Mrs. Sommers after that did not move in the direction of the bargain counter. She took the elevator, which carried her to an upper floor into the region of the ladies' waiting-rooms. Here, in a retired corner, she exchanged her cotton stockings for the new silk ones which she had just bought. She was not going through any acute mental process or reasoning with herself, nor was she striving to explain to her satisfaction the motive of her action.

Dopodiché la signora Sommers non si diresse verso il bancone delle offerte. Prese l’ascensore, che la portò al piano superiore nell’area delle sale d’aspetto delle signore. Lì in un angolo appartato, si cambiò le calze di cotone con quelle nuove di seta che aveva appena comprato. Non stava elaborando alcun lucido processo mentale o ragionamento interiore, né si stava sforzando di capire in maniera soddisfacente il motivo delle sue azioni.

She was not thinking at all. She seemed for the time to be taking a rest from that laborious and fatiguing function and to have abandoned herself to some mechanical impulse that directed her actions and freed her of responsibility.

Non stava pensando a nulla. In quel momento sembrava si stesse prendendo una pausa da quell’attività laboriosa e stancante e si fosse abbandonata a un qualche impulso meccanico che comandava le sue azioni e la sollevava dalle sue responsabilità.

How good was the touch of the raw silk to her flesh! She felt like lying back in the cushioned chair and reveling for a while in the luxury of it. She did for a little while. Then she replaced her shoes, rolled the cotton stockings together and thrust them into her bag. After doing this she crossed straight over to the shoe department and took her seat to be fitted.

Com’era bello il contatto della seta grezza sulla pelle! Ebbe voglia di sdraiarsi sulla poltrona e godersi quel lusso. Per un po’ lo fece. Poi si rimise le scarpe, arrotolò insieme le calze di cotone e le infilò in borsa. Dopodiché andò dritta al reparto scarpe e si sedette per essere servita.