LADY RANDOLPH CHURCHILL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 107, 29 January 1908, Page 3

LADY RANDOLPH CHURCHILL.

The "Century Magazine" is publishing in instalments 'the metnoirs of ;LAdy. Randolph Churchill/ (now, Mrs. Georgo Gornwallis .West), .wife of. the brilliant Lord and raothor 'of the scarcely less o.brilliaiit Winston Churchill, Under-Secretary!' for;, the Colonies. From the December, number ivo quote as follows:— "immediately after my .marriagfe'iih-'April,' 1874,.1 .-settled in London,- to -rriy ' lirst season with-all' tho vigour, and iiiijatfed appetite of' youth. After tho comparatively quiet life of Paris, wo seemed _to 'KvVlin a .whirl of gaieties and : excitement." . /. .'Many were, the delightful balls I 1 went to, which, unlike those of the presont'day, 'invariably lasted till 5 o'clock in the morning. -Masked balls were much the vogue. Holland House, .with:its wonderful historical beautiful, garden, • was a. fitting .frairio 'for' such entertainments, aiid I remdmbiar'enjoying myself immensely at there. Disguised in; 'a', painted misk aitii wig, 'I took in', overyotio. IJy fsfiteii,'who was staying with us, hiid- 'been walking' ?in .the garden with voiing Lord A—who'was a parti and'much -'ran after ;b"y/designmg mothers .with marfiageablo(daughters: ''Introducing -him -to mfc, :sKbs'pretendcd % I,.y'as her mothfcr. '. Later in tho cvcning;r ; atiacl?ed "him, .sayiitg'th'at my daughter just ,con- ' tided to mo that' ho h ad ;. proposed * to / lior, and that sha had' promised- to; toll .nib. "- To I 'can soe- his face, of- heritor; a'n'd.'be'ivildermont. ;" Vehemently' ho 'assured ;mo that.it was not'so. / Btit ' I 'kept'Up tho farco, declaring that rriy husband would call on him next day and. roveal our identity, .and .that .meanwhile I ..should./ consider, him ongaged to my charming daughter. ' -Being .conceited, and not oyerburdonca..with brains, • he ~ could .'not /take 'tho; joke, and left-tho houso-a miserable man. ; . ."Generally, speaking, .vtherp ...is. rib doubt that English pcojilq . aro.;'dull-wittecl iat",;a masked, ball, larid.'do. not uriderstaiid:or:enter iitto tbb.. spirit of-.tho". thing. ,1. heard., a .man, !who . was • with .'two...' masked '■' 'ladies indignantlyl rpbnko another man for speaking to, them, declaring that they w.ore.npt acquainted. , Tho spirit-of intrigue,, which .is .all-important on' such "an, ocrosipri, J is., altogether lacking. . Some -women'refii&e to say anything but and ,'Nb' in a, falsetto voiqe, and'think they'havo a, glorious; ti'mo as long " as; tli'eir identity ,'is not' discovpral. 'You don't know mo. Yoirdon't know nib,' was th'o parrot cry. of. ono lady. , 'And. I don't wa'pt to,' said Lord Charles BercSfbrd, lleoing from her, 'if you've nothing else to 'say.' ' "I, think tho, sight which impressed me most was Rotten Row, tho glories of which are, .alas! a thing of tho past. Up to 1834 carriages were allowed in the Row, hilt now its roadway is lcopt ,entirely for riders. The Duko of St.. Albans, Hereditary Grand Falconer, however, 'has the 'privilege. of .driving through tho Row if ho chooses. This reminds mo of a story told of Lord, Charles Berosford, who accepted the wagers of some friends that he would drive up tho Row without being molested by the police. But oli the day fixed I or the : osperi^

