TRAVELS 
 
 LADY'S MAID
 
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 {Travels 
 
 OF A 
 
 LADY'S MAID 
 
 By 
 
 L.C.Page & Comparryo 
 
 Boston 1908 
 
 TTTT 

 
 Copyright, 1908 
 BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY 
 
 (INCORPORATED) 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 First Impression, September, 1908 
 
 Blectrotyped and Printed at 
 THE COLONIAL PRESS: 
 C. H. Simonds C& Co., Boston, U .S. A.
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 THERE has been considerable comment, one 
 way or another, concerning my writing at all; 
 and when it comes to printing, " publishing " 
 they call it, some in the housekeeper's room 
 disapprove, and in the servants' hall most, you 
 may say, are set against it, though Mr. Broadam, 
 our butler, allows it might be proper for a valet; 
 a butler having too important duties, he well 
 knows from experience, to be trifling with pens 
 and ink. He thinks, however, the book Mr. 
 Constant wrote about that French king Mon- 
 sieur Fran9ois, the chef, advised it to him un- 
 common good reading, once you are well started 
 in those foreign ways ; and some tales, that have 
 leaked out, so to say, about our own Royalties in 
 long ago reigns are past believing for truth, if 
 they were not clearly before you in black and 
 white. 
 
 Though always I have liked books, and merely 
 seeing their covers in booksellers' windows thrills 
 me, thinking of the wisdom and knowledge inside, 
 I have read few tales except the " Pilgrim's 
 Progress," by Mr. Bunyan ; some volumes of Sir 
 Walter Scott's ; " Black Beauty," describing 
 
 V 
 
 2138515 '
 
 vi INTRODUCTORY 
 
 the woes and feelings of the poor horses ; and 
 " Her Majesty's Journal," especially enjoying 
 those parts telling about the cold luncheons, 
 nearly upsetting of the Royal carriage, when 
 they lost their way driving back to the Castle 
 after dark, and forgetting the Queen's cap. 
 Having seen a number of Shakespeare's plays 
 also, learning history through such scenes is to 
 me very enjoyable, and for pleasure far surpass- 
 ing the Hippodrome or Crystal Palace shows. 
 When I think of those fortunate persons able 
 to fill their days with study, and such like im- 
 proving things, it is hard not to be a little en- 
 vious. 
 
 Though Mr. Broadam puts it kindly, I can 
 see he has scant patience with women setting 
 down their thoughts, or views, asserting " It 
 leads to trouble, if not actually making it, and 
 no good comes of such meddling and demean- 
 ing." 
 
 I kept turning the matter over in my mind, 
 and one day Aunt Sarah's stepson she having 
 twice married, and he being foreman's assistant 
 where they make books said to me : ' There 
 is a deal of talk nowadays about writing from 
 life, and, according to the conclusions of those 
 who both work and ponder, plain every day 
 happenings, in my opinion, are what most read- 
 ers care for, if you simply set down what you 
 know from your own experience, like garden 
 cultivating for pleasure, or profit; writing on 
 the subject often pays better than raising crops,
 
 INTRODUCTORY vii 
 
 farming with pigs, or dwelling with princes. 
 Careful watch must be kept, noting, so far as 
 needful, respecting their prosperity, what they 
 eat, how their days are passed, and, from your 
 own way of thinking, maybe, what they live 
 for." This rather settled my mind, having set 
 down a good deal concerning daily living, as 
 well as about foreign lands, though never going 
 so far as to think it out that way about princes 
 and swine. In any case, he, Aunt Sarah's 
 stepson, seemed to point out what I had best 
 do with all those odds and ends of papers I had 
 covered with writing, simply because I could 
 not help noting down the interesting things 
 heard and passing panorama-like before my 
 eyes. When I had put them together, " Copy 
 out clear these pencil ones," said Sam, " and tell 
 about your starting out." This I did. Close to 
 Christmas he came in saying one of their gentle- 
 men told him it was not half bad reading in the 
 rough, and, if his advice were followed, the 
 business detail I did not, of course, comprehend, 
 might bring a nice sum on going to press, 
 and not far from the truth were these predic- 
 tions when, later, I consented to what Aunt 
 Sarah's stepson had continually urged.
 
 TRAVELS OF A 
 LADY'S MAID 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 I WAS born north of the Tweed, a region pro- 
 viding children more plenteously than means for 
 their upbringing. In our rugged Highlands 
 few need err from faith, so to say, nor drown 
 in destruction or perdition owing to the snares 
 of their riches. Hard, ceaseless toil barely sup- 
 plied food and raiment for growing families, 
 such as ours; eight of us there were, maybe 
 more, for how many brothers and sisters came 
 before mother died is never quite clear to me, 
 owing to some having lived but a few months, 
 or less, and gone before I was old enough to 
 remember, I having come about the middle. 
 
 " Aweel, aweel, a vera weary wumman!" the 
 neighbours agreed in loud whispers, when they 
 had tramped in out of the storm, stamping the 
 deep December snows from their heavy boots, 
 and shaking the still falling flakes from caps and 
 hoods, before closing about the kitchen fire for 
 a drop of something warming, as they sighingly
 
 2 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 settled themselves comfortably to watch the 
 night with all left to us poor bairns of " mither." 
 A thoughtless lass I was then, not far beyond 
 twelve years; but after those few weeks I 
 seemed to see things in a woman's way, strug- 
 gling early and late to keep the house orderly 
 and comfortable as mother had, with two 
 younger than I, and the twins always calling 
 me. The elders, sister and two boys, were miles 
 away, one learning his trade, the other a stable 
 boy at the great house where sister was scullery 
 maid. We kept on as best we could, though 
 father worried; was constantly anxious and 
 fretful. I did hope Katy that is sister who 
 was pretty and good to us children would be 
 home soon; but one evening father sat long at 
 the table, a letter spread before him which 
 " whistling Wallie " had thrust through a crack 
 in the ill-fitting casement when passing home- 
 ward from his work. Wallie's wits worked 
 slowly, but he was quick to do a neighbourly 
 turn. Father's hand shaded his eyes from the 
 flickering lamp-light; after long silence, push- 
 ing back his chair and sighing heavily, he folded 
 the letter, and half to himself, in a broken, 
 trembling voice, said, " Katy's gone. She will 
 no darken my door again; dead to us is Katy." 
 After that we never dared so much as speak 
 her name, nor did I ever see or hear from her, 
 though, missing my way in London one of 
 those dull November nights when I had been 
 sent to get an embroidered blouse worked by
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 3 
 
 a sweet-faced cripple living away east of Regent 
 Street, as I stood hesitatingly in the gloom, un- 
 certain which way to turn, the lights having 
 such queer, misty shapes about them, some one 
 laughed loudly just behind me. It sounded so 
 like Katy that I turned as a motor-car flashed 
 by, and in that moment of steady, searching 
 light, saw a tall, fair-looking girl, resembling 
 Katy, but bolder appearing. She was smiling, 
 under a big hat with red feathers standing up 
 in front just as Katy used; but I saw it 
 could not be Katy, for her face, being thick 
 with paint, had no look of a decent woman. 
 When I started toward her she turned away 
 hastily with her rough companions, and was 
 gone into the darkness. 
 
 Father, never a strong man, got more feeble, 
 and could not look after our bit of land. He 
 used to sit at home evenings smoking his pipe 
 when mother was there, but now hurried off at 
 dusk. Long after we were in bed trying to 
 keep ourselves warm, we children would hear 
 his step, but dared not speak because he looked 
 so strange; and some mornings we could hardly 
 wake him to give a bite to the cattle that were 
 calling, human like, for food. 
 
 Bob heard the neighbours say things were go- 
 ing from bad to worse, when, one day before 
 midsummer, father came in, smiling as he had 
 not for a long time, and said, " There'll be a 
 new mither to look after ye now, Annie. Widow 
 Brown and me go before the minister this day
 
 4 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 week." Then we knew the landlady down at 
 the inn would be his wife. No one was sure 
 where she came from, and folks had evil things 
 to say of that " Glasgow girl " old John Brown 
 brought back with him after his wife's death, 
 and a year before he followed. None dared 
 speak these things before her, she being a fine, 
 big-featured woman, with commanding ways, 
 having a tidy sum, all agreed, in the bank. 
 
 Father sold our farm to Campbell, who 
 wanted it for his son, and we went with him to 
 the inn. Father and the new mother tried to 
 be kind; that is, they were not bad to us; but 
 it was a sad change. Being older than the others 
 I felt it most; and we seemed to miss mother 
 more than at first, when we had the cows, sheep, 
 and old Bruce, who we children believed ex- 
 celled, in intelligence, all other dogs, to talk to. 
 
 One day, I had grown tall and slim by 
 this time, I was that pleased to hear Mrs. 
 F'orbes, who always took an interest in us bairns, 
 say to stepmother, " Annie is getting to be a 
 handy girl. She's clever with her fingers, and, 
 if you say the word, Mary, who is doing well 
 in a grand dress-making place in London, will 
 give her a chance." 
 
 Father was willing, and though the twins and 
 I wept sore at parting, I gladly went with kind 
 Mary when, after a week's stay with her mother, 
 she returned to that enchanting London, which 
 often I had heard described, though hardly 
 venturing to dream I might some day see.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 5 
 
 Sharing together a back room, Mary and I 
 had such a happy home at the lodgings for 
 gentlemen, bank clerks, booksellers, and the 
 like, kept by Mary's uncle's widow, who was 
 Aunt Sarah. There were seldom changes; one 
 a musical gentleman, an organist, had lodged 
 there ten years, for the past three having his 
 nephew the choirmaster with him. On clear 
 spring days the sunshine lay on the floor of our 
 room for an hour or more; not that we often 
 saw it, barring Sundays, after I began going 
 to the shop, at first I helped Aunt Sarah, as 
 she said I might call her, with the lodgers, 
 but, knowing the sun's rays had rested there 
 gave us country girls a joyful feeling when we 
 came back tired and cold. Another thing gave 
 us much pleasure, by walking not above half 
 a mile out of our way, on going home from 
 work, we could see the trees in Berkeley Square. 
 On fine days the young ladies from Lord Rose- 
 bery's big mansion near-by would be playing 
 there with their governess, the policeman told 
 us. 
 
 We liked reading about the Earl in the illus- 
 trated newspapers, and more than once the 
 Countess came to our shop, giving orders for 
 gowns or a dust cloak. We never tired talking 
 of her kind face, and the blessing she was to the 
 poor and needy. Mary and I could not keep 
 back our tears when we heard she had gone, 
 and we read those verses in the paper. One I 
 never can forget; I wrote it out and it is this:
 
 6 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 " And now within the house of Life, 
 
 All doubtful issues reconciled; 
 Father of mercies, lead thine own. 
 O God of Israel, keep thy child." 
 
 The house of Life must mean Heaven. We 
 girls could but think the life she lived on this 
 earth was like what many hope may be theirs 
 in a better world. 
 
 When they laid the Countess away, our man- 
 ager said, there was not a dry eye; and the 
 noble and the great stood by bearing wreaths 
 and saying over her those beautiful old Hebrew 
 words that she loved and lived by all her days.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE first time the Countess, my lady, that is, 
 spoke to me though often I had stood by to 
 hand the scissors or fasten a button when she 
 was being fitted was one day when I was 
 holding pins for Mademoiselle Marthe, Miss 
 Martyr, some of the girls would call her. She 
 did have a fine figure for height and style, and 
 no matter what the hour or weather, Mademoi- 
 selle would be summoned for our special cus- 
 tomers. Sometimes ladies as you might call 
 stout, or extremely lean, wanted to see the latest 
 modes from Paris, and Mademoiselle would be 
 asked to pass on a coat or mantle; and when 
 she had said, " Pardon, now Madame will see 
 zee exact effect on Madame," and had walked 
 the room once or twice, our Mr. Allen knew 
 it meant orders to be booked without delay; and 
 Mademoiselle, too, seemed satisfied with the 
 effect, though we girls, in our ignorance, some- 
 times passed the remark between ourselves that 
 other styles would be more becoming to not quite 
 youthful features and shapes. 
 
 But I am wandering from what I began tell- 
 ing about her ladyship. As I mentioned, I was 
 holding the pins for Mademoiselle that is, all 
 
 7
 
 8 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 she did not have in her mouth when the 
 Countess said, somewhat hesitatingly, " I have 
 been distressed about our school-room maid; the 
 doctor fears she must give up work, and I have 
 sent her to a nursing home at Bournemouth for 
 a fortnight. This morning the housekeeper told 
 me the young woman she had expected in her 
 place had disappointed her. Perhaps, Made- 
 moiselle, you, who have been here so long, may 
 know of some young person." There was a 
 glance toward me, and I, as you might say, 
 caught Mademoiselle's eye. She being so good- 
 natured-like, exclaimed, " Oh, Madame, Annie 
 is very capable, so soigneuse and obliging, they 
 all do say. I shall have extremely much pleas- 
 ure in ze recommending, if Madame la Comtesse 
 is pleased to consider it possible." 
 
 Looking straight at me, her ladyship then 
 asked, " What is your name? " When I replied, 
 " Anne Burns, please your ladyship," she smiled, 
 saying, " I think you are from Scotland," as 
 though reminded of something she was glad to 
 remember. Then it came out about mother's 
 dying; about the twins and the boys; though 
 not until long after that day did I mention 
 Katy. 
 
 Before leaving, the Countess said, decided- 
 like, " I shall speak with Mr. Allen, and Mrs. 
 Bufers will write when she can see you. Thank 
 you, Mademoiselle." 
 
 So everything was settled, and I, who had 
 pined a bit, after years of shop work, with only
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 9 
 
 a day off now and then, or a bank holiday at 
 Margate once we planned for the Isle of 
 Wight, but missing the boat had to come back 
 that tired and def eated-like knew, as I said, 
 that I was to be school-room maid at a grand 
 house where one could see green meadows and 
 growing flowers again. 
 
 Almost too good to be true, it seemed, for the 
 most I had hoped was sometime to be a useful 
 maid to maid the lady, who might perhaps travel 
 as far as Scotland, and once again there, I 
 should have a chance to find the twins, for Robin 
 and Jamie had died with the fever, three years 
 back; and long ago, I should have put down, 
 father, too, had gone, and none just well knew 
 what had become of stepmother, or the twins, 
 the old place having changed hands. 
 
 Mademoiselle would take no thanks, replying 
 kindly, in her impulsive French way, "It is you 
 who deserve the good fortune, mon enfant."
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 'You will be under the upper housemaid," 
 said Mrs. Bufers when I had courtesied to my 
 lady, who directed I should come for a moment 
 to her writing-room, where she said pleasantly, 
 ' You will soon learn your new duties and get 
 on nicely, I am sure." From that hour I could 
 not help adoring her, as I do now. 
 
 Miss Short, the upper housemaid, was not 
 just popular in the hall, though some of the 
 footmen declared her no shirker of work; but 
 I tried my best to keep the school-room as she 
 insisted it should be, up to her mark, never a 
 pen or a pencil out of its place when my young 
 lady, that is Lady Emily, came with Frau- 
 lein. 
 
 The first morning Miss Short had just fin- 
 ished telling me to be careful with the black 
 poodle standing upon his hind-legs on the desk; 
 - his head being full of ink, and one paw broken, 
 made him unsteady; adding I need not mind 
 about the missing claw of a silver crab that 
 sprawled on the writing table as though alive, 
 for that claw had gone long ago, and the body 
 was always kept stuffed with postage stamps, 
 when suddenly, from near a large window where 
 
 10
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 11 
 
 several covered boxes stood, some one called 
 roughly, " Get out! don't talk so loud." I just 
 trembled all over, me that hardly dared speak 
 above a whisper since coming to Ortham Tow- 
 ers, to be shouted at sudden, like that, and 
 dropping a book I had taken up to dust, struck 
 the little dog's head, and he toppled over, ink 
 flowing from his opened throat; in a moment, 
 somehow, Miss Short, who I thought out of the 
 room, was there, and in not at all an angry 
 manner remarked, " I meant to have warned 
 you about those old birds. Not a cover will 
 Lady Emily allow lifted until she comes in. 
 That big green rascal is agitating like when you 
 don't know he is there; an awful fighter with 
 beak and claws, if once he gets at you; but you 
 mustn't go near him without Lady Emily's or- 
 ders." 
 
 While Miss Short was talking she wiped up 
 the ink with a bit of blue paper, so skilfully 
 nobody would ever know there had been an acci- 
 dent; and when she said "It's no use crying 
 over spilled milk," though black ink did seem 
 to me worse, I felt happier and could finish 
 my duties in peace; for never a word more did 
 old Poll say. 
 
 Though not much past her sixteenth birthday, 
 Lady Emily was already taller than the Count- 
 ess, and very beautiful. Her ladyship blos- 
 somed out in a surprising manner; like lawn 
 crocuses in early spring, Mrs. Bufers said. 
 Compared to Lady Emily, those flowers seemed
 
 12 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 but poor things, I thought, though she reminded 
 me of them, and the golden hues of her hair are 
 like those shining waters of mountain streams 
 where they ripple over yellow brown sands. 
 
 Many months after first going to Ortham, I 
 heard the elderly Hungarian formerly Lady 
 Emily's music master remark to another guest 
 at the Towers, that his pupil, though born to 
 sway and lead, was herself ruled by the prompt- 
 ings of a heart generously tender and ardent to 
 a degree beyond estimating, and the visitor 
 agreed that her ladyship enthralled all near her 
 by her frank kindness; possessing, too, that al- 
 luring, graceful vivacity of a French grande 
 dame, rather than the English temperament. 
 
 Lady Emily frequently planned treats for 
 me, who was so fond of the country. When she 
 went with Fraulein to gather wild flowers or 
 ferns for the Countess's fernery, I was taken 
 on the long walk, and once, Fraulein having a 
 bad headache, Lady Emily would have me go 
 in her own pony carriage, herself driving those 
 beautiful little horses named Marco and Polo 
 by the Earl, her ladyship said, because of their 
 being such remarkable travellers to leave a 
 large parcel at the needlework Guild, or the 
 Reduced Gentlewoman's Society, in the village. 
 That afternoon I had a good chance to see how 
 skilfully Lady Emily managed the ponies. In 
 turning from the highway, into the lane by the 
 duck pond on one side there is a wall, a steep- 
 ish bank on the other we met two extraordi-
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 13 
 
 nary-appearing ladies, wearing fluttering shawls, 
 and hats of a very odd shape, standing fully 
 two feet above their heads, and covered with 
 wreaths of artificial flowers. To avoid running 
 over these poor creatures mincing slowly along 
 seemed utterly impossible; the horses being 
 frightened almost beyond control, by the shawls 
 and parasols, and by a flock of geese hissing and 
 waddling from one side of the road to the other, 
 as they ran and flew with flapping, stretched- 
 out wings towards the water; but before Saun- 
 ders the groom not a very young man 
 could get to the ground, Lady Emily had 
 guided the spirited ponies, holding them firmly, 
 speaking, as though nothing had happened, to 
 the trembling ladies, who, overcome with fear, 
 seemed unable to stir from the roadside. Saun- 
 ders told me, that evening, they never were quite 
 right in their minds; imagining themselves 
 royal princesses; and that everybody would 
 most respectfully move out of their way, no 
 matter where they chose to stand.
 
 I HAD never seen the heir, of course; that is, 
 Lord Glamorden, he being at Oxford. Some- 
 times the Earl and Countess seemed disturbed 
 about his studying hard, or something. 
 
 It was rumoured in the hall that James Bar- 
 more, the Viscount's own man, asserted there 
 never was a gentleman of the nobility, or gentry 
 either, for that matter, who had spent more, in 
 his day, at the University, than had Lord Gla- 
 morden before he auctioneered off his racing 
 stud, always run under a friend's name, ow- 
 ing to those Dons and other Oxford authorities, 
 a " rotten lot " in Barmore's estimation, forever 
 arguing and holding out flat against studs, 
 claiming horse-racing interfered with study. 
 
 Not one in the hall had a good word for 
 James Barmore, nor do they believe him Eng- 
 lish, in spite of his name, and some hold he is 
 a Jesuit in disguise. Mr. Stubbs, the Earl's 
 valet, declared Barmore not of his lordship's 
 choosing, by any means, but that he had been 
 urged on like to the Viscount by Sir Wynns- 
 Larkin when he left the college, as " a man who 
 understands exactly what is needed." Mr. 
 Stubbs added that, in his private opinion, the 
 only thing he is really fitted for is bell ringing, 
 
 14
 
 where they sound the quarter hours. He also 
 would advise his being locked in the belfry 
 tower, so the whole town could know he was 
 out of mischief. 
 
 I never saw Barmore, but heard from one 
 of the housemaids, that he was a dark, small, 
 young fellow, very thin, with long arms like 
 a monkey's, and had, too, an insolent, impish 
 way of looking at you from the corners of his 
 bold rolling eyes, and that quick, you never 
 could tell what he would do next. 
 
 Though the Earl is the easiest of gentlemen, 
 he can not endure high play at cards, and has 
 no patience with the doings at some great houses 
 where the gentlemen, after dinner, pretending 
 they are horses, draw the ladies about the gal- 
 leries on rugs, or slide down the stairs on tea- 
 trays; and his lordship detests that foreign 
 fashion of cigarette-smoking by the ladies. 
 
 One day, when Mr. Baggers, the Earl's solic- 
 itor, had spent hours in the library, the doors 
 being closed, as he crossed the passage, Mr. 
 Stubbs heard him say, " If this pace keeps up, 
 it will sweep away all but the entail." That 
 meant trouble, sure, and, in Mr. Stubbs' belief, 
 races not those Lady Emily calls the " Var- 
 sity," but others at Newmarket or Ascot are 
 at the bottom of it. One of the grooms, who has 
 crossed the channel (some said, had been a jockey 
 until he hurt his leg) and who well knows whereof 
 he speaks, when it comes to turf matters, declared 
 in his opinion, it was Paris or Trouville.
 
 16 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Soon after that morning, we heard, for he 
 did not come to Ortham Towers at all, that 
 the Viscount had sailed to America after big 
 game hunting west of New York, it was 
 thought. As the Earl and Countess seemed 
 distressed, it was concluded the sport must be 
 very dangerous. 
 
 Weeks passed quietly with few guests at 
 the Towers, when, one morning, Lady Emily 
 fairly danced into the school-room, a bit of paper 
 in her hand which she said Fraulein must read, 
 and would have it that I, too, should see it. I 
 was busy with the cages old Poll having been 
 so good since that first morning, never refusing 
 to accept any little delicacy Lady Emily said 
 might be given him. I should have explained 
 before that what sounded so rude that morning 
 Lady Emily believes really meant that he wished 
 to get out of his cage. Having often been told 
 "Don't talk so loud!" it became his habit to 
 repeat these words \vhen any one came into the 
 room, and through a little hole he has eaten in 
 his cover for this purpose, he can see everything 
 going on. After this explanation I could, of 
 course, have nothing against such a fine, intelli- 
 gent bird. We became friendly, he even allow- 
 ing me to rub his head when I looked after the 
 cage, though always shrieking and striking at 
 Fraulein in spite of her speaking most coax- 
 ingly. 
 
 This is what I read from the telegram:
 
 " Come to celebrate birthday and marriage. 
 Dearest girl in the world. Emily must be 
 bridesmaid. 
 
 " GLAMORDEN." 
 
 Soon all at Ortham knew our young lord was 
 to marry that beautiful young lady from the 
 States who had spent a fortnight at one of the 
 great country-seats near, when the Viscount 
 came home for the long vacation. " Lord Gla- 
 morden has made good use of his time, for once," 
 said Mr. Stubbs; and all seemed satisfied and 
 serene again.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 PEECISELY when I don't rightly recall; but 
 one morning following Easter, I was sent for, 
 to go to Mrs. Bufer's room. Fearing something 
 wrong with my work, naturally I was a bit 
 flustered; but Mrs. Bufers, who is kindness it- 
 self, at once said I had given satisfaction. She 
 then asked many questions about my life in 
 London with Aunt Sarah; about the big shop, 
 and other things. I tried to answer as best I 
 could; and, saying she would be back directly, 
 she left, soon returning and telling me I was 
 to go to the Countess, in her ladyship's boudoir. 
 
 Never can I forget that morning, or my de- 
 light over the plans told me. After mentioning 
 having a good report of me from Mrs. Bufers, 
 her ladyship said the Earl having decided that 
 Lady Emily should accompany them to the 
 States, she had spoken with Madame Duval, 
 Lady Emily's nurse, a respected, stout widow 
 no longer young, who had been with the 
 Countess almost since Lady Emily's birth, and 
 Madame Duval thought, especially as Lady 
 Emily seemed to wish it, that, with training, I 
 could fill her place for the travelling; she feel- 
 ing in no way equal to journeyings, and could 
 
 18
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 19 
 
 not, at any time, walk above half a mile. Ma- 
 dame declared that even if my lady desired her 
 to go, she knew, once the voyage commenced, 
 she would die of fright, greatly inconveniencing 
 her ladyship. The Countess did not tell me 
 this last, of course, but later, in showing how 
 Lady Emily wanted everything in her dressing- 
 room arranged, Madame remarked that though 
 she hoped she need not say she was more than 
 willing to die for the Countess or Lady Emily, 
 not for untold wealth would she ever again set 
 foot aboard a vessel, unless to return to la belle 
 France to end her days. She had crossed the 
 Channel, and once happily never again 
 consented to go on an excursion of pleasure 
 with some of her own people, off Ilfracombe, 
 and the remembrance of both was more than 
 unpleasant. 
 
 I was sent to New Bond Street for lessons in 
 hair-dressing; and day after day Miss Barnes, 
 the Countess's own maid, instructed me in fold- 
 ing and packing, so, when all preparations for 
 the foreign tour were completed, I felt at home 
 in my work, and hoped I should not be annoy- 
 ing to Lady Emily. 
 
 Everybody was so rushed, with arrangements 
 and appointments after the cable came, it seemed 
 but a few days, though actually weeks, before 
 we were on that grand steamship at Liverpool 
 and soon beyond Queenstown, when, I am sorry 
 to say, I was so stupid as not to be quite happy 
 for a day or so. I was dizzy in my head, and
 
 20 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 had queer, sinking feelings, but managed to 
 attend to my duties, as Lady Emily required 
 almost nothing done, begging to remain in her 
 cabin, though the Earl, pleased at being on the 
 sea again, insisted, almost, that she should come 
 on deck and, as he said, really enjoy the bound- 
 ing motion of those great, green waves. 
 
 Miss Barnes, a most particular, persistent 
 person, never permits herself to be seasick, 
 she says, and at the very worst, when even the 
 captain kept a firm hold on the rails, brought 
 in the hot water just at proper times, or sat on 
 a round stool in the little passage outside her 
 lady's door, putting on a button, or mending 
 a glove, as though in the wardrobe-room at the 
 Towers, and after the first night seemed a trifle 
 disappointed that there were to be no regular 
 toilettes, you may say, for dinner. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs was not seen for days. He lay 
 in his berth nibbling at a Bath Oliver; but 
 swallowing next to nothing, the deck steward 
 informed Miss Barnes. Early one morning - 
 those beautiful sunrise lights still tinged the 
 waves I went from the stuffy cabin to the 
 ship's stern for a breath of fresh air, and never 
 recognized the unshaven man, a cap drawn down 
 over 'his ears, leaning dejectedly against a life- 
 boat support, gazing out upon the waters; but 
 when he turned I saw it was Mr. Stubbs. He 
 asked if it were true that Miss Barnes had not 
 failed a meal ; adding his trouble had been more 
 like homesickness; that he was a sensitive man,
 
 though some might not think it; had travelled 
 much, never before having been rocked in the 
 cradle of the broad, heaving Atlantic, however, 
 and the only time he recollected anything ap- 
 proaching these feelings was, when as a lad, 
 always a quiet, bashful sort of boy, he had gone 
 to see his uncle, living on the Isle of Man; that 
 time the sensations did not last long, but he was 
 then told there were those living on that island 
 who going there in youth, for a fortnight's stay, 
 were now, in old age, preparing for eternity, 
 without ever having had courage to return home, 
 as it meant that fearful trip again. 
 
 After passing Ireland, especially when get- 
 ting that last view of Fastnet Rock, near where 
 his own mother, and her grandmother before 
 her, had lived and died, this came strongly over 
 him, and he could not leave his berth, to say 
 nothing of properly valeting the Earl. Now 
 he was quite himself and able to attend to all 
 duties. His complexion did look awful, poor 
 man, and he had a very lean, lonesome-like look, 
 quite different, I must say, from his usually 
 nice, fresh appearance, always the same, so you 
 could hardly think of him as ever having been 
 without sandy hair and a neat black tie. 
 
 After the third day we had pleasant weather; 
 many ships were passed, and at night those big 
 liners, lighted from end to end, were a beauti- 
 ful sight. 
 
 I did not feel quite myself until one after- 
 noon when we saw, first, long stretches of sand,
 
 22 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 very white in the June sunshine. Huge break- 
 ers surged over the beaches as though deter- 
 mined to wash away the high bluffs and dunes 
 behind; then a lighthouse and lovely green hills 
 appeared; soon after the forts came in view; 
 and not long before sunset, that grand statue 
 of "Liberty Lighting the World;" then that 
 wonderful bridge, spanning the river, and those 
 tall buildings all had heard of, and we knew we 
 were entering the harbour of New York.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THERE was misunderstanding about the 
 steamer's arrival that day, or a mistake in for- 
 warding the telegram, for Lord Glamorden was 
 not on the pier, as he had written he would be. 
 After inquiries and delays, the Earl said he 
 would wait no longer; so, gathering together 
 our parcels, we went down to a big hall-like 
 place, where a vast quantity of luggage was 
 already piled and eager-looking men, custom 
 officers, bustled hectoringly about. His lordship 
 disliked being detained and questioned, but said 
 Stubbs could open the boxes if required. Miss 
 Barnes and I stood near. The Countess, of 
 course, had several gowns direct from Paris, 
 just as received from Monsieur Worth; and 
 Lady Emily everything new, you may say, 
 never before having worn anything but the 
 simplest frocks. The soft white paper was still 
 inside the bodies, and the skirts fastened firm 
 with tapes, which Miss Barnes insisted must on 
 no account be touched. Good-naturedly yield- 
 ing, one of the men just pulled things about a 
 bit, turning up the tray corners. A younger 
 man standing by, commented behind his hand, 
 
 " Looks like swell dressmaking trade, Mur- 
 
 23
 
 24 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 phy; " but the elder man shook his head. I 
 was glad Mr. Stubbs did not hear this remark. 
 
