Page "romance" Paragraph 832

I really shouldn't have smoked a cigarette so early in the day, thought Theresa, it always makes me sick.

I'll start sneezing in a minute, sitting on these cold steps.

She got up, standing uncertainly for a moment, then moving aside to let go past her, talking, a group of young men.

They wore shoes with pointed toes, odd to American eyes, and narrow trousers, and their hair looked unnaturally black and slick.

Yet here they were obviously thought to be handsome, and felt themselves to be so.

Just then a man approached her with a tray of cheap cameos, Parker fountain pens, rosaries, papal portraits.

`` No '', said Theresa.

`` No, no ''!!

She said.

The man did not wish to leave.

He knew how to spread himself against the borders of the space that had to separate them.

Carrozza rides in the park, the Colosseum by moonlight, he specialized.

Theresa turned away to escape, and climbed to a higher landing where the steps divided in two.

There she walked to the far left and leaned on a vacant section of banister, while the vendor picked himself another well-dressed American lady, carrying a camera and a handsome alligator bag, ascending the steps alone.

Was he ever successful, Theresa wondered.

The lady with the alligator bag registered interest, doubt, then indignation ; ;

at last, alarm.

She cast about as though looking for a policeman: this really shouldn't be allowed!!

Finally, she scurried away up the steps.