"Certainly, madam. What sort of bath do you require?"
She was looking at me now—narrowly rather. Quickly she swung round and glanced about the great hall. Then she spoke, somewhat uneasily.
"Er—if you would show me some baths with showers and things, please—"
"With pleasure, madam. Will you come this way?"
I preceded her in the direction of the great ones.
"Now this," I said, laying my hand familiarly on the smooth edge of one of the grandes dames, "this is 'The Duchess.' Very popular, madam. She may not exactly figure in Society, but I can assure you that every morning half Society figures in her." I glanced at the girl to see an amused smile struggling with grave suspicion in her eyes. I went on hurriedly. "We've been selling a great number lately."
"Have you?" she said slowly.
"Yes, indeed, madam. Only this morning we received an order for fourteen from Madagascar." I turned to another patrician. "Here again is a first-class bath. 'The Nobleman.' A great feature is the glass screen. The enamel, too, is of the very best quality. Nickelplated fittings, stream line body, detachable whee—er—that is, the waste also is constructed on a most ingenious principle: we call it the 'Want-Not' pattern."
"Ah," she said quietly. "And what's the price of this—er—paragon?"
I glanced at the ticket, knitting my brows.