Paula the Waldensian Part 13

"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 ap.r.o.n?"

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 fas.h.i.+on.

"No? Don't you like these?" questioned the clerk.

"Oh, no," said Paula. "You see, it's for Teresa."

"And, pray, who is Teresa?"

Paula started to explain, when the anxious face of the old servant showed itself at the door of the shop across the way, and not seeing us, had started to look up and down the street "Here she comes," I said. "Oh, Paula, what shall we do?"

"Go in behind the counter, there," said Paula who never lost her head.

I got in behind a pile of merchandise while Paula continued to explain her wants to the clerk from the dark corner of the shop. The youug man appeared to comprehend our situation.

"Bertrand," and he turned to one of his fellow-clerks, "please attend to this young girl. I'll be back in a minute."

But "Bertrand" hardly had time to ask us what we wanted, when our first friend returned, bringing with him a package under his arm.

"I had a look at your Teresa," he said, "and I think that an ap.r.o.n of this excellent cloth will give her a thousand thrills. See, what beautiful stuff it is."

Paula gave a nervous look toward the window before answering.

"No, she's not there," said the young man, divining her thoughts. "Not finding you here, she's gone on a bit, but you can find her easily enough."

We were enchanted with the goods which he displayed, and we were soon served, at not too great a cost.

"You have been very good to us, sir," said Paula, starting to go out. "We have given you so much trouble, but when we wish to buy anything more, we shall always come here, will we not, Lisita? In the meantime, many thanks,"

and she extended her hand to him with surprising self-possession.

"The pleasure is all mine," said the young man, and I could see that he'd never met her like before.

Teresa was not far away, gazing into a jeweler's window. "At last, you're here," she said amiably. "Now, we must hurry, for it is very late." She made no mention of our untoward absence and one would have believed that she had not noticed it, and that relieved us very much.

"You certainly are late," said my father to Teresa on our return.

"I thought we'd never get through," said the good woman. "For you see, Paula had to spend--"

"Oh, yes, I understand. She had to get rid of her five francs.

"And now, Paula, show me what you have bought."

"All right. Here you are, uncle!"

Paula had always shown a certain timidity toward my father, and appeared to be slightly afraid of him. Slightly red in the face, she took out the packages one after the other from Teresa's bag.

"You shall see, sir. You shall see," commented Teresa, with a shake of her head.

"What a lot of packages!" said Rosa, on seeing all the bundles tied up with such care.

"Shall I help you open them?" said my father. "Let us see what's in this first package. My, my, what's this? White grapes! And of the finest kind!

You certainly have got good taste. I'll say that much, Paula!"

"They are for Catalina, uncle."

"For Catalina?"

"Yes, uncle dear."

Now there was not a sign of derision in my father's voice. It had changed to a surprising tenderness as he said, "So you bought this for our Catalina? I know the cost of such fruit, and Teresa should not have consented."

"And do you think, sir," broke in Teresa, "that when Paula wants to buy something, that she asks for my consent? You will soon be able to judge that for yourself. I never saw her equal."

"And this?" questioned Rosa, taking up the package of souvenir cards.

Paula indicated the destination of each one as she gave the name and address of many of her old neighbors in far-away Villar.

"So you don't forget your old friends," observed my father.

"Oh, what a beautiful box this is," continued Rosa, "and, oh, look here,"

as she displayed the thimble inside. "Who can this be for?"

"Oh, that's for Lisita."

"For me," I cried, jubilantly, "oh, Paula! So you remembered that I have just lost my thimble."

"Two pencils," announced my father, undoing another small paper package.

"One of them is for Rosa and the other is for Louis," said Paula simply.

"My poor dear child," exclaimed Rosa. "What on earth are we going to do with you! Here's another package, but it appears so fragile that you'd better open it yourself."

"No, no; that's for uncle. Let him open it."

My father cut the cord that held the package. Paula hardly dared to raise her eyes, as he took the beautiful cup with its blue and gold ornamentation and took it over to the fading light, in order to examine it more carefully.

"I don't know whether I should be angry or content," he said, with a dry smile.

"Better be content, uncle," said Paula appealingly.