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almost gaunt. She reminded me of a Byzantine madonna, one of those done in gesso. She had a mass of dark brown hair and liquid brown eyes. They were icy now. She made it completely clear that I was an unwelcome addition to her staff. After the briefest conversation, she coldly instructed me to return on the following Monday, at which time she would allocate assignments.
Back in the apartment, I burst into loud, noisy tears. "They don't want me up there," I blubbered.  "Miss Boaz doesn't like me and I don't know why." Nickey and Tinney were furious, not with Belle Boaz, but with me. Nicky stood over me shaking her finger as though scolding a child. "You go back there on Monday and make yourself so useful she won't be able to get along without you," she said. She said she could understand Miss Boaz' feelings in not having been allowed to name her own assistant. I had been foisted on her. She resented that, not me. "Try to win her over," they said. "I'll bet you can."