"Ach, courage—I'm not courageous.
I was frightened enough sometimes.
Like somebody in the wrong seat at the theatre, who yet doesn't get out of it."
"Then you were courageous," said I. "A man is courageous only when he is also afraid.
And it was sensible too.
You'would only have lost your money otherwise.
You did at least get something out of it.
But what did you do?"
"Nothing really.
Just live for myself."
"All honour!
That's the rarest of all."
She smiled.
"But it will soon be over. I've got to start something now."
"Oh. What?
Had your business interview" with Binding ' anything to do with that?"
She nodded.
"With Binding and Doctor Max Matuscheit, director of the Electrola Gramophone shop."
"Well," said I, "Binding might have thought of something better, surely."
"He did," she replied; "but I wasn't having any."
"I'd advise him not to, too. When do you start, then?"
"The first of August."
"Well, that doesn't leave us much time.
Perhaps we could find something else, though.
In any case you can be sure of our custom."
"Have you a gramophone, then?"
"No, but I'll get one at once.
All the same I don't like the business much."
"I don't mind," said she.
"It's all much simpler for me .since you are here.
But I shouldn't have told you anything about it."
"You should.
You must always tell me everything."
She looked at me a moment.
"Good, Robby," said she. Then she stood up and went to a little cupboard.
"What do you think I have here?
Rum for you.
Good rum, I believe."
She put a glass on the table and looked at me expectantly.
"The rum is good all right, I can smell it already from afar," said I. "But really, Pat—don't you think you ought to save a bit now, rather?
To postpone the gramophones?"
"No," she replied.
"Right again," said I.
The rum, as I could see from the colour, was broken-down.
The salesman had lied to Pat, evidently.
I drank the glass.
"First rate," said I, "give me another.
Where did you get it?"
"From the shop at the corner."
Aha, thought I: another damned pastry shop, of course. I resolved to look in there and tell the fellow off.