in his chair, having him show her rouge and face
powders, until finally he had displayed his entire stock of Pinaud and
Roger et Gallet. The barber chuckled.

"On sea trips," he said, "a man has a chance of getting to know the
queerest women." And he proceeded to recount a number of incidents,
which, on his own word, he himself had witnessed. The heroine in each
case was an erotomanic woman.

"Just ask our doctor," he said. He was of the old-fashioned sort of
barber-surgeon, and in the capacity of surgeon had gathered the most
scandalous portion of his experiences. "One of the worst cases," he went
on, "was that of an American girl, who was found lying unconscious in one
of the life-boats swinging from the davits. She was hideously abused by
all the crew, one at a time, but they fixed it so that the whole blame
could be laid on her."

Frederick knew that none other than Ingigerd Hahlstroem was responsible
for the direction the barber's thoughts had taken. She had been sitting
in the very chair in which he was now reclining. A current streamed from
its upholstery into his body. His heart began to beat irregularly,
ceasing for an instant, then leaping wildly. To his horror, he observed
that Mara's power over him was not yet broken.

He jumped up and shook himself. He felt as if he must plunge into a hot
and cold bath and let stinging douches run down his spine to wash him
outwardly and inwardly clean and expel that foul poison from his blood.

XIX

The barbershop lay aft, and nearby one could look through glass panes
upon the working of the cylinders and pistons. Frederick toilsomely
clambered up to the promenade deck and crept into the overcrowded
smoking-room. Though it disgusted him to be wedged into a small space
with a lot of noisy men, he had come here in the desire to escape the
wild orgy of his thoughts. Doctor Wilhelm had kept a place for him.

"The doctor tells me you were in the steerage, and a beautiful Deborah
made a dangerous impression upon you," the captain said, smiling
roguishly.

Frederick laughed. He ordered beer, and the conversation was jolly from
the start.

In their corner the skat players were sitting over their cards. They were
business men, all of apoplectic constitution. They had been drinking beer
and playing skat ever since breakfast, in fact, except when they slept,
ever since boarding the steamer. The conversation in the room was of no
interest to them. Even the weather f