night, a few minutes before ten o'clock
Even Win had not seen the purchaser . Ursus had come in a hurry , his client 's twenty dollars in hand , and had taken away the box that contained the doll . There had not even been time to ask if the man who had bought it looked kind and rich ; but Win was too thankful to have been saved from her `` scrape '' with Logan to care passionately , after all , for Little Sister 's fate . That night , a few minutes before ten o'clock , the employees of the various sections were lined up -LRB- men in one aisle , girls in another -RRB- to receive their pay envelopes and , in most cases where the `` holiday extras '' were concerned , their dismissals . Just in front of Winifred Child was Sadie Kirk , and Win knew that for her friend it was a question almost as important as that of life and death whether she were to stay or go . After holiday time it was dreadfully difficult to get work , she not being the stuff of which stewardesses are made , and Sadie had more pluck than physical strength . Never had she entirely recovered `` tone '' after that attack of grippe which had lost her a good position , and the strenuous work during these weeks at Peter Rolls 's had pulled her down .