'It seems to me that pity is a human sentiment, that it always existed. In all ages there has been pity for the blind, the lame, the deformed, never was pity so general, or so ardent as in the nineteenth century, but it always existed for the poor of spirit and the feeble of body, and these are not the victims of our social system; they are nature's victims.' Mildred did not answer, and they heard the fiddles, the piano, and then the cornet. 'The Delacours entertain a great deal, I suppose: on the first floor the editor writes that property is robbery, and advocates an equal division of property; on the second floor he spends the money he gets out of the people by holding illusory hopes of an approaching spoliation of the rich, and advocating investment in a fraudulent enterprise like Panama.... You always accuse me of want of humour, but I have sufficient to appreciate _The Voice of the People_ on the first floor and the voice of the ball on the second.' At that moment M. Delacour opened the door of the boudoir: 'Forgive me,' he said, 'for interrupting you, but I wanted to tell that every one has read your article. It is a great success, _spirituel, charmant, surtout tres parisien,_ that's what is said on every side.' Mildred's face flushed with pleasure, and, turning to Harold, she said: 'I am writing a series of articles in _La Voix du Peuple_ under the title of _Bal Blanc_.' 'Have you not seen your sister's articles, M. Lawson?' asked M. Delacour. 'No, Mildred did not send them to me, and I rarely see the French papers in London.' Mildred looked at M. Delacour, and Harold read in her eyes that she was annoyed that M. Delacour had called attention to the article. He asked himself why this was, and, when M. Delacour left the room, he took up the paper. He read a few lines and then Mildred said: 'I cannot remain much longer away from my guests.' 'Your guests?' 'Yes; they are my guests in a way, the ball was given for me.' 'You can go to them; I can remain here I suppose. I can see you later on.' Mildred did not answer, and, while Harold looked through the article, her face darkened, and she bit her lips twice. At last she said: 'We had better finish: I cannot remain away any longer from my guests, and I shall be engaged the rest of the evening. There's no use in your reading that article. You won't like it. You won't approve of it.' 'I certainly do not approve of it, and are all the articles you write under this title of the same character?' 'I can't see anything wrong in it. Of course you can read meanings into it that I don't intend if you like.' 'I am afraid that your articles must give people a very false idea of you.' 'Every one who knows me knows that I would not do anything wrong, that I am not that kind of woman. You need not be afraid, I shall not disgrace you.'