 When it came to the jewels, they actually 
 were taken somewhere for a day or more. Mr. 
 Stubbs never did tell what the Earl said regard- 
 ing this. The Countess brought to the States 
 her pearls only, and a few hair ornaments that 
 had belonged to her aunt, a noted traveller who 
 had some of the family heirlooms copied in paste 
 (though no human being, short of a jeweller, 
 could have told them from real), fearing to risk 
 the old gems in moving about. These were with 
 the few gifts that had been brought at Lord 
 Glamorden's special request, by the last post. 
 Miss Barnes packed them according to her lady- 
 ship's instructions, and the Countess had for- 
 gotten to mention this to the Earl, who, natu- 
 rally, was surprised himself, to see the cases of 
 new trinkets. 
 
 Miss Barnes heard his lordship say to one 
 who looked like the chief official, Inspector, 
 they called him, that no doubt he had not 
 exceeded his instructions, but the Government 
 appeared to wish to exclude respectable people 
 from visiting the country, subjecting them to 
 such annoyances; that the system was simply 
 monstrous for a civilized country claiming to be 
 free. 
 
 Standing just behind us was a sweet-faced 
 lady, apparently in distress. Seeing she was 
 almost sobbing, I could not refrain from asking 
 " Can I help you, Madam? " It was kindly
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 25 
 
 meant, she saw, and then told me she was re- 
 turning, alone, to her native land for the first 
 time, having lived near Edinburgh since she was 
 an infant, marrying there a Scotchman; they 
 had together gone to his ranch in one of the 
 Southern States, Texas. Important business 
 summoned one of them to Scotland, and it being 
 impossible for her husband to leave the farm, she 
 went alone. Just as she was returning, word 
 came of their child's serious illness. Now she 
 was sure she would miss the train and not see 
 her little girl at all, perhaps; for although try- 
 ing to remember everything in her trunk, she 
 had forgotten the toys for her child, and these, 
 happening to be nailed in a wooden box, the 
 officer had taken, saying he must see the head 
 inspector. Nothing could be done, but later I 
 was thankful to see her hurrying off, and did 
 hope she reached her little girl in time. 
 
 Before they finished examining the luggage, 
 word came that the Viscount was on the pier. 
 His lordship had beeen yachting, the wind gave 
 out, and he had walked miles across the Long 
 Island, finally managing to flag the slowest of 
 trains, at some hamlet, or cross-road. His lord- 
 ship was in despair at being so late awfully 
 cut up, he said ; but did everything in his power, 
 short of swimming the bay, in order to be on time 
 for the steamer's arrival. 
 
 The officials having finished with the luggage, 
 Lord Glamorden, with the Earl, the Countess 
 and Lady Emily, started in a private carriage,
 
 for the bride's house, where they were to remain. 
 Miss Barnes and I followed in a cab, Mr. Stubbs 
 on the box. Passing through many not over- 
 clean streets, under a roaring place, the ele- 
 vated, we came into a nice square, with a 
 marble arch like ours in Hyde Park; then on 
 and on; crowds hurrying along, in heat like that 
 of a London August, up the Fifth Avenue, our 
 cabman said, finally stopping at a fine, new 
 house where Barnes was directed to remain with 
 the Countess; and Mr. Stubbs and I were sent 
 to a large hotel, near in distance, but very high 
 in the air. 
 
 It was nearly dark by the time we reached 
 the hotel entrance; and as I followed Mr. 
 Stubbs in, a young man immediately came for- 
 ward, saying, " This way, please," opening the 
 door into a small room, hardly as large as the 
 cabins we had just left. The door closed in- 
 stantly, and we were shooting up as though we 
 could never stop again. The start was so sudden 
 I could not help grasping Mr. Stubbs's arm, 
 and not a word was spoken, although he turned 
 pale, I thought; but in a moment, the boy, who 
 had been working a bit of iron rope and look- 
 ing at me in the mirror, said, "Here you are; 
 fifteenth floor." The young man who first spoke 
 to us got out, putting keys into the doors of 
 two nice rooms. For a long time I could not 
 look out of the windows at all, we were that 
 high from the ground; it made one giddy to see 
 the streets and the people so far below.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 27 
 
 In half an hour we were to unpack what 
 was needed by the Earl and Lady Emily for 
 the night, said Mr. Stubbs, after I had tidied 
 myself. The same pleasant man who met us 
 when we came in showed the way, walking with 
 us to the door, warding off the motor cars and 
 bicycles that seemed to have the right of way to 
 go through the thronged streets as they pleased. 
 
 Being told that Lady Emily would not need 
 me until eight the next morning, I was thankful 
 enough to get to bed and be on solid land again.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THOUGH the Earl and Countess were in New 
 York but a few days before the wedding, sev- 
 eral splendid entertainments were given in their 
 honour. After one of these, Mr. Stubbs heard 
 his lordship say to the Countess, - " Mark my 
 words, Augusta, if this love of display and lux- 
 ury continues, another generation will see a 
 monarchy here." Lady Emily, however, at- 
 tended none of these affairs, as she had not yet 
 been presented at their Majesties' court. Re- 
 peatedly I was sent with her to see the sights; 
 Mr. Stubbs following in another hansom, or for 
 walks in the Park, where the bird-house was 
 always an attraction; not nearly so big or noisy 
 as at the Zoo; but here Lady Emily liked 
 watching the macaws, or a monster yellow 
 crested Australian cockatoo; he kept this adorn- 
 ment moving up and down, rolling his black 
 eyes very amusingly. A huge, clumsy blue 
 bird, in the same cage, enjoyed being talked 
 to, and would always reply, the keeper, who had 
 charge of the birds for many years, said. 
 
 We drove to a beautiful hill by the riverside, 
 to see the tomb of a great general; and once to 
 the Aquarium, an interesting place where won- 
 
 28
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 29 
 
 derful fishes are kept in immense glass tanks; 
 miles from the Park, but well worth seeing, Lady 
 Emily thought, and near here the first Dutch 
 settlers in New York lived, and built their for- 
 tress. 
 
 A cousin of Mr. Stubbs, an extremely ob- 
 serving man, has been butler for ten years, a 
 long time this is considered in America, in a 
 very nice family, living near the Fifth Avenue. 
 This cousin tells Mr. Stubbs a good deal re- 
 specting manners and customs, different in many 
 ways from ours; higher wages, but more to pay 
 out, and changing continually, you may say, 
 and living beyond their means striving to keep 
 up appearances. In more than one house where 
 he lived before getting the steady place, the 
 people did not seem to know what was due 
 themselves, and had no idea as to the rights of 
 servants; that, of course, meant endless worri- 
 ment for all parties. 
 
 In New York one hears much exciting talk 
 about Wall Street; for ever hurrying off or 
 coming back from the Exchange, and where our 
 gentlemen would discuss the latest hunting news, 
 Cabinet changes, Court doings, or the wars go- 
 ing on in every part of the world, Americans 
 talked about stocks, or a queer assortment of 
 beasts, bears and bulls. The cousin later 
 learned this to be a very nerve- jading business 
 they are clever at. They talk of their high- 
 stepping horses, also, but most of the stepping, 
 shaking of the head and foaming at the mouth
 
 30 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 comes from sheer cruelty using bits such as 
 our coachman, Mr. Hobson, would not tolerate 
 in his horses' mouths for a moment; and bear- 
 ing reins that are simply torturing contrivances. 
 Seeing people rolling complacently along behind 
 such poor tormented brutes, smiling, and proud 
 of their prancing, is a sight sickening to them 
 that know. Many of the omnibus horses are a 
 wretched lot, Mr. Stubbs himself observed; and 
 as for those put before carriers' vans, and drays, 
 some were only fit for the knackers. He wishes 
 laws might be enforced against crowding the 
 trams; he seldom gets a seat, and naturally 
 being a very polite brought-up man, it is most 
 unpleasant knocking a row of hats off people's 
 heads, owing to unexpected starts and lurches 
 of the tram. Once, landing for a moment upon 
 the knees of a stout man who was reading a Ger- 
 man paper, the language used was unfit to re- 
 peat, he felt sure from the person's manner, 
 though not understanding a word said.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 A MORE beautiful day for a wedding could 
 scarcely have been desired. Lord Glamorden 
 himself gave Mr. Stubbs three small cards, di- 
 recting him to show these to the policeman 
 standing outside the church. When our ladies 
 were dressed, we started out with Mr. Stubbs. 
 Oh, such a crush! not guests, of course, but 
 people pulling, pushing and struggling to get 
 near the awnings leading to the church doors. 
 Mr. Stubbs was most determined in helping us 
 on, acknowledging, however, he had never seen 
 such a mob of women who might be called re- 
 spectable. Crowding at the Queen's Jubilee was 
 bad enough, but with men one can push back, 
 as he could not think of doing with women. 
 
 Once inside the church, Mr. Stubbs clasp- 
 ing Miss Barnes's hand, as he forced a way 
 through the crowd and charging her not to 
 let go of mine, the sight was charming ; gar- 
 lands of roses, creepers and other foliage were 
 twined around the pillars and altar, lovely white 
 roses, only, upon it. The ladies were extremely 
 handsome and smiling, a little more hurried 
 in their ways than our English ladies, but most 
 kind-appearing. 
 
 31
 
 32 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Lord Glamorden stood on the chancel steps, 
 his lordship's cousin, a captain in the Coldstream 
 Guards, beside him as best man, looking so 
 happy, and as if a hundred years of joy were 
 before him. A few minutes later the bridal 
 party entered; from our places, well forward in 
 one of the side aisles, we had. an excellent view 
 of the procession; the music was grand, with 
 harps sounding out above the organ. 
 
 We all agreed that our young lady was by 
 far the loveliest of the bridesmaids, and their 
 dresses of rose silk muslin and large tulle hats, 
 with satin bows and plumes, were most becom- 
 ing. The shower bouquets, moss roses and lilies 
 of the valley were the sweetest things I had 
 ever seen; and a handsomer, happier couple 
 than the bride and bridegroom could not be 
 imagined. 
 
 As we were leaving the church, Miss Barnes 
 said, knowing she would not be wanted, on 
 account of the wedding breakfast and birthday 
 speeches, she would come to my room and 
 search for the Countess's kodak, which had been 
 mislaid on leaving the ship, and might be inside 
 a roll of unopened rugs that had been sent to 
 the hotel by mistake. 
 
 As soon as we were free from the crowds out- 
 side the awnings, Mr. Stubbs sighed dismally, 
 and casting guardedly melancholy glances 
 toward Miss Barnes, asserted he never could 
 rightly decide which were the most affecting, 
 funerals or weddings. Sometimes he felt
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 33 
 
 surer as to the former than he did about how 
 the marrying would turn out; "a leap in the 
 dark at best," but every woman is happier, he 
 believed, for trying it at least once. Miss 
 Barnes took him up very sharp, retorting, re- 
 bukingly, she would not listen to his gloomy 
 talk; such views were absurd, and that he must 
 still be suffering from the effects of the sea. 
 Ignoring these rather personal allusions, as we 
 crossed the street, Mr. Stubbs came over to my 
 side remarking, he wondered if I knew what it 
 is that neither time nor travel improves, and 
 that gets shorter as it grows older. I replied, 
 of course, I did not know; I could not help 
 having an idea of his meaning, however, when 
 he added that he was not thinking of a candle, 
 this time, but of some people's tempers. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs insisted politely upon seeing us 
 into the lift, having rather a disappointed look 
 when Miss Barnes quietly remarked, it was more 
 rapid than some, but she found it exhilarating, 
 and was reminded of tobogganing and those 
 water-chutes at the Exhibition.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE Earl had planned a visit to Washington 
 wishing to meet the President one of the best 
 since the first, who was of good English stock, 
 said his lordship. Hearing through our Em- 
 bassy that the palace was closed, Mr. Stubbs 
 thought the trip given up, the President, with 
 part of the court, having left for Oysters-on-the- 
 Bay. 
 
 The day following the wedding his lordship 
 told Mr. Stubbs what already he had suspected, 
 that we were to go straight on, around the 
 world. This plan had been considered by the 
 Earl and Countess, but not knowing how the 
 sea-voyage would agree with her ladyship, defin- 
 ite decision regarding going beyond the States 
 was deferred until just before the wedding. 
 Miss Barnes was directed to pack one or two 
 boxes for England, with articles not wanted in 
 travelling; the Countess giving her leave for a 
 fortnight to visit a niece in Canada, married, 
 as second wife, to the Governor-General's gar- 
 dener. After seeing these relatives, she was 
 told to go direct to the Pacific coast, to San 
 Francisco. 
 
 On returning from helping Miss Barnes off, 
 
 34
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 35 
 
 Mr. Stubbs appeared rather cast down, but 
 kindly said he was sure I would do all and more 
 than could be expected of me, and something 
 about " two's being company," after all. He 
 remarked, also, it was astonishing how some 
 people seem born incurably obstinate, without 
 appreciation, appearing to keep their hearts in 
 a sort of cold storage, and hardly knowing when 
 the best is offered; that he was a man capable 
 of taking a hint, however, no need of telling 
 him a thing twice, he was glad to say; but the 
 ideas and ways of some, especially women, he 
 was bound to say pass comprehending; and as 
 for feelings of true affection, and the like, he 
 doubted if some were capable of such emotions. 
 
 Early the next morning we started from a 
 station quite close to the Fifth Avenue. There 
 would be no second class, his lordship thought, 
 on railways in the States, but later found there 
 is, though not called just that. 
 
 After Mr. Stubbs booked the luggage we had 
 our hands full with the bags. There were no 
 railway porters, though one or two men in red 
 caps, standing near, offered to help. I made 
 sure these were Salvationists; Mr. Stubbs re- 
 plied, not the real kind, but might be considered 
 as sort of " savers." This I did not understand 
 and he remarked, it was owing to my having 
 been born Scotch; that none north of the border 
 can comprehend a joke. 
 
 Inside the station we had to walk a great dis- 
 tance to the train. " They are indeed long-
 
 36 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 suffering people in New York, to put up with 
 such imposition," I heard the Earl say. Mr. 
 Stubbs and I were directed to a blue velvet sofa, 
 in a long railway carriage, behind chairs where 
 the Earl and Countess, with Lady Emily, were 
 seated. 
 
 His lordship thought little of the scenery, but 
 Mr. Stubbs found it entertaining watching for 
 that boy driving geese; some small black twins 
 inviting people to let them do the work; a tall 
 person in yellow robes, and other fanciful 
 scenes, with notices quite different from any our 
 Mr. Coleman, or the Monkey brand allows. 
 Lady Emily considers some of the advertising 
 most unpleasant, and wonders the parish author- 
 ities permit public highways to be so disfigured. 
 Some good people too, might be rather mis- 
 guided, she feared, in posting sentences like, 
 " Prepare for Eternity," in places where they 
 are liable to be followed, as her ladyship saw on 
 one wall, with such injunctions as, " Try Scour- 
 ine." 
 
 After two hours in the train we reached New 
 Haven; a noted place for study and sports, 
 Lady Emily believed. His lordship wished to 
 stop there, many relatives connected with old 
 New England days having lived in this town, 
 and one, a Mistress Harlakeden (for so ladies 
 were then called, the Countess said) had mar- 
 ried an early Governor of the Province, and 
 was buried near the old church.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 WE were directed to go through to Boston 
 and have everything ready at the hotel by nine 
 o'clock, when the Earl and the ladies would 
 reach there. The Earl had been keen to stop 
 at a place called the New Port, but the Countess 
 begged not to do so, fearing it " hardly safe for 
 so young a lady as Lady Emily." We knew 
 Indians had long ago left these parts, but 
 thought, hearing it was a bathing resort by the 
 sea, there might be high tides, or a treacherous 
 beach; but Miss Barnes, who knows everything, 
 insists the doings there in society are quite un- 
 suitable for young ladies who have not yet been 
 presented. 
 
 On coming back to the hotel the following 
 noon, the Earl and Countess seemed delighted 
 with Boston, changing their plans in order to 
 remain the better part of a week. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs, who had been on the box, when 
 driving about the town, found the place sensi- 
 ble enough; not so distracting with noise as 
 New York; but the cabman did go on so about 
 a bit of green, called the Common, and more 
 than once took them for different views of a 
 monument, well enough to look at; but no call 
 
 37
 
 38 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 whatever for climbing it, as the coachman al- 
 most insisted should be done. 
 
 Later I saw Mr. Stubbs was right in what 
 he had remarked, for hastening to the cab that 
 afternoon, my lady having forgotten her par- 
 asol, I did hear the cabman say, just as the 
 Earl stepped into the cab, " Shall I drive 
 you to Bunker Hill Monument, sir? " His 
 lordship replied, quite short, " No, no, my 
 good fellow; we have been there twice already; 
 drive to the nearest station for Cambridge." 
 Then turning to the Countess, his lordship 
 added, " It is incredible, this talk about that hill 
 once owned by a loyal Englishman named Bun- 
 ker." 
 
 Having been given leave for the afternoon, 
 as Mr. Stubbs and I were going towards a beau- 
 tiful library, near that church where a greatly 
 beloved and mourned Bishop who more than 
 once came to England and preached before our 
 Queen used to preach, Mr. Stubbs went over 
 the story again, telling me, as he kindly ex- 
 plained the history of it all; how, long ago, the 
 Colonies rebelled against their lawful rulers, 
 finding fault with those in high places of au- 
 thority, going so far as to throw overboard, as 
 though in the very face of Royalty, the tea they 
 had sent, as well as doing many other most in- 
 subordinate acts; inciting discords and mobs 
 here and there, so that generals of highest rank, 
 commanding armies, were sent over from Eng- 
 land to quell the disturbance; but these finally
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 39 
 
 decided to leave, Germans, or Dutch and some 
 Indian tribes having mixed in the quarrel; con- 
 sequently our troops and generals returned to 
 the old country. 
 
 Being something of a student himself, Mr. 
 Stubbs is of opinion, though by no means going 
 so far as to be thought a radical or free thinker, 
 that perhaps the Colonials did have some griev- 
 ances; but he could not go far enough to assert 
 they were justified in casting away that tea, no 
 matter what the quality, ordinary Ceylon, or 
 the best India. He also has observed that ladies 
 and gentlemen in the States never appear to 
 depend on tea, as our ladies and gentlemen do. 
 
 From what he has heard, Mr. Stubbs believes 
 most of the fighting occurred where that monu- 
 ment has been set up; for himself, he always 
 holds there is right on both sides, and brave 
 men, too. 
 
 I had no knowledge of these events, of course, 
 but hearing the Countess reading to Lady 
 Emily, what the blind poet, Milton, wrote con- 
 cerning one of her ancestors who long ago gov- 
 erned, or ruled, this part of the country, 
 
 " Vane, young in years, but in sage counsel old, 
 Than whom a better senator ne'er held the helm 
 of Rome." 
 
 I knew there must be connecting links between 
 those times and our people.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 AN early start was made the next morning, 
 his lordship being most anxious to see some place 
 in the country often talked of by the old Earl, 
 the home of an American gentleman, one of the 
 greatest thinkers who ever lived, I, myself, heard 
 the Earl say. This gentleman had been in Eng- 
 land, our Earl remembering well the pleasure 
 that visit gave to the late Earl, his father, and 
 how, for years, letters came and went between 
 them. 
 
 It being a clear, warm morning the Countess 
 wore a dust cloak, taking no other wrap. His 
 lordship directed dinner to be served in their 
 own dining-room at eight o'clock, saying they 
 would not return for tea. After setting things 
 to rights, Mr. Stubbs and I, being free for the 
 day, went to the seashore, not far distant, and 
 ate there a peculiar stew-like mixture of fish 
 and many other things, known as chowder; not 
 just to my taste, I must say, though Mr. Stubbs 
 did have two helpings; kindly proposing straw- 
 berry ice then, and the merry-go-round; this I 
 enjoyed, though rather reminded of those first 
 days on shipboard. 
 
 About seven o'clock we expected his lordship 
 
 40
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 41 
 
 and our ladies every minute; Mr. Stubbs having 
 been in and out the corridors and down to the 
 door repeatedly looking for them; was finally 
 told the train might be late, owing to the day 
 being the Fourth of July, when, it seems, some- 
 thing like " Independence " is celebrated in 
 America, a sort of Guy Fawkes day, but with 
 saluting and flags, as on the King's birthday. 
 
 We waited, quite uncomfortable, until after 
 ten, fearing something was wrong; when the 
 hotel manager sent up a telegram, adding it had 
 been delayed on account of his having gone for 
 a sail to celebrate the day, with the musical 
 society of which he was a member. The tele- 
 gram read, 
 
 " Unpardonably detained. Tell my man we 
 return to-morrow." 
 
 Then we knew there must have been some un- 
 pleasant occurrence, and I could not sleep think- 
 ing of what it might be, and wondering how the 
 Countess and Lady Emily could manage with- 
 out their dressing-cases, to say nothing of all 
 the other things needed for the night; but there 
 is no use worrying, as Mr. Stubbs said in the 
 morning.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 IT was well on towards two o'clock when his 
 lordship arrived, and would not hear of having 
 luncheon until he had seen the young man from 
 the hotel office. He was sent for, and Mr. 
 Stubbs heard his lordship directing him to close 
 the dining-room door; that was about all he 
 learned until later; then everything was ex- 
 )lained. The Earl, it seems, himself stopped at 
 the hotel office and said he wanted tickets for 
 Concord, the place where that American gen- 
 tleman, the late Earl's friend, had lived; the 
 young man in charge replied, he would send the 
 tickets up that evening. On receiving a small 
 envelope with three tickets, these, naturally, were 
 not looked at until the railway station was 
 reached; here great crowds had gathered for 
 cheap excursion trips to the races, and other 
 events of the day, so that his lordship became 
 separated from the Countess and Lady Emily, 
 they, too, being pushed and jostled in a most 
 extraordinary manner ; finally reaching the Con- 
 cord train, though not until it was about starting, 
 " dangerously, inexcusably crowded," was the 
 Earl's comment, with people even hanging on 
 the steps. 
 
 42
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 43 
 
 When at last they got upon the train, the 
 Earl found his tickets had been stolen, or possi- 
 bly lost, in that wretched crowd. Nearly an 
 hour passed before a guard came through the 
 carriages, fairly forcing his way; seeming to 
 have almost no authority; said he had never 
 known such a crowded Fourth, as, aside from 
 the holiday, there were races, baseball matches 
 and the opening of new golf links; that train 
 was usually the fastest on the line; what delays 
 might come that day he could not say; but 
 hoped the worst of the crowd would soon be off. 
 Several rather rough-looking lads and men be- 
 gan waving flags, and tooting noisily on long 
 horns; presently a cornet sounded above the 
 uproarious commotion playing what the Earl 
 thought to be " God save the King," but found, 
 after removing his hat, it was something about 
 America, though the tune was the same as our 
 National Anthem. 
 
 On his lordship's explaining regarding their 
 missing tickets, the guard said he must ask to 
 have some small sum paid as fare; but was sure 
 the railroad company would make it all right 
 if the Earl cared to write particulars to the 
 Boston office. He was most civil and obliging, 
 helping them off at Concord the crowd hav- 
 ing left by that time and as the train moved 
 out of the station, called a cabman, who, he de- 
 clared, knew everything about the place, and 
 had horses that could be depended on to use 
 their four legs.
 
 44 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 As they were getting into the cab, a sort of 
 double victoria, Lady Emily said, the coach- 
 man inquired if they wished to see the town. 
 The Earl replied, " Yes," and having three or 
 four hours before the up-train, told the man he 
 could drive to the principal sights, before stop- 
 ping at Mr. Emerson's, that being the name 
 of the old Earl's friend. The cabman thought 
 he knew the house (now the residence of a noted 
 author), having often heard his twin brother 
 talk of driving visitors there. This brother, it 
 was later explained, was really the one the guard 
 intended should drive, not knowing he was off 
 for the holiday, having been chosen, as oldest in 
 descent from their grandfather, to head the pro- 
 cession and raise the flag in their native village, 
 forty miles away. 
 
 The Earl fancied Concord would be smaller, 
 more rural than it appeared to be. After driv- 
 ing to public buildings and through shaded 
 streets for an hour, they stopped at a comfort- 
 able house not far from the road, and were sur- 
 prised to find it looked remarkably new. As 
 they were questioning the coachman, a very 
 pleasant-appearing lady, so far as visible be- 
 neath a large sunshade, spoke to them from a 
 balcony, and on the Earl's asking if the house 
 could be Mr. Emerson's, replied, " Oh, no, 
 surely there is some mistake. The Emerson 
 house is miles away in another State." 
 
 From what Lady Emily told me, his lordship 
 must naturally have been more than vexed and
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 45 
 
 astonished at this discovery; but the lady in the 
 balcony kindly explained that by driving a few 
 miles they could connect with trains for the right 
 Concord, without returning to Boston. The 
 Countess feared this might be too fatiguing, but 
 the lady strongly urged their going, saying most 
 positively, she felt sure they would not find it 
 an unpleasant experience, and much nicer than 
 going back to Boston. His lordship was rather 
 pleased to agree, and the lady, from the balcony, 
 directed the driver regarding the route. 
 
 After long travelling over roads considered 
 exceedingly tedious by the Countess, they 
 reached a small station; its doors were locked; 
 but after some waiting the station master came 
 from a nearby house, informing them they had 
 missed the express by twenty minutes. He 
 thought, however, though nowise sure, it being 
 the Fourth of July, that what he called an " ac- 
 commodation " would be along in less than three- 
 quarters of an hour. The Earl inquired if they 
 could get anything to eat; the man replied his 
 folks were off on a picnic, but they were welcome 
 to doughnuts, huckleberries and milk. The Earl 
 thanked him, although uncertain just what the 
 man intended bringing them; he returned soon 
 with a big dish of small round cakes, also berries 
 and buttermilk. 
 
 A train came along the line shortly after the 
 time mentioned, less crowded than the one out 
 from Boston, but again there were boys with 
 flags and horns, and some rather startling send-
 
 46 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 ing off of firecrackers. The Earl found her 
 ladyship, who was very tired by the many 
 changes, a seat by herself ; his lordship sat 
 behind, in the long carriage, with Lady Emily. 
 
 At the next station, a strange-appearing fig- 
 ure entered, very tall, wearing a short wool 
 skirt of shepherd's plaid, a black-bordered white 
 knitted shawl, and a boat-shaped hat trimmed 
 with red, white and blue ribbons, which partly 
 covered a brown wig. Under one arm she held 
 a large, speckled fowl with fiercely resentful 
 eyes, its body wrapped in an old military cape. 
 This captive bird, later spoken of as a 
 " Plymouth Rock," was a promised gift to 
 her brother-in-law. 
 
 Seating herself beside the Countess, though 
 many other places were vacant, after prolonged, 
 steady gazing at her ladyship, this odd person 
 exclaimed abruptly and loudly, " I am Mrs. 
 Pycroft Mrs. Peter Pycroft from Babylon!" 
 Her ladyship started, in some alarm, fearing 
 the woman must be one of those poor demented 
 creatures who fancy themselves the Queen of 
 Sheba, or some other exalted personage; but 
 concluded no harm could be intended, as she 
 continued, " You are from Canada, I guess." 
 When the Countess kindly replied, " No, from 
 England," this peculiar person added, " I should 
 have guessed that first; but it seemed far away 
 to begin with. I made up my mind you were 
 not Bar Harbour folks, nor city boarders from 
 Massachusetts." Mrs. Pycroft kept on talking
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 47 
 
 in a most extraordinary way, asking many ques- 
 tions, and giving remarkable details of diseases, 
 accidents connected with Fourth of July excur- 
 sions in her own family, and other disasters. 
 This I learned from Lady Emily, who was so 
 kind as often to tell the day's adventures when 
 I was brushing her hair. Some ladies read 
 straight through brushing and braiding, scarcely 
 lifting their eyes, or exchanging a word from 
 beginning to end. 
 
 The Countess, wearied with the talk and heat, 
 turned toward the window, closing her eyes. At 
 once the strange person put down two paper 
 bags and the large palm-leaf fan she carried in 
 her hand, and unfastening a black silk reticule 
 from a cord about her wrist, remarked, " You 
 do look considerable het up and powerful pale 
 and peaked; I am sure one of my pills will be 
 good for you ; no one knows what they are made 
 of, but I can guarantee they are all right, for 
 my own first cousin, a full-blooded Indian, 
 mixed them with his own hands." The Countess 
 protested she could not take pills without the 
 advice of a medical man, and that it was only 
 the noise and heat from which she suffered. To 
 appease this formidable person, her ladyship 
 finally accepted a peppermint lozenge, without 
 which and " Educators," the stranger declared she 
 never travelled. " I'd be pleased to spare you 
 part of my pop-corn, but it got flattened out 
 some on the stage, owing to Judge Hetton's set- 
 ting on it, by mistake, most of the way from
 
 48 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Babylon ; he's hefty takes after his ma's folks 
 in fleshing up has the most pondrous mind, 
 too, I ever saw; our State House boys calls him 
 the big ' Ino,' claiming his having all the original 
 markings, and winning a first-class blue ribbon 
 prize at our County fair." When leaving at the 
 next station she turned to the Earl, saying, 
 " Now that I know you folks are from the 
 British Isles, I will give you all my Educators, 
 I guess; you may need them before night;" 
 and dropping a package of small, square bis- 
 cuits, with that name stamped upon them, into 
 his lordship's lap, departed with her loudly 
 cackling, rebellious charge, before reply could 
 be made. 
 
 Soon queer rattling sounds startled everybody 
 in the car, many passengers thrusting their heads 
 out of the windows or rushing to the doors as the 
 train came to a dead stop. A goods train ahead 
 had run into a cow and calf, derailing one of the 
 cars; and leaving it poised on the edge of an 
 embankment. The cow was killed, but the calf 
 escaped, Lady Emily was glad to say, and no 
 other lives were lost, though several of the rail- 
 way employees were badly bruised and shaken up 
 by the collision.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 AFTER a long delay due to righting the lines, 
 another change had to be made for Concord. 
 Realizing they would be very late getting there, 
 the Earl asked an official not the guard, but 
 a brakeman, Lady Emily thought, about a 
 suitable place to stop the night. The man re- 
 plied he would direct the Earl to his cousin's, 
 and pointed out from the car window a substan- 
 tial-appearing house standing well back from 
 the road, shaded by beautiful elms. They would 
 be comfortably looked after there the man re- 
 marked, adding the train would " slow up " on 
 making the next curve, before getting to the 
 station, and he would let them off at the foot of 
 a lane five minutes' walk, by a short cut, to his 
 cousin's farm. 
 
