BEHIND THE SCENES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 5

BEHIND THE SCENES.

. STORIES "BY 'LADY DOROTHY, ? ;• NEVILL.' - . - - ' ;• ■It is,:,'perhaps; a .singuiar fact that v iLady Dorothy - iN'evlll', whose life extends . V over .a -period; of- eighty-four :years, and V .who knew .everybody'.who was anybody a during the Victorian era,should iji- her L latest volume of, reminiscences- Under a Five Reigns" (Metliuen)— have singled out h euch diverse/ modern, characters as ilr, A Joseph" Chamberlain and Mr.; John Bnins as'twO;Of'the most .interesting i-peoplo she; j, has ever met. ' . ;.?. .. .c ' '.'•• d One of' tho' photographs, in her new volume shows -her standing arm in-.arm , .with- the President of the Local Govern-: ment Board, forVhom she entertains the •highest: admiration,: although :shb rcpvenir bers ,lh- being - considered a lerriblo p revolutionary," .. while, -.sho. publishes, j several' particularly; letters e from the veteran, member; for est Bir- a mingham/ '. v . Ono of. them: relates ,to -Mr/.-Chamber-- » Jain's ' third-'" marriage in. 1888 .to .Miss ° Mary .Endicott, of-America. 'Wntihg in- ithat year to Lady .Dorothy,'he .'said:-;--. .c "I'am going to America to marry Miss -i '. Eiidicott, one of .those - American ' girls f ■whose importation .into -country you j once deprecated so. strongly in. my l hear- ( irig. Yo'll' said,: ;.I, like the;; Americans -j very well,: but- there are two things I ' wish .tliey iwould keep, .tp ■ .themselves— ] their girls .and ,their tinned lobster., 1 am ready to give ,up .the 'lobster, so ysu m'ust be prepared tp. like the girl.- -. ■ She tells-an amusing story; too; "about . Dr.'Wolff,-father of Sir-Henry Druminond' Wolff,; "Slid.! husband /.' of: Lady; Dorothy's au))t;:.Lady.:.Ocorgipa; JJilmfe; Lady Georgiha. .was"«fitst • captivated it bv, the doctor 1 at an' Exeter - Hall .meeting... In an ioSitfturst ,ot wafo^.-J»%^a«d ! Jug. erms Snd'"struck;.,a! lady ,o"n"tho'cheEk.. . Pausing, for. a -moment, he asked-.in a .whisper.who:the'.lady inTght'b'e. ; .'Lady . Gdorgina • W^lpolc/' tne'ieplj*. "Thai, .woman-shall bo' my .wife!"-he :said, and ■went <in with his speech,..- It. was .some • little 'time' before' the two'-met- ngam, but. ultimately-.Dr- :Wolff , ; sat. .next to Lady Georgina at a. luncheon, party. She chanced to drbp'.'hc'r fbrK "'The"doctor bent down to pick .'it/up-ahd'-pinched her foot. "The ■ caress;" ■ says. Lady Dorothy, "entirely novel ;to Lady, Georgina, : made such an-'-impression upon her .that she. fell in.dove. ivith . its giver -and-very, soon, , they became engaged." .The child of the marriage was- Henry.' Drummond -Wolff. Apropos of' luncheons and _ dinners, Lady-Dorothy,-quotes' an;' amusing, story which. wa,9'..told in', connection'with the . widely divergent typesof' ; guest who; ' ' -were-wont to assemble at - the house- 'Of Lady • St.,;Helier .-(Lady: -'Fraucis i Jeune),, -one of London's- mos"'famous "hostesses. An explorer who i'jhad; ventured;-into a particularly, wild. ■ and' ■ hostile •'. region, ''haying been captured .by:..its.savage and. cannibal inhabitants, 1 was bound'; toa 4ree by them preparatory' to'being roasted and eaten.. At . this very, .critical moment, however,'' -their.: chief' appeared,-' .who, on" seeing 'the'" unfortunate' explorer, addi-eSscd'him'in fair" English; . "'l;know your- face,'- said he; 'we-haw gnet it my friend Lady- Jeune's;.'and so, instead of dining off'yon.'l shall ask you' *o dine with me and tell me all the London news.'" - • ■' '■ • . There is "a good dipmr-table story; of' "Whistler. "On one occasion, when asked to' dinner by a somewhat punctilious host, the party,, after waiting for an unconscionably ' long 'time;' eventually eat •down to. dinner..

"Soup and fish were served, no "Whistler appeared, and;,when-at last.he arrived the host was iri. any thing,but. the best of tempers,, as his countenance, showed, "Whistltr, however, was in no wise disconcerted,; for, , cheerily ' grasping -a. somewhat limp hand, ho rattled out, TJon't -apologise for. having begun witfc" out me'." I shan't be olTen'ded'm tho very: •Jeast,' after which'. taking his scat, he' became th'o lifo and'soul 1 of the party." .- Amongst,.'her. personal friends, -. lady Dorothy numbered ' Lord Beac'onsfield, who, she says,'"in his, House; of .'Coin-? jnons days"was very-self-cfcnfiderit'and" not unassertive: Once, .however,' when... addressing the -Speaker, '. ho t - said:. .''Mr.; Speaker,..l..haye .somc. iiiotiest.v', "I;,hope.': A voice from under a'hat-below'the gang-,-, way snuffled out,. !Your..-hope- tells"a ye'ry Mattering tale, I am afraid.'-"- -■■■- Referring Ao the. story, of. old' lady, •who, attending, a.-funetal.:ahd'. being told' Mr. Gladstone was preisnt, said,) ".Oh/. I do hope ho' won't-make a ."disturbance," lady Dorothy -mentions that. during the feneral election this year, great crowds aving assembled ab 'Ipswich,. a . certain old. lady was- convinced that, they .-..were caused'.by the, opening of the quarter'sesBions. "They are only, waiting-for -Mr. Balfour," said an acquaintance. "Well," replied .she, "I supposo it' tho.poor man Jias done anything wrong he"■ will have to suffer for it now." - . Yet 'another political story tells how Sir William Harcourt and Ifr. Cardweil'' exhibited some nervousness when addressing a meeting in a country town, which led a local tailor to remark afterwards "You thought too 'ighly of 'cm, gentlemen. When-1 speaks" to such a crowd 1 treats them just as so ifiany cabbage stalks."

It is a curious commentary on society of to-dav that Lady Dorothy Nevill tins no sympathy for what nowadays is called the Smart Sot. The adjective "smart" would have convoyed to the great ladies of other days the idea of some kitchenmaid - dressed -up •in her Sunday best; they would certainly not have'regarded it as'a flattering description of a lady or of: a gentleman. ' ; As :to the money spent by society women on dress, Lady Dorothy recalls .when ehe "camo out" her allowance was only ,£■4s a year, andher mother spent on dress, etc., about .£3OO, wiiicli was considered ample for the wife "of a rich peer. "But;now," says Lady Dorothy,- "I fear .£3ooo' would, in a great many cases, be below rather than above the correct figure:" She mentions : that Queen Victoria, as a young woman, was always simply dressed, and at a great ball given in her honour at Stafford Hoiise, ■ when tho Duchess of Sutherland wore a most magnificent dress glittering 1 with diamonds, the Queen, who ..went in a .simple muslin embroidered in colours,' remarked on shaking hands,. "I come from my house to your palace," . ~