vould pass to descendants, or, if each child vill not haf to be treated
anew. I believe no. It is true t'at acquired traits are not hereditable.
T'ere Weissmann is right, v'atefer doubters may say. You know t'e t'eory.
T'e blacksmit's muscles are not transmitted to his son t'e clerk; but t'e
black hair t'at he got from his fat'er. Only after fery many generations
of blacksmit's could a boy be born who vould grow up as a clerk vit'
blacksmit' muscles. Efolution shapes t'e vorld, yes; but t'e process is so
slow, so slow! So education, modification, must begin afresh vit' each
generation and continue forefer. But t'is bacillus does not add ornament
to t'e outside. It is not like t'e masseuse, vit' her unguents and
kneading. It changes all t'e nature. It is like compressing a million
years of education by natural selection into von lifetime. T'at is my
t'eory. I do not know--it is not yet tried--but how ot'ervise? Ve but
hasten t'e process, as t'e chemist hastens fermentation; Nature
constructs, she does not adapt or alter or modify. Ve produce beauty by
Nature's own met'od. V'y not hereditary?"

I had made up my mind.

"I'll do it," I cried, no longer able to resist, for the fever of it was
in my blood. "You shall make your attempt on me! It can do no harm. I do
not see how it can accomplish all you claim, but if you think--it's an
experiment full of possibilities--in the interests of science--"

"Interest of humbug!" snapped Prof. Darmstetter, his own sarcastic self
again. "You consent because you vant to be beautiful. You care not'ing for
science. I can trust you vit' my secret. You need svear no oat's not to
reveal it. You vant to be t'e only perfect voman in t'e vorld, and so you
shall be, for some time. T'at is right. T'at is your revard."