get it? You are a cow. That’s the whole point. Madame Lafarge thought you might go over the top. Where you’re going, those t**s will stand you in good stead. Believe me.”
Hallie’s fright turned to dizzying confusion. “I can’t go to work like this. What will the other girls say?”
“Trust me, Hallie. I’ve taken care of that. As of now, you are on a leave of absence. It really wasn’t much of a job anyway. You have a more important role now.”
“I d-don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t. You don’t realize you have just begun a new life. You have so much to learn.”
Hallie looked ex
