At the latter laboured quite a company of girls and some men.

The former were drabby-looking creatures, stained in face with oil and dust, clad in thin, shapeless, cotton dresses and shod with more or less worn shoes.
Many of them had their sleeves rolled up, revealing bare arms, and in some cases, owing to the heat, their dresses were open at the neck.

They were a fair type of nearly the lowest order of shop-girls--careless, slouchy, and more or less pale from confinement.

They were not timid, however; were rich in curiosity, and strong in daring and slang.
Carrie looked about her, very much disturbed and quite sure that she did not want to work here.

Aside from making her uncomfortable by sidelong glances, no one paid her the least attention.