carelessly upon her, asked what she wanted to look at. His
tone and manner struck Ellen most unpleasantly, and made her
again wish herself out of the store. He was a tall, lank young
man, with a quantity of fair hair combed down on each side of
his face, a slovenly exterior, and the most disagreeable pair
of eyes, Ellen thought, she had ever beheld. She could not
bear to meet them, and cast down her own. Their look was bold,
ill-bred, and ill-humoured; and Ellen felt, though she
couldn't have told why, that she need not expect either
kindness or politeness from him.

"What do you want to see, little one?" inquired this
gentleman, as if he had a business on hand he would like to be
rid of. Ellen heartily wished he was rid of it, and she too.

"Merinoes, if you please," she answered, without looking up.

"Well, what kind of merinoes? Here are all sorts and
descriptions of merinoes, and I can't pull them all down, you
know, for you to look at. What kind do you want?"

"I don't know without looking," said Ellen. "Won't you please
to show me some?"

He tossed down several pieces upon the counter, and tumbled
them about before her.

"There," said he, "is that anything like what you want?
There's a pink one — and there's a blue one — and there's a
green one. Is that the kind?"