iration. Frau Nirlanger turned this way and that before
the long mirror and chattered like a pleased child. Her adjectives grew
into words of six syllables. She cooed over the soft-shining stuff in
little broken exclamations in French and German.

Then came a straight and simple street suit of blue cloth, a lingerie
gown of white, hats, shoes and even a couple of limp satin petticoats.
The day was gone before we could finish.

I bullied them into promising the pinky-gray gown for the next
afternoon.

"Sooch funs!" giggled Frau Nirlanger, "and how it makes one tired.
So kind you were, to take this trouble for me. Me, I could never have
warred with that Fraulein who served us--so haughty she was, nicht? But
it is good again pretty clothes to have. Pretty gowns I lofe--you also,
not?"

"Indeed I do lofe 'em. But my money comes to me in a yellow pay
envelope, and it is spent before it reaches me, as a rule. It doesn't
leave much of a margin for general recklessness."

A tiny sigh came from Frau Nirlanger. "There will be little to give to
Konrad this time. So much money they cost, those clothes! But Konrad, he
will not care when he sees the so beautiful dresses, is it not so?"

"Care!" I cried with a great deal of bravado, although a tiny inner
voice spake in doubt. "Certainly not. How could he?"

Next day the boxes came, and we smuggled them into my room. The
unwrapping of the tissue paper folds was a ceremony. We reveled in the
very crackle of it. I had scuttled home from the office as early as
decency would permit, in order to have plenty of time for the dressing.
It must be quite finished before Herr Nirlanger should arrive. Frau
Nirlanger had purchased three tickets for the German theater, also as a
surprise, and I was to accompany the happily surprised husband and the
proud little wife of the new Amerikanische clothes.

I coaxed her to let me do things to her hair. Usually she wore a stiff
and ugly coiffure that could only be described as a chignon. I do not
recollect ever having seen a chignon, but I know that it must look like
that. I was thankful for my Irish deftness of fingers as I stepped back
to view the result of my labors. The new arrangement of the hair gave
her features a new softness and dignity.

We came to the lacing of the stays, with their exaggerated length.
"Aber!" exclaimed Frau Nirlanger, not daring to laugh because of the
strange snugness. "Ach!" and again, "Aber to laugh it is!"

We ha