"It's nice to get down here away from the noise and confusion, isn't it, sir?" she said throatily. "The customer is always right in this store—especially as far as I'm concerned."

As she spoke, the upper half of her dress slowly disappeared, revealing the most remarkably full net brassiere. Coloring prettily, Marc hastily snapped his eyes shut.

"Leave me alone!" he said in tones of anguish. "Please go away!"

"Go away?" the blonde said woundedly. "But I thought.... Three men have pinched me already today and, the way you crept in here, I thought maybe you were the more earnest type."

"I'm quite earnest," Marc said soberly. "In fact...."

"Goody," the girl said. She snuggled down beside him. "Now, what do we do?"

"I don't know what to do," Marc said miserably, "that's just it!"

"You don't?" the girl said unbelievingly. "You certainly don't expect me to tell you, do you?"

"How could you?" Marc asked reasonably.

"Well, I could, I guess, if I wasn't a lady," the girl said with a touch of pique. "Why are you squinting at me like that."

"The light hurts my eyes," Marc said briefly. "Really, I think you ought to go away."

The girl sighed deflatedly. "I guess I might as well," she said. "You're too ignorant and I'm too refined. I must say, though," she added wistfully, "for a minute there I expected great things." She started to move away.

"Just a minute!" Marc said quickly.

The girl fairly whirled around again. "Yes?" she said. "Have you thought of something?"

"Yes," Marc said. "Since this is the sportswear department, I assume you have dark glasses?"

The girl sighed again. "There are some around somewhere," she said.

"Well, find me some," Marc said, "only make them darker—dark enough that I won't be able to see through them at all. Paste cardboard inside them or something."

The girl looked at him quizzically, then shrugged. "Okay," she said. "I know when I'm licked."

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