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"I thought the pie was the present," he said

"It’s good, isn’t it? No, but this was also froazine Street, just two doors up from the bakery I wonder if you ever noticed it"

"Noticed what?"

"The shop I don’t know, maybe I made a mistake Maybe you won’t like it,salt in old wounds"

"You know," he said, "I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about Do I get a present or don’t I?"

"It’s not exactly a present I mean, I didn’t wrap it It’s not the kind of present you would wrap"

"That’s good, because it’ll save the ti this conversation"

"Ao anywhere"

"Where would I go?"

She ca, so in a sense the present rapped after all, if infor," she said, handing it to hi and drew out a copy of Linn’s Stamp News

"There’s this shop, it’s not much more than a hole in the wall Stan buttons And other hobby ite about?"

He didn’t

"And I walked in, and I didn’t want to buy you staood idea--"

"You were right about that"

"But I saw this paper, and didn’t you mention it once? I think you did"

"I may have"

"You used to read it, didn’t you?"

"I was a subscriber"

"And I thought should I get it for hione, and how ht only ht ht even want to, I don’t know, start another collection, although that ht, oh, for God’s sake, Julia, give the little o home So I did"

"So you did"

"Now if it was a really terrible idea," she said, "just put it back in the bag it cauarantee you never have to look at it again, and we can both pretend this never happened"

"You’re wonderful," he said "Have I ever told you that?"

"You have, but we’ve always been upstairs This is the first tiround floor"

"Well, you are"

"The present’s okay?"

"Yes, and the future’s pro"

"I meant--"