"You must, Hélène; you must," insisted Mr. Stanton.
"I cannot!" she repeated.
"You can say you have changed your mind."
"Impossible!"
"But I tell you you must! I won't have this man in my house again."
"What has he done? Tell me, what has he done?" demanded Hélène.
Stanton paused. "He—he is a scoundrel, a disgrace to society—to—to—" Then in sudden fury he went on: "When a man gets down to playing for a mere pittance, as he does, in a disreputable theatre, and dwelling in a squalid neighbourhood, with low companions——"
"Can he help his poverty?" interrupted Hélène, now thoroughly aroused. "The man has pride, he refuses to take money; he is a gentleman! You have no right to insult him because he is poor."
"There are other reasons," said Stanton quickly.
"What are they?"