I was berating myself for having
revealed the true size of my business. Somehow my failure in this
instance galled me with special poignancy. I roamed around the
streets, casting about for some scheme to make good my mistake
Less than an hour after I left Gans's store I re-entered it, full of
fresh spirit and pluck.
"I beg your pardon for troubling you again, Mr. Gans," I began,
stopping him in the middle of an aisle. "You've been so kind to
me. I should like to ask you one more question. Only one. I trust I
am not intruding?"
"Go ahead," he said, patiently
"I shall do as you advise me. I shall never knock the other fellow,"
I began, with a smile. "But suppose his merchandise is really
good, and I can outbid him. Why should it not be proper for me to
say so? If you'll permit me"--pointing at one of the suits displayed
in the store, a brown cheviot trimmed with velvet. "Take that suit,
for instance. It's certainly a fine garment. It has style and dash. It's
really a beautiful garment. I haven't the least idea how much you
pay for it, of course, but I do know that I could make you the
identical coat for a much smaller price.
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