hair cut the same length, we obviate, to a certain extent, the errors of Nature."
I said:
"Why black?"
He said he did not know, but that was the colour which had been decided upon.
"Who by?" I asked.
"By THE MAJORITY," he replied, raising his hat and lowering his eyes, as if in prayer.
We walked further, and passed more men. I said:
"Are there no women in this city?"
"Women!" exclaimed my guide. "Of course there are. We’ve passed hundreds of them!"
"I thought I knew a woman when I saw one," I observed; "but I can’t remember noticing any."
"Why, there go two, now," he said, drawing my attention to a couple of persons near to us, both dressed in the regulation grey trousers and tunics.
"How do you know they are women?" I asked.
"Why, you see the metal numbers that everybody wears on their collar?"
"Yes: I was just thinking what a number of policemen you had, and wondering where the other people were!"
"Well, the even numbers are women; the odd numbers are men."
"How very simple," I remarked. "I suppose after a little practice you can tell one sex from the other almost at a glance?"
