He could not understand how he had ever mistaken her. There was nothing about her that was Jewish. Nothing.

His face softening with remorse he met her gaze again. ‘I want to apologize, Miss Hart. I was under a tension that day.’

She blinked ironically and raised her brows as though bored. ‘I can imagine,’ she said.

He did not understand. His head stuck forward an inch, as he asked,’ What can you imagine?’

Her eyes opened upon him. His skin began to burn. If she did not make herself clear in a moment he would drown in the condescending playfulness of her stare. But she said nothing, and merely sucked in the corners of her lips.

‘I had orders, Miss Hart,’ he said, picking his words. ‘I couldn’t take a chance.’

She forgot about her lips and her face relaxed and she was listening.

With an air of the confidential he continued, and he was leaning toward the desk. ‘That company doesn’t hire them. Under any circumstances. They never hired any since the day they opened their doors. You understand? None. Under any circumstances.’

He saw her attitudes dropping away from her, and felt hope in the drawing together of her confused brows. Her blinking stopped, her hands lay motionless on the edge of the desk. He gave her his full-face, and by the thickness of a penny raised his head. He could almost see what was happening to him in the chamber of her mind. And then her brows smoothed and she moved, and looked away running her tongue once over her lower lip.

‘Well,’ she said, softly and troubled, ‘it don’t matter anyway. I can’t hire you myself …’

‘I don’t care about that. I …’ He was leaning over the edge of the desk; his cheeks were puffed unnaturally and his flat, fine hair slid out of place. ‘I have thought a great deal about you since that day. Please believe what I say. I really have.’

She seemed flattered despite herself. One soft arm slid out slowly along her chair arm.

‘Yeh?’ she said without committing herself.

‘I’ve been having a hard time since … as a matter of fact since the day you saw me.’

It seemed to interest her. He continued.

‘You see, I … well, frankly, I had to quit that position. They were going to transfer me to a clerk’s job.’

‘Why?’ she asked, fascinated.

‘Well, they seemed to feel that since I got my glasses I didn’t make the kind of appearance they wanted in the front office.’

‘You know what I mean then,’ she said. For the first time her voice softened. It contained some compassion for him, he felt, and he was strengthened by it in his quest.

‘I know just what you mean.’ He felt a flood rising in him and it poured out. ‘I’ve been trying to get placed and it’s the same thing everywhere I go.’

‘Sure, they’re all morons. You’ll never get anywhere with them.’