Father Gusson the peddler comes to the farm.
"Madame," he said, holding out a small china jar carefully sealed with parchment, "assuredly you do not need this just now, but if I should never come back, and if it should happen that one day your beautiful hair should grow thin, turn grey, or fall out, you have only to rub your head with this sweet-scented ointment and at once your hair will grow again thick 39 and of its original colour. I cannot, alas! give you the recipe, it is a secret left me by my parents."
Then Father Gusson bade farewell to the two women and went on his way with "Neddy," both much refreshed by their pleasant rest.
Mother Etienne handed Germaine the precious pot of ointment 40 to put with their other purchases into the big cupboard, and they thought no more about it.
One day as she sat by the fire with Yollande, watching the dinner, a bright and whimsical idea occurred to the maid. "Supposing I were to try the ointment on the hen? But—it might be good for feathers too—anyhow, it could not do any harm."
41Saying this she went, found the ointment, and delicately rubbed a little onto Yollande's head. Yollande did not appear to mind at all. Germaine did this three days running.
Two weeks later Mother Etienne while dressing her hen, as she did each day, found a thick reddish down sprouting round her head like a little flat wig. She showed it to Germaine, who paid no attention, having quite forgotten her childish trick.
