in a cart. He was tall and meagre, and wore a long black robe and tall
pointed cap, both of which appeared spangled with silver; instead of
which, they were studded with steel buttons, needles, and pins, of which
he was an itinerant vendor. I believe the women would have purchased
largely of him, had my father let me stop.

Next we came up with a little house upon wheels, drawn by a sorry horse,
and on the wooden wall of the said house was depicted, many sizes larger
than life, a great human tooth, with bleeding fangs. Beneath was an
inscription that the owner of the cart was a traveling dentist, who drew
teeth without the least pain.

Alice, the maid, had instantly a great desire to let him draw a
troublesome tooth of hers which, she took pains to assure us, was not
impaired by natural decay, but only accidentally broken in cracking
a cherry-stone. "The edge is so rough," said she, "that it hurts my
tongue; and since this honest gentleman can extract it painlessly,
I have a great mind to try his hand."

"Plenty of time for that when we get to Beaucaire," said M. Bourdinave.
"Sure, you would not have a tooth drawn in the middle of the high road?"

"Truly, I should not mind it, inside that nice little wooden house,"
said she.

But no, she was not allowed to do so; and, to console her, Madeleine
uncovered a little basket she carried on her arm, and discovered
cherries as red as her own lips, nestling in dark green leaves. "Here,"
said she, cheerfully, "are some stones to take your revenge on."