The Forged Coupon and Other Stories

III

THE two boys, having rung the door-bell, entered the empty shop, which had shelves along the walls and photographic appliances on them, together with show-cases on the counters. A plain woman, with a kind face, came through the inner door and asked from behind the counter what they required.

“A nice frame, if you please, madam.”

“You have plenty of time,” said the shopkeeper, examining the coupon very closely because of her shortsightedness.

“You had better give it to me back. We will cash it somewhere else.”

“Yes, sir.” She made a parcel and tied it with a string.

“Well, I will take it,” said Mahin, and put the coupon on the counter. “Wrap up the frame and give me change. But please be quick. We must be off to the theatre, and it is getting late.”

“We don’t bargain in our shop,” said the shopkeeper with a dignified air.

“These are fifty kopeks each; and these are a little more expensive. There is rather a pretty one, of quite a new style; one rouble and twenty kopeks.”

“There are ten roubles for you, and let me have the rest. I will give it back to you.”

“Please make a parcel of the frame,” said Mahin, taking the money in a leisurely fashion.

“Oh, no; I don’t mean anything of the sort.”

“It will look lovely in that frame, don’t you think so?” said Mahin, turning to Mitia.

“I have only fifty kopeks in cash. But what are you afraid of? You don’t think, I suppose, that we want to cheat you and give you bad money?”

“I am sorry, I have not. My father gave me that, so I have to cash it.”

“How much have I to pay you back? Eleven and something.”

“Have you no small change?” asked the shop-woman.

“But surely you have one rouble twenty?”

“At what price?” asked the woman; she wore mittens on her swollen fingers with which she rapidly handled picture-frames of different shapes.

“All right, I will have this. But could not you make it cheaper? Let us say one rouble.”

She made a calculation on the counter, opened the desk, took out a ten-roubles note, looked for change and added to the sum six twenty-kopeks coins and two five-kopek pieces.

Mitia only breathed freely when the door bell rang behind them, and they were again in the street.

Mahin went off to the theatre, and Mitia called on Grouchetsky to repay the money he had borrowed from him.