Once upon a time, there was a crack in the wall of Château de Versailles. It happened in the Hall of Mirrors, center of the French king’s heart. A tiny drop of marble in the lower corner of the wall had eschewed its duty, and abandoned its rightful place. It was an insult to the majesty of the hall. Magnificence of such a level could not possibly be compromised by time; it had to stand inert, like the gold used in its dec...