ray.
When she makes her appearance people welcome her, and say: 'Oh, here is
Mrs. A----; she is so amusing; we'll hear some good story.' Knowing that
she has a reputation to sustain, she prepares her stories before
starting on her visits, and gives them an artistic and piquant finishing
touch that will make them go down successfully. Being fairly
good-hearted, she begins by warning you that she is only repeating what
is 'going on,' and 'does not know for certain.' She only wishes to be
amusing and entertaining, you understand, and does not mean to do injury
to any woman. Oh dear, no! she is a bit of an actress in an amateurish
sort of way, and if she exaggerates she asks you to put it down to the
account of Art. As long as people are entertained by gossip there will
be people to gossip for their benefit. Now, men and women who repeat
scandal which is true do harm enough, goodness knows, but the most
dangerous ones are those who repeat what they have heard, which gossip
will be repeated and 'improved' until it gets to gigantic proportions.

Slander generally takes refuge behind such platitude as, 'Of course, I
have not seen it; I only repeat what I have heard.'

Who says those things?--Why, everybody.

Everybody?--Everybody; that's enough.

Please mention a name.--Well, I am afraid I can't.

But where have you heard such a thing?--Everywhere.

Can't you be precise? Is it in a private house?--I forget.

In a restaurant?--I don't know.

At a cafe? At a club? Perhaps in a theatre?--Yes, I think it was in a
theatre.

What a cure--temporary, at least, if not to last for ever--to look the
'gossip,' man or woman, straight in the face, and say: 'Scandal-mongers
are the most despicable parasites and scoundrels of society!' and you
may be sure that, at least, is a statement which the 'gossip' will not
repeat.

There is a law of libel practically in every civilized country to
protect people against having their character stained at the will and
for the pleasure of their fellow-creatures, but for the life of me I
cannot see why libel should be libel, and thus punishable by law, only
when it is published in a newspaper or written on a postcard. The worst
libel, the one that does most injury, is the one that goes from house to
house by word of mouth. To say a libellous thing is quite as bad as to
write it down; it is even worse, because what is written often escapes
notice, and the law should reach the libeller whether he