“Oh, I really couldn’t say, ma’am. In an hour perhaps, and maybe not till time for tea. You see it’s Friday, and she’s gone to market. But she went early to-day, so she might be back early.”
“But does it ever take her all day to do the family marketing?” asked Madeline curiously.
“Oh, it’s not for the family, ma’am; it’s for the shop she’s buying. Everybody goes to the market on Fridays.”
“Whom do you mean by everybody?”
“Why, all the dealers in London, ma’am. The madame buys almost everything there. Things go very cheap there, you see. It’s a pity she didn’t know what you were wanting, or she’d have found it for you this morning. You can find almost anything at the market if you look sharp.”
“I suppose you couldn’t tell us how to get there?” inquired Madeline tentatively.
Oh, yes she could; any one in London could do that. It was the Caledonian market, you understand. First you took the Underground to King’s Cross, and then you took the ’bus to Market Road, and any one would tell you where to get down. And after that it was just a step to the market.
“What a find!” Madeline caught Betty’s arm as soon as they were outside, and fairly danced her down the street. “We shall get all sorts of bargains in dukes there, and then it’s such a lovely stunt hunting them along with all the dealers in London. We’ll buy some fruit and eat it on the Underground. Where is the Underground, I wonder? She said everybody went there Friday mornings. Should you think it would close at twelve or at one?”
Of course Betty hadn’t the least idea. In fact she couldn’t quite see what there was to be so excited about, but as usual she took Madeline’s word for it.
“Markets are great,” Madeline explained when they had at last found the Underground. “I’ve been to the rag-fair in Rome and the Christmas-sale in Paris, and they were both no end of fun. Some one told father about a big market in London, but he never could find it. Won’t he be envious when I bring out my trophies!”