Johannes Brahms once found himself cornered by a group of talkative female admirers. Having made several unsuccessful attempts to escape, the composer finally lit an enormous cigar.

The ladies, engulfed in smoke, chided the composer for this boorish manners. "A gentleman," they declared, "does not smoke in the presence of ladies." "Ladies," Brahms retorted, puffing away, "where there are angels there must also be clouds."