 As a terrific thunder storm threatened, the 
 Earl decided accepting his advice better than 
 attempting to find the inn, but even in that 
 short distance to the house, the rain coming in 
 great sheets, all were completely drenched. By 
 the time the door was reached it was almost dark 
 and the house seemed closed. On the Earl's call- 
 ing loudly, a fine collie ran out from a barn near, 
 followed by a very decent-appearing man, who 
 
 49
 
 50 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 quieted the dog's excited barking, as he came 
 towards them, a lighted lantern in his hand. 
 His face, clean-shaven, they could see in the 
 half light, and his age apparently sixty. Show- 
 ing them into a nice hall, he in a pleasant way 
 remarked, he was sorry to say his family had 
 gone to a lecture at the town hall on " The Bat- 
 tle of Bunker Hill, and the Defeat of the Brit- 
 ish near Concord." He had heard the lecture 
 himself, last year, and would have gone again 
 to see those living pictures (added since the last 
 Fourth) had not a valuable horse of his been 
 shamefully overdriven on an excursion that 
 morning, and this detained him when his folks 
 started for the lecture. He thought, however, 
 if the party would dry themselves, they would 
 still be in time for the best part of the show, 
 to his mind, the routing of the redcoats, fol- 
 lowed by rockets. 
 
 Thanking the man, his lordship replied that, 
 having made an early start, they were tired and 
 hungry; could a meal of some sort be provided? 
 The farmer feared there was almost nothing in 
 the house, owing to his people having been off 
 picnicking in honour of the day; but on his 
 lordship's explaining that after many delays, 
 they had been directed there by the farmer's 
 cousin, kindly said he would do his best, and 
 might, at least, promise the finest baked beans 
 and gingerbread to be had in New England; 
 " though my wife protests when I get started on 
 our home products, there's bound to be more
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 51 
 
 boasting than's seemly, maintaining I positively 
 persecute our neighbours when we've a fine bean 
 or cucumber crop through offering the extra 
 pickings; folks then fairly flee, or feign not 
 to hear when I get talking of our unusual gath- 
 ering of meller Baldwins, fearing being pestered 
 into lugging home a mess of apples, they've no 
 earthly use for, to please me. 
 
 "Bless me! I had forgotten how wet you 
 must be. Come right into the kitchen and dry 
 off while I see what I can scare up," adding 
 good-naturedly, " Help yourselves to wood or 
 anything else you want; I'll be back soon." 
 
 A wide fireplace and hearth nearly filled one 
 end of the room, though the cooking was usually 
 done in a small adjoining building where the 
 range stood; several windows and doors opened 
 on a nice garden with trim borders of flowers; 
 pansies, larkspur and carnations enclosing rows 
 of lettuce, peas and other vegetables. 
 
 The farmer was heard stirring about whistling 
 energetically one of those patriotic tunes the men 
 had played on cornets that morning, and pres- 
 ently came up from the cellar, saying, " I am in 
 luck, they have left most of a cold chicken. I 
 knew there would be pies; take your choice, 
 apple, cherry and pie-plant." Three or four 
 nice tarts were brought with the chicken, and 
 tomatoes and cold potatoes made into a salad, 
 covered with excellent mayonnaise, always kept 
 on hand, he said. Drawing one of the tables 
 nearer the fire, then blazing pleasantly, a de-
 
 52 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 lightful meal was spread upon it by the farmer, 
 the strawberry jam and cream quite the best 
 Lady Emily had ever eaten. Though not much 
 accustomed to that beverage, his lordship chose 
 the cider, brought from the cellar, fearing that 
 the root beer offered might have some unpleas- 
 ant effect. The Countess asked to have tea, if 
 it was not giving too much trouble, and getting 
 it without delay, her ladyship felt more comfort- 
 able. 
 
 When this decidedly welcome repast was fin- 
 ished, the farmer remarked, his women folks 
 would be tired enough when they came home, 
 and he must get the kitchen to rights; the Por- 
 tuguese girl who did their heavy work having 
 gone to visit relatives on the island of Nan- 
 tucket, where she belonged. Taking off his coat 
 he brought a big pan, and filled it with hot 
 water. Seating himself by the Earl, who had 
 been obliged to remove his coat on coming in, 
 as it was soaked through, the farmer began 
 washing the dishes, and Lady Emily insisted on 
 helping him dry the plates. In a pleasant way, 
 he remarked, though holding firmly to those 
 principles of the temperance folks, believing 
 they were sensible views to live by, he had rather 
 stood out against signing pledges, on account of 
 liberty, and liking cider; never touching, nor 
 would touch, spirits in any manner, shape or 
 form; he had however, taken a kind of pledge, 
 made to himself, on account of his ancestors, - 
 that each Fourth of July he would read the
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 53 
 
 Declaration of Independence; but owing to his 
 concern about that horse loaned to a young 
 minister, or one studying to be such, who should 
 have knowed better how to drive, even if he 
 were hurrying to see his sweetheart, the Decla- 
 ration had gone out of his head. He would take 
 it kindly if the Earl would get the history book 
 from under the Bible, on the shelf, and read it 
 aloud while he finished the washing up. This 
 was asked so courteously his lordship at once 
 consented. 
 
 After listening attentively, Mr. Hanlee for 
 that was the farmer's name thanked the Earl, 
 remarking he had seldom heard the Declaration 
 read better or with more feeling; and if it were 
 not so late, would ask him to try the " Hosea 
 Biglow Papers," written by a Mr. Lowell, who 
 well knew what he was about, though reading 
 out the meaning is sometimes not just easy. He 
 used to be called the " Poet of Democracy," 
 understood foreign courts and ways too, know- 
 ing how to value such follies, but liking the 
 company met there. 
 
 " Our home is in England," his lordship said, 
 " where many are of my way of thinking, that 
 American colonists and their descendants have 
 given an object lesson to the world." Mr. 
 Hanlee exclaimed, " Sakes alive, why didn't you 
 say so before? I've been so busy, foraging 
 about, hardly had a chance to look at you, but 
 made sure you were from York State one of 
 those old Knickerbockers, perhaps. We do have
 
 54 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 them along every year or so, though most of 
 them live so much here and there in foreign 
 parts, neither they nor you can rightly tell 
 where they do belong; but I am glad you are 
 more of our sort than the Dutch, honest, 
 hard-working people, but obstinate in their opin- 
 ions and ways, for all that. My wife's folks 
 hailed from Great Britain too; she will be glad 
 to tell you about it in the morning; now you'll 
 be wanting to go to your rooms, I'm sure. They 
 are fixed all right, for our folks are expecting 
 summer boarders next week, a widow and her 
 two small boys; that is, if they ain't blowed up 
 by this time through celebrating of the Fourth. 
 Last year the eldest was so desperate over fire- 
 crackers and cannon, he lost a finger, and nearly 
 put out his little brother's eye." 
 
 The Earl and Countess, with Lady Emily, 
 were shown up a short, narrow stairway; on the 
 platform, where the stairs turned, stood an old 
 English clock; a round red sun painted upon 
 its face, and below, two small war frigates 
 moved up and down as the hands went round. 
 Throughout the house were wood wainscotings, 
 painted white, and the freshest of muslin cur- 
 tains. 
 
 Under three oval windows at one end of the 
 upper hall was a cushioned seat; to the left of 
 these windows a door led into a cheerful, square 
 room; an old-fashioned bed in the corner, hav- 
 ing a fringed white canopy supported by four 
 slender dark wood posts, the coverlet was freshly
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 55 
 
 laundered, neat matting and rugs covered the 
 floor. Above the fireplace hung a long, gilt- 
 framed mirror; in front of this stood two Chi- 
 nese jars, one holding tiny American flags, the 
 other filled with dried grasses. Opening from 
 this chamber was one smaller; a large bay win- 
 dow with many plants, made it almost like a 
 conservatory; and doors led to a veranda, re- 
 cently added, the widow liking to do her writing 
 among the tree-tops, Mr. Hanlee remarked, and 
 she had a hard battle to fight alone, until those 
 two likely little chaps were old enough to earn 
 their living. To the north of the passageway, 
 a large room held two small iron beds for the 
 boys. In this room Lady Emily slept. 
 
 Returning to fill the water pitchers, Mr. Han- 
 lee said, " I'll leave you each a candle, I guess. 
 Wife says she can't bear to see me moving 
 about with a lamp in my hands." Hearing a 
 gate close quickly and voices coming near he 
 added, " my folks are coming now and will fix 
 you people all right for the night, I know." 
 Hurrying down the stairs he called back, 
 " Speak at that end door if anything is wanted. 
 We live in the new part of the house, where I 
 have all modern improvements, to please my 
 wife." 
 
 A few minutes later, a young girl knocked at 
 the door, bringing neatly folded night garments 
 and a really beautiful bedroom gown of em- 
 broidered crepe. Her uncle, an agent for a 
 great sewing-machine company, had brought it
 
 56 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 from Japan, she said. With this was a comb 
 and brush, everything required, in fact, to make 
 the Countess and Lady Emily comfortable for 
 the night.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 WHEN Lady Emily went down, early the 
 following morning, Mr. Hanlee's daughter 
 the young girl seen the previous night asked 
 if she should not take breakfast up to the Count- 
 ess, who still felt stiff and tired from yesterday's 
 adventures. The Countess was much pleased 
 to breakfast in the little sitting-room, and Lady 
 Emily thought it great fun holding a toasting- 
 fork before the fire, and making the toast. Eggs 
 were served in a china hen; and seeing there 
 was no egg-cup, only a small glass to put 
 the eggs in, the Earl carved a nice cup out of 
 cheese, fitting it into the glass for her ladyship. 
 
 After breakfast Lady Emily told the Count- 
 ess she had discovered that all the pictures in her 
 room were Yorkshire scenes; an ancient Abbey; 
 the Minster, and one print of Harrowgate 
 Springs she thought might have been cut from 
 a book. The Earl, much interested, said he must 
 ask Mr. Hanlee how these old prints came to be 
 there. 
 
 The Countess decided to rest on the veranda 
 until it was time to leave for the station to catch 
 the noon train for Boston. Mr. Hanlee himself 
 would drive his lordship and Lady Emily to 
 
 67
 
 58 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 see the town's noted places, he said. Before 
 starting, the Earl saw Mrs. Hanlee and made 
 a surprising discovery; the old pictures, it 
 seems, belonged to her mother. Her grand- 
 mother came to this country as a bride. Mrs. 
 Hanlee's mother knew little of her history, the 
 grandmother having died when her own mother 
 was about thirteen. She did know, however, 
 her mother having repeatedly told her, that 
 she was an orphan, and lived, very unhappily, 
 with her only brother; so unhappily that she 
 ran away with, and married, a foreigner, her 
 music or dancing master, Mrs. Hanlee believed. 
 They came to Boston, where the man, becoming 
 discouraged, took to drink, and died within the 
 year. His widow, destitute, and scarcely more 
 than a child, might have been tempted to end, 
 when her baby came, the miserable existence 
 that followed her hasty, unfortunate marriage, 
 had it not been for the befriending of kind peo- 
 ple, who sent her to a small house they owned 
 in Concord, giving it rent free. 
 
 Several years after her husband's death, she 
 married a well-to-do sea captain living near, a 
 widower with one son. The captain was the 
 kindest of men; so a few years of tranquil life 
 came before her last illness. Many papers and 
 letters were then destroyed, but the old pictures 
 had been framed by the captain, who was handy 
 at most everything. With the quaintly fash- 
 ioned violet and white silk gown, unworn since 
 her youthful days in England, in which she
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 59 
 
 asked to be buried, was found a prayer-book 
 and the miniature of an aged lady with lovely 
 snowy hair. On the white linen case enclosing 
 these, worked in old-time sampler stitches, were 
 these words: "Dear Grandmamma's miniature 
 and cream- jug." The bag contained a silver 
 creamer, and in the prayer-book was written in 
 a round, childish hand, " Elizabeth's book from 
 dear grandmother." The miniature was laid in 
 the grandmother's coffin, as she had directed 
 should be done. 
 
 The Earl inquired if the silver jug was still 
 in their possession. Mr. Hanlee replied he 
 would fetch it. His mother-in-law having set 
 great store by the jug, always kept it on an 
 upper shelf of their china closet; but after her 
 death, when their Dorothy was not much more 
 than a baby, she got hold of it in some way, 
 when cleaning was going on, and threw it she 
 had a bad habit of throwing things into the 
 fire. The handle was seen sticking out of the 
 gray ashes, otherwise the jug would have been 
 destroyed; as it was, only a bit from the bottom 
 was melted off. 
 
 On examining the creamer, to his lordship's 
 astonishment he found engraven upon it the 
 arms of a family closely allied to his own, and 
 asking the grandmother's family name, found 
 it to be what he thought; and the hall marks, 
 though somewhat defaced by cleaning, were 
 early Georgian.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 IT would be necessary to start immediately 
 if they intended seeing the town before train 
 time, Mr. Hanlee said; first he would drive 
 towards Lake Walden, that being a place the 
 late Earl had spoken of; but as glimpses of it 
 could be seen from the train, and the surround- 
 ings were so greatly changed since those days 
 when the gentleman who studied Nature camped 
 there, he thought it would hardly pay to go the 
 whole distance. 
 
 While driving, Mr. Hanlee continued telling 
 the story of his wife's mother. ' When she was 
 left an orphan, her stepfather, the sea-captain, 
 sent for his sister, the childless widow of a Bap- 
 tist minister, who was bringing up the captain's 
 only child, a boy fond of books, so he was al- 
 lowed to remain with his aunt, at school near 
 Providence, in another state. After the sister 
 and boy came, again there was pleasant home 
 life for the girl, who had a very vivacious tem- 
 perament. The boy, a dreamy sort of lad, was 
 fond of collecting wild flowers, sorting them out 
 and getting at the names; forever experiment- 
 ing, too, with something; electricity, then but 
 little known, or some inventions; and deeply 
 
 60
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 61 
 
 interested in that Count Rumford's doings. 
 (The Count was born in a neighbouring town.) 
 The lad liked working at carpentry, and always 
 was trying to invent queer things; one time, 
 a flying machine, getting at some results besides 
 bad crippling falls, but nothing special toward 
 great speed or high mounting; and later, a bit 
 to stop runaway horses. So zealous perfecting 
 musical instruments, making such mysterious 
 moanings and squeakings at unexpected times 
 and places neighbours got together 'twas be- 
 fore our ' Search-Light Club ' started, of course, 
 raking over and comparing those old Salem 
 witch doings. 
 
 ' The boy loved to go off and read (knew 
 Latin and some Greek, too) in lonely places by 
 himself; never seemed to care for girls or other 
 young company; so it surprised all when, the 
 spring before his coming of age, he told his 
 father he wanted to marry Hester, my wife's 
 mother, that is, and that Hester had con- 
 sented, if he were willing. The captain was 
 greatly pleased thus to settle the future of his 
 ward, who had half the young fellows in the 
 town dangling after her, for she was extraordi- 
 narily pretty and lively, and he feared trouble 
 among some of those gay young men. 
 
 " Having ample means laid by to provide for 
 both, within a year the captain set them up in 
 a new cottage on his own farm, where they 
 lived most happily. Hester was simply devoted 
 to that quiet, shy man, who proved himself the
 
 62 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 tenderest of husbands. He went on with in- 
 venting and reading, farming some, too, and 
 was always one to help a neighbour. 
 
 ' Two or three years later, when a little daugh- 
 ter was born, there was no prouder man in this 
 county than the captain. After that, Hester's 
 husband got strange ideas respecting the end 
 of the world being near; was most earnest 
 about it, talking more on this subject than he 
 ever had on anything else, searching the Scrip- 
 tures for texts and clues pointing in that direc- 
 tion; made up his mind to eat uncooked foods 
 and quit using tobacco. Finally, many others 
 came to his way of thinking; they made great 
 preparations, going so far as to get ascension 
 robes ready, believing and testifying that all 
 would come true in their day. In some myste- 
 rious manner, these ideas spread through the 
 state, and beyond; believers concluding every- 
 thing ripe for the Lord's coming, set a special 
 night, assembling together, waiting patiently 
 for the appearing. Finding the Lord not yet 
 ready was a terrible disappointment, most over- 
 whelming for them, good, expectant creatures, 
 His own children in their believing acts, if not 
 rightly interpreting the times and seasons, which 
 no man knoweth. 
 
 " After that cruelly disappointing night, arous- 
 ing all to a fever of expectancy, Hester's hus- 
 band seemed to just give out; his eyesight failed 
 him; the poor man seldom went further than 
 the porch, finally taking to his room, where they
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 63 
 
 found him, early one morning, seated by the 
 burned-out fire, the curtains raised as though 
 he were watching for daybreak, his hand on the 
 open Bible, at that text, ' Mine eyes shall see 
 the King.' 
 
 " Shortly after he passed away, Hester and 
 her girl went back to her stepfather's, and before 
 long closed his eyes, too, sad, lonely old man! 
 Not many years later, I found my wife, Hes- 
 ter's daughter, that is, and brought her to the 
 house where we now live. Grandfather was born 
 there, and his father before him lived at the old 
 place." 
 
 When they turned toward an old manse, the 
 Earl expressed great interest in it and its sur- 
 roundings; they also stopped near a bridge, 
 seeing a monument bearing the figure of a sol- 
 dier, and reading an inscription telling that the 
 shots fired here in bygone days, " echoed round 
 the world." 
 
 A deserted-appearing house was pointed out 
 by Mr. Hanlee; chimneys of red bricks showed 
 at each end, above the maples clustering close 
 to the eaves. It had belonged to his uncle, he 
 stated, a silent sort of man, meek, but set; his 
 wife very set, too, but not meek. One day the 
 husband as usual went to milk the cows. That 
 was the last seen or heard of him for just three 
 years, when he plodded into the kitchen one 
 morning, a pail full of milk in each hand, at 
 precisely the hour he had gone out, three years 
 before; handed the pails to his wife, and sat
 
 64 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 down to breakfast without saying a word about 
 having been away. The wife was most close, 
 too, about talking; both, good, well-meaning 
 people, as well as set. If asked when Uncle 
 Si his name was Simon would be home, 
 always replied, business was detaining him, 
 though, from the postmistress being one of the 
 family, all in town knew not a letter had come 
 from him since he had been away, and 'twas 
 long before the days of post-cards. " He al- 
 ways was a little peculiar. I remember the boys 
 shoutin' after him, ' Swamp ghost, watch out for 
 the swamp ghost.* This was the only thing that 
 seemed really to rile and pester him, for he were 
 faded-out looking and loose- jointed." 
 
 " Well, folks figured it out this way : 'twas 
 just after the donation party for the new min- 
 ister; and some declar'd, while she was off ar- 
 ranging that, and a quilting bee, he sold the 
 two-year-old, hand-raised heifer; that is, traded 
 it off he always was looking for bargains, but 
 no good at 'em with a Jew peddler, for half 
 a wagonful of patent mouse-traps; clocks that 
 couldn't tell the truth but once a day, and ther- 
 mometers standing at ninety, or at freezing, the 
 year round. The peddler did say so we heard 
 from a neighbouring house where he stopped - 
 he could not conscientiously guarantee them 
 timepieces for more than a year, and they might 
 expect him around again before that time. 
 Others declared the split came through a quarrel 
 over the naming of their youngest child, or some
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 65 
 
 dispute on the * unpardonable sin.' None ever 
 did have the satisfaction of getting at the real 
 cause of the trouble, nor of the making up; but 
 it had to be allowed the couple lived on happy 
 enough till a backing freight train struck them, 
 about five miles from here; had stood a long 
 time on the siding, and when they whistled up 
 steam, 'twas natural to think the engine would 
 pull forward; but it didn't it backed, and 
 struck the shay. The old mare, a slow one for 
 moving in any direction, threw one out each 
 side, just as they were in the middle of the 
 tracks. ' Painless death,' said the doctor, for 
 both were unconscious when picked up; never 
 spoke a word, though living till evening."
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 ON their way to a beautiful cemetery, Lady 
 Emily inquired the names of the horses. " Grant 
 and Lee," replied Mr. Hanlee, and, turning to 
 the Earl said, " If you know anything respect- 
 ing our late unpleasantness, the Civil War, that 
 is, you may wonder a Northern man puts these 
 names together for his favourite bays; but I 
 tell you, sir, in my opinion, those two men were 
 about the best there was of the war." 
 
 Lady Emily was extremely interested when 
 Mr. Hanlee began talking of the war, as on 
 shipboard, and whenever she gets a chance, her 
 ladyship reads American history; accounts of 
 those awful battles between the North and 
 South, to the Countess, and the Earl's intimate 
 friend, a Count of Paris, who came to the States 
 at that time, to help, or watch all going on, 
 often talked over these events with his lord- 
 ship. Lady Emily tried to remember every 
 word, and has, as Fraulein often declares, an 
 amazing memory for a high-born young lady. 
 Fraulein felt almost concerned, fearing such 
 memory and keen desire to know might not 
 always be convenient for her ladyship. In all 
 experiences, both in Germany and England, 
 
 66
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 67 
 
 with young ladies of highest rank, never had 
 she encountered a memory so remarkable. Her 
 ladyship has a way of catching the very words 
 and tones, you may say; one would almost 
 think Fraulein herself speaking, in not just 
 plain English, when Lady Emily told of les- 
 sons or walks with her. 
 
 Mr. Hanlee continued, " Yes, sir, I tell you 
 there were heroes, South as well as North, those 
 days; conscientious, believing, too, they had the 
 Bible behind them on that slavery question. 
 Look at Lee; at Stonewall Jackson, and a lot 
 of younger men captains before they were 
 twenty. South and North gave their best 
 kept pouring it in, even when those grim old 
 leaders on both sides knew, though prayers and 
 parades went on, that the cause was already lost. 
 I am told, believe it, too, 'twas a bitter enough 
 day for some of them generals when they turned 
 their backs on West Point and throwed up the 
 Union. I'm no peace-at-any-price man, but 
 when you go into war it's precisely what our 
 Sherman said: ' Hell; ' and those stirring it 
 up well knew there's no turning back. You 
 simply pay any price in men, or other treasures 
 making a nation. The Southerners, fighting for 
 homes, and what they called Liberty to follow 
 the Constitution; we, North, for freedom, the 
 Union strong against the whole world, and to 
 show the South they were wrong in trying to 
 force that curse of slavery over the lines. Our 
 battle-cry was ' Union ; ' ' Let us die to make
 
 68 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 men free ; ' but look at the cost, and the evil 
 wrought over this whole land by that terrible 
 struggle. I know of what I speak, for I ran 
 off, enlisted and may I be forgiven said 
 I was over age; looked it, anyway, and wrote 
 out ' eighteen ' in big figures ; put that paper 
 in my boots, reasoning it was lawful deception 
 declaring I was over age. Well, one of those 
 rebel bullets is travelling along between my 
 shoulder and chest to-day; I came back a good 
 deal of a wreck. Not one of our folks knew 
 me at first. Consuming fever in your bones is 
 another one of them war legacies, if you do 
 manage to keep head and limbs together. 
 
 " No, sir, excitements those days, before and 
 after that firing on Fort Sumter, are past be- 
 lieving now. Political party talk just frenzied 
 true men, both North and South. This side the 
 fence you were hailed patriots, on the other 
 railed at as vandals unspeakable. I am free to 
 say if there had been cooler heads those Peace 
 Commission folks seemed to have sensible ideas 
 and might have saved the nation better ways 
 could have been found to settle, buying up, or 
 right deciding on the slaves. Look at those 
 millions in money flowing out like water, to 
 keep the war agoing. I ain't talking of lives 
 now; but no, hot blood, once started, don't 
 easily cool. 'Twas brother against brother, that 
 made discord fiercer, and a man's foes, they of 
 his own household. Well, thank God, ' Blues 
 and Grays ' can fight over those old battles now
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 69 
 
 in almost a friendly spirit, smoking their pipes 
 by peaceful campfires, talking, calmly, of days 
 that tried men's souls, dividing the land by 
 streams of blood. Defeat may rankle a little 
 with those older ones, perhaps, who lost every- 
 thing. I ain't blaming them, exactly; but this 
 feeling, too, is going pretty fast, I guess. I 
 didn't take stock in that Cuban war; maybe 
 some of us old G. A. R. veterans thought there 
 was a trifle too much fuss over those San Juan 
 Rough Riders. I didn't altogether like those 
 proceedings in the Philippine Islands either; 
 rum is worse than lead for some of them natives. 
 I am proud of our Country, but afraid this 
 stretching out towards heathen lands, in the line 
 of enlarging the boundaries, is not wise. Send 
 them the Gospel, preaching and living it, too, I 
 say; but look out for what you British call, 
 ' extending the sphere of influence.' 
 
 " Well, I most forgot to show you the house 
 where Mr. Emerson died," he went on; "I 
 might as well say right off there's no team in 
 this township equal to Grant and Lee. Any- 
 body in these parts will tell you so; and for 
 more than three years they have been bringing 
 me good profits. 
 
 " For funerals or friendly rides, I charge 
 nothing; but christenings, weddings, floral pa- 
 rades or sleighing-parties are five dollars, or 
 more, each, and every penny goes to them Fresh 
 Air children in the city. 
 
 "We had a boy of our own not long ago;
 
 70 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 just four years, coming the first of next month; 
 the week he was nine, we laid him over yonder. 
 Never could get courage to tread that cypress- 
 shaded path since; but mother goes there often, 
 Sundays and other times. You never saw a 
 brighter little fellow; full of mischief as a 
 squir'l; such earnest ways of laughing, or car- 
 rying on over everything he did; a mite high- 
 tempered, perhaps, like his grandma, but easy 
 to make up in a minute. We had been married 
 nigh to seven years before our first girl came, 
 you know, and wife simply adored that little 
 son coming so long after always had been 
 crazy for a boy; and he never was ten minutes 
 out of her sight if she did not know just where 
 he was or what he was doing. 
 
 ' Yes, sorrows come to all, I know; linking 
 the whole world together, and when life is given, 
 whether we want it or not, suffering comes, too; 
 but mother's life was just anchored to that 
 child, and for more than a year she seemed to 
 carry a dead heart in her bosom. 
 
 " It happened this way: mother did want a 
 few white flowers that morning. One of them 
 poor, half-witted almshouse girls strayed into 
 a neighbour's the day before, and that night a 
 nameless baby was born. Mother helped; and 
 when it opened its eyes and breathed a few 
 times, it was gone; and she thought putting a 
 few flowers by the coffin would seem comforting 
 to the girl, who, in a dull way, appeared to 
 mourn her baby. So when Benny begged to
 
 go to the pond and bring up some lilies, said, 
 
 * Yes,' knowing the flat-bottomed old boat could 
 never upset, and 'twas no distance from the 
 house, barely a quarter of a mile you can 
 most see the place now over yonder, beyond that 
 bridge. She had been to the upper windows 
 once to make sure he was all right, and then 
 started down to meet him. When she came to 
 where you can see the pond from our lane, there 
 was his straw hat on the seat. For a moment, 
 mother thought he must be on the bank, under 
 shadow of the trees, perhaps the water is 
 pretty deep there but it did not seem quite 
 right. I heard just one cry, ' Father/ and to- 
 gether we ran to the boat. 'Twas no use; no 
 human being will ever know, but they think he 
 struck his temple it was bruised, the only 
 mark on his body on the rowlock, or, push- 
 ing his oar, overbalanced and got caught under 
 the lily pads; there might have been heart trou- 
 ble, though Ben never did complain of heat, 
 or anything. He was gone, we think, just after 
 mother saw him, and, in less than an hour, again 
 in her arms, a half-opened lily still tightly 
 clasped in his hand. 
 
 " I don't know when I have spoken so about 
 our sorrow; but coming to the cemetery led on, 
 and though we are not much acquainted, I 
 kinder knew you would understand. We have 
 grown tenderer of others' children, perhaps, 
 since mother had those words cut on his stone, 
 
 * A little child shall lead them.'
 
 72 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 " Well, I must hurry on, or we won't get to 
 those graves you're searching for. Yes, there 
 lies Mr. Emerson; that big rock is his stone. 
 Plain and strong like him. What he wrote 
 about empty hands and other things helped 
 mother and me considerable. Hawthorne, too, 
 had a kind heart not much of a talker; and 
 the Alcotts were neighbourly, though those 
 transcendental ideas I never could follow; some- 
 thing like that higher criticism they talk about; 
 experimenting with stops; putting in a comma 
 here, or changing Hebrew words there; alter- 
 ing the whole Scripture renderings you have 
 followed since you were born. Some good 
 notions back of it all, I suppose, but past my 
 comprehension. Following the Golden Rule, 
 and that verse beginning, * What doth the Lord, 
 thy God, require of thee? ' suits me. That's 
 plain enough, even if 'twas written in a dead 
 language."
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 As they drove back towards the farm, Lady 
 Emily saw the Countess on the porch, a pretty 
 place; stone steps in front, honeysuckles and 
 other creepers at each side; with ferns, and 
 lilies just blossoming. Mrs. Hanlee, her hair 
 almost gray, tall and extremely nice, sat there 
 also. Her ladyship had passed a most agree- 
 able morning, getting ideas for her dairy at 
 Ortham Towers, she said, and talking over some 
 new butter tests, and the treatment of goslings. 
 
 Mrs. Hanlee's daughters brought charming 
 bouquets of wild flowers, Canterbury bells, 
 which, the Countess told them, ancient chroni- 
 clers said opened their blue bells at " Sunne ris- 
 ing, closing with sunne set; " life everlasting, 
 and others new to her ladyship, mentioning they 
 never gathered roots, unless to use in home 
 gardens, as they were members of a society to 
 protect wild flowers and birds. 
 
