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SE VE NTH EDITION
EMPOWERMENT SERIES
vii
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viii CONTENTS
LO 2-4 The Relationship Between Poor Time LO 3-3 Interviewing and Communicating Effectively
Management and Stress 56 in Macro Contexts 84
How Poor Time Management Causes Stress 56 Simple Encouragement 84
Styles of Dealing with Time 57 Sensitivity to Cultural Differences 84
Paraphrasing 84
LO 2-5 Use Time-Management Techniques to Improve Reflective Responding 85
Practice Effectiveness 58 Clarification 85
Planning Your Time 58 Interpretation 85
Get Control of Your Own Behavior 62 Providing Information 85
LO 2-6 Utilize Mechanisms for Eliminating Emphasizing People’s Strengths 86
Procrastination 67 Summarization 86
Reasons for Procrastination 67 Eliciting Information 86
The Cons of Procrastination 68 The Use of “Why?” 87
Battling Procrastination 68 Overlap of techniques 87
Chapter Summary 96
Introduction 73
Competency Notes 97
LO 3-1 Using Empathy and Other Interpersonal Skills
to Work Effectively Within Larger Systems 73 HIGHLIGHTS
3.1 Practicing Empathic Responses
A Review of Basic Micro Skills 74 in Macro-Practice Contexts 81
Verbal and Nonverbal Behavior 74 3.2 Nonverbal Behavior, Communication, Empowerment,
Eye Contact 75 and People Who Have Physical Disabilities 83
3.3 Each of Us Has Certain Assertive Rights 90
Attentive Listening 75
3.4 What Would You Do? 95
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CONTENTS ix
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x CONTENTS
CHAPTER 5 Understanding Organizations 143 LO 5-6 Social Work Values and Organizational Values 184
How to Survive in a Bureaucracy 185
Introduction 144
Management and Worker Empowerment 187
Defining Organizations, Social Services, Constructing a Culture Of Caring 187
and Social Agencies 144 The Learning Organization 187
Organizations 144 Teamwork and Team Empowerment 188
Social Services 145 Managing Diversity 190
Social Agencies 145
Comparing Specific Management Approaches 190
LO 5-1 The Macro Context of Organizations 146 Total Quality Management 190
The Shifting Macro Environment and Shrinking
Resources 146 LO 5-7 Empower Macro Client Systems to Improve
Legitimation 149 Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice 195
LO 5-2 Client Sources 153 Servant Leadership 196
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CONTENTS xi
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xii CONTENTS
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CONTENTS xiii
CHAPTER 9 Macro Practice in Communities 340 CHAPTER 10 Evaluating Macro Practice 378
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xiv CONTENTS
LO 10-4 Problems and Barriers in Program Evaluation 386 CHAPTER 11 Advocacy and Social Action with
Failure to Plan for Evaluation 386 Populations at Risk 412
Lack of Program Stability 386
Relationships Between Evaluators Introduction 414
and Practitioners 387 LO 11-1 Key Concepts Involved with Macro Practice 414
Evaluation Results are Unclear 387 Advocacy 414
Evaluation Results are Not Accepted 388 Social Action 416
When Evaluation is Not Worth the Effort 388 Empowerment 416
LO 10-5 Models of Evaluation 389 Populations at Risk 417
Formative (or Monitoring) Evaluations 389 LO 11-2 Risk Factors for Social, Economic,
Summative (or Impact) Evaluations 389 and Environmental Injustice 418
Effectiveness and Efficiency Evaluations 390 Factors Contributing to Putting Populations at Risk 418
Evaluation Approaches 390 Examples of Populations at Risk 419
Quantitative Methods 391 LO 11-3 Advocacy, Social Action, and Empowerment
Qualitative Methods 391 Activities 422
One-Group Posttest Designs 391
Pretest/Posttest Designs 391 Advocacy 423
Client Satisfaction Surveys 392 The Values and Limitations of Advocacy 423
Goal Attainment Scaling 392 Agency Commitment to Advocacy 424
Target Problem Scaling 393 Opportunities for Macro-Level Advocacy 425
Case Studies 394 Principles of Macro-Level Advocacy 426
Group Comparisons 394 Guidelines for Macro-Level Advocacy 427
Quality Assurance Reviews 395 Advocacy Tactics 428
Summary of Evaluation Designs 395 Grassroots and Grasstop Advocacy
LO 10-6 Stages and Steps in Evaluation 395 and Organizing 431
Stage 1: Conceptualization and Goal Setting 395 Locating Grasstop Supporters 433
Stage 2: Measurement 398 Identity the Help You Need 433
Stage 3: Sampling 398 Recruitment Strategies 433
Stage 4: Design 399 LO 11-4 The Use, Value, and Limitations of Advocacy 434
Stage 5: Data Gathering 401
Stage 6: Data Analysis 404 LO 11-5 Theoretical and Conceptual Models of Social
Stage 7: Data Presentation 404 Action 434
Alinsky’s Social Action Approach 434
LO 10-7 Communicate Evaluation Data 405
