Jane! What an enchanting skirt you have on!
Thank you! Guess how much it costs.
Bright colors, smooth material, exquisite craftsmanship, soft lines... Darling, it looks elegant on you! It can't be any cheap stuff. Something around two hundred, I guess.
Your offer is way off the mark. It set me back only sixty-five.
Then you got a windfall! Was sixty-five the original price, or did you get a special discount?
Neither. I drove a hard bargain with the vendor before I got the price down.
How much did she ask for?
Three hundred! That's daylight robbery. How dare she play tricks on an old hand like me? Without hesitation, I gave my offer---no more than fifty.
She must be fuming with anger at such a bid, wasn't she?
Not at all! She's really been around, and seemed quite accustomed to bargaining like this. That's the trade. She only demanded a higher bid, saying the purchase price was even higher than seventy. She was lying! Then I inquired , 'May I have it at sixty? ' she waved her head.
Then you pretended to go without buying it?
Yeah. I turned around and started to move out. Just then, she yelped behind my back, ' all right, all right! I may sacrifice a little. Let's fix it sixty-five! Can't be cheaper. '