 The young girls were very proud of their pet 
 cat, a fine Angora with three kittens, the mother 
 almost as beautiful as Lady Emily's own Mi- 
 gnonne, who won first prize at the London Cat 
 Show. Lady Emily thought the girls' manners 
 delightful, they were not at all given to the pert 
 
 73
 
 74 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 ways she had been told many youthful Ameri- 
 cans incline to. 
 
 When the Countess asked the eldest daughter 
 to sing for the Earl the verses she had heard 
 her singing earlier in the morning, she sang un- 
 affectedly, with very nice expression: 
 
 " The breaking waves dashed high 
 On a stern and rock-bound coast, 
 And the woods against a stormy sky; 
 Their giant branches tossed. 
 
 " And the heavy night hung dark 
 The hills and waters o'er, 
 When a band of exiles moored their bark 
 On the wild New England shore." 
 
 Lady Emily remembered having heard this 
 poem at home, and the Countess said the lines 
 were written by an English lady, a friend of her 
 great-aunt's. 
 
 In returning from the pastures where the Earl 
 had gone with Mr. Hanlee to inspect a couple 
 of colts considered remarkably promising as 
 pacers, his lordship asked the amount of his bill. 
 A sum so small was named by Mr. Hanlee that 
 the Earl said it was quite insufficient for the 
 trouble given. 
 
 "No, sir, I am asking you regular rates; 
 more than the widow, of course, she paying by 
 the month, I throw in them mites of boys; 
 but those are fair charges; not a cent more or 
 less; it all goes to those Fresh Airers, though 
 we get good profit, too, liking to warm hearts 
 as well as hands, at our hearth."
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 75 
 
 They were sorry to leave such kindly people, 
 Lady Emily said; and on returning to Boston 
 a beautiful microscope was sent to Concord, with 
 a message saying Mr. Hanlee must sometime 
 bring his daughters to see their ancestors' homes 
 in England. His lordship remembered the old 
 Earl's having spoken of Sir Claude, who must 
 have been the Baronet when Mrs. Hanlee's 
 grandmother was living; a most eccentric man, 
 trained for the Diplomatic Service; but scrapes, 
 and worse, at Constantinople and Venice, soon 
 cut short his career in that direction. He finally 
 met his death by a fall when hunting. His only 
 son, coming of age just at this time, was sadly 
 wild; tried to lose his identity in the London 
 slums ; later, leaving debts and dishonour in Eng- 
 land, he fled to South Africa with a Music Hall 
 celebrity. The Earl presumed they, or their 
 children, if there were heirs, might still be get- 
 ting an income from the Yorkshire estates. The 
 ancient manor had some of the best oak carving 
 in the kingdom, though badly damaged and out 
 of repair. His lordship believed the old house 
 and part of the land entailed; but the scandal 
 about the young Baronet was so long past, he 
 had forgotten details.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 MR. STUBBS had a presentiment, that evening 
 of the Earl's return, that the hotel office clerk 
 would be off duty, and, knowing he should not 
 be wanted until after ten, was standing near the 
 entrance when the young man came out. He at 
 once turned towards Mr. Stubbs, saying an 
 Athletic Contest was to be held at the Young 
 Men's Christian Association that evening, and 
 if Mr. Stubbs cared to see their rooms, he would 
 be glad of his company. Thanking him, of 
 course, Mr. Stubbs replied, it would be most 
 agreeable, as he was a stranger and also off 
 duty. 
 
 Walking towards the Association, Mr. Stubbs 
 just mentioned how worried he had been, owing 
 to the mistake about those tickets. Promptly 
 the young clerk replied, he, too, had been 
 greatly concerned over the whole occurrence. 
 
 It seems he had already explained to his lord- 
 ship, that he is a New York man, recently sent 
 to Boston, and had never chanced to hear of 
 Mr. Emerson. When Concord tickets were 
 asked for, something may have been said about 
 the Emerson house, which he took to be some 
 new inn, or summer resort, not yet on their hotel 
 
 76
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 77 
 
 list. One thing he clearly recalled, instructions 
 having been telephoned him the Saturday be- 
 fore, just as he was starting for a jolly good 
 time over Sunday at his best friend's camp, 
 to go immediately to the steamship pier to 
 meet a party of British aristocrats his own 
 words earls or dukes, he did not know 
 which, so keen to reach Concord, where they 
 had some appointment, that everything was left 
 on the steamer for him to attend to, they rush- 
 ing off to catch the Concord train. He was 
 bothered most to death about the baggage. 
 The parties' names being different from their 
 titles, he could not get the initials on the trunks 
 straight, but did not dare leave them, nor did 
 he wish to make a fool of himself by lugging 
 up to the hotel a lot of things belonging to other 
 travellers; so, when another lord came along 
 the following week, asking for Concord tickets, 
 he naturally came to the conclusion it was the 
 same Concord, in New Hampshire, and sent up 
 tickets accordingly; also was on hand the next 
 morning, telling the driver where to go. He 
 might, of course, have mentioned to his lord- 
 ship the crowds that would be travelling to cele- 
 brate the day; and now blames himself, espe- 
 cially since seeing the Countess and that beau- 
 tiful young lady, for not doing so; but had an 
 impression from friends in the navy that, though 
 British and American sailors stand together 
 against outsiders, the world over, they prefer 
 celebrating Royal birthdays, rather than dress-
 
 78 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 ing ships, or saluting the flag, Independence 
 Day; leastways, had heard this was true in the 
 past, in far-away treaty-ports, and believes he 
 has been told that English captains sometimes 
 find it a convenient day for sailing off on target 
 practice, or coaling. He thought the Earl, per- 
 haps, preferred being out of Boston and absent 
 from military reviews on that day. 
 
 The young man, Mr. Starr, regretted incon- 
 veniencing the party; but thought he was doing 
 what was wanted by earls and dukes, though had 
 had but little experience in their company, or 
 with foreign customs and ways. Mr. Stubbs 
 tried to explain the Peerage, and though fairly 
 intelligent, with a careful, slow way of speaking, 
 the man did not appear to understand. Fancy 
 his remarking he thought it would be simpler 
 to call a duke's wife a " dukess." Mr. Stubbs 
 of course told him, " That is impossible, her 
 grace must be a duchess, unless of more exalted 
 rank before her marriage." Mr. Starr then 
 inquired if Mr. Stubbs happened to have a 
 guinea about him, it being a coin he had long 
 wanted to see. Mr. Stubbs explained that also, 
 and the young man remarked it was hard get- 
 ting the hang of things so contrary to their plain 
 meaning. Such ignorance of British customs 
 and royal ways was amazing. Mr. Stubbs 
 might have thought he was chaffing; but he 
 seemed earnest and had a very serious way of 
 talking. Mr. Stubbs felt he should tell Mr. 
 Starr that, repeatedly, he has been at great
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 79 
 
 country seats, visited by His Majesty both as 
 Prince of Wales and Ruling Sovereign; and 
 a more kindly-mannered gentleman, to all be- 
 neath him, could not be found. He wished Mr. 
 Starr could have witnessed the King's hearty 
 applause at a state concert where Madame Patti 
 sang that song about England, which says " A 
 poor, honest man is as good as a king." The 
 Duke of Edinburgh, then living, and next his 
 Majesty, clapped even harder than the King. 
 Mr. Stubbs was obliged to add, however, as all 
 the world knows, there were things in the mon- 
 arch's youth better left undone. As for the 
 Royal Consort, Her Majesty outshines all in the 
 kingdom in gracious loveliness, as well as in 
 rank. 
 
 The young man seemed much impressed, Mr. 
 Stubbs thought, remarking he was glad to hear 
 all this, for the nearest he has ever been to kings 
 was in having an uncle see the Prince of Wales 
 when he came to America at that period, 
 however, he does not appear to have been ex- 
 actly a king. Later, he himself has been quite 
 close to the Queen of Hawaii if that is her 
 proper title when she passed through New 
 York on her way to Washington, to try and 
 get her kingdom secured. 
 
 The athletic contest was on by this time 
 very creditable wrestling, sprinting and spar- 
 ring so nothing more could well be said ; but 
 Mr. Stubbs felt he had straightened out mat- 
 ters a bit.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE day before leaving Boston I was packing 
 in Lady Emily's room, folding carefully and 
 putting paper in the bodies, just as Miss Barnes 
 had instructed. To see how badly scratched and 
 torn the boxes, or trunks, are, even by this short 
 trip in the States, is disheartening. Such treat- 
 ment would not be permitted in England, Mr. 
 Stubbs declared, when the Earl's new hat-box 
 needed repairs, from having been tossed about 
 most recklessly. 
 
 As I said, I was busy packing when the Earl 
 came to the door, and handed Lady Emily a 
 small parcel, saying, " A little gift, dear, to re- 
 mind you of Boston. Before you open it, just 
 get your pencil, and write down something for 
 the vicar. You know we promised to find new 
 coon songs for his boys' club, and to remember 
 any good stories about the negroes. I have 
 been at a conference this morning, to meet peo- 
 ple working for the blacks. One, recently re- 
 turned from inspecting some large schools in the 
 South, told of a remarkably amusing old-time 
 darkey, and I want you to write out what he 
 said. 
 
 " A Bible study conference was going on in 
 
 80
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 81 
 
 a small town where he stopped, and ' the faith- 
 ful ' had been duly admonished to early and con- 
 stant attendance by their coloured pastors. The 
 doors of the place of meeting opened at nine 
 in the morning, and before that hour most of the 
 older inhabitants assembled outside, waiting for 
 front seats. The preacher, a white man from 
 some distant state, had gone through the history 
 of Creation, dwelling on the law-givers, proph- 
 ets and kings; the Lamentations, Daniel's trials, 
 and, getting on with the minor prophets, hoped 
 to arouse, about noon, a faithful but somewhat 
 exhausted interest, by dramatically demanding: 
 ' Here comes Amos; now where shall we place 
 him? ' A gray-haired negro in the front row 
 of benches, leaning meditatively on a staff 
 resembling in its proportions that of Goliath, 
 apparently attentively listening, in reality 
 slumbering profoundly, wakened suddenly and 
 seeing means of polite escape towards the boun- 
 tiful supply of fried chicken prepared in honour 
 of the gathering, exclaimed, with excited eager- 
 ness, - c Let him hab my place, Massa ; Massa 
 Amos can surely hab my seat, for I'se gwine 
 home!'" 
 
 Lady Emily laughed heartily at the old man's 
 earnest politeness. The Earl was particular that 
 the spelling should be as given him, before tell- 
 ing her ladyship of another patriarch in one of 
 the older Kentucky towns, who, being ques- 
 tioned by a stranger regarding a newcomer in 
 that region, replied : " I'se don' jus' know
 
 82 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 'bout der religion. I ain't beholden to anybody, 
 but he's powerful kind to his'n own folks, and 
 mighty good doin' for der poor; knowin' fine- 
 mannered bosses when he do see dem; but dose 
 racin' boys what am allus foolin' round dat big 
 stable, declar's dey hab heard ole massa say, ef 
 he cotched enny pusson chicken-snatchin' down 
 his'n way, he war gwine to set der blood-hounds 
 on der tracks sure; an' enny whites or blacks, fit 
 for members in dat Liars' Club, would git fired 
 off dis yer plantation quicker dan a rattler's 
 strike, or thunderin' lightning flashes." 
 
 Incidents were told, at the meeting, of 
 younger men who walked hundreds of miles, 
 willing to work night and day to get an educa- 
 tion; one deeply -interesting man, formerly a 
 slave, became the leader of his race from the 
 bondage of ignorance and poverty, toward all 
 that is unselfish and noble. 
 
 On opening the parcel, Lady Emily was de- 
 lighted to find the dearest little book, bound in 
 blue leather, her name engraved upon the locked 
 silver clasp. Inside, several views of Boston 
 were placed around crossed flags above Bunker 
 Hill Monument, and at the back a map of the 
 world was securely fastened. On the first page, 
 the Earl had written these lines: 
 
 " And not through Eastern windows only, 
 When sunrise comes, comes in the light; 
 In front the sun mounts slow, how slowly ! 
 But westward look! the land is bright." 
 
 A. H. Clough.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 83 
 
 Below the Countess added, 
 
 " With all thy getting, get understanding." 
 
 Proverbs iv. 7. 
 
 Lady Emily must endeavour to write a few lines 
 each day, as a journal, said the Earl. Then it 
 came to me what I should do with a book the 
 Countess that morning had told me she did not 
 care to keep longer a new laundry list, quite 
 a large, bound book, bought by Miss Barnes 
 before leaving for Canada. This the Countess 
 felt sure would not be needed, in those far away 
 lands where we would travel. Scarcely a night 
 passed after this without my writing out on the 
 backs of the lists the day's adventures. I just 
 had to put things down. My fondness for wri- 
 ting out comes from grandfather, I have 
 thought, though father never did tell us about 
 his people; where they lived or came from we 
 never knew; but once after I had learned to 
 write fairly well, said : ' ' You have your grand- 
 father's hand, Annie, and he was a schoolmaster, 
 devoted to his books, and getting great comfort 
 from reading and study." 
 
 When we reached the railway station the fol- 
 lowing morning, Mr. Stubbs remarked that the 
 finest private car he had ever seen had been 
 placed at the Earl's disposal by a great railway 
 king, for the trip to the Pacific. Nothing to 
 compare with it had I ever seen; there were 
 silk hangings, a piano, growing plants, and 
 dressing rooms; even the pillow covers had lace
 
 84 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 trimmings. At one end a sort of pavilion with 
 red and white striped awnings had been ar- 
 ranged, after dark lighted by electric lights ; and 
 here often I was directed to sit with Lady 
 Emily. Three coloured men from the West 
 Indies, who spoke French, had charge, a 
 steward, the cook and a porter. These wore 
 white coats in the car, and blue when they 
 stepped off upon the platform. The cooking 
 was as excellent as everything else. 
 
 The first stop made was at Buffalo, for a few 
 hours. A very attractive town. Here, with my 
 own eyes, I saw what I had heard about ever 
 since I was a child in Scotland, and often seen 
 pictured in the big London print-sellers' win- 
 dows, Niagara Falls. ' Thunder of Wa- 
 ters," the Indians called the great cataract; 
 most beautiful in the sunlight, a rainbow crown 
 upon it. The roar of the rushing, sweeping 
 waters prevented my hearing the Earl's com- 
 ments; but Mr. Stubbs compared those seething 
 waters to the pouring down of the flood upon 
 the earth, in Noah's time, or the coming Judg- 
 ment Day. 
 
 After those stupendous, restless falls, most 
 impressive was that silent whirlpool below the 
 Rapids, steadfastly moving on for uncounted 
 ages, declaring almighty power like the un- 
 changing stars of the firmament, ever since 
 man's eyes first beheld them, and none know 
 how long before.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 MR. STUBBS appeared eager to learn when we 
 should be in Chicago. Anything approaching 
 butchery is revolting to his nature; but having 
 heard of those stockyard sights, he felt he must 
 see them, though, if following his own pleasure, 
 he was kind enough to say, he preferred walk- 
 ing by the lake shores with me, if we could get 
 an hour off; but considered it almost a duty to 
 see those yards, and especially an old beast 
 called a steer, that leads the other poor creatures 
 to destruction. The sights were sickening, Mr. 
 Stubbs said, later, but he was glad he had seen 
 for himself. 
 
 After leaving Chicago, we travelled over vast 
 plains; wonderful farming lands. Late the 
 following afternoon, stopping jerkingly at a 
 solitary station, one house only in sight, the 
 porter told us a " hot box," or something wrong 
 on the car ahead, would detain the train there 
 hours. No town could be seen, but a man com- 
 ing from the house said it was barely three miles 
 away, in a hollow, hidden by the ridges of In- 
 dian corn, fully twelve feet high. The man 
 added, " If you wait ten minutes I will bring 
 round my schooner and get you all there most 
 
 86
 
 86 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 as quick as one of them new-fangled automo- 
 biles we have seen sprouting out of the spring 
 mud round about here. Our folks fears them 
 worse than wild beasts; seem to get sort of 
 motor-crazy, and now if they see anything new 
 on the road, jumps out altogether, both sides, 
 at first sight, not willing to take any chances." 
 
 A few minutes later the man returned in a 
 big wagon, covered with white canvas; these, 
 it seems, are called " prairie ships," or " schoon- 
 ers," in this part of the States. The Earl and 
 the Countess sat in the middle seat, as easier 
 riding. I was told to sit by Lady Emily on the 
 back, and Mr. Stubbs on the front seat. 
 
 When all were seated, the driver continued 
 talking about the motor-cars, saying: : ' Last 
 fall one of our neighbours was travelling over 
 to Cattle Creek market along this very road, 
 loaded up to. the top of his wagon with the big- 
 gest crop of eggs part of them special set- 
 tings at one dollar the thirteen they had taken 
 in for months; two stone jars of fresh butter 
 balanced a coop of ' broilers ' on the seat beside 
 him, and his boys packed in pumpkins, cabbages 
 and tomatoes wherever there was a chink to 
 hold them. He had started a little late, but 
 calculated on getting to the Creek before dark, 
 though his horse is stiff forward; blind in one 
 eye, too. On the best stretch of road between 
 here and Cattle Creek awful dusty, but 
 straight as a dart for more than seven miles 
 one of those snorting monsters came up behind.
 
 Farmer Ord might have been dozing a little, 
 he said, for, the first thing he knew, they were 
 tooting a horn like mad ; that honk alone fright- 
 ens most horses about as much as those fiery 
 chariots themselves. Old Ned made a plung- 
 ing kick as it steamed by close to his blind side; 
 the breeching gave way, and such a mix-up, 
 eggs, farmer, butter, chickens, horse and vege- 
 tables you never did see. 
 
 " Ord is not a swearing man, but did say, 
 later, that since then he has not felt the same 
 strength in rebuking those that are given to bad 
 language. After a while he fixed up the har- 
 ness, got what was left of the load back into 
 the wagon and started along again. He kept 
 repeating to himself some of those Psalms that 
 are pretty hard on the wicked and your enemies; 
 but was getting well over the indignant feelings, 
 and began singing * Beulah Land,' when, half 
 a mile ahead, perhaps, he heard a sharp report 
 or two, like pistol-firing, then hard hammering; 
 but could not see what was going on; there 
 being a sort of unexpected gully-wash just 
 there. 
 
 " Getting nearer he saw that big machine, 
 and on his back, lying almost under, was the 
 man who drove it. Suicide, or some violent 
 death, he could have affirmed, and felt sorry he 
 had dwelt so much on those Psalms about your 
 enemies; but a minute later, the man crawled 
 from the dust, nearly a foot deep, and said, 
 using some expressions Ord did not care to re-
 
 88 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 peat, that he had bursted his machine. The 
 sun was low in his eyes, and the road being 
 straight he had not counted on any dip like that. 
 He wanted to know how far it was to the near- 
 est house or machine shop, as he would have to 
 carry part of his auto there, or get horses to 
 draw the car. Farmer Ord told him 'twas nigh 
 to four miles, and the man seemed so put out 
 at the distance, telling him that for more than 
 two years he had most lived in his machine; 
 could not walk a mile without pain, he was so 
 unaccustomed to using his legs. Ord could not 
 resist saying that though his load was consid- 
 erably lighter than when he last saw him, he 
 feared Ned could never draw another hundred 
 pounds; but he would gladly take any message 
 wanted, or send a team, if he could find one, to 
 fetch him and the car to the blacksmith. The 
 man thanked him gratefully, accepting the 
 offer, and late that evening he heard him being 
 towed along to the smithy, followed by most 
 of the boys and other leisure classes of Cattle 
 Creek, who seemed greatly pleased that the ad- 
 vice they are always so generous about giving 
 had for once been taken." 
 
 Farmer Ord has been told those far East 
 magistrates have a hard time fining racing 
 chauffeurs, and thinks if some less high-sound- 
 ing name were given them, they might have 
 more respect for the rights of others. He does 
 not know much about the East, but declares he 
 should not advise letting any of our people here 
 suggest names they consider appropriate.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 ON reaching the town, it was a pleasant place, 
 we could see, but not very tidy, scraps of 
 paper and other rubbish blowing about the wide, 
 ill-kept streets, three churches and a nice 
 schoolhouse. The driver remarked, " We've a 
 lot of books piled up over the new Bank, and 
 are hoping the town may be ' Carnegied ' before 
 Thanksgiving." 
 
 This must mean provided with a library build- 
 ing the Earl said. 
 
 Just off the main road stood a very neat 
 house; on the porch an old man sat until the 
 " schooner " came in sight, then hurrying to the 
 gate waved a letter, which he was anxious should 
 go by the next mail to his son in the Philippines, 
 he said; and would our driver drop it in the 
 postal car at the station? 
 
 As we drove toward the railway, the driver 
 said, " That old man has been nearer death than 
 most people. Years ago, seated on his coffin, 
 his eyes covered with a handkerchief, he awaited 
 orders to be shot for deserting at a critical time 
 in the Civil War, when a messenger galloped 
 furiously up, his horse and himself foam-flecked, 
 waving his hand peremptorily and shouting, ' I 
 
 89
 
 90 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 am the bearer of a pardon from President Lin- 
 coln.' 
 
 ' The soldier, scarcely more than a boy, was 
 desperately homesick, and after months of ill- 
 ness had been discharged from the hospital, that 
 day, as fit for duty, though still wretchedly 
 weak. Hearing through a comrade that his 
 mother had come to a town not fifty miles away, 
 where her sister lived, he determined to slip off 
 by night and at least see her before returning 
 to field duty. Not realizing what this action 
 meant, he told no one but his comrade, who, un- 
 fortunately, bore a very bad reputation. 
 
 ; ' There were many desertions those days, and 
 the officers knew discipline must be maintained 
 by severest measures. When he was caught 
 stealing off between the sentry lines, in some 
 sort of disguise, thinking him a spy, the pickets 
 fired, slightly wounding him; later, discovering 
 who he was, the captain of his company could 
 scarcely believe it possible, the boy's previous 
 record having been excellent. In his terror at 
 being captured, and then realizing what he had 
 done, the young fellow told rather conflicting 
 stories, and seeing he was not believed, became 
 stubborn and they could get nothing out of him. 
 After he was sentenced to be shot, his captain, 
 who had known the young man's family many 
 years, hastened to Washington, thinking Lin- 
 coln might save him. The President refused, 
 adding deserters had increased recently, and 
 example must be made. Then an old Judge,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 91 
 
 the lad's godfather, and a companion of the 
 President's own boyhood, went to the White 
 House. He told Mr. Lincoln, it was not be- 
 cause his failure to speak might mean the break- 
 ing of a widowed mother's heart, nor even to 
 save an only son, who never before had caused 
 grief, from deserved punishment; but because, 
 having investigated every detail connected with 
 the fevered madness of a heart-sick boy, it was 
 his bounden duty to place before the President 
 a letter obtained that morning from the Dead 
 Letter office, it having been wrongly addressed. 
 This letter, written by the lad shortly before 
 starting, told his mother he hoped to spend a 
 few hours with her, though nothing would pre- 
 vent his returning to the regiment but inability 
 to hold a musket, or the close of the war. He 
 did not tell his mother how he would get to her, 
 but described the horrors he had witnessed since 
 leaving home. Long nights without sleep were 
 spoken of, and days when living was torture. 
 President Lincoln read the letter, a sad smile 
 lighting his wearied features, worn and agon- 
 ized with the burden of a nation's woe, from 
 which, even then, he seemed to realize that only 
 death could free him, and raising his deep, 
 searching eyes from the letter still in his hand, 
 said, ' I have your word, Judge, as to the truth 
 of this; I know I can trust you and cannot re- 
 fuse what you ask. The pardon shall be given 
 and the boy returned to his regiment.' 
 
 " Tears filled the eyes of both men as the old
 
 92 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 friends clasped hands, and parted, never to meet 
 again in this world." 
 
 Our driver told the Earl that the veteran's 
 name was Long; that he married years after 
 the war closed; had three sons and one daugh- 
 ter. The first child he named Abraham Lincoln 
 Long; the second, Lincoln Long; and when 
 the third came, in commemoration of all who 
 helped him in time of desperate need, he was 
 called Abraham Judge Savin Long, Savin be- 
 ing the captain's name. His only girl was 
 christened Grateful Long. Two sons were al- 
 ready in the United States service, and the third 
 probably would be, when he became older. 
 
 His lordship appeared much interested in the 
 history of the old soldier, saying his father, the 
 late Earl, admired Lincoln greatly, and kept 
 the President's portrait in his study. Soldier 
 Long was not so very old, the driver explained, 
 but his hair became white before he left the 
 army. 
 
 Our driver's name was Olsen and he was born 
 in Sweden, but considered himself a loyal Amer- 
 ican, having for more than forty years voted 
 at every presidential election, and would have 
 gone to the war if a disabled arm had not pre- 
 vented. The West was full of Swedes and Ger- 
 mans, he remarked, zealous American citizens, 
 but not forgetting their fatherland, and proud 
 of King and Emperor. 
 
 On reaching the railway again, the sun, a big, 
 misty ball of dull crimson, was fast sinking
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 93 
 
 between where the lines going westward seemed 
 to end, and the metal shone like the lights on 
 sea calm nights, at sundown, as we sailed towards 
 America. Five minutes later the sun slipped 
 away, and we were off toward where it disap- 
 peared, in " the great ocean of the west," 
 said the steward. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs finds the American mode of trav- 
 elling very much to his mind : " No worrying 
 about your food when you take it along with 
 you, and a chance to stretch your legs in mov- 
 ing about; most comfortable for the nights, too, 
 if you have to keep going at that time." Noth- 
 ing could be better than the Corridor Carriage 
 trains of the " Royal Mail," he had thought, 
 but now prefers this Vestibuled Limited. Many 
 valets consider journeying and being away from 
 the London season decidedly exasperating, but 
 he enjoys the novel sights and experiences. 
 
 His lordship requiring little done, Mr. Stubbs 
 is often in the smoking car, or in one called the 
 Observation, coming back to tell me what he 
 observes or hears. One day he found a small 
 lad of seven years travelling all alone. The 
 conductor had an eye to him, of course, but he 
 was just labelled, by a bit of linen sewed on his 
 coat, " From County Kerry to Alaska," 
 where his father has gone, hoping to find a 
 fortune in the gold fields, though in Mr. 
 Stubbs's opinion, it is more likely to mean death, 
 from what he has been told of the snows and 
 hardships, climbing over ice mountains. Men
 
 94 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 work like dumb beasts, or machines, in many 
 of those mining places, the year round, never 
 stopping Sundays even, and only off for two 
 holidays a year: and this in a Christian land!
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 ONE morning Mr. Stubbs sat near a gentle- 
 man with deep-set eyes and overhanging brows; 
 he had the feeling of having seen him before; 
 his hair stood out in a way that seemed familiar. 
 Nothing was said, of course, but Mr. Stubbs 
 did make out that the book he was reading was 
 in the Greek language. Later, in that part of 
 the car, everybody seemed to be laughing, and 
 such remarks as "How extraordinary!" and 
 " Is that so? " were heard. The porter told Mr. 
 Stubbs the gentleman was a great travelling 
 man ; the writer also of many well known books, 
 and has lectured all over the world. Directly, 
 then, it came to Mr. Stubbs that he himself had 
 gotten leave to hear him one night in London, 
 and could never forget that entertaining talk 
 and the roars of laughter; though meeting him 
 in so distant a place, he could not at first rightly 
 decide where he had seen him before. 
 
 An hour was spent at Denver, a beautiful 
 city, where far-away mountains look very near, 
 owing to the clear, dry air. At Leadville, one 
 of the highest towns in the world, Mr. Stubbs 
 thinks, the silver mined from those brown hills 
 is amazing. For half an hour he listened to 
 
 95
 
 96 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 what might be called a political oration, from 
 the platform of a car going towards New York. 
 The gentleman talked excitedly about the silver 
 standard, saying it must be upheld; and warned 
 his hearers against British influences dictated 
 by Lombard Street or Court circles. Those 
 listening were urged not to be slaves to any 
 foreign power; and the West, the speaker 
 stated, no matter what the East might do, would 
 never submit to views or rulers not understand- 
 ing the silver question. A very agitating talk, 
 reminding Mr. Stubbs of Hyde Park on Sun- 
 days. 
 
 On the Countess's commenting upon a cot- 
 tage standing a little back from the road and 
 having more shrubbery around it than others 
 near, Lady Emily was much amused at the 
 reply of a tall farmer who was almost under 
 the car in his eagerness to examine its unusual 
 fittings. 
 
 " Yes, Marm, that's a nice place, no mistake, 
 a mighty sightly farm; but Widder Webb's no 
 hand to keep it up; let's everything run to rack 
 and ruin; she's a good woman though, a power- 
 ful pious person, but no hustler, and, if you 
 look inside things has got so mixed up you'd 
 kinder hate to touch her best company pre- 
 serves." 
 
 That night Lady Emily sat up very late to 
 see, by moonlight, a wonderful mountain, called 
 Mountain of the Holy Cross. It was most 
 lovely, not far from the summit, tracings of
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 97 
 
 snow in crevices outlined upon dark rocks a 
 white cross, the figure of a woman, some say, 
 kneeling before it. 
 
 From what I heard for having mending 
 that needed to be done that morning I did not 
 stir from the car Salt Lake City must be a 
 remarkably odd place. The idea of many wives 
 at a time is repugnant to him, Mr. Stubbs says, 
 and he fails to understand those arguments car- 
 ried on about it. It is all wrong, any right- 
 thinking person must admit ; " like putting your 
 head through many nooses." The buildings 
 where those following these peculiar doctrines 
 worship are immense halls or temples. The 
 streets are wide, and the town pleasantly laid 
 out and clean. 
 
 The Earl took Lady Emily to the Great Salt 
 Lake, twelve miles beyond the town. Her lady- 
 ship thought bathing in the lake delightful. 
 You never could sink in such water, she said; 
 and on coming out, wanted to walk a dozen 
 miles. 
 
 His lordship desired to visit some valley, 
 miles away, where big game and wonderful 
 scenery abound, but decided, as going there 
 would prevent their seeing anything of Califor- 
 nia before the vessel sailed from San Francisco, 
 to postpone this expedition for another visit to 
 the States, when they hoped also to see Alaska's 
 wonders and Mexico, and in Arizona, the grand- 
 est of all canyons.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THERE was never anything more charming 
 than Southern California, all thought. At Santa 
 Barbara, and other towns, the hedges, as well 
 as the gardens, were masses of flowers; callas, 
 geraniums, fuchsias, and roses, such as I never 
 have seen; walls and hillsides appearing like 
 cascades of glorious blossoms. 
 
