"No, thanks, I've just come down."
Hutin was waiting, concealing his impatience beneath a smile that did not quit his lips. Were they going to keep him there long? Really the women took things very coolly, it was like stealing money out of his pocket. At last, however, Madame Guibal went off to resume her stroll, turning round the large display of silks with an enraptured air.
"Well, if I were you I should buy the mantle ready-made," said Madame Desforges, suddenly returning to the Paris Delight. "It won't cost you so much."
"It's true that the trimmings and making-up——" murmured Madame Marty. "Besides, one has more choice."
All three had risen; Madame Desforges, turning to Hutin, said to him: "Have the goodness to show us to the mantle department."
He remained dumbfounded, unaccustom