Part 1: Introduction 405 LO 11-6 Critique Macro Practice Using Professional
Part 2: Literature Review 405 Knowledge, Skills, and Values 436
Part 3: Methodology 405 Legal Action 437
Part 4: Results 405 LO 11-7 Participatory Action Research: Practice Informs
Part 5: Discussion 406 Research, and Research Informs Practice 439
Part 6: References and Appendices 407 Social Worker Roles in PAR 439
Summary of Data Presentation 407 Empowerment 440
LO 10-8 Uphold Ethics and Values in Evaluation 407 Recognizing Strengths 440
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CONTENTS xv
CHAPTER 12 Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas in Practice LO 12-6 Ambiguity Affects Ethical Decision Making 489
with Organizations and Conforming to Agency Policy 491
Communities 454 Breaching Confidentiality in a Macro Context 493
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xvi CONTENTS
Plan Your Supervisory Agenda Ahead of Time 507 Understanding the Software 525
Put Yourself in Your Supervisor’s Shoes 507 Agency Software Usage 527
Display Openness to Learning and to Improving General Observations About Computers 532
Yourself 507 Other Macro Uses of Technology 532
Demonstrate a Liking for Your Work 508
LO 14-4 Fund-raising 533
Follow the Rules 508
Sources of Funds 534
Think Beyond Tomorrow 508
Work Cooperatively with Other Staff 508 LO 14-5 Differentiating Grants from Contracts 540
Do More Than Expected 508 Grants and Contracts: Who’s Got the Money? 541
Give Your Supervisor Feedback 509 Government Grants 542
Forewarn Your Supervisor Foundation Grants 543
About Problematic Situations 509 Business and Corporate Grants 544
Learn Your Supervisor’s Evaluation System 509
LO 14-6 Key Steps in Securing Grants 545
LO 13-3 Manage Potential Problems in Supervision 510 Pre-Application Phase 545
Supervisor-Supervisee Misunderstandings 514 Application Phase 545
Supervisors Who Take Credit Writing a Grant Proposal 546
for Your Achievements 514 Kinds of Grants and Contract Proposals 549
Supervisory Incompetence 514 Post-Application Phase 563
Laziness 515
Chapter Summary 564
Problems with Delegation 515
Inability to Deal with Conflict 515 Competency Notes 565
A Final Note 515 HIGHLIGHTS
14.1 The Media’s Influence 521
Chapter Summary 515 14.2 Example of a News Release 523
14.3 Example of a Newspaper Editorial 524
Competency Notes 516 14.4 Management Information Systems 528
HIGHLIGHTS 14.5 Fund-raising 534
14.6 My First Grant—A First Person Account 543
13.1 Workers’ General Expectations of Supervisors:
14.7 Critical Topics Regarding Grant Applications 546
Keys to Empowerment 503
14.8 Example of a Cover Page 550
13.2 Games Supervisors and Supervisees
14.9 Example of a Summary or Abstract 550
Sometimes Play 510
14.10 Example of a Grant Application Problem
13.3 What Would You Do? 512
Statement 552
CHAPTER 14 Developing and Managing Agency 14.11 Examples of Goals and Objectives 554
Resources 517 14.12 Example of a Description of the Method 554
14.13 Example of an Evaluation Section 557
14.14 Example of a Bibliography 558
Introduction 519
14.15 Example of a Line-Item Budget 558
LO 14-1 Working with the Media to Advance Social 14.16 Example of a Functional or Program Budget from
a Peer Counselor and Drug Education Program 559
Well-Being and Social, Economic, and Environmental
14.17 Example of Allocating Time and Space Costs 560
Justice 519 14.18 Example of a Budget Narrative 561
The Nature and Role of Social Media 520
General Guidelines for Working with the Media 521 References 567
LO 14-2 Utilize Professional Communication Strategies Name Index 581
with the Media 523 Subject Index 587
Media Interviews 523
Letters to the Editor and Editorials 524
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Preface
This book is a guide to generalist social work practice address significant issues relevant to this practice.
with organizations and communities. The three adjec- Skills include working with the media, using new tech-
tives that best describe this text are relevant, practical, nological advances, fund-raising, grant writing, evalu-
and readable. Generalist practice is clearly defined, ating macro-practice effectiveness, resolving ethical
and specific macro-practice skills are presented in a dilemmas in macro contexts, and advocating for
straightforward and interesting manner. Applications diverse populations at risk.
to actual macro-practice situations are emphasized The fifth basic goal is to present material that is
throughout, as is the importance of client system not only relevant and interesting but also inclusive of
strengths. The content is geared to both the under- major concepts currently considered critically important
graduate and graduate generalist practice sequences. by the social work profession and social work educators.
