hile they walked Mrs. Cafferty planned, as a general might, her
campaign of shopping. Her shopping differed greatly from Mrs.
Makebelieve's, and the difference was probably caused by her necessity
to feed and clothe eight people as against Mrs. Makebelieve's two.
Mrs. Makebelieve went to the shop nearest her house, and there entered
into a stanch personal friendship with the proprietor. When she was
given anything of doubtful value or material she instantly returned
and handed it back, and the prices which were first quoted to her and
settled upon became to Mrs. Makebelieve an unalterable standard from
which no departure would be tolerated. Eggs might go up in price for
the remainder of the world, but not for her. A change of price threw
Mrs. Makebelieve into so wide-eyed, so galvanic, so power fully-verbal
and friendship-shattering an anger that her terms were accepted and
registered as Median exactitudes. Mrs. Cafferty, on the other hand,
knew shopkeepers as personal enemies and as foes to the human race,
who were bent on despoiling the poor, and against whom a remorseless
warfare should be conducted by all decent people. Her knowledge of
material, of quality, of degrees of freshness, of local and distant
prices was profound. In Clanbrassil Street she would quote the prices
of Moore Street with shattering effect, and if the shopkeeper declined
to revise his tariff her good-humored voice toned so huge a
disapproval that other intending purchasers left the shop impressed by
the unmasking of a swindler. Her method was abrupt. She seized an
article, placed it on the counter and uttered these words, "Sixpence
and not a penny more; I can get it in Moore Street for five pence half
penny." She knew all the shops having a cheap line in some special
article, and, therefore, her shopping was of a very extended
description, not that she went from point to point, for she
continually departed from the line of battle with the remark "Let's
try what they have here," and when inside the shop her large eye took
in at a glance a thousand details of stock and price which were never
afterwards forgotten.

Mrs. Cafferty's daughter, Norah, was going to celebrate her first
Communion in a few days. This is a very important ceremony for a young
girl and for her mother. A white muslin dress and a blue sash, a white
muslin hat with blue ribbons, tan shoes, and stockings as germane to
the color of tan as may be--these all have to be provided. It