"Then you are getting out something new?" I asked.
"Yes, and no," he answered. "Our product is the old-fashioned eau-de-cologne water with the name 'Farina' on it."
"But in America we associate eau-de-cologne with the Germans," said I. "Doesn't the bottle say 'Johann Maria Farina'? Surely the form of the name is German."
"But that was not his name, monsieur; he was a Frenchman, and called himself 'Jean Marie.' Yes, really, the Germans stole the manufacture from the French. Consider the name of the article, 'eau-de-cologne,' is not that French?"
"Yes," I admitted.
"Alors," said Palandeau; "the blocus has simply given us the power to reclaim trade opportunities justly ours. Therefore we have printed a new label telling the truth about Farina, and the Boche 'Johann Maria' is 'kapout.'"
"Do you sell much of it?"
"Quantities! Our product is superior to the Boche article, and has the glamour of an importation. I await the contest without uneasiness."
"What contest?"
"When Jean Marie meets Johann Maria—après la guerre," said Palandeau with a twinkle in his eye.