This text aims to fulfill five major goals. First, it New material and concepts from the current accredita-
provides a readable and practical guide to working in tion standards have been included. (Please see the subse-
and with organizations and communities (macro prac- quent section on new content.) Enhanced emphasis is
tice). Numerous real-world situations and case exam- placed on critical thinking, empowerment and resilien-
ples are presented to make the material interesting and cy, and the global context of social work practice. The
relevant. Organizational and community theories are text adopts a generalist perspective, emphasizes evalu-
examined and linked to practice applications. ation of practice and research-informed practice, fo-
Second, the text proposes a generalist perspective cuses on the use of various communication skills with
to emphasize how micro, mezzo, and macro skills are colleagues and community members, demonstrates the
interlinked. This generalist approach assumes that appropriate use of supervision, and examines practi-
group (mezzo) skills are built on a firm foundation tioner functioning within organizational structures
of individual (micro) skills. Likewise, skills involved and communities.
in working with organizations and communities
(i.e., macro skills) rest on a solid base of both micro
and mezzo skills. This text links the three levels of About the Cover
practice—micro, mezzo, and macro—so that students Generalist Practice with Organizations and Commu-
can clearly see how all three skill levels are used in nities is focused on the need to work with and cre-
everyday practice situations. Whole chapters and nu- ate change within larger systems. Often this process
merous examples throughout illustrate how micro and involves working with others to achieve difficult and
mezzo skills can be applied to macro-practice situ- intractable goals. From citizen protests and dem-
ations. The text also aims to structure how students onstrations in the Middle East (i.e., Arab Spring) to
think about clients and clients’ problems so that, as similar efforts in the United States (e.g., Occupy Wall
practitioners, they will automatically explore alterna- Street, Black Lives Matter), individuals and groups are
tives beyond the individual and small-group levels. demanding changes in their environments, including
The text’s third basic goal is to provide clearly de- both government and business policies. Achieving and
fined, step-by-step frameworks for thinking about and maintaining positive outcomes in any system requires
initiating macro change in organizations and commu- continuous effort, and any gains must be guarded
nities. A model to decide whether to pursue macro in- and protected. Rights won must be defended against
tervention is proposed. Additionally, a procedure for groups and organizations seeking their repeal. This is
pursuing the macro-intervention process is described. part of your obligation as a social worker committed
The text’s fourth goal is to identify, explain, and to the pursuit of social, economic, and environmental
examine specific skills useful in macro practice and justice.
xvii
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xviii PREFACE
Chapter 7
1. Please note that this content addresses standards posed in the
EPAS. In no way does it claim to verify compliance with standards.
● Updated chapter title to more accurately capture
Only the CSWE’s Commission on Accreditation can make those intent
determinations. ● Reduced redundancy
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PREFACE xix
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xx PREFACE
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
1 Introduction to Generalist
Practice with Organizations
and Communities
© Anton Oparin/Shutterstock.com
Learning Objectives (LOs)
This chapter will help prepare students to:
LO 1-1 Describe generalist practice using the LO 1-6 Engage human diversity.
Generalist Intervention Model.
LO 1-7 Advocate for human rights and social,
LO 1-2 Recognize sources that guide professional economic, and environmental justice.
values and ethics in practice.
LO 1-8 Work effectively within an organizational
LO 1-3 Demonstrate awareness of personal values. structure.
LO 1-4 Describe the wide range of practice skills LO 1-9 Attend to a wide range of professional
used to target systems of any size. social work roles.
LO 1-5 Differentiate client empowerment, strengths, LO 1-10 Use critical thinking skills.
and resiliency.
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2 Generalist Practice with Organizations and Communities
Rudolph will gRaduate in a week and has already accepted a position in an agency
that provides family counseling, foster care, and adoption services. having done his field
placement in the agency, he feels more comfortable about transitioning to this new position.
however, as he begins to pack up his books, he comes across a book from one of the last
practice courses he completed. the book focused on generalist practice with organizations
and communities using a generalist approach. looking at the title and thinking about his
new position brings up several questions:
these are logical questions for social work students to consider. after all, most students enter
the social work field with a desire to help people and focus their attention on learning how
to work with individuals and families. in this chapter, we will try to answer these questions
and provide information that is essential for generalist practitioners with a specific focus on
working within larger systems.
1. Most of these concepts are taken directly from the Educational is intended to assist in a social work program’s accreditation
Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) developed by the Coun- process.) Throughout the chapter, icons such as that located in this
cil on Social Work Education (CSWE) (CSWE, 2015). One major paragraph call attention to the location of EPAS-related content.
goal of social work education is to facilitate students’ attainment Each identifies what competency or practice behavior is relevant
of the EPAS-designated 10 core competencies and their 41 related by specifying the designated Educational Policy (EP) reference
component behaviors so that students develop into competent number. “Competency Notes” are provided at the end of each
practitioners. Students require knowledge in order to develop chapter that relate EPAS competencies and component behaviors
skills and become competent. Our intent here is to specify what to content in the chapter. A summary chart of the icons’ locations
chapter content and knowledge coincides with the development of in all chapters and their respective competencies or component
specific competencies and component behaviors. (This ultimately behaviors appears in the inside cover of the book.
