Carpenter was staring at her.  I had not before seen such intensity of concentration on his face.  He was trying to understand this situation, so beyond all believing.

“I weel tell you something,” said Madame Planchet, lowering her voice confidentially.  “The lady what you hear—­that ees Meeses T-S.  You know Meester T-S, the magnate of the peectures?”

Carpenter did not say whether he knew or not.

“They come to me always, the peecture people; to me. the magician, the deputee of the god of beautee.  Polly Pretty, she comes, and Dolly Dimple, she comes, and Lucy Love, she comes, and Betty Belle Bird.  They come to me for the hair, and for the eyes, and for the complexion.  You are a workair of miracles yourself—­but can you do what I do?  Can you make the skeen all new?  Can you make the old young?”

“O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh!”

“Mary Magna, she comes to me, and she breengs me her old grandmother, and she says, ‘Madame,’ she says, ’make her new from the waist up, for you can nevair tell how the fashions weel change, and what she weel need to show.’  Ha, ha, ha, she ees wittee, ees the lovely Mary!  And I take the old lady, and her wrinkles weel be gone, and her skeen weel be soft like a leetle baby’s, and in her cheeks weel be two lovely dimples, and she weel dance with the young boys, and they weel not know her from her grandchild—­ha, ha, ha!—­ees eet not the wondair?”

I knew by now where I was.  I had heard many times of Madame Planchet’s beauty-parlors.  I sat, wondering; should I take Carpenter by the arm, and lead him gently out?  Or should I leave him to fight his own. fight with modern civilization?

“O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh!”

Madame turned suddenly upon me.  “I know you, Meester Billee,” she said.  “I have seen you with Mees Magna!  Ah, naughtee boy!  You have the soft, fine hair—­you should let it grow—­eight inches we have to have, and then you can come to me for the permanent wave.  So many young men come to me for the permanent wave!  You know eet?  Meester Carpentair, you see, he has let hees hair grow, and he has the permanent wave—­eet could not be bettair eef I had done eet myself.  I say always, ’My work ees bettair than nature, I tell nature by the eemperfections.’  Eh, voila?”

I am not sure whether it was for the benefit of me or of Carpenter.  The deputee of the god of beautee was moved to volunteer a great revelation.  “Would you like to see how we make eet—­the permanent wave?  I weel show you Messes T-S.  But you must not speak—­she would not like eet if I showed her to gentlemen.  But her back ees turned and she cannot move.  We do not let them see the apparatus, because eet ees rather frightful, eet would make them seek.  You will be very steel, eh?”

“Mum’s the word, Madame,” said Rosythe, speaking for the three of us.

“O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh!” moaned the voice.