Other Americans, coming out, looked at them as a gentleman coming out of
his own house might look at a party of penguins on his doorstep.

Fanny swept past her friends without a glance and walked on up the
street with her head in the air. They turned and came after her
guiltily. When they caught her up in the next street, she said to the
thin man, "I asked you not to come near while I was buying--"

"Have you got cigars, mademoiselle?"

"No, I couldn't. Why did you come like that? Now I can go in no more.
You'd only to wait two minutes."

They looked crestfallen, while she held the cigarettes away from them as
a nurse holds sweets from a naughty child.

"I could only get two packets. I can give you one. I'm sorry, but I
promised to get cigarettes for some people in Metz."

The thin man brightened, and took the big carton of Camels with delight.

"They're good, those!" he said knowingly to the others. "How much were
they, mademoiselle?"

"Five francs twenty the carton."

"Is it possible? And we have to pay...."

By his tone he made it seem a reflection on the Americans. Why should a