“On I went with an air of cheerful business, of happy importance, till my money began to wax small. Certain small aberrations had occurred, too, in my economy. One article that had happened, by rare accident, to be below my calculation, and indeed below any calculation—calico at ninepence, fine, thick, strong, wide calico at ninepence absolutely enchanted me and I took the whole piece; then after buying M. [material for] a gown according to order, I saw one that I liked better and bought that too. Then I fell in love, was actually captivated by a sky-blue sash and handkerchief,—not the poor, thin greeny colour which usually passes under that dishonoured name, but the rich full tint of the noonday sky, and a cap riband really pink that might have vied with the inside leaves of a moss-rose. Then in hunting after cheapness I got into obscure shops where, not finding what I asked for, I was fain to take something that they had, purely to make a compensation for the trouble of lugging out drawers and answering questions. Lastly I was fairly coaxed into some articles by the irresistibility of the sellers, [in one case] by the fluent impudence of a lying shopman who, under cover of a well-darkened window, affirmed on his honour that his brown satin was a perfect match to my green pattern, and forced the said satin down my throat accordingly. With these helps my money melted all too fast; at half-past five my purse was entirely empty, and as shopping with an empty purse has by no means the relish of shopping with a full one I was quite willing and ready to go home to dinner, pleased as a child with my purchases and wholly unsuspecting the sins of omission, the errands unperformed, which were the natural result of my unconsulted _memoranda_ and my treacherous memory.