“They’re very ugly,” said Maudie.
“And they’re not very comfortable,” rejoined Julia. “But there, we have spent such a lot of money already that we certainly must get our chairs before we think of anything else.”
“And we have no small chairs.”
“No, we haven’t. I don’t know where we shall get small chairs—we can’t possibly afford expensive ones.”
“If I were you, ladies, I should go and look in the second-hand furniture department,” suggested the young lady who was convoying them round the basket department.
“Yes, that’s a good idea. We might pick up some odd chairs there. That’s a good idea,” said Julia. “Well, then, Maudie, if we have those two big lounge chairs and those two little occasional chairs, that ought to do us very well.”
“Will you have them cushioned, madam?”
“Cushioned? Of course we ought to have them cushioned. Is there much difference in the price?”
“Oh, no, madam, not very much. Cushions in a pretty cretonne are quite inexpensive.”
So eventually, without any reference either to the carpet or the wall-paper, or the chintz curtains and covers, they chose a pretty cretonne of a nice salmon-pink shade. And then they went to the second-hand department and looked out two or three occasional chairs, which were in reality the most sensible purchases that they made.