A MAID IN MAYFAIR

Taranaki Daily News, 2 April 1934, Page 14

A MAID IN MAYFAIR

GOSSIP FIROM LONDON TOWN PURSUING PRINCE OF WALES. ' A DISCOMFITING PROCEDURE. (From Our. Own Correspondent.) ; • - , ; London, Feb. 1. The Prine? of Wales does not disguise his annoyance at the manner in which he is pursued nowadays when he ventures to dine out Only the other even-ing‘he-turned up at one of his favourite restaurants, / The place was almost deMerted except ’ for' its - regular ’ habitues, who had the good manners to take very little notice when he entered the room. But ' within .haff' an hour the place began to fill in;an amazing manner.. There was a constant profession of. young couples who bore every evidence of having come op from some other restaurant. In some mysterious way ■ the . news that- the Prince was there had been flashed to various restaurants in the West End. It is difficult to see how,this sort .of thing can be prevented, but if it goes, on I imagine the Prince will be driven to taking his evening meals in the . seclusion of his own clubs. And he won’t like that.

Princess Royal’s Holiday. Travellers who have wandered through the cobbled arcades of old Jerusalem, arid- mingled with the mixed multitude, picturesquely garbed, in its market places, are not surprised that the Princess Royal should succumb to the lure of a second visit. After a stay in' Tangier, she is expected to reach the Holy City some time in the spring.. Spring in Jerusalem can provide all the varieties of the English climate. It can be as delicious. No doubt recent years have seen vast changes in the life of the city, but the/old air of/sanctity and antiquity must always .; rerriain. f. From vantage points ope may view the vineyards, and a : whole stretch ' of,. perhaps, -the; most fabulous land in the world, right across to the waters of the blue Mediterranean. It exudes all'the lure of the East, as well as a charm of its own.

Mr. Lloyd George’s Holiday. - ' : Mr. Lloyd George has been having a pleasant time at the quiet seaside resort near Lisbon which he has selected for his; holiday. Though a veritable “rabbit” on the links, he likes an occasional game of golf, and there is a. picturesque course in the vicinity where he has played a good deal with one; of his sons. In view of . the assembling of Parliament the family, party has - been broken up, for though Miss Megan Lloyd George was strongly urged to take an extended tour inSouth Africa in, the interests pf her health, she never likes to be away from St. Stephen’s when Parliament is in session. Mr. Lloyd George will probably remain on for some tiriie longer, for he is combining work with rest. He is busy on the next volume of' his “Recollections of the.'War.” Nothing pleases him more than to work in the open air, and his present inclination is to postpone his return to . Churt until such time as . the weather in England becomes a trifle more clement. Gertrude Bell.

It is now eight years since Gertrude Bell, most amazing of women explorers and pioneers, died in Baghdad. There is a memorial to her in the parish church of her native Yorkshire home, and in Baghdad a bronze bust of her. Hitherto London has not honoured this wonderful woman, who was a sort of feminine counterpart of the romantic Colonel Lawrence of Arabian fame. A few ladies who admired her work, and who to some extent share her interests, are now raising a fund to make a replica of the Baghdad bronze, and present that memorial to. the' Royal -Georgraphical Society. A sum of only £2OO is needed for this purpose, which will easily' be ; forth-: coming, and any surplus will be devoted to the'Gertrude Bell School of Archaeology,'at the present moment associated with an expedition to Southern Persia. No woman, even in the ranks of the foremost feminist pioneers, more • richly merited that her memory be kept green, er her features photographed in bronze, than Gertrude Bell.

Chinese Airmen. A letter from. Cairo tells me that the Marquis of Clydesdale, as well as his brother, Lord Douglas Hamilton, have been staying at Mena House on their way to the East. Lord Douglas Hamilton is bent upon a somewhat unusual mission. He has been appointed instructor to a . great .flying school at Hong Kong, and as a preliminary to teaching Chinese .aviators, he has himself undergone. a special course for instructors. A friend of mine, who has spent many years in the .East tells me .that he will find the Chinese extraordinarily receptive. They are bom. airmen, different in this particular from the Japs. Some second sense seems to warn them instinctively * from the sound of the engines when anything is wrong. Lord Douglas Hamilton, like his brother, is, of course, an experienced airman. He is a well-known figure to those who, in the summer, make use of the’ Scottish flying boats which fly between Scotland and Ireland, and between Scotland and the Isle of Man.