 Los Angeles, and the ascent of mountains 
 near, delighted Lady Emily, who was enthusi- 
 astic over first glimpses of the Pacific Ocean 
 from those great heights. All were charmed 
 with Santa Barbara and its old Franciscan Mis- 
 sion, the climate reminding the Countess of the 
 Riviera in Italy, where she had spent more than 
 one winter. We stopped to see a wonderful 
 telescope in an observatory on the top of a 
 mountain one of the finest lenses in the world 
 and the next day reached San Francisco. 
 We had scarcely been half an hour in the im- 
 mense hotel there, known as the " Palace," 
 in fact, I was folding veils and straightening out 
 gloves in the Countess's chamber, when the 
 Earl came into the sitting-room, the door being 
 open between, holding two telegrams. 
 
 "Read these, dear; most unpleasant for you, 
 
 98
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 99 
 
 I am afraid, and very hard for poor Barnes." 
 
 The Countess read: 
 
 " Regret to inform you Barnes has fractured 
 leg. No complications. Accident not serious, 
 but travelling impossible for weeks." 
 
 This was signed by the Governor-General's 
 own surgeon and dated two days back. The 
 second despatch said: 
 
 "Barnes has broken leg; travelling impossi- 
 ble; will write." 
 
 This telegram, bearing the Governor-Gener- 
 al's signature, had been sent a day later than the 
 surgeon's. 
 
 The Countess was greatly distressed about 
 poor Barnes, though I heard her say to his lord- 
 ship, she was sure I could manage to do what 
 was needed, and later, should an extra maid be 
 required, knew Geraldine could find some one in 
 Calcutta and send her to Hong-Kong. I, also, 
 felt badly about Miss Barnes, though rejoiced 
 to know I could be of use to the Countess. Mr. 
 Stubbs seemed a good deal disturbed, also, say- 
 ing, however, he was not surprised, having long 
 feared a fall of some sort must come to one so 
 independent. 
 
 Next morning I was told to pack the hold-all 
 and dressing-cases, as the Countess and Lady 
 Emily would go with the Earl to Monterey. 
 They might return the following day, so Mr. 
 Stubbs and I were to remain in San Francisco. 
 Soon after they left, a telegram was brought, 
 addressed to John Stubbs, which, when he came
 
 100 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 back from the railway station, where he had 
 gone with the bags, I handed to him. He 
 seemed a little confused, but said nothing; and 
 going towards the window, opened the envelope, 
 reading the message more than once before say- 
 ing, " Having known Miss Barnes so long in 
 a friendly way, I did feel rather cut up about 
 that accident perverse though Susan Barnes is, 
 uncomprehendingly self-satisfied, too, I am 
 bound to add, and kept saying to myself, I 
 expected some happening of this sort; one leg 
 is sure to be shorter than the other. I could not 
 get it off my mind, and as I went to my room 
 last night a clock near struck thirteen times. I 
 am not superstitious, of course, and knew it a 
 mistake for eleven; but all the same, it was up- 
 setting. I got a little nervous, too, remember- 
 ing my own mother's step-sister, who never 
 walked after Mahaffy's eldest, tyrant of the 
 village, ' Bad luck to you,' our boys used to 
 yell after him chased the pig under the wheels 
 of the jaunting-car, and she was thrown against 
 the wall, breaking her leg in two places. Just 
 then it flashed into my mind, telegraph Andrew 
 Leach, the Governor-General's own man, a 
 very old friend of mine, having known him, boy 
 and man, thirty-five years and more, and for 
 getting at particulars he is unequalled. So slip- 
 ping into my coat again, I went down to the 
 office and telegraphed: 
 
 " ' Wire how Miss Barnes is. Will leg be 
 same length? '
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 101 
 
 " If anybody could get at facts I knew Leach 
 would; and this is his reply: 
 
 ' Probably same length, getting at particu- 
 lars; will write.' ' 
 
 It did seem very tender-hearted of Mr. Stubbs 
 to take so much trouble, and I told him so. 
 That afternoon he invited me to a motor-car 
 trip, to see some great sea-monsters on the rocks 
 beyond the town; but having promised an Eng- 
 lish maid stopping in the hotel to do some shop- 
 ping with her, I could not go. She wanted to 
 take home a few little remembrances from Cali- 
 fornia; and, when we met in the maids' dining- 
 room, kindly told me much about the wonders I 
 should see in those foreign lands we were start- 
 ing towards, her ladies Tiaving made the same 
 trip. We bought photographs of those great 
 trees in the Yosemite Valley, she being glad 
 to get these, having herself seen their immense 
 size; also several pincushions made from the 
 bark. Returning to the hotel, we strayed into 
 a part of the town I never should have know- 
 ingly entered, seeing unspeakable sights such as 
 Miss Sandys that is the maid said she has 
 never seen equalled for disgrace in heathen lands.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE next day was Friday. Before noon Mr. 
 Stubbs was called to the telephone by a message 
 from his lordship. Having decided to remain 
 at Monterey a day longer and then drive to 
 some small place, we were to join them there, 
 bringing the letters and other things wanted for 
 Sunday. We started by train, as directed, and 
 had everything ready in a cottage connected 
 with the hotel, when the Earl and Countess ar- 
 rived, very dusty, but having greatly enjoyed 
 the drive, stopping at interesting places, Lady 
 Emily said, though nothing she thought quite 
 so charming as Monterey. 
 
 The following morning Lady Emily attended 
 service with the Earl at a small stone church 
 not far from the hotel. About five o'clock I was 
 getting out the tea basket and placing the table 
 on the veranda as the Countess likes Mr. 
 Stubbs had gone to the hotel for cream when 
 a bent-over, infirm old gentleman, most care- 
 fully dressed in black, wearing a high, old-fash- 
 ioned stock, and hat with a mourning band, and, 
 on his hands, black gloves half an inch too long 
 
 102
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 103 
 
 in the fingers, came to the veranda steps, and 
 addressing his lordship said, that having seen 
 him at morning service he felt sure he was a 
 fellow countryman, and though more than sixty 
 years had passed since he left England, his old 
 home, the church of his ancestors and all con- 
 nected with Great Britain were dear to him. 
 The Earl at once invited him to have tea with 
 them. As he stirred his first cup, the old gen- 
 tleman remarked, he remembered well the early 
 days of tea-drinking in England: friends being 
 invited to have a " dish of tea," as saucer-like 
 dishes were often used instead of cups. His own 
 preference was for Japanese tea, though glad 
 to know English planters had been so successful 
 in Ceylon and near Darjeeling. 
 
 He then mentioned he was one of the church 
 wardens and recently had been concerned with 
 questions relating to rites and ceremonies. In- 
 cense might be permissible; regarding this he 
 was unprepared to decide, remembering in Old 
 Testament times its use was commanded, though 
 some claim that " sweet incense " referred to 
 prayer. Whether this command has been 
 changed by newer dispensation, he was unable 
 to say. The present rector, being High Church 
 in his views, before Easter had carved panels 
 fitted into the communion table, so that it should 
 represent a solid altar, obtaining the Vestry's 
 consent also to add more steps to the chancel, 
 and finally, on the morning of Easter Day, ar- 
 ranging a processional of clergy and choristers
 
 to walk around the outside of the church. The 
 old man, Smithson, we heard later was his 
 name, feared this might be going too far, and 
 though not holding with Mr. Kensit in his 
 method of checking ritualistic services, he 
 thought him right in resisting many modern 
 innovations in the Church of England. His lord- 
 ship agreed with this and said in such cases he 
 believed via media was perhaps safest. This, 
 Mr. Stubbs informed me, was Latin, and he 
 knew meant keeping to the middle aisle. 
 
 In response to the Countess's asking Mr. 
 Smithson if his family were with him, the old 
 gentleman replied he was alone in the world; if 
 they were interested, and had leisure, he would 
 gladly talk of his youth, as he seldom met com- 
 patriots, and being so solitary, had formed the 
 habit of going over the events of a strangely 
 unusual life. 
 
 He was the only child of a delicate, always 
 ailing mother, and on her death had been sent, 
 a shrinking, timid lad, to Rugby. In his second 
 year at the school he was suddenly summoned 
 home by the elderly relative, his mother's aunt, 
 who acted as his father's housekeeper. On 
 reaching the Priory, for so his home was 
 called from having been built on the foundations 
 of an old monastery, he found his father had 
 disappeared, and saddest of all, under suspicion 
 of having caused the death of a distant cousin, 
 who was also his landlord. There had long been 
 bad feeling between the men and a deal of
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 105 
 
 wrangling over certain repairs. Damages had 
 been claimed for injury to a valuable horse on 
 a broken bridge. Neither cousin would pay, 
 though right of way appears to have been given 
 obliging the landlord to keep the bridge in safe 
 condition. Both men were passionate, both 
 given to hard drinking. The landlord was the 
 last of five brothers, each having met a violent 
 death, and all continually at actual or legal war- 
 fare with half the county. 
 
 A few days before the lad's return from 
 Rugby, these hot-headed reckless men agreed to 
 meet near the bridge and examine it together. 
 The doctor from a neighbouring village, passing 
 along the highway shortly before sunset hurry- 
 ing to reach a patient, saw threatening gestures, 
 and heard, though a long distance off, what 
 sounded like violent altercation, but thought 
 little of it, as the cousins seldom met without 
 quarrelling: a few hours after the elder cousin 
 was found by the bridge, a pistol clenched in his 
 lifeless hand; while a faithful collie kept watch 
 over his master's body and drove back those 
 wanting to take him away. There could be no 
 doubt that Smithson's father had shot his 
 cousin; and it was the general belief, at first, 
 that the shot had been fatal. Later, doctors 
 proved to the jury that the bullet had simply 
 grazed the left shoulder, causing a wound that 
 bled profusely but inflicted little injury, and 
 that the real cause of death was apoplexy. The 
 dead man's own physician had repeatedly
 
 warned him of a weak heart, and that very 
 morning, a biting, cold winter's day, had urged 
 him not to go out. 
 
 For more than two years nothing was heard 
 of the elder Mr. Smithson. His boy continued 
 to live with the aged lady at the old home, when 
 one day, shortly before the lease of the Priory 
 was up, a strange priest, a Roman Catholic from 
 London, asked to see the lad, and as soon as they 
 were alone told him he had just come from Aus- 
 tralia ; that his father was alive after a desperate 
 illness there. Believing himself on his death bed 
 he begged for an English priest, desiring to 
 make confession. The elder Smithson's mother 
 being a Catholic, her son had been baptized into 
 the Faith. On reaching the wretched hut where 
 the unfortunate man, when not struggling with 
 fever, lay waiting and wishing for death, full 
 confession was made, and listening to the sad 
 history it came to the priest's mind that he had 
 read in a paper sent from England, some ac- 
 count of an English squire having been shot by 
 his cousin and that at first it was believed mur- 
 der had been committed. After brief question- 
 ing, the good father, a keenly earnest man, was 
 fully assured that one of the actors in this trag- 
 edy was before him, and had the joy of telling 
 the penitent he believed dying, that in God's 
 providence the guilty, though unpremeditated 
 action, had not resulted in another's death. 
 
 The elder Smithson had believed himself the
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 107 
 
 slayer of his cousin, and did not excuse, even to 
 himself, the awful deed, though there was great 
 provocation, and shots had been fired by both 
 men. Horrified by what he had done, he fled 
 to the Priory, and, unknown in the darkness, got 
 his mare from her stall and escaped to London. 
 Selling the horse on reaching the city, he shipped 
 before the mast, in a bark just sailing for Aus- 
 tralia. The crew suffered tortures on the voy- 
 age. An accident exhausting their water sup- 
 ply, scurvy broke out; finally they were ship- 
 wrecked, barely escaping death, on an island 
 where cannibalism as was thrillingly proven 
 by actually witnessing one of the savage feasts 
 still existed. On reaching the main land, 
 greatly enfeebled in mind and body, Mr. Smith- 
 son's father made no effort to communicate with 
 his former home, hoping too, by continued si- 
 lence, that his son, as well as the officers of the 
 law, would believe him dead. Since reaching 
 Australia, though at first fearing every sudden 
 sound or touch might mean arrest, the fugitive 
 had neither seen nor heard reference to the crime 
 that changed and marred his life. Reports went 
 slowly in those days, and important events only 
 were chronicled, before electricity flashed news 
 to the ends of the earth. 
 
 The joyful shock of feeling himself free from 
 the terrible dread that continually had followed 
 him appeared to paralyze the exhausted sufferer, 
 and for weeks death seemed more certain than
 
 108 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 life. Finally, under the priest's careful nursing, 
 life conquered and, two months later, the priest 
 returned to England, authorized to tell the son 
 that his father lived and to arrange, when it 
 could safely be done, for the lad to join the 
 father, who lived only for him. 
 
 About this time, gold was first discovered in 
 California, and the elder Smithson managed to 
 reach the Pacific coast, establishing himself there 
 in mining interests bringing large returns. His 
 son joined him in the home presided over by an 
 elderly widow of a former Spanish governour. 
 After twenty years of contented, if not happy 
 life in the new country he learned to love, the 
 father passed away, and not until then did the 
 son, who never married, speak of their early his- 
 tory. A considerable property finally came to 
 him, long unclaimed, as heir to an English es- 
 tate ; but he determined never to cross the ocean ; 
 and was then concerned with litigations, intend- 
 ing to turn over his whole fortune to trustees, 
 in order to endow two free homes for aged men, 
 one in his native village, and another in the land 
 where many peaceful years had been spent. 
 
 The Countess and Lady Emily were so ab- 
 sorbed in listening to the old man's tale, they 
 had forgotten it was long past time to dress for 
 dinner. They hurried over to the hotel dining- 
 room as soon as their guest left. Mr. Stubbs 
 and I could not forbear hearing every word said. 
 Thinking we might be wanted, and there being 
 no bells, we remained on the other side of the
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 109 
 
 veranda, only a few feet away. It being Sun- 
 day evening, I had a chance to write all down 
 almost at once, but could never tell the history 
 in the old man's interesting manner.
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 WE had but one day in San Francisco on re- 
 turning there to take the steamer, and that 
 morning, before his lordship was dressed, a re- 
 porter came to the door clamouring for the 
 Earl's views about America. His lordship very 
 good-naturedly consented to see him while 
 breakfasting. The young man fairly demanded 
 to know his lordship's impressions of the coun- 
 try, and many other things. Mr. Stubbs 
 thought he seemed a bit disappointed on the 
 Earl's saying he found much to admire, but 
 feared Americans might yield to the temptation 
 of considering material prosperity as the great- 
 est of successes, and to over-rate the evidence, 
 marvellous as it is, of commercial and industrial 
 progress. His lordship believes the educational 
 methods, now installed in the States, capable of 
 leading the world, if earnestly, faithfully fol- 
 lowed; but more reverence must be cultivated 
 for the deeper, simpler things of life, and firmer 
 detestation of evil methods to gain wealth or 
 political honours. 
 
 This interview came out in the newspapers, so 
 Mr. Stubbs bought copies. He said also he, 
 
 no
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 111 
 
 himself, had noticed one surprising thing in the 
 States, and should like to have mentioned this 
 to the reporter; that is the astonishing number 
 of chemists' shops, or pharmacies. From what 
 he sees of the constant drug-taking by every- 
 body, he would advise closing half of them by 
 law, and calling the rest " Harmacies." 
 
 As we were drawing out from the dock at 
 San Francisco, I observed Mr. Stubbs on the 
 lower deck, standing close to the end of the boat. 
 Just after the bell sounded, " All ashore " having 
 been cried, a Chinese man, wearing a long pig- 
 tail, dashed up to the gate on a bicycle. Catch- 
 ing a fishing net from a boy on the pier, he held 
 it out towards Mr. Stubbs, who was signalling 
 him. Reaching out over the vessel's side, he 
 took a letter the Chinaman placed in the net, 
 and putting the note in his pocket, tossed him 
 something that looked like fifty cents. A mo- 
 ment later Mr. Stubbs appeared on the upper 
 deck, calmly holding a basket of fruit, which 
 he told his lordship had been sent from the 
 ranche of the railway king whose beautiful car 
 had been placed at the Earl's disposal for the 
 trip to California. 
 
 That evening, not knowing I had seen the 
 Chinese, the fishing net and the letter, Mr. 
 Stubbs beckoned to me, as I was leaving Lady 
 Emily's cabin, saying, " Leach wrote me very 
 promptly, giving particulars concerning Miss 
 Barnes's accident; as you are a friend of hers, 
 I will let you read the letter."
 
 112 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 He handed me a large envelope with two post- 
 age stamps upon it. 
 
 Later I read how poor Barnes came to have 
 such a bad fall. It seems she was sitting on the 
 porch of her niece's cottage in Canada, all ready 
 to start for the train leaving at midnight. Her 
 grandnephew, a remarkably bright boy of 
 twelve, came along just then though the sun 
 had set it was not yet dark and asked politely 
 if she would go with him to see some bullfrogs, 
 or hear the mocking-birds, Mr. Leach was not 
 sure which. Miss Barnes was much pleased with 
 the little fellow's thoughtfulness, as repeatedly 
 she had rebuked his manners, telling his mother 
 she was absolutely spoiling her only child. The 
 aunt and small boy walked about for a time, 
 and he then suggested her resting by the pond 
 while he gathered the nosegay he had his father's 
 permission to give her. After waiting perhaps 
 twenty minutes, Miss Barnes strolled toward the 
 house and was resuming her seat on the willow 
 chair she had left on the porch, when she saw, 
 though the light by that time was rather dim, 
 a mouse, nearly the size of a rat, and it appeared 
 to be running straight across the seat, just as 
 she half sat down. Losing her balance, Miss 
 Barnes fell heavily backwards, dragging the 
 chair with her down the half dozen steps leading 
 to the cement path below. She could not rise, 
 and before any one reached her the little nephew 
 appeared from the other side of the porch, la- 
 menting and declaring he had no idea anybody
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 113 
 
 so big as his aunt could be frightened by so small 
 a thing. The mouse had been given him by one 
 of the young gentlemen at the Hall for Christ- 
 mas; it came in a box, he remembered, stamped 
 " Made in Deutschland," though the young gen- 
 tleman's uncle had sent it from London. He 
 knew it had been taken out of the box, and he 
 had been playing with the toy that very day, 
 wondering whether the long string he fastened 
 to its tail was strong enough to hold a real 
 mouse, but just the hour he had seen it last, or 
 exactly where it had been left, he could not 
 rightly say, but of course the plaything must 
 have been on the porch, his aunt having found it 
 on her chair. The doctor came immediately. 
 Poor Miss Barnes was helped into the sitting- 
 room, and a bed made for her there. 
 
 Mr. Leach heard the news that night, while 
 waiting in the Governor-General's dressing- 
 room. One of the Canadian maids told him of 
 the accident, remarking it had happened to that 
 very prim, precise English maid, who was visit- 
 ing her niece at the gardener's cottage; adding, 
 she had been told Miss Barnes was constantly 
 criticizing the ways and manners of the Cana- 
 dian maids, and some declared was that particu- 
 lar, she never entered her own room without 
 knocking at the door. 
 
 The following morning, Mr. Leach, being un- 
 usually busy, did not get out, but in the after- 
 noon, finding his Excellency's riding crop 
 needed repairs, he walked down to the harness-
 
 maker's, having almost to pass the gardener's 
 house on the way. To his astonishment, for 
 the most he had counted on was getting a chance 
 to speak with the gardener's wife, he beheld 
 Miss Barnes herself reclining in a long willow 
 chair. It seems, after dinner, she had insisted 
 on going out to get the air, so they moved her 
 only a few steps outside the door. Mr. 
 Leach felt, as soon as he saw her, that the least 
 he could do was to ask how she was feeling. She 
 replied, " Very well," but made no reference to 
 the accident, appearing to think breaking of legs 
 might be considered an every-day occurrence, 
 and gave not the slightest encouragement as to 
 his sitting down or getting at details. So, after 
 conversing for a few minutes about the weather, 
 he passed on, determined, nevertheless, to slip 
 in at the side door on coming back from the 
 harness shop, and see if the niece, quite an inti- 
 mate friend of his, would not be more communi- 
 cative; and sure enough, from her he was so 
 fortunate as to get the particulars he was then 
 sending Mr. Stubbs in reply to his telegram. 
 In a postscript Mr. Leach added, all agreed 
 Miss Barnes had neither screamed nor fainted, 
 and that her leg was likely to turn out all right 
 as to length. 
 
 Weeks later a letter came to her ladyship from 
 Miss Barnes, saying she greatly regretted incon- 
 veniencing the Countess, and as she was return- 
 ing to England, would there await further 
 orders.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 OUTSIDE the Golden Gate, as the entrance to 
 that beautiful harbour of San Francisco is called, 
 very rolling seas were encountered. Some de- 
 clared the smokestack itself dipped into the 
 water one night. Looking at it by day, this 
 appears hardly possible, but may be true, as we 
 did seem to be almost turning over. The sixth 
 morning out, the ship's officers all appeared in 
 white linen uniforms. Later that day we passed 
 very near the island with a name sounding like 
 one of the books at the end of the Old Testa- 
 ment, and were told it was Molokai, where 
 Father Damien lived and died for the lepers. 
 We gazed long upon those high cliffs separating 
 these desolate beings from the rest of the world, 
 and could fancy the loneliness of that self-deny- 
 ing, earnest priest watching there for God's mes- 
 senger to bring release to those living in the 
 shadow of death. 
 
 Just at sundown a huge rock appeared on our 
 right. This was Diamond Head, eagerly 
 watched for by all returning Hawaiians, said the 
 first mate; and shortly the ship made fast to the 
 wharf at Honolulu. A beautiful white beach 
 
 115
 
 116 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 could be seen beyond the pier, and natives riding 
 over the big breakers on long boards. 
 
 Finding the vessel in which we were booked 
 for Japan would not reach Honolulu until the 
 coming week, the Earl decided to take Lady 
 Emily to another island, Maui, where a burning 
 mountain, like those pictured in geographies, 
 was then in eruption. The Countess, rather 
 dreading another voyage, preferred remaining 
 at the hotel. One of the Deaconesses connected 
 with the Cathedral, whom she had met in Lon- 
 don, would be with her ladyship. 
 
 These islands belonged to Great Britain years 
 ago, and had then been named in honour of the 
 gentleman who invented sandwiches. They were 
 never cannibals in that group, however, Mr. 
 Stubbs believed, but a peaceable race. Their 
 queen once visited our late Majesty Queen Vic- 
 toria, in London. We saw a long cloak made 
 entirely of feathers. One or two feathers only 
 of that deep shade of yellow are found on each 
 bird; and this cape had been worn by royal per- 
 sonages. 
 
 It was frightfully rough, as Lady Emily 
 feared it would be, the day we crossed the chan- 
 nel to the other islands; part of the time stand- 
 ing on deck was almost impossible, the motion 
 being so violent; but soon we came under shel- 
 ter of high, mountainous cliffs, tangled with 
 bushes and creepers from the top to near the 
 water's edge. After being fairly thrown into 
 small boats, on account of the huge waves, we
 
 stopped the night at Hilo, a town always to be 
 remembered for the size and alarming activity 
 of its monstrous spiders. They hid behind pic- 
 ture frames, or scampered unexpectedly, at dawn 
 and dusk, from drawers and other secluded re- 
 treats of comparative safety. 
 
 The next day we took a wonderfully fine drive 
 through coffee plantations, the very sort of 
 coffee one is always grinding at home, pass- 
 ing beneath tree ferns tall enough for a horse- 
 man to easily ride under their arched fronds. 
 Glimpses of the blue shimmering ocean beyond 
 the forests were very lovely. 
 
 After driving for nearly seven hours we 
 reached a small inn, on the mountain side; then, 
 for the first time in my life, after dark, too, I 
 mounted upon a horse, following Lady Emily 
 over lava fields on our way to the volcano, just 
 then starting an eruption. Never can that weird 
 ride the trail wound over lava, black and 
 twisted into strange, serpent-like shapes be 
 forgotten nor what was seen at the end of it. 
 Straining our eyes and looking through black- 
 ness, smoke and hissing steam, we made out an 
 enormous pit, hundreds of feet below where we 
 were standing. Suddenly a new world seemed 
 created and destroyed. Waves of flaming fire 
 rolled upon the blackness and appeared to lift 
 and round it into the form of a globe, then rum- 
 bling and seething, subsided and darkness covered 
 all again. It was so marvellous I forgot to be 
 timid until Mr. Stubbs whispered, if I felt at
 
 118 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 all nervous he would gladly walk by my horse 
 the three miles back to the inn. 
 
 Returning to Honolulu, there were smooth 
 seas, and after a day or so spent in seeing the 
 many attractive places there, we were on ship- 
 board again. This time the vessel was very 
 large, with splendid decks. When we went on 
 board, it was a charming sight to see the wreaths 
 of flowers worn about the necks of passengers 
 who were leaving Hawaii. These garlands, 
 made by the native women, are called " leis." 
 Fastened to the stole-like necklace of leaves and 
 blossoms placed upon the Countess's shoulders 
 by the Deaconess, was a bit of white ribbon, and 
 on it, printed in violet letters, this verse : 
 
 " I know not where His islands lift 
 
 Their fronded palms in air; 
 I only know I cannot drift 
 Beyond His love and care." 
 
 J. G. Whittier. 
 
 Many cries of " alloa-alloa," a greeting similar 
 to " Joy be with you," or " May we meet again," 
 followed the vessel as we moved out from the 
 pier. Near the sides of the ship little boys, with- 
 out even wreaths upon them, dived many feet 
 into the water for small coins thrown them. The 
 cabins were very airy and comfortable, and, dur- 
 ing that long voyage from Yokohama, not one 
 of the Earl's party suffered from sea-sickness. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs thought he had never sailed in a 
 nicer steamer, and found the second table most
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 119 
 
 entertaining. The first question among the men 
 was, " Who are you travelling for? " or, " What 
 house do you represent? " It seemed as though 
 they were constantly planning to invent and 
 offer every sort of device likely to entice money 
 from the heathen; clocks, made in the form of 
 dragons for the Chinese market, and to catch the 
 Japanese, too; lighting oil, especially beneficial 
 to heathen, so the agent said, because the cans 
 could later be used for carrying water, for milk- 
 ing stools and many other household purposes, 
 being shaped, as he kindly explained to them, 
 almost as though intended for convenient fasten- 
 ing to the long bamboo poles so universally 
 used. Sewing machines and bicycles, by no 
 means the latest models, though the wheels 
 would usually turn around, were widely adver- 
 tised and bought in astounding quantities. 
 
 Several agents representing great gun firms 
 were going out to distant lands, so that the 
 heathen might more readily learn to understand 
 civilized ways. Several of the younger men 
 were boisterously foolish over wine drinking, 
 making wagers as to which would soonest cover 
 the table with emptied bottles, and talking very 
 boastfully of their doings. According to his 
 experience, such people usually end under the 
 table, said Mr. Stubbs. Some earnest, young 
 students were " Round-the-world Socialists," 
 determined on defending the down-trodden and 
 diligently declaiming against deceiving doctrines ; 
 others, journalists, crying " Reform " and loudly
 
 120 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 denouncing every measure interfering with their 
 own schemes, declared Mr. Stubbs, and whether 
 members of Labour Unions or not, each ap- 
 peared to be a fully organized Consumers' 
 League in his own person. 
 
 One evening Mr. Stubbs began telling the ex- 
 citing adventures that befell a friend of his con- 
 nected with Scotland Yard, who had been as- 
 signed to the London Whitechapel district. To 
 his astonishment the young man with whom he 
 was speaking appeared to be half asleep, so he 
 stopped talking. The young fellow then started 
 up, apologized, and remarked he himself had 
 been a reporter on one of the big Chicago pa- 
 pers and had seen detective service there, such 
 as being attacked, a dark night, in one of the 
 worst slums of the city, by thirteen drunken 
 negroes, all armed, shouting, " Your money or 
 your life!" flourishing knives and shouting 
 wildly, when no policeman was in sight; that 
 doings such as these, when you have a hand in 
 them yourself, make detective tales of the old 
 country seem rather tame. 
 
 Among the passengers with whom the Earl 
 and Countess constantly talked and walked were 
 several missionaries, returning to their homes in 
 Japan and China ; delightfully earnest people, I 
 heard her ladyship remark. Regarding others, 
 Lady Emily wondered if they might not per- 
 haps be mistaken in attempting to teach in any 
 land. One lady smiled very much, in an appeal- 
 ing, bland way, but my heart ached when she
 
 persisted in thrusting advice and booklets upon 
 a distressed, stunned mother whose baby, just 
 three months old, the father never had seen 
 because leaving the mission station was impossi- 
 ble when his wife went to her mother's home in 
 Hawaii for the coming of their first child. After 
 hours of intense suffering the babe passed away. 
 Having to leave her child's body alone on the 
 surging ocean seemed almost to break the wear- 
 ied mother's heart. Though kindly meant, it 
 was not comforting to be asked, " Are you get- 
 ting all the good possible from your sorrow? " 
 
 The captain's boy told Mr. Stubbs that when 
 his master saw this lady, generally clad in a 
 brown mohair ulster and wearing a sailor hat, 
 bearing down upon him, he usually endeavoured 
 to put the ship's length between them or rushed 
 for his cabin, as she seemed never to tire of ask- 
 ing, if he thought it probable we should run into 
 a school of whales, or what the chances were of 
 seeing icebergs and the like in the Pacific; and 
 one evening Mr. Stubbs overheard the purser 
 muttering, " She's at it again with her idle 
 questionings, patronizing the sunset this time."
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 MIDWAY between Japan and China a strange 
 thing happened: we actually lost a day of time. 
 Lady Emily described how this came about, 
 though explaining such facts is a difficult mat- 
 ter. The captain first determined Sunday 
 should be skipped, fearing being called upon 
 to read the service, some say, but finally agreed 
 to select another day, and Monday was decided 
 on, given up entirely as though it had been 
 thrown overboard; and Tuesday followed Sun- 
 day. 
 
