This produced pliancy of the body, and induced a healthy
condition of the loins and adjacent organs.
To further fight against the deadly enemy of obesity, she lifted her
arms above her head slowly until she touched her finger tips, at the
same time rising upon her tiptoes, while she inhaled a long breath,
and as slowly dropped to her heels, and lowered her arms while she
exhaled her breath. While these exercises had been taking place, a
tin cup of water had been coming to the boiling point over an alcohol
lamp. This was now poured into a china bowl containing a small
quantity of sweet milk, which was always brought on her breakfast
tray.
The Baroness seated herself before her mirror, in a glare of cruel
light which revealed every blemish in her complexion, every line
about the mouth and eyes.
"You are really hideously passee, mon amie," she observed as she
peered at herself searchingly; "but we will remedy all that."
Dipping a soft linen handkerchief in the bowl of steaming milk and
water, she applied it to her face, holding it closely over the brow
and eyes and about the mouth, until every pore was saturated and
every weary drawn tissue fed and strengthened by the tonic. After
this she dashed ice-cold water over her face. Still there were
little folds at the corners of the eyelids, and an ugly line across
the brow, and these were manipulated with painstaking care, and
treated with mysterious oils and fragrant astringents and finally
washed in cool toilet water and lightly brushed with powder, until at
the end of an hour's labour, the face of the Baroness had resumed its
roseleaf bloom and transparent smoothness for which she was so
famous.
Pages:
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50