At dusk, the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles Palace blazed with light. Accompanied by the orchestra, several children dressed as mice, cats, and hounds chased one another across a hastily erected stage, giving it their all.
On a wooden sign above the stage, cute rounded letters spelled out "Tom and Jerry."
"Tom the Cat" was repeatedly made a fool of by "Jerry," drawing waves of laughter from the hundreds of nobles in the hall.
Before long, the play ended. The Crown Princess Consort led the children who had taken part in the performance to the center of the crowd and announced with a smile, "These adorable children are the first group rescued by the New Paris District Orphanage."
As she introduced them, the children removed their headpieces one after another. Every one of them was sallow and emaciated, prompting sympathetic sighs from the noblewomen. In truth, the New Paris District Orphanage was still under construction, but for this charity fundraiser, the Public Relief Office had recruited some children in advance. In an age of immense risks to life and high rates of abandonment, they had merely spent an afternoon walking the streets of Paris and found forty or fifty orphans.
Alexandra then introduced the orphanage's operating model and the contents of the Adoption Law. Finally, in an emotional voice, she said, "I know that the kindest people in the world are gathered here. You will surely be willing to help these children gain a new life."
Duchess of Broglie immediately raised her hand. "Your Highness, I am willing to donate 4,000 Francs to the orphanage."
The other nobles followed suit. "I'll donate 2,000 Francs."
"Look at these poor children. I'll donate 6,000 Francs for them."
With the Crown Princess Consort and the Queen present, the nobles naturally had to do