A wild burst of applause greeted these words. The pretty women clapped
their hands as they would have clapped them in the theatre for some dance
or song that took their fancy. The men were not less enthusiastic. The
difference between the men and the women was that the men applauded
because they knew why their master was pleased; the women applauded
because their master was pleased without asking the reason why. The name
of Lagardere meant little or nothing to them.