From the corner nearest the entrance a young woman advanced to meet them.
She was clad in flowing lines of opalescent green, and her black hair was
banded low across the forehead with a narrow line of emerald.
"You wish to see raiment?" was her greeting.
Mary felt rather at a loss amidst these ultra-aestheticisms, but Stefan
promptly asked to see Miss Berber.
"Madame rarely sees new clients in the morning." The green damsel was
pessimistic. Mary felt secretly amused at the ostentatious phraseology.
"Tell her we are friends of Mrs. Theodore Elliot's," replied Stefan, with
his most brilliant and ingratiating smile.
The damsel brightened somewhat. "If I may have your name I will see what
can be done," she offered, extending a small vermilion tray. Stefan
produced a card and the damsel floated with it toward the distant exit.
Her footsteps were silent on the dead tiling, and there was no sound from
the door beyond the screen.
"Isn't this a lark? Let's sit down," Stefan exclaimed, leading the way to
a couch.
"It's rather absurd, don't you think?" smiled Mary.
"No doubt, but amusing enough for mere mortals," he shrugged, a scarcely
perceptible snub in his tone. Mary was silent. They waited for several
minutes. At last instinct rather than hearing made them turn to see a
figure advancing down the room.
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