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Generalist Practice with Organizations and Communities 3
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4 Generalist Practice with Organizations and Communities
Step 1 Engagement
Step 2 Assessment
change process, familiarize clients with the agency and and help. With this call, you have engaged Mr. Earl
supply them with information, solicit necessary data in the problem-defining process. Engagement is the
to assist in service provision, provide short-term coun- initial period when a practitioner becomes oriented to
seling when needed, and make appropriate referrals to the problem at hand and begins to establish commu-
agency units and other community resources. nication and a relationship with any other individu-
You receive a referral involving an older adult, als addressing the problem. Subsequently, you figure
Murray Strewynskowski. The person making the initial out what to do about Mr. Strewynskowski. You must
referral, Duke Earl, is one of Mr. Strewynskowski’s con- also engage him as the client in the planned change
cerned neighbors. Mr. Earl expresses concern because process. Of course, as a generalist practitioner, you
Mr. Strewynskowski has twice fallen down on his icy must work with the client to establish what he needs
sidewalk and been unable to get back up and into the and wants.
house. Both times, Mr. Earl happened to notice the fall During the assessment phase, you may decide to
and was able to assist Mr. Strewynskowski into the house. pursue planning and implementation at the micro,
While inside, Mr. Earl noticed extremely chaotic condi- mezzo, or macro level. You might also decide that
tions: Rotting garbage was strewn about the kitchen, and intervention at more than one level is appropriate.
about a dozen cats leisurely wandered around. Mr. Earl
noticed that a black cat with a white patch over the left Example: A Micro Approach
eye was eating what seemed to be canned creamed corn A micro-level plan might be to refer Mr. Strewynskowski
mixed with ketchup from a plate on the table that looked to the appropriate services and oversee service provi-
as if it might have been Mr. Strewynskowski’s lunch. sion. You might then continue Mr. Strewynskowski’s
Mr. Earl also expresses concerns about Mr. Strewyn- assessment and arrange for additional services such as
skowski’s diet in a general sense and wonders whether a traveling homemaker and daily hot meal delivery. You
Mr. Strewynskowski is able to shop or cook adequately might also arrange for supportive services as needed,
because he looks unhealthily thin. such as assisting Mr. Strewynskowski with paying his
Initially, you call Mr. Earl to clarify any ques- bills, obtaining medical assistance, or making arrange-
tions you might have and to thank him for his interest ments to get groceries and other needed items.
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Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
De Gêvres shrugged. "Oh, not necessarily. You shall judge." He glanced
meditatively at her feet, tapped his snuff-box, and began to speak just as
Marchon finished the first curl. "Without doubt, madame, even after the
deplorable past evening, you still recollect the rather outré events of the day
before. You cannot yet have forgotten the last Rambouillet chase, the gage
you offered, his Majesty's unfortunate chagrin, and the intrepid, if rash, ardor
of your young cousin, Count Claude?"
"Well! The rest is, indeed, curious. In spite of the Count's heroic
gallantry, he appeared, later in the day, to have repented somewhat of having
so eagerly dared the royal displeasure. A company of my friends were so
good as to visit, with me, my hôtel—you know its condition—for play, on
this very evening. By great good fortune, his Majesty, together with a
companion, did us the honor himself to join our party a little later. When the
King beheld his successful rival, the Count, seated with us, he instantly
proposed that the two of them play a round for high stakes. Louis, madame,
offered a diamond star—valued, perhaps, at fifty thousand francs, or more,
against—"
"My glove."
"Even so. You have, perhaps, heard the tale?" queried the Duke, hastily,
with a suspicion of anxiety in his voice.
The late-comers bowed and looked at the Duke, who, in that instant, had
mentally sounded the intruders, considered his course, and decided to risk a
continuance of his original plan. Without any noticeable hesitation, the story
went on.
"As I said, his Majesty and the Count de Mailly were to play together for
possession of the glove. The King threw first—four and three. De Mailly
came next with five and two."
"Again Louis with ten, and the Count turned precisely the same number.
His Majesty was visibly tingling with anxiety. He was about to throw for the
last time, with a prayer to the gods, when the Count—um—took pity on
him."
Maurepas looked sharply at the speaker, while the others smiled, and the
Duchess made every one still easier by laughing lightly.
"You have certainly put it to strong test this morning," was the reply,
rather coldly given.
The two ecclesiastics entered from the antechamber and advanced, side
by side, towards the Duchess. The taller of the two, St. Pierre, was a very
desirable person in salon society, and could turn as neat a compliment or as
fine an epigram in spontaneous verse as any member in the "rhyming
brotherhood." At sight of St. Pierre's companion, who was a stranger here,
the Marquis de Coigny gave a sudden, imperceptible start, and Henri de
Mailly suppressed an exclamation.
