III. 


“To mend a hole on the vermillion border: Cut a length of thread no longer than five times the width of the fissure. Insert the thread through the needle’s eye. To prevent the needle from unthreading, pull several inches through and knot to hold. This stitch is used for holding a folded edge, such as the double hem of a mouth. Relate the length of the stitch to the fabric of the skin, and how badly the tongue will fray. Press the lips tightly together and begin: slipstitch from right to left with the knot hidden inside the hem. Bring the needle out through the folded edge, pick up a few threads of the flat lip-skin and then work through the fold again. Slide the needle along; come out of the fold to make the next stitch. At the gulch of the philtrum double the slipstitch. This will neaten the raw edge while helping the woman to unlearn herself. It will shut her language off like a light.”