round and round them, for which they did not even feel they wanted to
thank him, the German officer could do nothing for them. They tried
being rude to the hairdresser: he mistook it for American chic.
They tried joining hands and running away from him, but they were not
good skaters, and he thought they were trying to show him the cake
walk. They both fell down and hurt themselves, and it is difficult
to be angry with a man, even a hairdresser, when he is doing his best
to pick you up and comfort you.

The chaperon was worse than useless. She was very old. She had been
promised her breakfast, but saw no signs of it. She could not speak
German; and remembered somewhat late in the day that two young ladies
had no business to accept breakfast at the hands of German officers:
and, if they did, at least they might see that they got it. She
appeared to be willing to talk about decadence of modern manners to
almost any extent, but the subject of the hairdresser, and how to get
rid of him, only bored her.

Their first stroke of luck occurred when the hairdresser, showing
them the "dropped three," fell down and temporarily stunned himself.
It was not kind of them, but they were desperate. They flew for the
bank just anyhow, and, scrambling over the grass, gained the
restaurant. The officer, overtaking them at the door, led them to
the table that had been reserved for them, then hastened back to hunt
for the chaperon. The girls thought their trouble was over. Had
they glanced behind them their joy would have been shorter-lived than
even was the case. The hairdresser had recovered consciousness in
time to see them waddling over the grass. He thought they were
running to fetch him brandy. When the officer returned with the
chaperon he found the hairdresser sitting opposite to them,