"I am charmed to see you both," deigned her Grace, giving her hand to
St. Pierre, while she narrowly scrutinized the slight figure and delicate,
ascetic face of the other young priest. The mild blue eyes met hers for a
single instant, then dropped uneasily, as their owner bowed without
speaking, and passed over to a small sofa, where, after a second's hesitation,
he sat down. St. Pierre, who seemed to cherish some anxiety as to his new
protégé's conduct, followed and remained beside him.
"Unused to the boudoir, one would imagine. It is unusual for one of his
order. I am astonished that St. Pierre should have brought him to make a
début before you," observed de Gêvres to la Châteauroux, who had not yet
removed her eyes from the new priest.
"St. Pierre knows my fondness for fresh faces," she replied, indifferently,
picking up a mirror to examine the coiffure, just as her lackey entered the
room with small glasses of negus, which were passed among the party.
"By no means, monsieur," was the answer, given in a light tenor voice.
"Indeed, for the last two weeks I have been working in Paris."
Devries' blue eyes turned slowly till they rested on the slender figure of
the Duke, clad in his gray satin suit, his white hands half hidden in lace,
toying with a silver snuff-box. The eyes gleamed oddly, half with
amusement, half with something else—weariness?—disgust?—surely it was
not ennui; and yet—in an avowed courtier, that was what the look would
have seemed to express.
"I will, then, soothe your nerves, if you wish it, sir. My work certainly
was very real. For the past two weeks my abode has been in the Faubourg St.
Antoine, but my days were spent in a very different part of the city. At dawn
each morning, in company with my colleague—not M. de St. Pierre, here—I
left behind those houses whose inmates rejoiced in clothes to cover
themselves, in money enough to purchase a bone for soup daily, and who
were even sometimes able to give away a piece of black bread to a beggar.
These luxurious places we left, I say, and together descended into hell. It
might amuse you still more, monsieur, to behold the alleys, the courts, the
kennels, the holes filled with living filth into the midst of which we went.
There women disfigure or cripple their children for life in order to give them
a means of livelihood, that they may become successful beggars; there wine
is not heard of, but alcohol is far commoner than bread; there you may buy
souls for a quart of brandy, but must deliver your own into their keeping if
you have not the wherewithal to appease, for a moment, their hatred of you,
who are clean, who are fed, who are warm. Cleanliness down there is a
crime. Ah! how they hate you, those dwellers in the Hell of Earth! How they
hate us, and how they curse God for the lives they must lead! The name of
God is never used except in oaths. And yet a girl, whose dying child I
washed, knew how to bless me one day there. It seems to me that they might
all learn how, if opportunity were but given them. There has been some
bitter weather lately, when the frozen Seine has been a highway for trades-
people. Those creatures among whom I went make no change from their
summer toilets, gentlemen. Half—all the children—are quite naked. The
women have one garment, and their hair. The men are clad in blouses, with
perhaps a pair of sabots, if they can fight well to obtain them, or are ready to
do murder without a qualm to keep them in their possession. It is among
these people that I worked, Monsieur—de Gêvres—with my colleague."
"How eminently disgusting!" replied the Duke, calmly, but his remark
was not pleasing to the rest of those present, who had been actually affected
by the description. Henri de Mailly had risen to his feet, and, after a
moment's pause, asked, rather harshly, "Who was your colleague,
monsieur?"
The Marquis de Coigny shot a quick, warning glance at Henri, and raised
his hand. "Monsieur l'Abbé, I am interested in your story. Would you do me
the honor to breakfast with me this morning, and tell me more of this life?"
The little audience stared, and la Châteauroux lifted her head rather
haughtily. Devries appeared, for some reason, to be very much amused.
"You are not, then, a sharer of the opinions of those poor creatures
amongst whom you have worked, and who, as you truthfully suggest, have
some little cause to hate us, who have so much more in life than they?"
queried Maurepas, with the interest of a Minister of the Interior.
"Victorine!" cried the Duchess, starting from her chair. "Victorine, you
madcap! So you have come back again!"
The rest of the gentlemen sat perfectly still, staring at the little Marquise,
and trying, out of some sense of propriety or gallantry, to keep from joining
in her infectious laughter. Only Henri de Mailly sat near a window, his head
on his fist, staring gloomily out upon the barren, stone-paved court.
"My dear madame!" cried Maurepas, when she had grown tearful with
laughter, "your disclosure has done me an excellent turn. It has saved me
five hundred livres. I was about thus to impoverish myself that you might be
permitted to get still closer to heaven by spending another week in the
criminal quarter distributing them."
"Well, since you know who he is, I will continue, if you will permit me. I
beg that you will all, at least, believe that what I have said concerning my
occupation in Paris was wholly serious. Indeed, indeed, I am in the highest
sympathy with the work of the Jesuit fathers among the people; and there are
few men in our world whom I—respect—as I do M. de Bernis."
At these words, so solemnly spoken that they could not but impress the
listeners with their sincerity, the eyebrows of St. Pierre went up with
surprise, though he remained silent. As a matter of fact, the reputation of the
Abbé François Joachim de Pierre de Bernis was not noted for its sanctity.
