he suggested.

"As long as you get it out painlessly, I don't mind," I said, and I lay
back and studied the bottles.

"It's a curious thing," I observed, "but mine is the only case for which
you hairdressers fail to provide."

"I don't quite follow, Sir."

"Well," I explained, "for any degree of baldness you provide remedies by
the hundreds. You offer to invigorate the hair, to dress it, to bring it
up in the way it should go, and to produce it in any quantity."

The light of battle came into the assistant's eye and he moved to the
wash-basin.

"Yes," he said, picking up a bottle of oily mixture, "this preparation,
for instance, is really to be recommended. The famous Criniline."

He held it aloft and the neighbouring assistant barely suppressed a
cheer. "I've sold----"

"That's all very well," I objected, "but where do I come in?"

"Well, Sir"--he held out his scissors--"these surely are effective."

"Cutting only makes it grow more quickly. The beastly stuff's so thick,"
I complained, "I can't do anything with it. What I want is some
stuff----"

"Preparation, Sir."

"----stuff for thinning my hair."

"For thinning the hair. Yes, Sir." He combed the atmosphere
thoughtfully. "I should like to sell you something, Sir."

Of a sudden he snipped excitedly. "I have it!" he exclaimed. He moved
back to the washstand and picked up a bottle. "The very thing," he said.
He looked round cautiously, bent down towards my ear and coughed
nervously. "Of course," he said, "this is--er--not a preparation for
your particular complaint. I--er--it--between our two selves, Sir, it
was--er--intended for other purposes."

"Yes?" I said.

"But, Sir, it may be just what you require."

"Yes, yes." I held my hand out for the bottle.

"Yes, Sir," he whispered. "It may be. At any rate I happen to know for a
fact there is no possible danger of its increasing the growth of the
hair."

And he handed me the famous Criniline.

To show my appreciation of his honesty I bought two bottles.

* * * * *

Commercial Candour.

From a Provision catalogue:--

"Lamb.... Should shoulders be ordered Legs will be sent."

Very annoying.

* * * * *

"BERLIN. Saturday.--It is stated that the Crown Prince is to assume
the command of the troops at Belgrade.--_Reuter._"--_Observer._

As this comes from Berlin we assume that the reference is to the GERMAN
CROWN PR