The first price was for the jar. The second was for enough of what was inside it to be useful.
I asked the man behind the counter to show me the second one again. He turned the quotation around and held his finger beneath the figure.
"Prepared bruise dressing. That's the small course."
My request lay beside it, the corner creased where Ren had folded it yesterday. I had written ordinary and underlined price only. Neither had helped as much as I'd hoped.
The quotation included the plain alternative I had asked about. Its lower figure kept drawing my eye away from the price beneath his finger. He put his nail against the ruled line separating the entries. I followed it across to the quantity column, then back again. The useful course cost exactly what he had said.
"That one includes the cloth?"
"The plain preparation does. As requested."
