nothing in particular to do, and it would be a great pleasure to act as your guide.”
“Thank you,” Toni returned, smiling at him, “that would be nice. But I’ve a certain amount of shopping to do, and I’d like to get through that first. Could I meet you somewhere for lunch? Paying for my own lunch, of course!” she added, hastily.
Pierre looked slightly wounded.
“But it will give me great pleasure to buy you lunch ... And I know the very place you will like. It is agreed?” he asked eagerly.
Toni replied that it was agreed, so long as she started on her shopping as soon as they arrived.
When the car decanted them, Pierre took her by the arm and led her towards the main shopping centre. On the way she tried to recall her sensations on the morning when Kurt Antoine led her just as purposefully towards his parked car, and she had had no opportunity at all to take in the charm of Innsbruck.
This morning, however, she was able to do so, and she thought it a delightful little mountain town. The mountains seemed so close to Innsbruck that they practically dwarfed it, and it had the same medieval atmosphere as the villages through which they had passed on the way there.
There were a lot of shops designed to attract tourists, any number of restaurants and hotels, and at last she found the very shop she was looking for, one that displayed gay cotton frocks and skirts like mountain flowers; and she said goodbye—or rather, auf wiedersehen —to Pierre (who was most reluctant to leave her) and entered the shop.
She was able to ask for what she wanted in her careful German, although the assistant gathered at once that she was English, and insisted on talking English. She brought out some of the most attractive frocks the shop had to offer for Toni’s inspection, and the only difficulty the latter had was in making her selection.
In the end, she chose a candy pink with a very full skirt and white trimmings, and a gay scarlet and white that made her look like a scarlet poppy when she had it on. She also bought stockings and underwear, and enquired where she could buy shoes.
When she had bought the shoes—wedge-heeled white casuals, that gave her more height than ordinary flat-heeled sandals—she returned to the dress-shop and asked if she could change in one of their changing - alcoves.
The assistant agreed at once, and when she emerged Toni was looking so different that the girl gasped. She had decided to put on the brightest of the dresses, the gay scarlet, and it not merely put colour into her cheeks, but made her eyes look several degrees brighter and clearer.
The assistant nodded with enthusiastic Austrian approval.
“That is good,” she said. “You look charming.” And then she frowned. “But there is one thing, Fraulein ...”
“And what is that?” Toni asked.
“The hair!” the assistant returned, touching her own exceedingly modern coiffure. “It is a little—ordinary ! And some make-up would be a good thing. You do not use it, no?”
Toni, who occasionally used a little lipstick, admitted that she didn’t exactly go in for make-up.
The assistant shook her head disapprovingly. She conducted her to the door, indicated a hairdressing establishment and beauty parlour across the street, and gave her a gentle push in its direction.
“You go and become transformed, yes?” she suggested, gaily.
Toni hesitated only a moment, and then plunged across the street to the hairdresser. But unfortunately it was by this time very close to lunch time, and if she was attended to immediately it would mean that she would miss her lunch with Pierre, or at least be very late for it, and she felt certain that would disappoint him acutely. So she made an appointment for two o’clock, and then raced off to keep her rendezvous with Pierre.
Although it was still early he was waiting for her. He was looking up and down the street eagerly, and as soon as he saw her he threw his hands into the air.
“But the
“Thank you,” Toni returned, smiling at him, “that would be nice. But I’ve a certain amount of shopping to do, and I’d like to get through that first. Could I meet you somewhere for lunch? Paying for my own lunch, of course!” she added, hastily.
Pierre looked slightly wounded.
“But it will give me great pleasure to buy you lunch ... And I know the very place you will like. It is agreed?” he asked eagerly.
Toni replied that it was agreed, so long as she started on her shopping as soon as they arrived.
When the car decanted them, Pierre took her by the arm and led her towards the main shopping centre. On the way she tried to recall her sensations on the morning when Kurt Antoine led her just as purposefully towards his parked car, and she had had no opportunity at all to take in the charm of Innsbruck.
This morning, however, she was able to do so, and she thought it a delightful little mountain town. The mountains seemed so close to Innsbruck that they practically dwarfed it, and it had the same medieval atmosphere as the villages through which they had passed on the way there.
There were a lot of shops designed to attract tourists, any number of restaurants and hotels, and at last she found the very shop she was looking for, one that displayed gay cotton frocks and skirts like mountain flowers; and she said goodbye—or rather, auf wiedersehen —to Pierre (who was most reluctant to leave her) and entered the shop.
She was able to ask for what she wanted in her careful German, although the assistant gathered at once that she was English, and insisted on talking English. She brought out some of the most attractive frocks the shop had to offer for Toni’s inspection, and the only difficulty the latter had was in making her selection.
In the end, she chose a candy pink with a very full skirt and white trimmings, and a gay scarlet and white that made her look like a scarlet poppy when she had it on. She also bought stockings and underwear, and enquired where she could buy shoes.
When she had bought the shoes—wedge-heeled white casuals, that gave her more height than ordinary flat-heeled sandals—she returned to the dress-shop and asked if she could change in one of their changing - alcoves.
The assistant agreed at once, and when she emerged Toni was looking so different that the girl gasped. She had decided to put on the brightest of the dresses, the gay scarlet, and it not merely put colour into her cheeks, but made her eyes look several degrees brighter and clearer.
The assistant nodded with enthusiastic Austrian approval.
“That is good,” she said. “You look charming.” And then she frowned. “But there is one thing, Fraulein ...”
“And what is that?” Toni asked.
“The hair!” the assistant returned, touching her own exceedingly modern coiffure. “It is a little—ordinary ! And some make-up would be a good thing. You do not use it, no?”
Toni, who occasionally used a little lipstick, admitted that she didn’t exactly go in for make-up.
The assistant shook her head disapprovingly. She conducted her to the door, indicated a hairdressing establishment and beauty parlour across the street, and gave her a gentle push in its direction.
“You go and become transformed, yes?” she suggested, gaily.
Toni hesitated only a moment, and then plunged across the street to the hairdresser. But unfortunately it was by this time very close to lunch time, and if she was attended to immediately it would mean that she would miss her lunch with Pierre, or at least be very late for it, and she felt certain that would disappoint him acutely. So she made an appointment for two o’clock, and then raced off to keep her rendezvous with Pierre.
Although it was still early he was waiting for her. He was looking up and down the street eagerly, and as soon as he saw her he threw his hands into the air.
“But the
Similar Books