"Will you, then, permit me, madame, to double my first offer?" said de
Maurepas, with his mind on the treasury. "I will to-day send you a note for
one thousand livres, which I beg that you will dispense in charity."
"M. de Maurepas, I wish that you could imagine what your word will
mean to those poor creatures."
"And shall you yourself return to Paris with the money, madame?"
inquired de Gêvres, smiling slightly.
She did not finish. Henri had sprung quickly to his feet, but de Coigny
was before him. "Pardon, Monsieur le Marquis," said he, with great courtesy,
"will you allow me, to-day, instead. To-morrow I shall once more relinquish
all to you."
De Mailly-Nesle could not, in reason, refuse the request, though it was
against the conventions. He merely bowed as husband and wife, having
variously saluted la Châteauroux and the rest of the company, passed
together out of the boudoir.
"Mme. Victorine's eccentricity and her terror of being bored are excellent
things. The husband seems to fall in love with her more violently than ever
after each adventure."
Henri, angry at the first word, turned upon the Duke: "Monsieur, I would
inform you that Mme. de Coigny is—"
"Ob yes, yes, yes! Pardon me," de Gêvres rose, "I understand perfectly
that Mme. Victorine is the most virtuous, as she is the most charming, of
women. Madame la Duchesse, I have been with you seemingly but one
moment, and yet an hour has passed. His Majesty will be receiving the little
entries. I bid you au revoir."
The Duchess held out her hand. The courtier kissed it, bowed to the three
remaining men, and gracefully left the boudoir. When the door shut behind
him a breath of fresher air crept through the room. Mailly-Nesle, who had
been restlessly pacing round and round among the tables and chairs, paused.
De Maurepas drew a tabouret to madame's side, and began to talk with her in
the intimate and inimitably dignified manner that was his peculiar talent. St.
Pierre was thoughtfully regarding nothing, when Henri approached and sat
down beside him. Just as they began to speak together, Marchon stepped
back a little from the chair of la Châteauroux.
At the same instant the door to the antechamber again flew open. "The
Comte de Mailly!" announced the valet.
There was a second's pause and Claude ran into the room. "My dear
cousin!" he cried, buoyantly, hurrying towards her.
Mme. de Châteauroux rose slowly from her place, stared at the new-
comer for an instant with the insolence which only an insulted woman can
use, then deliberately turned her back and moved across the room. Maurepas
was already on his feet, and now, seizing his opportunity, he bowed to the
woman, indicated Henri and the abbé in his glance, passed Claude with the
barest recognition, and left the room congratulating himself on his adroit
escape before the storm. Mailly-Nesle and St. Pierre sat perfectly still for an
instant out of astonishment. Then, happily, the abbé came to himself, rose,
repeated the performance of the minister, and hastened from the
unpleasantness. The instant that he was gone Claude broke his crimsoning
silence in a somewhat tremulous voice:
"Marie," said Henri, gently, "it is but fair that you let him know his
fault."
Again Claude flushed, wretchedly, while his cousin spoke: "He has it not
to return, Marie."
She turned then upon her brother. "So you, also, know this insult, and
you counsel me to—let him know his fault! Ah, but your school of gallantry
was fine!"
Count and Marquis alike stood perfectly still, staring at each other.
"Ah! Now I begin, I but begin, to understand. Which was it that came to
tell the story, madame? Was it d'Epernon, or Gêvres, or Richelieu who
twisted the account of a forced act into one of voluntary avarice?"
"Most willingly, madame! Afterwards, by the good God, I'll run him
through."
La Châteauroux bent her head, and there was silence till she lifted it
again to face her young cousin. His eyes answered her penetrating glance
steadily, eagerly, honestly. And thereupon madame began to turn certain
matters over in her mind. She was no novice in Court intrigue; neither had
she any great faith to break with de Gêvres. It was a long moment; but when
it ended, the storm was over.
"I gave the gauntlet to the King, when, man to man, he was beaten at
dice."
Claude was uncomfortable, but he did not hesitate. "Yes," he said, with
lowered eyes. "I have brought it to you. I hate it."
From one of the great pockets in the side of his coat he drew a small, flat
box, which he handed to his cousin. She received it in silence, opened it, and
gazed upon the royal star. The frown had settled again over her face.
Suddenly, with a quick impulse, she pulled open one of the small windows
which looked down upon the Court of Marbles.
De Mailly was at her side in two steps. Eagerly he seized the jewels and
flung them, with angry satisfaction, far out upon the stones. La Châteauroux
looked at him quizzically for an instant, then suddenly held out both hands to
him. He did not fall upon his knee, as a courtier should have done; but threw
his arms triumphantly about her and bent his powdered head over hers.
