“Oh, I don’t envy them a bit. Those people with skins like felt; they miss everything.”

“I agree. At the same time, I think a moderately thick skin is a boon. I see no disadvantage in escaping intolerable discomforts. It is possible to have too thin a skin.”

“For survival, yes. Blond people are dying out, they say.”

“Blondes have not a monopoly of thin skins.”

“No. I have a friend who slums. She loathes the poor.”

“Dear, dear; a most unfortunate qualification for her work.”

“Not their poverty. Their sameness. She is one of the kindest people I know.”

“Strange....”

“They ought to be pensioned.”

“The poor?”