M. Nikita Balieff. One hears with mixed feelings the news that M. Nikita Balieff, of Chauve Souris fame, is going to try his hand as manager of a West End music hall. M. Balieff, quite apart from. his priceless clowning as introducer, was the inspiration behind the original Chauve-Souris company, and London has never seen anything since, in the same line, that was anything like so good. It is good news that M. Balieff is going to pitch his tent in London, and heip us to make merry, but sad news if that means also thgt he is at last cutting his association with the Russian Chauve-Souris. Why everybody still laughs so heartily at M. Balieff’s broken English from the stage, when even the pit knows nowadays that he talks the most impeccable English “off,” it is hard to say. Perhaps it is simply that M. Balieff is now a London institution, and his broken English affects us as do Mr. Robey’s eyebrows, which are no less “put on.” What’s in a Name?

There is a pretty story attaching to the Christian name of Mr. Lamorna Birch, the newly-elected Royal Academician. It is not a baptismal name by

any means, but a nickname given him by his friends down in Cornwall, where he does most of his painting. There happened to be two artists of the name of Birch on that part of the coast, one living .at-Newlyn and the other at Lamorna. ' The two. were so often confused that ultimately they came to be referred to as the “Newlyn one” and the “Lamoma. one;”' Mr. Birch liked his name so much, . especially • since it associated him with his flagstone cottage on the coast,, thdt. ultimately he canie to adopt it as his'own, and' began to sign his work that way.;- Sb it comes about that he enjoys ■ to-day the poetic sweet sounding name of Lamorna in lieu of his baptismal names "of. Samuel'John. ■ Mid-Vics?.

Is .it the'reaction'from last season’s fashion, of giving parties , in restaurants and'clubs ■■ that is responsible for the 1934 revival of the home party? I have been interested lately in. the.number of invitations to little . dinners “with dancing at hbnsie to fplioy?” sent out to carefully:, selected' lists of no more than a dozen guests- . The parties are delightful. Much more intimate, and more entertaining in ‘.a /quieter yvay, than those given outside. Some of the cooking is done on the table with the help of a chafing dish, and such thin. as.salads and.the like are set ready to b e mixed by the individual girsts according to their own tastes. Afternoon tea'parties .are staging a come back tod. ..The.Mid-Vic influence here, no doubt, because you arrive at 4.30, to find hostess, wearing a quite adorable tea-time apron, busily toasting scones and tea cakes at the drawingroom fire, or intent on blending her own special brew- of tea. . Last-Minute Look.

A woman of .title, who has taken one of those sumptuous little flats in the West ■ End, is responsible for a double innovation. In the first instance she has had her full.-name painted in bold lettering oii the door. Much more intriguing/ however, is the fact that, right in the middle, bn a level with the caller’s face, she has had inserted a tiny glass mirror. What a boon it will be to the . lady caller anxious to adjust a rebellious curl,or to impart a last touch of colouring to carmine lips before being ushered in to the drawing room. For every woman knows . that “last- minute” feeling. And she is always reluctant to" bring forth the inevitable hand mirror in case . the door should open suddenly and the maid or butler catch her in the act. Now she will' run ho risks what-ever.-After ringing the bell she can take a final glance in the mirror to make sure . everything is all right. Prince’s New Hobby.