CHAPTER III
The Gallery of Mirrors
The 16th of January fell on a Saturday, on the evening of which day the
King held his usual weekly assembly in the formal halls of the palace. These
affairs were not loved by Louis, whose tastes ran in more unostentatious
directions; but they were a part of his inheritance, coming to him with the
throne, his hour of getting up in the morning, and the national debt; so he
made no audible murmur, and ordinarily presented a resplendent appearance
and a dignified sulkiness on these occasions. It was his custom to enter the
Hall of Battles or the Gallery of Mirrors, in company with his consort,
between half-past eight and nine o'clock. Since no courtier was supposed to
make his entrance after the King, the great rooms were generally thronged at
an early hour, and the first dance began at nine precisely.
"And did you hear what we were saying of you, monsieur?" asked
Victorine, smiling mischievously, as she gave him her hand.
Mme. de Coigny sprang up. "At least, monsieur, give me time to retire!
Your ardor is so remarkable!"
The Duchess laughed and gently withdrew her hand from Claude's grasp.
She was in excellent spirits. Never had she passed a more uniformly
successful week at Court than the one just ending. If she had purchased
much royal devotion, and much toadyism from hitherto lofty personages at
Claude's expense, why—that was Claude's affair. His career was not in her
keeping; but she could, and did, treat him very amiably in private for the
sake of the fierce jealousy which he was inspiring in her royal lover. It was
one of her cleverest manœuvres, one that had been tried before, this playing
some quite insignificant little person against Louis of France; for the King
was ardently in love for the first time, and had not yet grown old in the
knowledge of woman's ways.
"Come, Claude," entreated madame, "sit here, and take at least one dish
of this charming beverage. And the patties are by Mouthier himself. You
must taste them; and Mme. de Coigny shall entertain you, while my dress is
put on."
"Ciel, Monsieur le Comte! Do you protest that you are a lover, with such
an appetite? 'Tis more worthy the Court of Miracles!"
Claude put down his tea. "Ah, madame—the Court of Miracles! Do you
know that for the last days I have heard nothing on every side but
conversations about the last experiment of the Marquise de Coigny? May I
ask if it proved a really successful remedy for your deplorable ennui?"
Mme. de Coigny slightly smiled. "Indeed, monsieur, its efficacy was but
too great. At the time, I was in a dream of pity and of—happiness. Since my
return, my wretchedness is greater than ever before. Pouf! How can you bear
the air of this hideous place? It stifles! It poisons! It kills!"
"I hear," remarked Mme. de Châteauroux, from her toilet table, "that
Griffet will, in a few days, formally present Monsieur l'Abbé de Bernis to
her Majesty as eligible to the post of third chaplain to the Dauphin. Now, if it
were desirable, it is possible that the King might"—she touched an eyebrow
—"might be prevailed upon to ask him to supper with the royal family."
Victorine de Coigny moved uneasily, and Claude noted, from beneath his
lids, that a sudden color, which did not quite match the rouge, had started
into her face. "Do not jest, Marie," she murmured, half to herself.
"Madame," he said, softly, "why will you not make a pilgrimage with me
into the Court of Miracles?"
And, while Claude colored with displeasure, Victorine turned her head to
hide an irrepressible smile.
By this time the candles in the great gallery were all lighted, and the
mirrors reflected the brilliant colors of a richly costumed and continually
increasing throng that passed and repassed in endless procession before
them. No woman here was untitled; few of the men had less than five, and
many had twenty, generations of unsmirched aristocracy behind them. Many
were there who did not own the clothes upon their backs; and many others
whose debts would have impoverished a half-dozen of the wealthiest of the
bourgeoisie. Yet few ever went abroad with an empty pocket; and money
was generally their last source of worry. Here passed the Marquis de Sauvré,
a member of the King's intimate circle, a page of the Court, whose estates
were mortgaged, and whose Paris hôtel was almost dismantled of furniture,
in an unpaid-for dress of cherry-and-white satin, with pearls worth fifty
thousand livres on him, arm in arm with M. de la Poplinière, a farmer-
general, worth forty millions, but not attired with half the extravagance of
his companion. In a corner, taking snuff, and commenting on the degeneracy
of the grand manner since the last reign, were the old Duc de Charost, who
had attached himself to the Queen and the religious party; the Duc de Duras,
who lived on the influence of his wife's implacable etiquette; and M. de
Pont-de-Vesle, a successful diplomatist in a small way, and the most
disagreeably ubiquitous man at Court. Opposite them the Marquis
d'Entragues, a man whose scutcheon had come into existence two hundred
years before, beginning with a bar sinister to the discredit of a certain King
of France, and M. Marchais, at whose hôtel could be found the best vin d'Ai
in the kingdom, and who was a favorite with Louis on that account, were
discussing, with the Comtesse d'Estrades, the pompous intrigues of Mme. de
Grammont. Every one waited, more or less eagerly, first, for the appearance
of the favorite; secondly, for the arrival of the King.
"Possibly. But where is the favorite of the old Court with the presence,
the magnificence, the carriage of the present Duchess?" cried Duras,
popularly.
