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. '