I followed her without delay. Teresa, meanwhile, argued the price of butter and cheese with an old school-friend, now elevated to proprietorship of the shop, and we knew that this would take at least a quarter-of-an-hour. We soon arrived at a place where they sold novelties, and where the clerks were about ready to close for the night.
"Oh, sir," cried Paula, to one of the young men, "will you not please attend to me? I'm in a great hurry."
"So, you're in a hurry," said the young man jovially.
"Yes, you see, we've run away and we've—"
"Wait a minute," said the young man, and he appeared to grow suddenly grave
"This is quite serious. Who have you run away from?"
"Oh, it's only Teresa across the street, and this must be a surprise for her. Will you please show me an apron?"
So the young man, without further ado, hauled down a number of those articles for inspection. "There you are. Take your pick."
Paula gave one look, "Oh, no; not that kind," she said with a consternation which I shared, seeing in imagination old Teresa with her great wooden shoes and her long skirts adorned with one of these elegant articles of the latest fashion.
"No? Don't you like these?" questioned the clerk.
"Oh, no," said Paula. "You see, it's for Teresa."