Georgiana sank into the bathtub.
The sight reminded her of another of David's paintings, The Death of Marat. Though Marat had already been suffering from a skin disease and needed to soak in a bath, he had continued writing.
Though water was believed to have healing properties, it could not cure every illness, not even holy water.
But as a doctor, Marat should have understood this as well. Sometimes treatment involved methods of "killing"—for example, white blood cells devouring invading germs. Large numbers of white blood cells would "die" in the process, forming pus, which sometimes had to be squeezed out before the afflicted area could heal.
At least, this was how Robespierre and the others saw the purpose of the Reign of Terror. Because he refused to go along with this despicable world, he earned the nickname "the Incorruptible."
Leon mentioned the Robespierre brothers even less often in front of Georgiana, though without them, his life might not have been so full of upheaval.
To those who believed human nature was inherently good, kindness and virtue were instinctive, and children ought to be innocent and pure.
But someone who enjoyed helping others could not assume everyone else was the same. Most people preferred to "help" those who might one day "help" them in return—with a better future, perhaps, or a more comfortable life. In short, they would not go looking for trouble or do thankless, exhausting work.
If he himself was like that, he could not expect children who followed his example to be eager to help others. Everyone had desires, grief, and fears. When someone desperately wanted something—like the Triwizard Tournament trophy—Harry Potter could have chosen not to save Cedric and taken the trophy, which was within reach, by himself, even though Cedric was in danger and had