"You are quite right, M. de Charost. Such honesty and truth as his are
absurdities that we do not often discover here," observed de Coigny,
shrugging his shoulders.
He stood still for a moment where she left him, till he saw her quite
surrounded with men and women. Then he moved away, dreading the next
hour, but buoyed up with the thought of a promise she had given before they
left her apartments. There were few people about him whom he did not
know, and he bowed continually from right to left as he walked aimlessly
through the throng. Oddly enough, however, as it seemed to him, the salutes
that were returned were coldly formal. No one addressed him beyond a
chilly "Good-evening," and Mme. de Grammont passed by with her eyes
fixed on some distant goal. Claude's heart was beginning to throb a little, and
he could feel the color surge over his face. Presently there was a touch upon
his arm. Quickly he turned his head. M. de Berryer was beside him.
"Yes," he said, after a pause, "you can tell me, if you will, your idea as to
why I am in disfavor with—all these. And, also, if you will, answer this
question: is my present position dangerous?"
They had drawn a little to one side of the greatest press while Claude
spoke. De Berryer stopped an instant to think before he replied; but when he
did so it was evidently with perfect honesty.
"My dear Count, you are experiencing these little and very disagreeable
cuts, in my opinion, first, because of your reckless attentions in spite of his
Majesty's open displeasure; secondly, because of an unpleasant mistake in
the story of your game with the King on Tuesday evening. The first matter
you alone can rectify, but the method is simple. In the second, I will try to
assist you. As to the—possible danger of your position—well, let me advise
you to—do what may be done while it still is possible. Your pardon. Au
revoir."
The Chief of Police, bowing courteously, turned aside and was lost in the
crowd before Claude could say anything further. To tell the truth, the last
words had nonplussed de Mailly not a little. Presently, however, he flung up
his head, and, passing his hand over his forehead, muttered to himself: "You
may be right—God knows you may be right. But no honest man gives up the
woman he loves because his rival is a king. And, from my soul, I believe that
in time Marie must love me in spite of all!" And so the lights grew a little
brighter as Claude passed on again through the Gallery of Mirrors.
It was a quarter to nine, and the company grew slightly bored. In three-
quarters of an hour two hundred people can easily dispose of ten new
scandals, redigest twenty ancient ones, and anticipate as many as the
remaining minutes will permit. But undiluted gossip, spiced with epigram
and heated with wit though it may be, grows nauseating after a while, if
taken in too great quantities; and, through the great room, to-night, there
were enough chronic dispeptics of this class to make conversation finally
begin to lag. The abstract murmur, to which Claude was moodily listening,
changed in character. Suddenly, as the cries of the ushers at last rang out, it
became as present wine to former tepid milk:
"Mesdames, messieurs, their Majesties! Way for the King! Way for the
Queen!—Will you have the goodness to move just here."
The four royal ushers, with their white staffs, passed down the room,
forming an alley for the passage of the King. No ribbons were used, as in the
days of the fourteenth Louis. The courtiers were better trained now. They
pressed back voluntarily on either side, leaving a very well-formed lane
between the two crowds. A quick silence fell over the room and the circling
throng was still. Each one had sought the company in which he or she
wished to stand. For none knew just how long it would take his Majesty to
reach the other end of the room, where he would open the first minuet.
Claude, by a series of delicate manœuvres, had reached the side of Mme. de
Châteauroux, and, despite the silence, found opportunity to whisper:
"You will not forget—that you have promised me the first dance?"
And the favorite, looking into her cousin's eyes, felt, even in her
heartless heart, a little throb of pity for the utter abandon of his infatuation.
"I do not forget, mon cher. But thou shouldst have kept away from me
till the progress was over."
Two more ushers entered and passed rapidly down the aisle, backward.
Louis and his wife, hand in hand, followed after. The King was, as usual,
magnificently dressed and glittering with jewels. His face, however, was as
unpropitious as possible. He wore his most bored and fretful look, and he
walked straight down the room for a distance of twenty-five feet, heedless of
his wife, without glancing at a soul. Marie Leczinska, on the contrary,
carelessly attired in a costume of deep brownish-red brocade, pale of face,
tired-eyed, yet wearing a curiously contented look, bowed timidly to three or
four of her dames du palais and some of her abbés, who had the grace to
return the salutes with a show of respect that was born of pity. The company,
however, quickly felt the chilling breath of the master's ill-humor.
"Parbleu!" muttered de Gêvres to Richelieu, as they stood together at the
far end of the gallery, "madame herself is to be ignored to-night."
But the Duke was mistaken. His Majesty, in his rapid walk, had seen
many more things than one might have imagined. He knew that Claude was
beside the favorite, and he accurately surmised Claude's intent. Therefore,
when he came abreast of the Duchess, who was not in the front row, he
suddenly stopped, turned his head towards her, and remarked, in a perfectly
expressionless tone:
And before she had time to courtesy her thanks he had passed on again.