I imagine that when spring comes the gardens of the Prince of Wales’ delightful country house near Virginia Water will be among the most beautiful in Surrey. For 'the 'Prince has discovered a new hobby. ■ He has become an enthusiastic gardener, and during the winter has been devoting a- degree of attention to the planting’ of bulbs that has made serious inroads on the- time he generally devotes to golf. Fort Belvedere is, of course, very close to Sunningdale, -but even the lure of those magni-ficent-links has not. been sufficient sometimes -to/draw '.him- • away-' from his

gardens. He consults seedsmen’s catalogues with all the devouring interest of a new allotment-holder. He has ambitions, too, of creating a rock garden in the grounds and is making inquiry as to tlie plants most likely to flourish amidst the Surrey pine woods. Chatelaine at No. 10. Miss Ishbel MacDonald hopes to be able to devote an increasing amount of time to her duties as hostess at No. 10 Downing Street now that she has cut herself away from the London County Council. I imagine that - this consideration has influenced her in parting company with her East End constituency. At first, when the National Government was formed, the kindly advice of Mrs. Baldwin Was always at her disposal when she had to preside at any big social occasions at No. 10. But with increasing years and experience she is now much more certain of herself, though she will never totally throw off her shy and rather retiring habits. Apart from her duties as hostess, all the cares of housekeeping are on her shoulders. She has often been urged to engage a maid of her own, but against this she has firmly set her face—with the approval, I believe, of her father.

Versatile Artist. The infant prodigies of the various realms of art by no means invariably fulfil their early promise in later life. But Mrs. Carmel Haden Guest, who won’ a prize for a magazine story when she was 12, has well lived. up to schoolgirl ambitions. Her third novel, “Scent of Magnolia,” will be published shortly, and the author has made Argentina, where she lived for some time, the scene of her story. Writing is not this lady’s only gift. She is ah accomplished musician, trained at the; Royal Academy, and

has also had stage experience. She is small featured, with a particularly wellshaped ’ head and statuesque neckline. The wife of Dr. Haden Quest, himself a well-known writer and former M.P. for North Southwark, she recently accompanied her husband on a tour of investigation in the Belgian Congo.

Famous Chateau. There is. a good deal of speculation as to what will happen to Lord Abercoriway’s magnificent chateau near Cannes. It has often been described as the most beautiful mansion in the world, and from the point of view of position and views there is assuredly nothing to equal it along the Mediterranean seaboard. The grounds sloping down to the sea and the tiny private harbour present a picture of fairyland that has no equal even at Rapallo and Portofino. pord Aberconway was always keenly disappointed if circumstances prevented him from spending a few weeks at his chateau during the winter months- Occasionally,' however, he let it during the summer, having had installed a special plant which enabled a constant current of cool air to circulate through the principal rooms—very much as the House of Commons is cooled on Kot summer nights.

80-Peeps of Fashion. At the moment our fashion Cinquevajlis are busying themselves with the veil. On its first revival this piece of beauty camouflage was hung on long wires, which suspended it well away from the wearer’s nose and features. Gradually, however, it has come into more intimate contact, • though not yet into actual touch as did the Victorian veils of yesteryear. All planner of amusing names are given to different styles of veiling—the Posy, the Arrow, the Crescent and the Bow-wow—the lastnamed, I fancy, one that only a reckless post-war flapper would have courage to ask for. But the most sensational innovation in the modem veil is a little peephole or monocle just in front of the right eye. Paris has pronounced this most chic, and it appears to be catching on in London too. I should imagine a wink, fired through a monocle veil, must be redoubtgbly shattering. La Mode Democratised.

It is amusing to see how Fashion caters frankly, these days, for feminine democracy, The ciy small hats perched over one ear, the resuscitation of veilings, the exaggerated sleeve fashions of .Last-word coats • and frocks, all these are gaily flaunted by the monstrous regiment of young women who constitute a vast wage-earning community. To be bon ton nowadays one must be a peculiarly inspired student of the mode, able to sense instantly and instinctively the sartorial “hit” of to-day that will be vulgarised to-morrow. . Hence, presumably, the almost uniform attire of the feminine type whom Paris once used to designate the “elegante,” as distinct from the ultrafashionable. This uniform comprises tailor made and <-eret, with a top coat for heavy weather. Iltus equipped for walking, with lots of “super” lingerie and evening kit, the modem mondaine feels her wardrobe passes muster.