"You're a fishergirl?" Catherine couldn't help but wonder. She had seen fishergirls at work, even brought friends to see the herring lasses gut herring last month, watched them with the same fascination with which she watched exotic animal in the zoo. The girl before her looked so different from the other girls. Perhaps it was the dress. Perhaps the fact that she was a shop girl.

Catherine realized that her astonishment could be seen as rude, and she quickly sought to smooth it over: "How interesting. I've watched your people work before. I greatly admired the skill and cooperation."