 When I went on deck that morning I found 
 a little lad near the punch ball, alone and crying 
 bitterly, a bigger bloated-appearing boy known 
 as " the buzzard," owing to his keenness in 
 espying lumps of sugar left in tea-saucers; or 
 any of the passengers possessing sweets, hav- 
 ing insisted on account of Monday being the 
 small boy's birthday, and his just missing it, 
 he never could be seven years old. I tried to con- 
 sole him, of course saying it must be some sort 
 of mistake, and that in any case as he grew older 
 skipping birthdays would not seem such a dread- 
 ful thing. The stewardess, whose husband was 
 head steward both were from Liverpool 
 
 122
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 123 
 
 told me she heard that decorous, smiling lady 
 telling her sister-in-law that very morning, she 
 was uncertain whether to consider herself back 
 in the forties again, the day being her fiftieth 
 birthday. The stewardess repeated the conver- 
 sation to her husband, and he remarked, it was 
 the first time in his experience that any one, man 
 or woman, preferred the roaring forties. This 
 I surmise must be some sea joke, but I did not 
 try explaining to Mr. Stubbs, knowing he gives 
 me small credit for understanding pleasantries. 
 There was a good deal of game playing on the 
 decks; some singing and music Sunday eve- 
 nings. The captain declared he wished they 
 would cease singing about " those in peril on 
 the sea," it frightened the women and timid 
 folks. People really were in no more danger 
 on sea than on land. Mr. Stubbs knows one 
 thing; in case of accident, keeping close to the 
 captain would be advisable, it being easy to see 
 how brave and kindly he is in spite of gruff, 
 rather severe manners. He looks stern enough 
 Sundays when all assemble, the officers fully 
 armed, for fire drill and inspection. There 
 always seemed fear of mutiny breaking out 
 when the mixed crews mustered on the Pacific. 
 A Perthshire gentleman and his sister, both el- 
 derly people, played chess by the hour without 
 leaving the board ; six games a day, or one game 
 for six days, Lady Emily was uncertain which, 
 but wondered they escaped nervous prostration 
 from the strain.
 
 124 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 The small boy who, in losing his birthday, was 
 almost persuaded a sort of birthright had been 
 forfeited, carried about a puzzle he wanted 
 everybody to guess. It was this: A vessel, 
 making twenty-five knots an hour, left Hono- 
 lulu the exact time one started from Yokohama 
 that made twenty knots an hour; both following 
 the same course; when they meet, which will be 
 nearest Honolulu? I am not sure what the 
 right answer is, but Mr. Stubbs claims, the 
 " Fastest ship." 
 
 An elderly gentleman, a Home Missionary, 
 some called him, on his way to visit a son, a 
 Bible Society agent in Korea, and also having 
 some employment about the royal palace, spoke 
 most interestingly to the passengers on a lower 
 deck, where we often watched the Chinese play- 
 ing fan-tan, or eating their meals, huge bowls 
 of rice, devouring the last kernel by using chop- 
 sticks in a very dexterous fashion. This good 
 old man asked an interpreter to repeat what 
 was said to the Chinese, and they seemed to en- 
 joy listening. He described those Indians, living 
 in America when the whites landed, and told 
 of their customs and beliefs. All peoples and 
 tribes hold some idea, vague it often is, the min- 
 ister said, of a Supreme God who directs the 
 world's affairs. This spirit of good, dwelling 
 in each heart, and leading to right actions, is 
 made clearer by those truly following Christ's 
 example. Indians near his home who had set 
 up crosses, worshipping them as representing
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 125 
 
 the sun, or, as they believed, the ruler of the 
 universe, did so long before missionaries came 
 to tell of one who gave his life upon the cross 
 in Jerusalem, to show men how to live here and 
 find life eternal. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs asked respecting the Sun, or Tor- 
 ture Dance, of which he had heard before leaving 
 England, and hoped to see in the States. The 
 missionary had never seen this dance, believing 
 it to have been forbidden by the government as 
 cruel and exciting to savage natures. Mr. 
 Stubbs explained, of course, that he also objects 
 to anything cruel, but dislikes missing any curi- 
 ous sights or strange customs to be seen in trav- 
 elling. 
 
 One morning there was a fine display of red 
 and yellow papers, small squares, thrown from 
 the ship's stern, and we were told that the many 
 Chinese on board, returning home, were cele- 
 brating some sort of festival. Not being able 
 to find out definitely from the steward, Mr. 
 Stubbs asked an intelligent-looking Chinaman 
 whether it had political meaning, like wanting 
 to frighten strangers away from China. The 
 man replied, " No, bery heapee big number one 
 foreign devils, smashee walls. All getee in 
 now." So we thought he must know about those 
 dreadful Boxer disturbances. 
 
 That evening Mr. Stubbs and I were alone 
 on the upper deck, dinner being served below, 
 when, directly ahead of the ship, though a tre- 
 mendous distance off, I caught sight of a most
 
 126 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 glorious mountain rising from the sea. My eyes 
 must be deceiving me, I thought, for none ex- 
 pected to see land until the next morning. As 
 Mr. Stubbs ran for a marine glass, an officer 
 standing on the bridge called out, "It is Fuji, 
 the sacred mountain of Japan!" We saw the 
 snow-covered top, only, and it was more than a 
 hundred miles away. At once I asked Mr. 
 Stubbs if I might go down to the dining-saloon 
 and tell Lady Emily, she having given strictest 
 instructions, no matter what hour in the morning 
 the coast appeared, I was to call her ladyship. 
 Mr. Stubbs replied, his rule always is, " No 
 woman in the dining-room after the serving of 
 dinner has begun; " and that he would go him- 
 self; but seeing I greatly wanted to tell her 
 ladyship myself, consented, saying it might do 
 on shipboard; so, passing behind the tables, I 
 gave Lady Emily her wrap, whispering the 
 name the officer had called the mountain. A 
 moment later she was on deck, delighted beyond 
 expression with the first view of Japan, in that 
 charming cloudless light after sunset.
 
 THOUGH the evening promised a fair day, 
 when it came time to go ashore in the morning, 
 a drizzling rain began. On the pier at Yoko- 
 hama, standing near the landing stage, were five 
 perambulators, a little larger, perhaps, but much 
 resembling those used by infants. I looked 
 about for the babies, thinking there must be 
 twins, and to my amazement heard his lordship 
 say, " Burns, get into that jinrickshaw next the 
 last." Already the Countess and Lady Emily 
 were seated in theirs, dashing ahead ; the Earl in 
 front of all; Mr. Stubbs behind. His vehicle 
 had a cover, and Mr. Stubbs having no um- 
 brella, the little Japanese who was drawing him 
 in spite of Mr. Stubbs insisting that he did 
 not mind showers in the least made several 
 low bows and proceeded to put up the hood. A 
 more comical sight I never have seen than Mr. 
 Stubbs, extremely red in the face, protesting, 
 his chin almost upon his knees, endeavouring to 
 indicate by uncomprehended signs and gestures 
 that his place was in the rear, and for him to be 
 leading the procession was quite improper; but 
 in spite of frantic efforts to prevent, he was 
 
 127
 
 128 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 being trotted off in that baby carriage, ahead 
 of all the others, to the hotel, fortunately but 
 a short distance from where we left the water. 
 Nice rooms were ready for the Earl's party, 
 overlooking the harbour and a promenade drive 
 called the Bund. 
 
 After " tiffin," a meal which Mr. Stubbs and 
 I ordered by pointing out numbered dishes on 
 the bill of fare, much sight-seeing began. Soon 
 I became quite at ease in the rickshaws very 
 nice ones were always at his lordship's disposal, 
 the men wearing a cool white linen livery with 
 blue designs, or Japanese markings, upon the 
 front and back following Lady Emily to 
 most interesting places; very different, of 
 course, from anything I had ever even dreamed 
 of seeing. Going up a narrow lane, winding 
 along the hill-side, we saw quantities of tea-pots, 
 all shapes and sizes, being made. The workers, 
 finishing the modelling on little wheels, seemed 
 greatly to enjoy their out-of-door- work. The 
 Countess bought several specimens before stop- 
 ping to see a very strange place of worship, a 
 Buddhist temple. Later, at a pretty tea house 
 on top of the hill, where one has a fine view of 
 the town and harbour, tea without cream was 
 served, and small white balls, tasting like sugar, 
 were placed in each saucer. Japanese do not 
 use milk as we do. Over the door of a tiny 
 shop in a town where many foreigners live, I 
 observed " Milk Monopolist," written in Eng- 
 lish. That meant the only milk dealer in the
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 129 
 
 place, Mr. Stubbs said, and shows how clever 
 the Japanese are in catching new ideas. 
 
 The Countess wishing to rest the next day, I 
 was told early in the morning, to go with Lady 
 Emily. We went by train a short distance, then, 
 taking jinrickshaws, some of the men draw- 
 ing these little carts in the country regions do 
 look so worn and old; a bit of cloth fastened 
 about their foreheads keeps the sweat from their 
 wearied eyes, we passed many green rice 
 fields, and had glimpses of lakes or tanks, cov- 
 ered with rose-coloured water lilies resting on 
 broad leaves; finally coming out close to the 
 sea, where, beyond a sheltered inlet, white crested 
 breakers dashed fiercely against rocky headlands, 
 as if striving to destroy the stunted pines cling- 
 ing there; then following shaded roads, we 
 passed several temples before resting on a grassy 
 platform upon which was seated the grandest 
 figure I ever beheld, the Buddha worshipped 
 by many Japanese. This god has a dreamy 
 look, serene and benevolent in expression. He 
 loved all living things, they say, and even the 
 snails crawled about his head, making a sort of 
 crown to protect him from the heat when he sat 
 in the sun contemplating. 
 
 On our way back to Yokohama the Japanese 
 guide, Mr. Matsu, who, I should have men- 
 tioned, goes everywhere with his lordship, said 
 we must stop at a country tea house quite dis- 
 tant from the railway, and seldom visited by 
 foreigners. A most charming place; the arbour
 
 130 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 covered with wistaria, and shaded by many bam- 
 boo trees. A stream of clear water flowed 
 between green banks; fish darted about, rising 
 from the deeper pools as though expecting to 
 be fed. Where the brook broadened into a small 
 pond, purple and yellow iris grew, and a tiny 
 island reached by rustic bridges had been made. 
 Dwarf trees, hardly four feet high, though 
 nearly a century old, were planted by moss- 
 grown lanterns, the still waters reflecting and 
 doubling the beauty of the scene. A splendid 
 white bird seemed at home upon the island, 
 though I could not see its nest. 
 
 Before tea was brought, an aged man, sandals 
 on his bare feet, and wearing a long, smock-like 
 garment, toiled up the steep path, leaning heavily 
 on his stick. He prostrated himself almost to the 
 ground, Matsu bowing in this same manner. 
 The old man being so poorly clad, must be ask- 
 ing relief, I thought, and felt sure money would 
 be given, but Matsu, who was listening atten- 
 tively, quietly remarked, " This is the proprietor 
 of the tea house; he welcomes the honourable 
 strangers and thanks them for coming to his 
 abode." As this was being repeated to his lord- 
 ship, the old man fairly beamed with delight, 
 again bowing to the earth when, in reply, the 
 Earl said a few words complimenting the pretty 
 maids wearing bright-hued kimonos embroidered 
 with sprays of cherry blossoms, who brought the 
 tea trays. 
 
 The way Japanese women dress their hair,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 131 
 
 Lady Emily considered charming, accordingly 
 the Countess sent for a hair-dresser to arrange 
 her ladyship's head in true Japanese fashion, 
 and it was very lovely, with a red japonica fas- 
 tened at one side. Repeatedly, when in Lady 
 Emily's room, she asked if I knew what the 
 plaintive whistle a low, musical sound com- 
 ing clearly through the open window, meant; 
 so I got Mr. Stubbs to inquire. He ascertained 
 that the Japanese masseurs, who are always 
 blind, go about in the evening making that pecu- 
 liar sound, so those hearing it will know how the 
 weariness of the day can be rubbed away. Most 
 capable they are at doing this, and tattooing, 
 also. Mr. Stubbs himself had a fine butterfly, 
 escaping so naturally from a dragon that you 
 might think it alive, worked into his arm, de- 
 claring the pain almost nothing, though it did 
 seem to me a foolish thing for a man to submit 
 to. 
 
 Lady Emily was quite enthusiastic over les- 
 sons in the arranging of flower vases, given her 
 by a deft young Japanese, whose tiny fingers 
 twisted and turned blossoms and leaves with 
 marvellous skill. 
 
 A day or so after the flower studies were fin- 
 ished Mr. Stubbs remarked, having received 
 orders to pack, and especially to see that the 
 Earl's full dress uniform was in good shape, 
 the next start, he believed, would be for Tokyo, 
 the newer capital of Japan, where his lordship 
 intended having audience of the Mikado. The
 
 132 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 garden parties being over for the season, Mr. 
 Stubbs was uncertain whether the Countess 
 would be present. 
 
 We were hours in the train before coming to 
 the most important city we had yet seen. Car- 
 riages instead of jinrickshaws waited at the rail- 
 way station to take the Earl's party to a large 
 hotel. In the afternoon Lady Emily accom- 
 panied the Countess to the Peeresses' School, 
 where daughters of the nobles are educated and 
 trained in court ceremony. In one room young 
 ladies were being taught the proper posture in 
 which to approach royalty, most abject, almost 
 like creeping on the ground; but once in the 
 open air play grounds they seemed the prettiest, 
 most graceful beings ever seen. 
 
 After visiting the school the Countess and 
 Lady Emily went to the house of a former lady- 
 in-waiting to the Empress; ceremonial tea w r as 
 served here, quite different from anything seen 
 in other parts of the world. The guests, not 
 more than ten, after removing their shoes at 
 the door, sat upon the floor; that is, on rugs 
 spread over beautiful matting; two maids crept 
 in bringing the tea, which was then beaten with 
 a little whisk and poured into a bowl, from which 
 each guest drank, after making low bows in a 
 formal manner. There was no furniture in the 
 room; a shelf or alcove held a jar of lovely 
 chrysanthemums; beyond this was a beautifully 
 painted roll or screen. Almost no conversation 
 seemed expected until later, when all followed
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 133 
 
 the hostess, a tall, most graceful lady, though 
 no longer young, into a larger room, where the 
 Countess was glad to find chairs provided, and 
 listened to music. Two demure maidens, nieces 
 of the hostess, sat on the floor playing upon 
 instruments something like harps. 
 
 His lordship being unable to have audience 
 of the Emperor until the following day, the 
 Countess and Lady Emily started for Nikko, 
 where his lordship joined them, reaching this 
 charming mountain place in the late afternoon. 
 Oh, such beautiful trees, temples and tombs! 
 so quiet and stately. A delightful path crossed 
 a red bridge and followed the river to a garden 
 of gods. There are said to be a thousand images 
 of Buddha, statues plentiful as rose trees, in the 
 Queen's pleasance, but, though Mr. Stubbs and 
 I counted more than once, we could make only 
 nine hundred and ninety. 
 
 On arriving at Nikko, the Earl declared his 
 interview with the Mikado well worth wait- 
 ing for. His Majesty is strong and kindly; 
 much more agreeable in appearance than repre- 
 sented by his portrait; and the Earl does not 
 wonder at the worshipping loyalty of his sub- 
 jects. The native hotel where we stopped 
 seemed more like a doll's house than a dwelling 
 place for grown people. Sliding screens of 
 heavy paper take the place of doors and win- 
 dows. There was little that could be called fur- 
 niture, though the beds were comfortable and the
 
 134 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 meals once you are used to them nicely 
 prepared. 
 
 Nikko being a sacred spot, on account of the 
 many splendid shrines, watching the pilgrims 
 who throng there is most interesting. Thou- 
 sands come to the beautifully adorned temples 
 clustered under glorious cryptomeria trees, 
 where the shaded lanes are calming and restful. 
 
 Nikko is a favourite resort with the Royal 
 Family, and before leaving, we saw the Crown 
 Prince and his grandmother. The former rode 
 a spirited black horse. All Japanese prostrate 
 themselves, or stand bending over, almost as 
 though in pain, as he passes. A bishop of the 
 Church of England, standing near the roadside, 
 showed greatest respect in the same manner. 
 Meeting the grandmother of the Crown Prince 
 on one of the mountain roads, attended by a 
 chamberlain and several court ladies, the Count- 
 ess spoke with her through an interpreter. Her 
 face was keenly interesting, and the bright eyes 
 evidently missed nothing in the beautiful scen- 
 ery at the point where their jinrickshaws met. 
 Japanese costume was, of course, worn by the 
 old lady, and her gray hair was becomingly ar- 
 ranged upon a small head that had no other 
 covering. 
 
 One unpleasantness came the evening before 
 leaving Nikko for Kyoto, but was soon over. 
 I did not realize at first what the shock and 
 trembling meant. While waiting for the Count- 
 ess to come in, having just lighted a candle on
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 135 
 
 the dressing-room table, I turned towards Lady 
 Emily's room with another candlestick in my 
 hand; suddenly my knees seemed to give way, 
 I had the feeling of mounting high steps, with- 
 out knowing where I could find a foothold, and, 
 to my amazement, the big lantern hanging from 
 the ceiling in the middle of the room began spin- 
 ning around as though possessed, and at that 
 instant the candle I had placed on the table fell 
 from its holder and spluttered out in a dish of 
 flowers standing there. Then, in the darkness, 
 I heard strange rumbling, snapping sounds ; and 
 in the street below some one cried, " Run for 
 your life! It is an earthquake! " A moment 
 later all was so still and steady again, I won- 
 dered if I could have been dreaming; but soon 
 Mr. Stubbs rushed in, saying the crashing had 
 been dreadful where he was, and he did not know 
 when he should get over such a shock to his 
 nerves. There was a French lady stopping in 
 the hotel, and her maid told me of a very severe 
 earthquake at Tokyo a year ago, which so 
 alarmed her mistress she had never recovered 
 from the experience. Large pieces of stone fell 
 from above the doors and windows. Immense 
 cracks came, and walls disappeared in clouds of 
 dust, burying many in the ruins. Running to 
 the nursery to see if her child was safe, the lady 
 found the young Japanese ayah, or nurse, 
 quietly bending over the cradle, as if, with her 
 own slender body, she could protect her little 
 charge from all injury.
 
 A TOUR to visit the principal towns had been 
 planned, but owing to flooding rains destroying 
 parts of the railway, it was given up, and we 
 returned to Yokohama, taking from there a 
 " maru " which means " boat " in Japanese 
 in order to reach the old imperial city of 
 Kyoto. 
 
 When I saw the native vessel, the smallness of 
 its cabins, and how crowded it was, owing to the 
 floods, I was glad the voyage would be short; 
 only one night on board. I went immediately 
 to the tiny room where Lady Emily was to 
 sleep and began trying to stow bags and pack- 
 ages out of the way, when, without knocking, 
 though making many profound bows when once 
 inside the door, an official appeared, bringing 
 with him an elderly Japanese wearing a dark 
 kimono, big spectacles with tortoise-shell rims 
 making his eyes look dark and strange. Dis- 
 tinctly, though not in very plain English, the 
 officer said, " This Jap-nese genleman shall oc- 
 pie that bed," pointing to a long seat under the 
 port-hole where Lady Emily's gown and silk 
 pillows were spread out. Both the men seemed 
 
 136
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 137 
 
 surprised, bowing many times, when I said, oh, 
 no, it would never be permitted. 
 
 I started at once to find the Earl, when Mr. 
 Stubbs, happening to hear conversation going 
 on, came to the door and finally made the official 
 understand that though it was quite true there 
 was an extra berth in the cabin, it could not 
 possibly be used by a stranger. So, after listening 
 attentively and making many more bows, they 
 departed with all their belongings^ greatly to 
 my relief. Mr. Stubbs has been told no for- 
 eigner really understands the Japanese, their 
 ways are so different; what little you do get at 
 is vastly to their credit, he says; accomplishing 
 so much in the way of education and wars, in 
 a few years; so brave and devoted to "Dai 
 Nippon," meaning Japan, or the land of the 
 Rising Sun. 
 
 Travellers may laugh at seeing three monkeys 
 carved over a place of worship; but once you 
 know the meaning, it is very sensible, as it repre- 
 sents some god protecting highways and appeal- 
 ing to passers-by. One ape covers his mouth, 
 holding both paws firmly over it; the second 
 closes his ears, and the third covers his eyes. 
 This represents the temptations coming to all, 
 and is intended to remind pilgrims that they 
 must speak no evil, that no wicked words must 
 be listened to, and that we must ask that our 
 eyes shall behold only what is right. Something 
 like a prayer, if truly used, Mr. Stubbs is in- 
 clined to believe. The images set up in some
 
 138 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 of their temples have a very Christian expression 
 of countenance. 
 
 Sunday was spent among hills where views 
 of Fujiyama were very lovely. Many people 
 visit this region for the sake of its hot springs, 
 also, all Japanese delighting to bathe in water 
 that is almost boiling. 
 
 On the way to Kyoto came an experience 
 much worse than that first jinrickshaw ride. In 
 trying to reach a railway station we were 
 stopped by raging floods. Villages and bridges 
 had been washed away, and in the rushing 
 waters we saw uprooted trees, thatched roofs of 
 houses, and many other signs of destruction. 
 By going a little lower down the stream, some 
 said, it might be possible to cross, and on reach- 
 ing this point his lordship was told the ford was 
 safe, if made at once; otherwise, as the waters 
 were still rising, delay might mean days of de- 
 tention. The official giving this information 
 declared each person must be carried on the 
 back of a coolie. Of course, when his lordship 
 gave the command, I could only obey, humiliat- 
 ing though it was to be perched like a child on 
 the back of a small, struggling man who floun- 
 dered through waters nearly to his waist, my 
 arms closely clasping his neck; for I was indeed 
 fearful of falling into those swift flowing tor- 
 rents, and Mr. Stubbs was in the same unfor- 
 tunate position behind. I could not help won- 
 dering what Miss Barnes would have done had 
 she been there, and what new perils might await
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 139 
 
 us in circling the globe. Finally, we were safely 
 put down on the other side of the flood, and, 
 finding jinrickshaws, caught a train, reaching 
 our destination before dark.
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 4 WHAT a delightfully poetic scene ! " Lady 
 Emily exclaimed, as I unfastened a door leading 
 to the balcony, for her to breakfast there, over- 
 looking Kyoto, early the following morning; 
 and one could not fail to comprehend her lady- 
 ship's meaning. Great temple bells sounded 
 deep, melodious notes, as troops of children 
 passed beneath sombre, sheltering pines. Dews 
 or showers had left thousands of quivering, 
 flashing drops among the dark needles; gentle 
 breezes swayed and rustled through the bam- 
 boos, bringing fragrance of blossoms and moist 
 warm earth. Flitting from one sunny space to 
 another, in bright-hued raiment, the children 
 suggested gorgeous tropical birds darting hither 
 and thither, their pretty gestures and gleeful 
 laughter adding life to a charming picture. 
 Mists, like thin curtains, half hid the town and 
 valley, as though the people still slept. On dis- 
 tant hills fleecy clouds rested like white pine 
 trees with snowy branches. 
 
 It being important to reach some seaport 
 where vessels for China touched, the Countess 
 much regretted that a short stay only could be 
 made in so attractive a spot; but before leaving 
 
 140
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 141 
 
 Kyoto, many interesting palaces, gardens and 
 temples were visited. At one of the newer 
 shrines, the long black bell-rope was made of 
 hair given by Japanese women for this pur- 
 pose. 
 
 It was beautifully clear and still that night 
 we left Kobe, by the great " Empress " steamer, 
 and stars seemed shining in the waters below 
 as well as in the heavens above. The next day, 
 passing through inland seas until we reached 
 Nagasaki, was most delightful. This lovely 
 town stands on a hillside, above the Bay. When 
 the coaling, for which we had stopped at Naga- 
 saki, was accomplished, on the open sea outside 
 the harbour, and beyond the rocks where Chris- 
 tians are said to have sadly perished many years 
 ago, we met unpleasant weather, almost a ty- 
 phoon, which, from the captain's description, 
 must be very bad indeed. Soon the storm 
 passed, and we entered a gulf or channel, into 
 which empties one of the great rivers, called 
 " China's Sorrow " because of the sad damage 
 caused by its floods, reaching before long the 
 port of Shanghai, at first sight surprisingly like 
 an English town. On the pier, policemen, wear- 
 ing regulation helmets like our own London 
 " Bobbies," waved the crowds on, a large num- 
 ber of cricketers having come to meet some of 
 our passengers who were members of a Japan- 
 ese cricket club, a grand match-game having 
 been arranged for that afternoon at the cricket- 
 field. The church near the pleasant hotel
 
 142 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 looked as though it might have been brought 
 from some English town and set down just as 
 it stood. 
 
 When we landed, Lady Emily drove with the 
 Countess to an American Mission College, stop- 
 ping on the way there to see the cricket match. 
 I was glad of the chance to go to an outfitting 
 establishment, having been told it would be easy 
 to have the holland skirt and jacket I needed 
 made in a couple of days by Chinese tailors. 
 Mr. Stubbs wanted new gloves, and so went 
 with me. After explaining to a large, genteel 
 person wearing a black silk gown, a widow, 
 probably, and surely from London, Mr. Stubbs 
 thought, what was required, she replied, 
 " Certainly, you can have the costume without 
 delay; " and, calling a dignified, smartly- 
 dressed Chinese, standing near, scissors in hand, 
 a long queue hanging down behind him, she 
 said, in a very prompt manner, " Boy catchee 
 Missee round waistee; makee long skirtee, can 
 do? " The Chinaman bending over me in his 
 violet silk coat, muttering unintelligibly, pulled 
 out a long tape. I understood then, what had 
 been said meant my measures were to be taken; 
 but it did seem a most extraordinary way to get 
 at so simple a thing. Mr. Stubbs almost re- 
 sented the measuring, but afterwards remarked, 
 he presumed speaking in that manner was cus- 
 tomary, he himself having heard one of the ship's 
 officers say quite seriously, to a steward,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 143 
 
 " Catchee cup coffee top side deck," and the man 
 appeared instantly to know that coffee must be 
 served on the upper deck after dinner. 
 
 The work on my gown was neatly done, I 
 must say, and sent home when promised, two 
 days later, just before we started up the coast 
 to Tien-Tsin, on our way to the great city of 
 Peking. This time the vessel taken belonged 
 to a Chinese company, though its officers were 
 Scotch. To hear the mate say we should get 
 off in the forenoon, making that pleasant burr- 
 ing sound before the " noon," seemed very nice 
 and homelike to me. Though the trip began on 
 a river, one could hardly distinguish it from the 
 sea, the waters being very yellow, and spread- 
 ing out a long distance beyond its low, broken, 
 muddy banks. 
 
 At Chi Foo, the following day, several hours 
 were spent and chairs taken to that beautiful 
 bluff overlooking the Pe-chi-li Gulf, where 
 friends of the Earl's resided. Lady Emily 
 boarded the vessel again at twilight, as the rosy 
 glow faded from the Gulf's unruffled waters. 
 
 Shortly before reaching Tien-Tsin, forts were 
 passed, and I heard the Captain say he feared 
 there would be trouble at the bar. It seems 
 the water is very shallow over the shifting sands 
 rising up there, so crossing is dangerous; but 
 after an hour's delay the boat floated safely 
 into its moorings, and soon we were on the train 
 going to the town not an attractive place.
 
 144 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 All seemed bare and barren since leaving the 
 green, beautiful Japan and its smiling, friendly 
 people, always greeting one another with cheer- 
 ful " Banzai," or " Sayonara."
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 ARRANGEMENTS having been made by the 
 British Consul for the Earl's visit to Peking, 
 the next morning we went on board a small, 
 private boat, his lordship having decided that 
 travelling more in the native manner would give 
 a chance to see how the people really lived, and 
 be interesting and instructive. Though the 
 launch had an engine, coolies were to help draw 
 it in some places, and soon a dozen were tugging 
 at a long rope, as many more behind, pulling 
 another craft in which, the Earl told Mr. Stubbs, 
 a bed could be made for the night or two on 
 board. Much groaning was heard from the 
 coolies, though the men seemed in good condi- 
 tion and not working too hard. Mr. Stubbs 
 believed it meant they wanted more " cash ; " 
 for that is the way money, big copper pen- 
 nies, strung together through a hole in' the 
 centre is spoken of in China. Nice meals 
 were served in a tiny saloon where the Countess 
 and Lady Emily slept. 
 
 Watching the river sights was like seeing pic- 
 tures slowly moving. Many wretched mud vil- 
 lages and sadly poor people were passed; very 
 few trees were seen, though just before sunset 
 
 145
 
 146 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 we came to a large grove, where thousands of 
 rooks appeared to find shelter for the night. On 
 the Pei-ho, that being the name of the river 
 upon which we travelled to Peking were 
 many curious boats, some having eyes painted 
 on the bows. Li, the Chinese guide, explained 
 thus: " If you give no eyes, how can boat see 
 where to go? " On more than one vessel a fine 
 white cock was fastened near the prow; this 
 meant some rich man had died in the Imperial 
 City, and the bird signified that his body was 
 being taken home for burial. 
 
 The stream winds and turns many times, and 
 by moonlight we walked a long distance on the 
 bank, Mr. Stubbs declaring the scene so alluring 
 and composing; he could stroll on for ever. 
 The second day a very high tower, or pagoda, 
 came in sight, marking the approach to a great 
 canal, one of the most ancient waterways in the 
 world, said the Earl, and leading to Peking. 
 Among the most interesting sights along this 
 water course are the many stone tablets set up 
 by dutiful children in memory of departed 
 parents. 
 
 Large numbers of boats laden with grain 
 were met, and on the plains, just before lofty 
 walls outlining the Imperial City came into 
 view, we passed men pushing heavy wheelbar- 
 rows, helped on their way by small sails attached 
 in front; one man trundled two women, at quite 
 a smart pace. 
 
 It is astonishing to see what heavy loads are
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 147 
 
 carried by natives in Japan and China. Their 
 diet must agree with them, Mr. Stubbs thinks, 
 and the forcing of opium on the heathen by our 
 Government " foreign smoke," those enslaved 
 by the habit despairingly call it is shameful, 
 in his opinion. They are sensible in other ways, 
 he considers, having been told roasting of flesh 
 was discovered, in China, owing to a Mandarin, 
 or some such personage, having been so unfortu- 
 nate as to have his house burned. A small pig 
 accidentally perishing in the ruins gave the Chi- 
 nese an idea, ages ago, of roasting porkers. He 
 could not vouch for this tale, but believes it true ; 
 and thinks also men so devoted to children, and 
 venerating ancestors, must have other fine quali- 
 ties. 
 
