don't she come and choose her stuffs herself, then? What colour does she like?"
"Dark blue, or dark brown, or a nice gray would do," said
Ellen, "if it is fine enough."
" 'Dark blue,' or 'dark brown,' or a 'nice gray,' eh? Well, she's pretty easy to suit. A dark blue I've showed you already what's the matter with that?"
"It isn't dark enough," said Ellen.
"Well," said he, discontentedly, pulling down another piece, "how'll that do? That's dark enough."
It was a fine and beautiful piece, very different from those he had showed her first. Even Ellen could see that, and fumbling for her little pattern of merino, she compared it with the piece. They agreed perfectly as to fineness.
"What is the price of this?" she asked, with trembling hope that she was going to be rewarded by success for all the trouble of her enterprise.
"Two dollars a yard."
Her hopes and countenance fell together. "That's too high," she said, with a sigh.
"Then take this other blue; come it's a great deal prettier than that dark one, and not so dear; and I know your mother will like it better."
Ellen's cheeks were tingling and her heart throbbing, but she couldn't bear to give up.
"Would you be so good as to show me some gray?"
He slowly and ill-humouredly complied, and took down an excellent piece of dark gray, which Ellen fell in love with at once; but she was again disappointed; it was fourteen shillings.
"Well, if you won't take that, take something else," said the man; "you can't have everything at once; if you will have cheap goods, of course you can't have the same quality that you like; but now, here's this other blue, only twelve shillings, and I'll let you have it for ten, if you'll take it."
"No, it is too light and too coarse," said Ellen; "Mamma wouldn't like it."
"Let me see," said he, seizing her pattern, and pretending to compare it; "it's quite as fine as this, if that's all you want."
"Could you," said Ellen, timidly, "give me a little bit of this gray to show Mamma!"
"Oh, no!" said he, impatiently tossing over the cloths and throwing Ellen's pattern on the floor; "we can't cut up our goods; if people don't choose to buy of us, they may go somewhere else; and if you cannot decide upon anything, I must go and attend to those that can. I can't wait here all day."
"What's the matter, Saunders?" said one of his brother clerks, passing him.
"Why, I've been here this half hour showing cloths to a child that doesn't know merino from a sheep's back," said he, laughing. And, some other customers coming up at the moment, he was as good as his word, and left Ellen, to attend to them.
Ellen stood a moment stock still, just where he had left her, struggling with her feelings of mortification; she could not endure to let them be seen. Her face was on fire; her head was dizzy. She could not stir at first, and, in spite of her utmost efforts, she could not command back one or two rebel tears that forced their way; she lifted her hand to her face to remove them as quietly as possible. "What is all this about, my little girl?" said a strange voice at her side. Ellen started, and turned her face, with the tears but half wiped away, towards the speaker. It was an old gentleman an odd old gentleman, too, she thought one she certainly would have been rather shy of, if she had seen him under other circumstances. But though his face was odd, it looked kindly upon her, and it was a kind tone of voice in which his question had been put; so he seemed to her like a friend. "What is all this?" repeated the old gentleman. Ellen began to tell what it was, but the pride which had forbidden her to weep before strangers, gave way at one touch of sympathy, and she poured out tears much faster than words, as she related her story, so that it was some little time before the old gentleman could get a clear notion of her case. He waited very patiently till she had finished; but then he set himself in good earnest about righting the wrong. "Hallo! you, Sir!" he shouted, in a voice that made everybody look round; "you merino man! come and show your goods. Why aren't you at your post, Sir?" as Mr. Saunders came up, with an altered countenance "here's a young lady you've left standing unattended to, I don't know how long; are these your manners?"
"The young lady did not wish anything, I believe, Sir," returned Mr. Saunders, softly.
"You know better, you scoundrel!" retorted the old gentleman, who was in a great passion; "I saw the whole matter with my own eyes. You are a disgrace to the store, Sir, and deserve to be sent out of it, which you are like enough to be."
"I really thought, Sir," said Mr. Saunders, smoothly for he knew the old gentleman, and knew very well he was a person that must not be offended "I really thought I was not aware, Sir, that the young lady had any occasion for my services."
"Well, show your wares, Sir, and hold your tongue. Now, my dear, what did you want?"
"I wanted a little bit of this gray merino, Sir, to show to Mamma. I couldn't buy it, you know, Sir, until I found out whether she would like it."
"Cut a piece, Sir, without any words," said the gentleman. Mr.
Saunders obeyed.
"Did you like this best?" pursued the old gentleman.
"I like this dark blue very much, Sir, and I thought Mamma would; but it's too high."
"How much is it?" inquired he.
"Fourteen shillings," replied Mr. Saunders.
"He said it was two dollars!" exclaimed Ellen.
"I beg pardon," said the crest-fallen Mr. Saunders "the young lady mistook me; I was speaking of another piece when I said two dollars."
"He said this was two dollars, and the gray was fourteen shillings," said Ellen.
"Is the gray fourteen shillings," inquired the old gentleman.
"I think not, Sir," answered Mr. Saunders "I believe not,
Sir, I think it's only twelve I'll inquire, if you please,
Sir."
"No, no," said the old gentleman, "I know it was only twelve I know your tricks, Sir. Cut a piece off the blue. Now, my dear, are there any more pieces of which you would like to take patterns, to show your mother?"
"No, Sir," said the overjoyed Ellen; "I am sure she will like one of these."
"Now, shall we go, then?"
"If you please, Sir," said Ellen, "I should like to have my bit of merino that I brought from home; Mamma wanted me to bring it back again."
"Where is it?"
"That gentleman threw it on the floor."
"Do you hear, Sir?" said the old gentleman; "find it directly."
Mr. Saunders found and delivered it, after stooping in search of it till he was very red in the face; and he was left, wishing heartily that