ment,' the frionds, 1 who, had repaireu en massb to the'llow, 'looked in, vain for him, until, iii' tho nvucli-abused drive'r ,of a .water-, cart,'. which„•was. ; careering .-; ..up ■ .and 'down, splashing everyone", \they. ,spied thb ; laughing countenance of the : triumphant Lbrd.Charles.- ' 'The • fashion of - ' ; *g6irig. r -to ;t'ne country for' the . week-end' was' not known, and; it was not;[until/well;on'in tho eighties,that peoplo. bcganV to. give dinner > parties • on Sundays. Vorr-few^neop!e:'had-out.;t|ieir, carriages,- and,, as'. Randolph objected Jta ■ the 'practice,;' our • modest brougham -wasVrep.liiced-,Bjr..'thecom-'' mon'bab'.-.i On- one occasion"', wo ' dinbd 'at Marlbcrr.ugh'Hbuso.; lAjftt 1 ,wa's' v a' very'-hot' riigljt "in July,'.and; thb'party. a small, one, tlio; Prmcp; of 'AVal'es accompanied his .departing. 'gucjts;to-the. door. .'At 'that moment .a. fojot?' ..ILady. itandp.lph Churchill's .carriage'stops wheteupon a: decrepit-; Itosinahte, draggin&; tlio [most dilapidated •'of-fbui-whcele'rs,. well' filled 'with sffa.wfcradled up'to'.tlio;dbor.'rA.3; I 'prepared, to get in',: our, Royal, hoist chaffing-' 1 •ly,: remarked.-.that'), my-.-conscienco:,-was;'better.' than ;riiy carriage. > ( Not .t-o, bp: outdone, .1 re- 1 'torted, 'Is .it,not,' 'Sir,':.thb.-Qi!eon?s- : parriage? ■ Hew, can' I. Have a , bettor?' ' -Public . 'con-' vpyanccs wero dubbed^tho.Q : iWen!s carriages..' Speaking of cabs'reminds.imo ; of being tbld thati.the:,late : Lbrd,and .Lady, Salisbury, who' were,not given an adequate allowance in -the; early years of; their, who, as eVeiyone. knows,- increased thoir income by, tho jWork of their pens, went: habitually in .four-wheelers:: Lady Salisbury, it-is added, used, even to stick straws in her ball-dress to draw,attention to tho parsimony with which they, were treated. \i "AYben'brio, sees tho number: of restaurants .there aro at tlio present day, crowded with well-dressed and'often well-known people, it seems incredible that thirty, years ago npne existed. Semetimcs Randolph and I would, bo passing through London m August, and," ouri hoiise boijig closed,-we'woro sorely put (tb-it.tb knowv whero to- ditto. The only jpossible nlacc was'the St. James's Hotel', now,tho Berkeley. There, if necessity took you, you could get, in a small; dingy'diningroom lighted with gas, an'apology -for a. dinner.' Smoking was never allowed, and 'two .people of sex dining .togother wero looked at very, much askance. 1 Later the Bachelors' ,Club and the New Club at Covent Garden'becamo' -the /fashionable places at ; which-,to dine,'although ...to dine anywhere bni'in-' a.'.prirato' house ; .:w;'as - . thought: ! quito ■ ■. ."/Small' dances-. we.ro. given ; at the New, Club; '.to. : ,whichj\.l; f'em;emoer,'. ; ;caiiie. on; one occasion • tho prince; of: Wales,' tho .King of Gree'coj'.-'tho' present'iKing of ■Duke; of.'Braganza,-• and >' the' - ilUfated -ATteh-dttq.%d6)pfi.'df(.AUßtri.a.-.^'4.t J '*a» most -animated,'\'; ah'd ' i we> dancedi.till,.:'tho ; early .hours ofith'b.'morhing to'-;the music-of,'the Tzigano, .then., a-,-; hew, ■ iniportation; ybiing who was-noted;,-for.her- original aiid^smaft'sayirigsjvwas'sb.carried away;,-with tlio '"excitemqnt •of thd;'moment' that' sho. was heArd'cailing tho King of : Gre6.ee/with whom : sh'.c''had b'oenvdahcing,- a 'bully .King'—much' ■to'his amu'semo'iit., v .. • .

"On eVcus.toiri li'icli 'has ,'change'd very ui'ich is thought 'necessary -nowa-days:-before- a ,married-': couplo. 'can apbcar .after•: tKplr"'hon%rijoon.; Two or .'three days a't: tho ioutsidfe.j is': all that' j is' ..now. required 'after'- the wedding-' ; But-in .the old days .it .was ; supppsed; t«'. ; hfl;.quite .extraordinary, .if not actually eißbarrassiiic,' to .mix with your fallow-creatures if or at least a .mohtli:;- Shbrtly-after-my.Oiriarriagb litfas. presented .'to,,'the. Tsar .'Alexander '11,-aj.a' ball 'given.' inhis 'jkbWouir at I ,' Stafford. ,'Hbu'sb. ; Oil boirigxtokl.tbat T,had'boeri married orily : v a .;fbw weeks,'' lib .exclaimed, 'fixing', his- cold gray' byes on'me "with , a- ! look .of censure, 'Etipi,-. clteja-1'•• : .'."Tourists,i'with .wlioni*. riiost 'sliow piabes in'/England ;aro"'itifested, abounded at.Blenlieiiri, and at;icfe'rtain times,-of tho year ,'and 'for several . days. : in each - week fdr'.'a- littlo iprivacy orio had .to-takovrefiige : in one's bed•rooin. Occasionally, forj'fun, sdme of us would,'put on old'cloaks arid.hats, and arhiwl with reticules and Baedekers,' would walk ground w;itH. tho tourists \tb,. h'ear their refflarks,' which frcre..iibt. ; aiways: flattering to ;tho ;fairiily._ Oiio day we jiearly' betrayed oiirsblybs With laughter at one ; of my compatriot's exclaiming be'fo're a ..faniilv pictfrfe, '•My, :what poppy eyes tihoElo' Gh'Virchills-haVo got!"'-.