 Their fondness for birds and flowers is also 
 to be commended. Repeatedly Mr. Stubbs has 
 seen mature men taking their pet birds out walk- 
 ing, caged or fastened to a cane which the own- 
 ers keep near them when kite-flying is going on. 
 Venerable men seem as merry as boys over the 
 game. 
 
 Carts of a strange shape drawn by mules, 
 holding but one person besides the driver, and 
 stranger chairs the Countess thought them not 
 unlike those sedan chairs used by her ladyship's 
 grandmother in olden days in England were 
 waiting where we left the last canal lock. 
 
 Hearing of slight illness, a fever of some sort, 
 at the British Legation, instead of stopping 
 there, as his lordship had intended, it was de-
 
 148 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 cided to go to a hotel. Each chair having five 
 bearers, and a lot of servants coming to attend 
 to the luggage, there was quite a lengthy .pro- 
 cession to enter the city. We went under high 
 stone gateways and through courtyards, where 
 soldiers were practising shooting arrows from 
 long bows. The surrounding walls, of a tre- 
 mendous height, had small, oddly shaped build- 
 ings upon them. Above the gates and where 
 the walls joined, guard towers were placed. 
 The streets were wretchedly dusty. We jolted 
 over ruts and stones most unpleasantly. After 
 crossing a bridge and passing through many 
 broader, dirtier streets the houses must be 
 clean, Mr. Stubbs thinks, as everything in the 
 way of filth appears to be put outside the doors 
 I was glad to reach a decent-looking build- 
 ing, and find a room where some of the plentiful 
 Chinese dust could be washed off. 
 
 The following morning being Sunday, all 
 walked to a small church, adjoining the Lega- 
 tion. To hear the English service in such a far 
 away spot gave one a strange home-like feeling. 
 That afternoon Lady Emily accompanied the 
 Countess to a school where blind girls are 
 taught. Their eagerness to learn was a most 
 touching sight. They tried to sing, reading 
 from raised type, and succeeded well, though 
 weeping pathetically when that chapter from the 
 New Testament describing the healing of the 
 blind was selected. 
 
 After leaving the Mission we went upon the
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 149 
 
 city wall. A bewildering scene it was to watch 
 from there the throngs of people in the streets 
 below: vendors of curious wares; wedding and 
 funeral processions, difficult to tell one from 
 the other without the guide's explaining about 
 the colours, and boxes in which are carried gifts, 
 and the bride herself! The music made a dread- 
 ful din, and those surging masses of strange 
 human beings, in and out of the gateway, was 
 most wearing on the nerves. Looking towards 
 the country was pleasanter, where, midst a 
 stretch of park-like green, stands that Temple 
 of Heaven, the most holy spot in Peking. Once 
 a year the Emperor goes within its tiled walls, 
 alone, to offer prayer for himself and his people. 
 
 A great deal of time was given to sight -seeing. 
 Chairs being used from morning until night, 
 as much walking in those horrid streets 
 " swinish," Mr. Stubbs calls them is decidedly 
 unpleasant. Many purchases, also, were made, 
 jars and vases enameled in a beautiful shade of 
 blue; jades, Chinese scenes and porcelain, some 
 rare pieces having the royal five-clawed dragon 
 mark upon them; and repeatedly the Countess 
 wore the dinner gown she had directed me to 
 pack. 
 
 Representatives from all lands, it seems, re- 
 side in Peking, watching, so far as they can, 
 what goes on in the sacred inner city, where the 
 Emperor lives and the Dowager Empress reigns 
 and rules as she pleases. She gives audience to 
 foreigners and accepts Bibles, but all the same
 
 150 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 they say distrusts the strangers, who may be 
 wanting, at any time, to divide up the land 
 among themselves. Both Empresses and the 
 Emperor being still at the summer place upon 
 the hills, miles beyond Peking, where, sur- 
 rounded by gardens and lakes they escape the 
 excessive heat of the city, the Earl did not re- 
 quest audience of their Majesties. 
 
 The fourth day after reaching Peking, the 
 Countess told me an excursion of three days 
 would be made to the Great Wall, one of the 
 wonders of the world, built ages ago to separate 
 China from the rest of the world. I was given 
 particular instructions regarding what must be 
 packed in the hold-alls, as no other luggage 
 could be taken on the trip.
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 LADY EMILY expressed much delight at the 
 prospect of going to the Great Wall, and before 
 starting called me to the courtyard to " see the 
 caravan." First, a saddle-horse for the Earl; 
 then two chairs to be used by the Countess and 
 Lady Emily in beginning the trip, each having 
 four bearers and an extra man to direct. All 
 wore odd-shaped round, flat hats with tassels. 
 Next came seven of those dreaded Peking carts. 
 To mount them you climb over a high wheel, 
 then, sitting upon the floor, your feet are straight 
 out in front. Getting any sort of easy position 
 is impossible; there are no springs and nothing 
 to hold by as you bound over great stones or 
 swerve into deep ruts on the wretchedly kept 
 roads. These carts resemble large barrels on 
 wheels, though covered by a canvas top. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs rode in the last vehicle; three 
 guards followed on horseback and two extra 
 carts, or litters, held luggage, also bedding, as 
 nothing of the sort could be expected at places 
 where stops must be made. The October air 
 was delightfully clear and soft; just a slight 
 haze over the sun after we started. While the 
 Countess and Lady Emily stopped, with the 
 
 161
 
 152 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Earl, to see some halls of learning, where the 
 precepts of Confucius, a famous teacher, are 
 taught, we went on slowly through crowded, un- 
 sightly streets. Many houses had finely carved 
 fronts ; but " not one in which you would care 
 to live," Mr. Stubbs asserted, and I agreed. 
 
 Beyond, near several large temples having 
 high walls covered with yellow tiles upon which 
 dragons were stamped, we again stopped, and 
 his lordship visited a monastery. The bonzes, 
 or priests assembled about the gates, powerful 
 men with broad, smooth faces, seemed none 
 too willing to admit foreigners, and I feared it 
 might not be very safe for any one entering there 
 unprotected. 
 
 After crossing a splendid wide white marble 
 bridge, a sort of stable-yard place was reached, 
 and the luncheon, brought in Mr. Stubbs's cart, 
 was eaten in a sheltered corner, where the crowds 
 of curious people who pressed near, commenting 
 and wanting to watch all that was going on, 
 could be shut out. 
 
 Many miles beyond, and after dark, we came 
 to another enclosure, called an inn, and here 
 preparations were made for spending the night. 
 Earth .walls surrounded three sides of this en- 
 closure, and at the rear a stone hut partly rilled 
 the remaining space. In one of the two window- 
 less rooms upon a kang, a low, hollow brick 
 platform, in colder weather used as a stove, the 
 Countess and Lady Emily slept, my mattress 
 by the side, on the hard earthen floor. In the
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 153 
 
 next cell-like apartment his lordship directed 
 bedding to be spread for himself and a gentle- 
 man from the Legation who had joined the Earl 
 after lunch. Sleep seemed impossible in that 
 strange place. I feared, too, disturbing their 
 ladyships. Mules and camels just outside the 
 large doors groaned and snorted, and dogs 
 barked. I was indeed glad when streaks of light 
 came through a small barred opening high on 
 the wall, which I had not observed in the dark- 
 ness of the night before, and I could slip quietly 
 out and heat water in the spirit lamp without 
 arousing the Countess and Lady Emily. Al- 
 most everything needed for the meals having 
 been brought from Peking, breakfast was 
 quickly prepared, and soon after the Countess 
 felt quite ready to continue the trip, telling me 
 another night must be spent at this extraordi- 
 nary inn, on returning from the Great Wall. 
 
 The road kept more in the open country, and 
 we passed flocks of sheep. The shepherd of the 
 largest flock, a lad of fifteen years, perhaps, clad 
 in little but rags, waved a soiled yellow flag, 
 signifying, said the official gentleman from 
 the Legation, that those sheep were destined 
 to feed the Imperial Court at Peking and must 
 not be disturbed under penalty of severest pun- 
 ishment. 
 
 In spite of being very stiff from our cramped 
 position in the carts, Mr. Stubbs and I thought 
 the day most enjoyable. We rode through nar- 
 row valleys, then out by a tunnel-like pass, un-
 
 der an arched gateway with interesting old 
 carvings. After this, wilder regions were 
 reached and soon the Great Wall itself closed 
 the way before us, the longest, loneliest thing 
 I have ever seen, or imagined, stretching away 
 for hundreds of miles, over plains and mountains, 
 hillsides and waste places by the sea. 
 
 After lunching by the wayside, all climbed 
 many stone steps leading through a deserted 
 guard-house to the top of the Great Wall, walk- 
 ing there for miles along a broad stone path. 
 The wall itself is built of large granite bricks, 
 the former so weather-beaten and gray they re- 
 semble the stone parapets protecting each side 
 of the roadway. This road must be nearly 
 twenty feet wide, and broader in places where 
 there are turrets or watch towers. From the 
 highest point we could see fully thirty miles of 
 wall, Mr. Stubbs believed, and this labour of 
 unknown millions of hands appeared as endur- 
 ing as the rocks themselves, upon which its 
 dragon-like curves rested. 
 
 Lady Emily was confident she could never 
 forget that view over the Mongolian plains; the 
 rugged mountain scenery, and, as far as eye 
 can reach, the towering heights of those grim, 
 gray walls. Her ladyship could hardly bear to 
 leave so fascinating a spot, and before we again 
 entered the Pass of Nankou, the moon came up, 
 strangely overshadowing the road, as the mule 
 litters moved quietly on, passing long strings of
 
 soft-stepping, though protesting camels, heavily 
 laden with tea for the Imperial City. 
 
 Having important despatches to send, the 
 officer of the Legation was obliged to return to 
 Peking the following day, but told the Earl, if 
 the Countess did not object to another early 
 start, he would gladly escort them part of the 
 way to the famous Ming tombs. So, immedi- 
 ately after a very early breakfast served on the 
 one rough table in her ladyship's room, all 
 started, and in spite of bad roads, reached, before 
 noon, the old tombs where emperors are buried 
 on a beautiful hillside, among the oak trees. 
 Beyond temples and high walls, topped with 
 yellow dragon tiles, more steps had to be climbed 
 before arriving at the place of burial. The guide 
 thought the kings might have been buried lower 
 down, inside the enclosure; but no one seemed 
 sure which was the exact spot. 
 
 Before returning to Peking the gentleman 
 from the Legation carefully instructed the head 
 guard regarding routes, saying though he knew 
 the man to be entirely faithful, he seemed some- 
 what uncertain about the roads after leaving 
 some noted place where a magnificent avenue 
 with stone statues must be seen. It was indeed 
 a curious street men as large as giants, ele- 
 phants, camels and other strange objects, of im- 
 mense size, ranged on both sides of the way, as 
 an approach to the ancient tombs. The mules 
 and horses cowered and plunged uncontrollably, 
 decidedly alarmed by the figures, each, sepa-
 
 156 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 rately, having to be urged past, all threatening, 
 at one time, to run away together. Finally they 
 quieted down, and after luncheon eaten in a 
 sunny corner outside the Chinese inn, and beside 
 a large onion field our mules jogged along 
 slowly, until a small stream with steep banks 
 had to be forded ; and then, to my horror, I saw 
 Lady Emily, who was in front the Earl hav- 
 ing ridden on a short distance plunge out of 
 her ladyship's cart directly into the river. I 
 screamed to Mr. Stubbs and felt more than 
 thankful to see her ladyship up almost immedi- 
 ately. The water was not above three feet deep, 
 and though drenched, of course, her ladyship 
 declared she was unhurt and preferred wading 
 to the other side of the stream. 
 
 Lady Emily, it seems, had leaned far forward, 
 trying to call the Countess's attention to some 
 strangely marked birds hiding under bushes and 
 broad leaves by the water's edge; at that mo- 
 ment the mule stumbled over a slippery stone 
 and her ladyship, bending so far over, lost her 
 balance, falling, fortunately, into a muddy hole. 
 Everything had to be taken off at once, the 
 Countess insisting that Lady Emily, who, by 
 this time, was shivering from the exposure, 
 should put on the warmest wrap to be found, 
 which happened to be an embroidered kimono, 
 and drink hot tea. When all were ready to 
 start again, there was discussion among the men 
 as to the right direction, and we turned off on 
 what seemed more like a trail than a road. The
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 157 
 
 guide made the Earl understand, however, that 
 it was a short cut to the main thoroughfare for 
 Peking. 
 
 After travelling miles, over little used tracks 
 the sun was getting very low and no houses 
 were in sight at a turn in the road ahead of 
 us, and perhaps fifty feet above, we came upon 
 two or three desolate looking buildings, the first 
 seen for a long while. 
 
 The muleteers stopped for instructions and 
 were about starting again when a woman 
 stepped from behind the crumbling wall that 
 partly concealed her crouching form. Stretch- 
 ing out clasped hands, she cried, piteously, 
 " Stop, stop, for God's sake help me! " Though 
 dressed as a Chinese, unmistakably she was 
 English, and so emaciated walking seemed im- 
 possible. His lordship dismounted before she 
 had finished speaking, calling out he would come 
 to her; but the poor creature shaking her head, 
 motioned him to go on a few steps where the 
 bank completely shut off all view of the road 
 from the houses beyond. Painfully she crawled 
 to this spot, and there, seated upon the ground, 
 screened somewhat by bushes, told the Earl and 
 Countess of her miserable plight. 
 
 From Lady Emily I later heard the strange 
 history, and it is this : The poor lady, for she 
 was of gentle birth, the last of an ancient 
 Devon family, was orphaned before her nine- 
 teenth year. Her mother she could not remem- 
 ber, and her father was a man absorbed in books,
 
 158 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 seldom leaving his own fireside, though occasion- 
 ally on clear winter nights, protected from cold 
 by great felt boots and his shoulders wrapped in 
 blankets, he spent hours gazing at the stars, 
 bending over big sheets of paper marking and 
 calculating. When he died it was found that 
 their last acre, as well as his library, the sole 
 possession the old astrologer really seemed to 
 have cared for, must be sold to satisfy claims 
 of money advanced by a distant kinsman, a well- 
 to-do merchant living in Bermuda. The orphan 
 was thus left well-nigh penniless. 
 
 By giving music lessons in some of the county 
 families; teaching dancing and painting a little, 
 she managed to earn sufficient to take her up to 
 London where, after a struggling year or so, 
 one winter playing small parts in a city theatre, 
 she secured a position as nursery governess in 
 a Russian family connected with the Czar's Em- 
 bassy. Small pay was given, but always, when 
 going about with her charges, she was obliged 
 to dress extremely well. While at a country 
 house rented by the Embassy, a noted Chinese 
 Mandarin came there to visit, and, attracted by 
 her appearance, no doubt, for she was strikingly 
 handsome, a member of the Mandarin's train 
 sought her acquaintance, and later found means 
 to frequently meet her in London. She was 
 foolishly willing to receive his attentions, having 
 always longed for adventure and dreaded plan- 
 ning for an uncertain future. She could do 
 nothing really well; her present position also
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 159 
 
 had become precarious; her Russian employers 
 disapproving of advances made by the China- 
 man, strongly intimated if she continued meet- 
 ing him, leaving their employ would be neces- 
 sary. Having none to counsel her, and knowing 
 that her admirer had large means and assured 
 position in his own land, she determined to ac- 
 cept the propositions, agreeing to meet him in 
 Southampton, where they were married at a 
 registrar's office. 
 
 The foolish girl did not even inform the old 
 rector who had christened her, knowing he would 
 disapprove and probably try to prevent what 
 she was determined to do. Her only companion 
 on leaving London was a chorus girl she had 
 befriended when ill in a public hospital. As 
 the Chinaman and his bride sailed for China 
 immediately after the ceremony at the regis- 
 trar's, few knew what had become of her and 
 none truly cared. 
 
 For a time the Chinese husband showed every 
 kindly attention, showering richest gifts upon 
 her. It being his second visit to England, he 
 understood English and spoke it easily. He was 
 also keenly intelligent, evidently appreciating 
 the help possible through a foreign wife in a 
 diplomatic future, doubtless hoping some post 
 might later be offered in America, if not in Eng- 
 land, he having met with flattering attention in 
 both countries. Boxes of Bibles, and other 
 books, had been given him by good people im-
 
 160 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 pressed with his apparent earnestness and inter- 
 ested in his welfare. 
 
 After reaching Peking, life for awhile was 
 very endurable; but soon her mother-in-law, the 
 real ruler of the home, showed almost insane 
 dislike of the bride, arousing, in every under- 
 handed way, the husband's jealousy; accusing 
 her own son of being a devilized Chinese; mean- 
 ing he was contaminated by associating with 
 foreigners. Constant bickerings and serious 
 trouble soon entirely estranged people so un- 
 suited to live together. The hoped-for diplo- 
 matic post was not offered; and in August of 
 the preceding year the son had gladly agreed 
 to his mother's proposal, which was that his wife 
 should be taken to a farm owned by the older 
 woman not distant from Peking, and here the 
 unfortunate lady was confined a prisoner, vis- 
 ited at intervals by her husband and his mother 
 to see that no communication was held with for- 
 eigners. Writing materials and books, even, 
 were forbidden, and the place where she was 
 kept was hardly fit for cattle. 
 
 Evidently it was the scheming mother's inten- 
 tion, if not also the son's wish, that such a use- 
 less encumbrance should conveniently pass away. 
 The captive had reason to think her acquaint- 
 ances in Peking she had no friends were 
 informed she was enjoying country air, knowing 
 her husband had several large estates in various 
 parts of the Empire, for the raising of rice or 
 silkworms. These she had already repeatedly
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 161 
 
 visited with him, and her absence from the cap- 
 ital being accounted for in this way, it was not 
 probable further inquiry would be made. For 
 months she watched, hoping day and night 
 some travellers might chance to take the unfre- 
 quented road near her place of detention, where 
 occasionally she was allowed to walk, as it also 
 led to Peking, at such season as the streams 
 were fordable. Her courage had entirely gone, 
 and relief from the awful situation seemed im- 
 possible. No one passed when she had been able 
 to reach the lane. Escape was a difficult matter, 
 as the old couple guarding her were vigilant 
 and she had no money to bribe them. Even on 
 seeing the Earl, at first she hardly dared call, 
 having caught sight of Lady Emily's bright 
 kimono, and, not knowing, of course, of the acci- 
 dent at the river, fearing the party might be 
 Chinese, and in that case stopping them would 
 be worse than useless, and lead to punishment 
 and closer confinement. 
 
 When all I have written out was briefly told, 
 the Countess wished to immediately take the 
 poor creature from such shameful treatment, but 
 the lady herself thought it far better that the 
 Earl should inform officials at the Legation re- 
 garding her condition. They must then insist 
 on seeing her, having her brought to Peking 
 upon important business, if no better way was 
 suggested. Her husband, greatly desiring, on 
 account of his diplomatic reputation, to avoid 
 scandal, or to " lose face," as the Chinese say,
 
 162 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 she believed would consent if the matter were 
 quietly and firmly urged. Once in Peking, un- 
 der British protection, she could easily reach a 
 steamer at Tien-Tsin and return to England. 
 If she simply disappeared and the impression 
 were given that she had returned to England 
 for a visit, her husband was unlikely to pursue. 
 She herself shunned publicity and had no wish 
 for revenge, and would rather die in an alms- 
 house at home than attempt living through the 
 tortures her own incredible folly had brought 
 upon her. 
 
 Repeatedly the Countess heard from this poor 
 lady, finally having the satisfaction of knowing 
 plans for her escape had been successful, and 
 she was then living in the rectory near her birth- 
 place in Devonshire. What remained of life, she 
 wrote, must be given to work for tempted girls, 
 to warn and protect them from evils sure to 
 come in following such sinful paths as she had 
 chosen. Lessons came through bitter experi- 
 ence; if her sad fate helped others she would 
 be satisfied. The one bright memory of China 
 was her interest in the cultivation of silk-worms, 
 and she had brought with her to England many 
 of their eggs with which to experiment.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 IT was indeed late when the main route was 
 again reached, and long after dark before we 
 came to the inn at Chumping Chu, a more decent 
 place than the last. Merchants from Tartary 
 or Thibet, strange-appearing men, strong and 
 heavy in build, crowded about the doors, so I 
 was obliged to pin shawls and coverings over the 
 curtainless windows. By sunrise the Earl 
 started for Peking, the inn-keeper, a well- 
 spoken-of man, and one of the guides, accom- 
 panying his lordship. The others were directed 
 to go across country with the rest of the party, 
 to some point on the river to meet the house- 
 boats, and where his lordship would join them 
 after informing the Legation of the fortunate 
 encounter with the lady unlawfully held, and 
 receiving assurance from the authorities there 
 that all possible would be done without delay 
 for her release. By nightfall the Earl reached 
 Tung-Chau, where the boats were moored, hav- 
 ing had satisfactory interviews with the British 
 officials, who entirely confirmed the main facts 
 of the remarkable history confided to his lord- 
 ship a day earlier. It was then decided to drop 
 
 163
 
 164 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 down the river a short distance before taking 
 a morning train for Tien-Tsin. 
 
 The return trip was short and nothing of es- 
 pecial interest seen except the fishing always 
 going on upon the Pei-ho fifteen different 
 ways, on that stream alone, for catching fish. 
 At some places the Chinese train large birds to 
 fish. These cormorants wear iron rings around 
 their necks, thus preventing the poor things from 
 eating the dinner they have caught for their 
 masters. Mr. Stubbs says they are knowing 
 enough, and keen, too something like strikers 
 about getting their share, and won't work if 
 it is withheld too long. 
 
 The evening we arrived at Tien-Tsin, Lady 
 Emily was overjoyed to find she would be per- 
 mitted to accept an invitation given by a Ger- 
 man gentleman, to dine with quite a large party 
 at one of the native restaurants. Although the 
 hour was late when her ladyship returned, she 
 would not allow the lights to be put out until 
 I had been told about the very singular dinner. 
 Several Chinese were present, officials of some 
 sort, and the Earl cautioned Lady Emily that 
 nothing should be said concerning the painful 
 incident of the day near Peking, until they knew 
 positively that the captive had recovered her 
 liberty. When all were seated at table, the ban- 
 quet began with bird's-nest soup, a strange jelly- 
 like dish. Large porcelain spoons were used for 
 this. Later, chop-sticks only were provided, so 
 eating the many peculiarly prepared courses was
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 165 
 
 by no means an easy matter, and fingers had to 
 do constant service, for the foreigners, at least; 
 consequently the towels dipped in hot water and 
 brought to each guest when the meal ended, 
 were decidedly needed. Eggs cooked in some 
 extraordinary fashion were served, these having 
 been buried for a quarter of a century, to give 
 finer flavour, it is asserted. 
 
 When Mr. Stubbs tapped on the door the fol- 
 lowing morning, desiring to change a label on 
 my box, he seemed more hurried than usual, re- 
 marking he had been detained in the native city 
 
 a filthy place, as most sections must be when 
 human beings are crowded together like beasts 
 
 having been sent there by the Earl to get 
 a package of sables, selected by his lordship at 
 one of the Chinese fur traders, and after getting 
 the skins he could not resist trying to find a 
 temple, dedicated to " Holy Cash," Mr. Stubbs 
 had been told, and sure enough he did see there 
 an immense gilded coin suspended over what he 
 took to be the altar. The people gathered thick 
 together at this spot, evidently worshipping. 
 Knowing how strongly the political boss idea of 
 " Where do I come in," is cherished in China 
 and how gold is bowed down before the world 
 over, the Chinese are more honest than Mr. 
 Stubbs had credited them with being, in openly 
 venerating what others secretly adore. 
 
 We left Tien-Tsin at noon, and after less than 
 two days on the water, were again in Shanghai, 
 spending several hours there before taking a
 
 166 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 large vessel bound for Hong Kong, steaming 
 slowly into that beautiful port at sunrise, a 
 few days later. In the harbour craft of all sorts 
 were anchored, and boats hurrying hither and 
 thither made constantly changing sights and en- 
 tertaining scenes. The Countess and Lady 
 Emily ordered jinrickshaws soon after landing 
 and rode to a charming place known as " the 
 Happy Valley." 
 
 After lunching with the Governor at Hong 
 Kong, their ladyships, accompanied by His Ex- 
 cellency, made an excursion to " the Peak " far 
 above the town, where the ocean breezes are de- 
 lightfully cool. The sunset from those heights 
 Lady Emily thought one of the loveliest she had 
 ever seen. 
 
 The third day we left Hong Kong by a river 
 boat, for Canton, stopping over night at Macon, 
 a " fascinating, picturesque place," I heard 
 Lady Emily call it, belonging to Portugal, and 
 the following evening arrived at Canton, one of 
 the largest cities in China. Here the Earl 
 stopped with English friends living in a com- 
 modious and most comfortable house, on the 
 Concession, the foreign settlement that is, 
 just outside the city gate. Even in this gentle- 
 man's residence arms were conveniently stacked 
 near the dining-room door, as uprisings against 
 foreigners might come at any time and every 
 one must be prepared. Not long before dark I 
 was startled by a loud, confused roaring noise; 
 trumpets, horns and drums violently beaten.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 167 
 
 It did seem as though the Boxers must be 
 upon us; but soon I was told this tremendous 
 commotion is made every night warning all in- 
 side the city walls that the gates were to be 
 locked, and after that hour none are allowed 
 to leave or enter before daybreak. 
 
 On passing through the city's thronged thor- 
 oughfares all were carried in chairs, and the 
 coolies had often to take off their wide-brimmed 
 straw hats in order to pass one another in those 
 narrow, ill-smelling streets; fortunately, how- 
 ever, incense was burned in front of many shops. 
 The shopkeepers being the only Chinese who 
 appeared friendly in manner toward foreigners, 
 I could better understand why a small arsenal 
 of arms are kept on the river boats, for fear of 
 pirates, and in all compounds where strangers 
 are permitted to reside. 
 
 It was a painful sight to see long strings of 
 the poor Chinese blind, holding on to a leader 
 who probably knew the way, or could, perhaps, 
 see dimly, as they went from house to house 
 begging food. We heard horrible tales of a 
 place of execution, plainly seen from the city 
 walls; and Mr. Stubbs, even, did not venture 
 nearer, though feeling it almost a duty to see 
 all he can. 
 
 In the market places small dogs were hung 
 up over the butchers' stalls, as one sees game 
 at home, and other tiny, dark, dangling crea- 
 tures both Mr. Stubbs and I made sure were 
 rats and kittens. Lobsters are sea scavengers,
 
 168 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 he says, and we eat them. Everybody knows 
 a Frenchman's fondness for frogs and snails. 
 Why should not the Chinese eat cats and rats? 
 Look at the righteous indignation and ex- 
 claiming over Chinese women binding and 
 pinching in their feet; then consider what the 
 tight lacing never intended by the Creator 
 - means, of those fashionables who used to be 
 called the " Smart Set." Their days, and 
 nights, too, simply given to dissipations, gam- 
 bling, under a polite name, and drinking, covet- 
 ing of your neighbour's wife, and far worse, 
 goes on almost unrebuked in gay society; con- 
 sidering and removing our own beams very often 
 makes clearer the size of our brother's motes, 
 Mr. Stubbs firmly believes. 
 
 In one of the temples not far from the market, 
 placed among a long line of gods, the Earl 
 pointed out to Lady Emily a statue said to be 
 that of Marco Polo, the renowned traveller, for 
 whom her ladyship's horses were named. This 
 voyager came to China hundreds of years ago 
 to visit a ruler called the Great Khan, and made 
 so excellent an impression that after that king's 
 death an effigy of himself, given the Khan, was 
 preserved among the Buddha in the Canton 
 temple.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 ON returning to Hong Kong the Earl, find- 
 ing a French vessel in port, decided to take 
 passage in it for the island of Ceylon, going by 
 way of Saigon, where there is a French colony, 
 and stopping at Singapore. On leaving the sea 
 coast we followed for several miles a broad 
 stream, before reaching the landing at Saigon. 
 Many palm-thatched huts were seen along the 
 banks of this river or inlet, and the natives, 
 though poor, had a contented, cheerful look. 
 Saigon seemed a well laid out, prosperous place, 
 with clean streets, a park, several places of 
 amusement and good shops. Mr. Stubbs spent 
 hours ashore, exploring, and says though the 
 eating is exceedingly good, and all have what 
 they call plaisirs, the French never did under- 
 stand or take to colonizing, as our people do. 
 
 Early one morning Mr. Stubbs called me on 
 deck to see the promenading that goes on 
 before breakfast. A printed notice in the cabins 
 gives passengers permission to walk the decks 
 until eight o'clock, in pantouffles, meaning slip- 
 pers and robe de chambre. It was very amusing 
 watching the couples, quite filling the forward 
 deck, old and young tramping up and down 
 
 169
 
 170 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 exercising; many with bared feet, like those 
 taking the cure at that good priest's place in 
 Germany, remarked Mr. Stubbs, and all wear- 
 ing the strangest odds and ends, you may say, 
 of raiment; pajamas, kimonos, cloaks, ulsters 
 and bedroom gowns, like in a masquerade at the 
 theatre, though those taking part seemed very 
 serious. 
 
 Six days out from Hong Kong, a stop of 
 several hours was made at Singapore. His lord- 
 ship regretted not going to Java from here, but 
 feared the heat and rainy season might mean 
 illness, or detention inland, if some ancient ruins 
 very interesting to see, were visited. Great bas- 
 kets of splendid fruits were brought on board; 
 mangosteens, and other varieties even more de- 
 licious than the mangoes and pines you get for 
 almost nothing in Hawaii. Having, by mistake, 
 tasted a ripe cactus pear in California Lady 
 Emily declares never again will she be tempted 
 by any variety of unknown fruits and believes 
 that prickly pear must represent the forbidden 
 fruit of olden times. 
 
 Being sleepless in the stifling cabin one hot 
 night after leaving Singapore, I went on deck 
 at dawn. The ship was then close to a rocky 
 coast, called Sumatra; plainly, I could see trees 
 near the shore, and distant mountains. Coffee 
 and spices of all sorts thrive on these tropical 
 islands, owned by the Dutch, a good-natured 
 merchant from Rotterdam, lying on a long chair 
 where he had slept the night, outside the smoke-
 
 room door, told me. Later Mr. Stubbs ex- 
 plained a chart, upon which the places we passed 
 are all marked. 
 
