"What to avoid! but it is perfectly beautiful. Why should you want to avoid beauty?!"
"I do not—it is what this was meant to stand for and what human beings failed in allowing it to do—that is the lesson."
I was frightfully interested.
"Tell me what you mean?"
"The architects were great, the king's thought was great—but only in one way—and everyone—the whole class—forgot the real meaning of noblesse oblige, and abused their power—and so the revolution swept them away—They put false value upon everything—false values upon birth and breeding—and no value upon their consequent obligations, or upon character—."
"You believe in acknowledging your obligations I know"—
"Yes—I hope so—Think in that palace the immense importance which was given to etiquette and forms and ceremonies—and to a quite ridiculous false sense of honour—they could ruin their poor tradesmen and—yet—."
"Yes"—I interrupted—"it was odd, wasn't it?—a gentleman was still a gentleman, never paying his tailor's bills—but ceased to be one if he cheated at cards—."
Miss Sharp suddenly dropped her dark blue parasol and bent to pick it up again—and as she did she changed the conversation by remarking that there were an unusual quantity of aeroplanes buzzing from Buc.
This was unlike her—I cannot think why she did so. I wanted to steer her back to the subject of Versailles and its meaning—.