“It’s on’y the lotses of things,” said Mary.
“But you mustn’t be like that, or I shall be afraid to bring you out shopping with me,” said mamma. “It will be all right, you’ll see. Here we are at the first shop—the draper’s. That’s right; give Thomas your hand and get out slowly.”
Thomas was quite ready to have lifted her out, but Mary did not like being lifted. It seemed as if she was a baby. Mamma knew this, and unless she was in a great hurry she let Mary manage for herself like a big girl.
Mary was not like some children, who do not care about any shops except a toy-shop and a confectioner’s; she was interested in all the things mamma had to buy, and she liked to watch the careful way mamma went about it. She had a list all ready, and she had put the same sorts of things together on it, so that she did not need to go backwards and forwards from one counter to another. It was a large shop, but there were not many people in it, so Mary climbed up on a chair and sat there comfortably watching, while mamma chose tape and buttons and reels of cotton and needles, and lots of what are called “small-wares.”
Mary enjoyed seeing them all brought out in their neat boxes and drawers; she thought to herself that she would like very much to have a shop and have all these interesting things to take care of. And then, when they moved a little farther down, to that part of the counter where pretty silks and ribbons were hanging up—silks and ribbons of all sorts of colours and shades—she was still more delighted.
“We are going to choose a sash for you now, Mary,” said mamma.
“And ribbins to tie up Baby Dolly’s sleeves. Weren’t you forgetting about the ribbins?” said Mary.
Mamma had not forgotten, but she did not say so, for she saw her little girl was proud of remembering; and she was pleased too to see that Mary thought of Dolly before herself.
“Yes; of course there are baby’s bows to get,” she said. “Thank you for reminding me. What colour shall they be? Would you like to choose?”
The shopman—I think it was the draper himself, who knew Mary’s mamma and was pleased to wait upon her—smiled as he brought out a large box full of ribbons of the right width for tying up babies’ sleeves. There were so many pretty colours that Mary felt as if she could not choose.