Chapter 12
§12. Judas and Patrick's Dinner
On the morrow, at the behest of Marie, I yielded to her relentless urging and took to the blade. It marked a triumph for her, as she had persistently harped on the matter for the past two months.
"Oh my, what a marked improvement you exhibit with your facial hair trimmed."
Having shorn away my whiskers, I found myself quite taken with the invigorating sensation it bestowed upon me. I silently concurred with Marie's sentiment. However, I had no desire to undergo the rigors of a full-fledged ablution, so I beseeched Marie to procure a vessel of water to serve as a makeshift basin.
As in my days of yore, when I sailed upon the navy's vessels, I submerged a cloth in the basin and painstakingly attended to every nook and cranny of my person. When I wrung out the cloth, a dark, muddied stream of water flowed forth. Its presence did not evoke any particular reaction from me, as I had grown accustomed to such squalor during my days of military service and ardent exploration.
However, it was Marie who beheld the sight with a degree of consternation. She swiftly emptied the basin, filled with the murky residue of my cleansing, and forcibly expelled me from the room, insisting on purging it of its accumulated impurities. The sound of her diligent sweeping and mopping resonated from within. She possessed an exceedingly meticulous disposition.
"Behold, this is the amount of dust that has been expelled."
And after a time, Marie collected a conglomeration of filth and triumphantly presented it to me.
"Truth be told, I find myself at a loss for an appropriate response, for it is the first instance wherein one has displayed a cluster of dust to me, awaiting my reaction."