enly remembered that she had not, perhaps, the necessary
requisites, for she appeared to me in a very singular position, as if she
had just escaped from some disagreeable adventure, and I brought her my
dressing-case.

I put out all the little instruments for cleanliness and comfort which it
contained: a nail-brush, a new toothbrush--I always carry a
selection of them about with me--my nail-scissors, a nail-file, and
sponges. I uncorked a bottle of eau de cologne, one of lavender-water,
and a little bottle of new-mown hay, so that she might have a choice.
Then I opened my powder-box, and put out the powder-puff, placed my fine
towels over the water-jug, and a piece of new soap near the basin.

She watched my movements with a look of annoyance in her wide-open eyes,
without appearing either astonished or pleased at my forethought.

"Here is all that you require," I then said; "I will tell you when supper
is ready."

When I returned to the sitting-room I found that Paul had shut himself in
the other room, so I sat down to wait.

A waiter went to and fro, bringing plates and glasses. He laid the table
slowly, then put a cold chicken on it, and told me that all was ready.

I knocked gently at Mademoiselle Rondoli's door. "Come in," she said, and
when I did so I was struck by a strong, heavy smell of perfumes, as if I
were in a hairdresser's shop.

The Italian was sitting on her trunk in an attitude either of thoughtful
discontent or absent-mindedness. The towel was still folded over the
waterjug that was full of water, and the soap, untouched and dry, was
lying beside the empty basin; but one would have thought that the young
woman had used half the contents of the bottles of perfume. The eau de
cologne, however, had been spared, as only about a third of it had gone;
but to make up for that she had used a surprising amount of
lavender-water and new-mown hay. A cloud of violet powder, a vague white
mist, seemed still to be floating in the air, from the effects of her
over-powdering her face and neck. It seemed to cover her eyelashes,
eyebrows, and the hair on her temples like snow, while her cheeks were
plastered with it, and layers of it covered her nostrils, the corners of
her eyes, and her chin.

When she got up she exhaled such a strong odor of perfume that it almost
made me feel faint.

When we sat down to supper, I found that Paul was in a most execrable
temper, and I could get nothing out of him but blame, i