 After crossing the Straits of Malacca, and 
 into the Bay of Bengal, we entered the Indian 
 Ocean and came to the palm-shaded coast of 
 beautiful Ceylon, at Colombo. A long break- 
 water, stretching out beyond the harbour, pro- 
 tects the entrance. There was a good deal of 
 delay about landing, as a yellow flag floated 
 from our ship's mast; this meant, what even 
 Mr. Stubbs had not suspected, a case of 
 smallpox in the steerage! but before long, every- 
 thing was arranged, and I was busy unpacking 
 in a large, airy hotel overlooking the sea. 
 
 The Earl and Countess spent that first night 
 ashore at the Governor's. The following noon 
 Lady Emily sent for a double 'rickshaw, and 
 with her ladyship I went to a museum in the 
 public gardens, a mile or so from town. Com- 
 ing back, the roads were nearly deserted, the 
 heat being intense, and Lady Emily seemed dis- 
 turbed to have the coolies go beyond a walk in 
 drawing the small carriage. As we went slowly 
 along, the top having been put up as a protec- 
 tion against the sun, we heard behind us sounds 
 of blows, as though an ill-natured cabby were 
 beating his horse. Another jinrickshaw quickly 
 passed, and the man seated inside violently 
 struck, with a bamboo stick, the bare back of 
 his sweating coolie, who evidently failed to go 
 sufficiently fast to please his fare. Lady Emily
 
 172 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 was most indignant at seeing a human being so 
 wrongly treated, and feared the man riding in 
 the jinrickshaw might be a soldier. He cer- 
 tainly wore khaki and a helmet, though the 
 'rickshaw passed at such a sharp pace she could 
 not be sure. 
 
 The hotel at Colombo seemed extremely com- 
 fortable after Chinese inns and the ship's cabins. 
 The nights were cool, and in the dining-room 
 punkahs kept up a pleasant breeze, though I 
 could not but think those slim Hindu lads pull- 
 ing the ropes must get very weary. Venders of 
 jewels, silver and all sorts of carved curiosities 
 and trinkets, swarmed about the hotel entrances, 
 crowded the verandas and did a thriving busi- 
 ness. Some of the men, the Cingalese, who work 
 indoors, wearing their long hair in a knot behind, 
 use combs like those worn by little girls in Eng- 
 land. These are placed around the back of the 
 head instead of over the crown. 
 
 One sees many sorts of natives in India. Mr. 
 Stubbs takes " no stock in them, has no use for 
 such," as the Americans say. They are not a 
 mirthful race like the Japanese; have not 
 .enough " go " to suit him. He thinks they 
 might be better for more good beef and the 
 like; however, since travelling and seeing so 
 much, many of his ideas regarding eating are 
 somewhat changed. He observes the heavy 
 loads these lean coolies lift easily. Few of our 
 stout men in the old country appear to have 
 the endurance that these get out of rice, and a
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 173 
 
 bit of fish now and again. No doubt heathen 
 are capable of becoming loyal subjects; but the 
 whining way of speaking some of those " good 
 Lord, good devil " sort of persons, he would call 
 them, who know a little English, affect, he mis- 
 trusts, doubting too, those real gems they are 
 for ever offering, but finds it vastly entertain- 
 ing, watching the ways of such oddly dressed 
 beings. Shawls worn by many, are wrapped 
 closely around their owners in the cool of early 
 morning, or the damp night hours; but most 
 show plenty of bare, finely bronzed skin in place 
 of other covering. 
 
 Lady Emily's room overlooked nice gardens, 
 and on the terrace chota hazri, or little breakfast, 
 as the first meal is called, was always eaten, 
 shared with the kites who helped themselves 
 very liberally if one's tray happened to be left 
 a moment unguarded. More than once, as I 
 had been instructed to do if anything was 
 wanted, I had to clap my hands, there being no 
 bells, for a fresh supply of toast, the birds hav- 
 ing made way with two of the three small pieces 
 provided. Lall, the Hindu servant sent from 
 Calcutta to attend his lordship, slept on the floor 
 just outside the apartment and seemed to un- 
 derstand without spoken words what was needed. 
 Lady Emily liked watching a pair of tiny liz- 
 ards, hiding by day behind a shelf in her lady- 
 ship's room and only appearing before get- 
 ting-up time in the morning. She would not allow 
 them to be caught, saying they were quite harm-
 
 174 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 less, and probably kept the room free from flies, 
 or other insects. The small creatures darted 
 here and there, pouncing upon whatever they 
 considered fit to eat, in a very stealthy manner, 
 as soon as it became light enough to see any- 
 thing.
 
 CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 SEVERAL excursions were made while waiting 
 at Colombo for the Royal Mail packet for Cal- 
 cutta, one to Kandy, a railway trip of three 
 or four hours in wonderful scenery, winding 
 about mountains and through forests where 
 groves of cocoanut trees furnish the natives with 
 food, shelter and clothing. In a sacred temple 
 at Kandy a relic of Buddha is kept. This treas- 
 ure, the Saint's tooth, is guarded by priests and 
 only shown under special conditions. Mr. 
 Stubbs managed to get a sight of it when the 
 Earl went to the temple. It was lying in a 
 golden lotus, and a tooth of such length, he 
 thought, had never been seen, even a thousand 
 years ago, in any human jaw. The priests 
 placed garlands around the visitors' necks, made 
 of strong smelling blossoms called " Frangi- 
 panni." Mr. Stubbs much disliked walking 
 about a heathen temple wreathed in this man- 
 ner, and once outside again, gladly threw this 
 adornment away, before going to some beauti- 
 ful botanical gardens, the finest in the world, 
 it is said. 
 
 One night was spent at a charming place 
 among the hills, where the views of Adam's Peak 
 
 176
 
 176 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 were wonderfully fine. Many believe Adam 
 really travelled as far as this grand mountain, 
 and in some mysterious way left his foot-print 
 upon the summit. Chains, fastened upon one 
 side of the steep rocks, permit devout pilgrims 
 to ascend the precipice in safety. Near the vil- 
 lage where pilgrims begin the ascent I saw most 
 beautiful convolvulus growing very large, and 
 such exquisite shades of blue I have never before 
 seen. We passed miles of tea plantations, all 
 in fine condition. 
 
 At Nuwera Eliya it was cold enough to make 
 fires very agreeable in the evening, and the 
 Countess found the change of air delightfully 
 bracing. From Nuwera Eliya a fine driveway 
 led to Baddulla, and at a small station not dis- 
 tant from this place, the train was taken for 
 Colombo. 
 
 On reaching the harbour, and hearing that, 
 meeting with heavy seas, the British mail 
 steamer had been disabled, rather than wait 
 longer, the Earl decided to take a French vessel 
 that would touch at Madras on the way to Cal- 
 cutta. This steamer was small and crowded, 
 but fortunately, with the exception of one day 
 off the coast of Pondicherry, a French settle- 
 ment, we had no rough weather. I did not go 
 ashore at Madras; but with his lordship Lady 
 Emily spent the night at a rectory near the 
 city. Though the clergyman had been called 
 away by the illness of a parishioner, his wife and 
 daughter were most kind, showing many inter-
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 177 
 
 esting sights about the modern town, as there 
 was not time to drive to the temples built near 
 where one of the apostles, it is believed, suffered 
 martyrdom. The house was large and attract- 
 ive; huge bats, however, flying in and out be- 
 tween the court and open verandas, after lamps 
 were lighted, rather alarmed her ladyship, as 
 they swooped down in such a sudden, fearless 
 manner ; and the punkahs squeaked so noisily, 
 it was difficult to sleep at all, towards morning. 
 
 On reaching the mouth of the great river 
 Ganges, leading from the sea to Calcutta, an 
 English pilot came aboard, as constantly shift- 
 ing sands make the passage a very dangerous 
 one. Some said this young pilot the son of 
 an admiral had never before been in com- 
 mand, and Mr. Stubbs thought, though all 
 appeared regular enough, as the pilot seemed 
 uncommonly youthful, and the river having so 
 bad a reputation in the way of crocodiles, 
 keeping near life boats was safest. On one trip 
 he has been told, when the passengers were 
 quietly seated at luncheon, the vessel turned 
 turtle, and in capsizing many were drowned 
 before they could get from their places. For 
 himself, he prefers not running unnecessary 
 risks of being swallowed alive. Nothing could 
 induce him to leave his post on the forward deck, 
 consequently he missed dinner, having a raging 
 headache instead, when finally we came to the 
 docks at Calcutta. 
 
 A drive along the river front delighted Mr.
 
 178 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Stubbs and me when, at twilight, we followed 
 the Earl, the Countess and Lady Emily, who 
 were in a carriage sent by the Viceroy, as Sun- 
 day was to be spent at Government House. A 
 band played in the fine public gardens, and 
 throngs gathered there; horsemen and vehicles 
 of every sort filled with smartly dressed people 
 dashing up and down, or turning into a broad, 
 park-like street called the Maidan. The setting 
 sun threw a reddish glow over the river, hun- 
 dreds of masts standing plainly out like leafless 
 trees along its banks. On the lawn in front of 
 the vice regal palace, called Government House, 
 were many tents. This young gentleman from 
 the Viceroy's staff, who met the Earl at the 
 landing-stage, said the house was full to over- 
 flowing with Christmas guests, so some lodged 
 under canvas. With ladies in muslin frocks, 
 and flowers blossoming everywhere, it seemed 
 impossible that it could already be December 
 and Christmas week. Inside the huge palace- 
 like building servants of every description, na- 
 tives in white or red liveries, wearing big, white 
 turbans, French maids and English valets, were 
 hurrying through the wide corridors, and there 
 was general bustle and those unmistakable signs 
 of festivity that one always sees at home at this 
 season. 
 
 The Countess had tea at once, in her own 
 beautifully large rooms, dressing for dinner by 
 eight, as a concert, or some such entertainment, 
 was to be given that evening.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 179 
 
 Finding several young ladies near her own 
 age in the house party was extremely fortunate, 
 Lady Emily thought; and many officers being 
 in attendance on the Viceroy during the holi- 
 days, the young ladies and gentleman have most 
 delightful times together. After early service 
 at the Cathedral the following morning, a num- 
 ber of the guests drove, later in the day, to 
 beautiful gardens where there are famous ban- 
 yan trees of immense size. The branches taking 
 root in the ground, make, from one tree, a 
 charming grove shading the earth for hundreds 
 of feet.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 DURING Christmas week Calcutta, of course, 
 is crowded. So much is then going on, travel- 
 lers from all parts of the world flock there, and 
 Europeans living in India are constantly arri- 
 ving. Finding the gaieties rather too fatiguing 
 for the Countess, the Earl determined to rent 
 an apartment for a fortnight in a quieter part 
 of the town, close to the residence of the Lord 
 Bishop of Calcutta. This house, surrounded by 
 very attractive gardens, is not far from the 
 Maidan, and belongs to her ladyship's cousin, 
 a general in the Indian service, who, having been 
 called back unexpectedly to England, in order 
 to make official report respecting frontier forti- 
 fications, left the house in charge of his daugh- 
 ter-in-law, who, being rather delicate, lives a 
 few miles out of the city, but was then visiting 
 at Government House. 
 
 Lady Geraldine had servants ready and every- 
 thing in order without delay, so the Countess 
 was pleased to take possession of the quiet, cool 
 apartment early in the week, spending Christ- 
 mas there. Lady Emily decidedly preferred 
 the gaieties at Government House, I fancy, and 
 
 180
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 181 
 
 her ladyship was in the apartment for little more 
 than sleeping and dressing. 
 
 Each day began with an hour or more on 
 horseback; then picnics usually followed, or 
 some expedition on the Hugli that branch 
 of the Ganges flowing by Calcutta. Garden 
 parties and visits to ruins, or to Indian princesses 
 came later, before dining at Government House, 
 or going there during the evening for other 
 festivities. One night, something like a presen- 
 tation at Court was held; that is, the Viceroy 
 and Vicereine represented their Majesties in re- 
 ceiving the guests, and notables of Calcutta. 
 Lady Emily did look most lovely that evening. 
 It was her ladyship's seventeenth birthday; she 
 wore the simplest of white lace gowns, and 
 around her throat one string of the Countess's 
 pearls. For generations this necklace had been 
 handed down from mother to daughter, to be 
 worn on that birthday anniversary, and again 
 on the wedding day. Lady Geraldine sent her 
 own maid, a skilled Viennese, to dress her lady- 
 ship's hair in some new way that she pronounced 
 " classic," and admirably suited to Lady Emily. 
 
 I must confess to hardly recognizing my 
 young lady as she came down the stairway to 
 the hall where I waited to fasten her wrap; its 
 soft satin linings matching the tea-rose tints in 
 her ladyship's cheeks, and the changed hair- 
 dressing giving such a grand, grown-up appear- 
 ance. 
 
 Lady Emily described the scene in the bril-
 
 182 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 liantly lighted throne room, as the most splendid 
 she has yet seen. The presentations were made 
 singly, and quite in the court manner; every- 
 body agreeing that the Vicereine was the loveli- 
 est of all the beautiful ladies, her gown just 
 perfection. Later in the evening, the younger 
 gentlemen and ladies danced until daybreak. 
 Lady Emily's eyes were still shining with hap- 
 piness, for she stopped the night at Govern- 
 ment House when I went to her ladyship's 
 bedside at the usual hour to say the bath was 
 ready in her dressing-room. 
 
 Nothing about Calcutta would persuade one 
 that December had come and that it was really 
 Christmas, the air being more like midsummer. 
 Even after hearing the service for the day read 
 in the English Cathedral my seat in the 
 crowded church was near that marble monument 
 in memory of a much loved lady, the wife of 
 the first Viceroy, who, many years ago, died in 
 Calcutta I had a feeling the clergy might be 
 making some mistake, and anthems, as well as 
 gifts, be coming at the wrong season. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs did manage he has not told 
 me how to get a bit of home holly and mistle- 
 toe : fastening it to my door knob before I 
 was up, and with the Christmas greens was a 
 beautifully carved white elephant he had bought 
 in Ceylon; also, one of those small images, in 
 silver; a bird, unlike any seen on earth or in 
 air Lady Emily says, so perhaps pagans must 
 not be greatly blamed for bowing before such
 
 fantastic shapes. The neatest note-book bound 
 in red leather, " Diary " printed upon the cover 
 in gold letters, was left at my door also, most 
 unexpected from Mr. Stubbs, and so thoughtful, 
 for he says I am always writing. Setting down 
 what you see and think is something like a dis- 
 ease, he believes; you have symptoms in youth, 
 wanting to put down everything you hear, or 
 read, that pleases you, and on getting older it 
 breaks out again into a regular habit. From 
 Lady Emily I had a brooch and lovely sleeve 
 links mounted in gold. The Countess gave me 
 a roll of Tussore silk for a gown; a beautiful 
 watch set in gun metal, and a sunshade which 
 I greatly needed. 
 
 Though indeed happy in being so kindly re- 
 membered, receiving much more kindness than 
 I deserve, I could not forget the twins, and all 
 those I love so far away in England. Somehow 
 tears kept coming when I was by myself, spend- 
 ing that afternoon writing letters to Mary, and 
 others at home. 
 
 Sun, and moonlight also, work mischief in 
 India, it is believed, and Lady Emily never 
 rides, or plays tennis even, without her white 
 helmet, a puggaree twisted around the crown. 
 
 On the morning of New Year's Day a grand 
 review was held, with trooping of the colours, 
 before the Viceroy. The Earl rode with the 
 Viceroy's staff to this parade and long before 
 eight a victoria came from Government House 
 stables for the Countess and Lady Emily. The
 
 184 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Countess wore a charming gown, surely a 
 French creation, Lady Geraldine, who is always 
 very smartly gowned, called it, embroidered with 
 bluets. As usual, Lady Emily was in white, 
 wearing that morning a violet chiffon hat, the 
 shade of her parasol. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs and I found our way to the re- 
 viewing ground, not unlike Laffan's plain at 
 Aldershot, half an hour before the manoeuvres 
 began. A grander sight I never have seen. 
 Most inspiring music was played by military 
 bands when the Viceroy appeared upon the 
 Maidan; then troop after troop of British and 
 native soldiers passed, all marching most credit- 
 ably, Mr. Stubbs thought; the gay colours har- 
 monizing with the lovely costumes, and bright 
 chuddahs worn by thousands of natives gathered 
 in the brilliant morning sunlight to watch the 
 procession. We heard wonderful firing of 
 musketry, which sounded like Venetian shutters 
 being suddenly let down, or hurriedly drawn up. 
 This volleying is called by a French name, 
 meaning " fire of joy," Mr. Stubbs learned. He 
 wonders whether many natives are really joyful 
 over foreign rule. Colonels of native regiments 
 declare, however, they trust their own com- 
 mands, as loyal subjects. 
 
 Few realize how hard-worked the Viceroy is. 
 From his lordship's man, Mr. Stubbs has it that 
 his lordship is up at all hours, both day and 
 night, attending to dispatches, filling out re- 
 ports, responding to appeals, laying corner
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 185 
 
 stones here and there, ferreting out conspiracies, 
 pacifying rival native princes most jealous 
 and often incompetent mortals, entertaining 
 strangers, visiting hospitals and the like; besides 
 an immense deal of office work, due often to 
 members of Parliament, hurrying through India 
 for a few weeks' hunting, or sight-seeing. 
 When they reach home they write articles for 
 the Times, or spring out in Parliament com- 
 mittees abuses they suspect exist, or have been 
 told of perhaps by dissatisfied natives or ig- 
 norant globe-trotters " doing India " in a fort- 
 night. 
 
 Mr. Varley the Viceroy's valet, speaking for 
 himself, says there is not a lazy bone in his body; 
 but how it is possible for the Viceroy to keep up 
 the pace he does, with all the meddling, harry- 
 ing annoyance that goes on, is past belief. Those 
 who think posts about the vice-regal court mean 
 living a life of luxury, with lots of idle time to 
 pass on your hands, are vastly mistaken. 
 
 Even at Simla, where a little tranquillity 
 might be expected, duties are much the same; 
 the really needed morning rides about Jakko, 
 where the monkeys live, he knows are often 
 shortened on account of official business contin- 
 ually coming up to those heights, and requiring 
 the Viceroy's attention. Mr. Stubbs considers 
 Varley right in his opinion, and from what he 
 has himself seen of the prodding demands and 
 clamouring duties, a tropical climate at that 
 getting on your nerves, he is reminded of lines
 
 he was given to write in his copy-book, when 
 a lad at school, 
 
 " He who would all men appease 
 
 And not himself offend, 
 He must begin his work at dawn, 
 
 Though none know when 'twill end."
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 LEAVING Calcutta a few days later, by after- 
 noon train, we travelled all night before cross- 
 ing the Ganges in the early morning, and reach- 
 ing the foot-hills below Darjeeling. Then up 
 and up, by a narrow railway, making many odd 
 twists and turns in passing through forests and 
 tea plantations, we at last came to a station 
 nearly six thousand feet above the sea; there 
 the light fogs, hanging low on the hillsides, 
 broke away, and far above, piercing the highest 
 clouds, towered the most glorious peaks, 
 mountains of another world they seemed in the 
 sunset light, showing great crags of pink gran- 
 ite where the winds have swept bare places be- 
 low these everlasting snows of the summit. 
 
 That first glimpse of Kinchin junga silenced 
 all speech, though soon Mr. Stubbs whispered 
 to me that we were then a mile above the ocean 
 and the Himalayas went beyond his expecta- 
 tions. He was quite prepared to believe those 
 highest points really are thirty thousand feet 
 above the sea. An hour later we were com- 
 fortably settled at the pleasant hotel, where open 
 fires are a great attraction. Homesick people 
 
 187
 
 188 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 from the plains go to Darjeeling, simply to sit 
 beside hearth fires, they say. 
 
 I could never tire of gazing upon those won- 
 drous, untroubled heights, and, fortunately, 
 moonlight nights came at Darjeeling. Spent 
 though I was from the night's travel, I sat for 
 hours by my window, watching the changing 
 shadows. Strange green shades rested upon the 
 snows, giving the mountains weird shapes, and 
 with the stillness came a feeling of repose not 
 realized by day. Before dawn mists again shut 
 out all view; consequently, the expedition to see 
 Mt. Everest, the highest peak yet discovered - 
 not visible from Darjeeling had to be post- 
 poned. 
 
 Save for a short trip in dandies, or doolies 
 as some call them, the Countess and Lady Emily 
 remained in-doors that stormy day, sketching 
 and writing. Mr. Stubbs heard the landlord 
 telling of an amusing mistake, that occurred 
 years ago, when Indian matters were less well 
 understood than now. After an unexpected as- 
 sault, in subduing border tribes, despatches, it 
 seems, were sent to England, saying " Fortu- 
 nately doolies were at hand and soon carried 
 off the wounded." This telegram, getting 
 mixed in some way, was printed, " Ferocious 
 doolies came down from the hills, carrying off 
 the wounded." Extreme consternation was 
 caused in London by this message until explana- 
 tion of the error was made, and anxious rela- 
 tives assured that something like Red Cross
 
 emergency stretchers were referred to, not fierce 
 natives, as English readers of the war news at 
 first supposed. 
 
 The second morning at Darjeeling, all were 
 aroused before daybreak. The Earl, with Lady 
 Emily, rode to meet a party from the garrison 
 near, joining them at a point where Mt. Everest 
 can usually be seen in fine weather. Later, the 
 Countess started in a dandy carried on the shoul- 
 ders of four bearers. I followed. An enchant- 
 ing vision it indeed was, when the sun burst 
 from behind rosy clouds, lightly covering those 
 far away, snowy heights. ' Wings of the morn- 
 ing," her ladyship called these fleecy streamers 
 floating above fortress-like deep pink rocks, near 
 the summit of one of Kinchin junga's five glori- 
 ous peaks. Soon the rays gained strength, the 
 lower, heavier vapours vanished, and the western 
 mountain slopes glowed with sunlight, finally 
 touching a river winding through the dark val- 
 ley far below, until its waters gleamed like bur- 
 nished copper. 
 
 Where the path turns, just before reaching 
 the top of Tiger Hill, the guides pointed out 
 Mt. Everest, but so distant it is from there, only 
 the summit could be seen. The Countess find- 
 ing a place sufficiently sheltered from the sharp 
 winds for sketching, remained there until the 
 Earl, riding what his lordship called " an old 
 gentleman's cob," joined her ladyship. Such 
 a remarkably clear sunrise was a blessing, Lady 
 Emily thought; tourists often wait days before
 
 the mists lift, and sometimes leave Darjeeling, 
 without having a glimpse even of those superb 
 heights they have travelled thousands of miles 
 to see. 
 
 I was wakened the following morning by rain 
 beating against my windows, and on looking 
 out, there was no sign of the grandeur behind 
 those thick, chilling clouds. All but the warm 
 clothing needed at Darjeeling having been left 
 in Calcutta, I had little work to do, and a chance 
 to add many pages to the notes in that pretty 
 book Mr. Stubbs gave me at Christmas. 
 
 Turning over the leaves to see how many 
 were left, I noticed writing on one of the blank 
 pages about the middle of the book, and these 
 three lines written in pencil: 
 
 " Midst all these heats 
 My heart still beats 
 For thee alone." 
 
 The pencilling was not very distinct; the S's 
 resembled Mr. Stubbs's hand, though other let- 
 ters did not, and no initials nor signature fol- 
 lowed the verse. Had Mr. Stubbs been the 
 writer, he would have said something about the 
 poetry, it seemed to me. As he had not, I did 
 not like mentioning the subject, especially so 
 long after Christmas, and no one could have 
 counted on our coming among snows so soon, 
 and the climate's suddenly being so different. 
 I just made up my mind it must have been some 
 mischievous boy at the bookseller's probably,
 
 where Mr. Stubbs bought the book, who did that 
 writing, but in any case it was safest to say 
 nothing, unless Mr. Stubbs himself should speak, 
 for, unless very settled and determined-like, 
 might not a man's feelings have changed? 
 
 The sun came out wonderfully clear the day 
 we left Darjeerling. I was thankful to have 
 a farewell view of the snows; this time through 
 forests of feathery bamboo, as Lady Emily 
 started early to visit a native village lower on 
 the mountain's side, before taking the train for 
 Calcutta, at a station an hour below Darjeeling. 
 Many natives crowded around the train, some 
 wearing large nose-rings. They offered bits of 
 silver jewelry for sale, necklaces, and amulets 
 set with turquoise, of fair size and colour, and 
 the like. The women look as strong as the men; 
 their faces are broad and flat, quite different 
 from the delicate appearing Hindus of the 
 plains. From what he has been told, Mr. Stubbs 
 thinks they must have crossed the mountain 
 passes toward Thibet, a forbidden land beyond 
 the Indian borders, of which very little is yet 
 known. 
 
 To one woman who held an infant in her 
 arms, Lady Emily gave two cakes of chocolate 
 done up in tin foil, carefully showing the mother 
 how she must remove the foil, and throw it 
 away before eating the chocolate. The woman 
 obeyed instructions as to removing the silver 
 wrappings, rolling them together into a ball, 
 which she swallowed, before Lady Emily could
 
 192 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 prevent, evidently believing the shining cover- 
 ings too precious to be thrown away. The 
 Countess was distressed at the mistake, fearing 
 that hard substance might cause illness; but the 
 woman could not understand a word said, and 
 merely smiled her thanks, showing extremely 
 strong, even white teeth, and, as the train moved 
 off, we saw her bending over, evidently search- 
 ing on the ground for more of that wonderful 
 silver food discarded by the strangers.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII 
 
 THE day before leaving Calcutta, I had, as 
 usual, packed books, photographs and other 
 small objects scattered about the rooms. Lady 
 Emily, coming in just then from riding, asked 
 where the photographs were, remarking two or 
 three of the views could be put in her writing- 
 case. I handed her ladyship that gold brocaded 
 bag in which all the photographs were kept, and 
 she selected first a large view of Government 
 House. In front of the broad white steps stood 
 a very splendid, tall, young gentleman, who re- 
 peatedly, I thought, has ridden with his lord- 
 ship and Lady Emily in Calcutta. The other 
 photographs chosen by her ladyship were groups 
 several people in each one, a polo scene, 
 I think, and the same gentleman appears to be 
 just striking a ball. In another, I made out the 
 Viceroy in uniform, with an aide-de-camp who 
 certainly looked precisely like the same young 
 gentleman. Though these last were only snap 
 shots, Lady Emily remarked they would remind 
 her pleasantly of India, and take up little space 
 among her ladyship's own souvenirs. 
 
 In returning to the plains from Darjeeling, 
 
 193
 
 194 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 the Countess felt the heat exceedingly enerva- 
 ting, but Lady Emily considered Calcutta the 
 most agreeable place visited during the entire 
 trip. The climate may not be exhilarating, but 
 the longer one remains, she had found, the more 
 there is to enjoy. In what part of the world 
 can one find such superb moonlight, for instance, 
 or be able to ride and make river excursions 
 with such delightful people, in midwinter? 
 
 On reaching the Calcutta railway station, the 
 first person I saw, was, as I surmised, the young 
 gentleman whose likeness appeared in the view 
 of Government House, and also in the snap 
 shots; and the same gentleman who has ridden 
 with the Earl and Lady Emily. He came for- 
 ward immediately, as the train stopped, and, 
 after shaking hands with the Countess and Lady 
 Emily, said the special carriage reserved for his 
 lordship was in another part of the station, but 
 as the Benares train did not leave until evening 
 he presumed they would go at once to Govern- 
 ment House for tiffin. The Earl replied that, 
 having promised to speak at a Mission Confer- 
 ence, before joining the Countess and Lady 
 Emily at the Lieutenant-Governor's garden 
 party he would leave the ladies in Sir Francis's 
 care. 
 
 Before Sir Francis for thus the gentleman 
 waiting for the train was addressed finished 
 speaking, a moon-faced, pudgy Hindu, with 
 projecting jaw and loose, hanging lower lip, 
 advanced rapidly along the platform, actually
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 195 
 
 treading upon his lordship's heels, as he pushed 
 forward to where Lady Emily stood, followed 
 by two bearers in untidy white garments and 
 legs bare to the knees. Each carried a huge, 
 mound-like erection of closely pressed together 
 flowers ; these the Hindu endeavoured to present 
 to the Countess and Lady Emily; not an easy 
 matter, as already they carried sunshades, and 
 Lady Emily held the Tibetan prayer-wheel, 
 which, since discovering it in the Darjeeling 
 bazaar, her ladyship had been unwilling to en- 
 trust to other hands. However, with cordial 
 thanks, these strongly-scented burdens were re- 
 ceived and finally borne off by Mr. Stubbs. It 
 was easily seen that Lady Emily showed no 
 enthusiasm whatever over the invitation given, 
 in low, but rasping tones, by the olive-hued 
 young man, who, notwithstanding his being a 
 well-known maharajah's son, looked as though 
 he had hastily been thrust into English clothing 
 borrowed from some one twice his size, all but 
 the small hat perching upon the top of his mas- 
 sive head and tilted far over eyes gleaming ad- 
 miringly towards Lady Emily, who, in spite of 
 the night's travel, looked bewitchingly radiant 
 in a long coat of white China silk, her Panama 
 hat having an embroidered scarf of the same 
 silk covering the wide brim, as he begged she 
 would permit him to show her his new Mer- 
 cedes, a beauty well worthy close inspection 
 the following day, saying he had also just 
 received a splendid assortment of comic pieces
 
 196 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 for his talking machine, among them that 
 song : 
 
 " O ! 'ow 'appy, 'appy, 'appy could I be, 
 If I only knew my love loved me." 
 
 " Positively you felt you were listening to the 
 real thing in those never-to-be-forgotten London 
 Halls of Music; nothing half so fetching, or to 
 compare with them in India, as yet, I can as- 
 sure you," declared this rotund little prince, 
 kissing the ends of his stubby fingers as though 
 the mere recollection of past joys was beyond the 
 power of ordinary expression. 
 
 Lady Emily failed to show the slightest inter- 
 est in the entertainments proffered, replying 
 they intended leaving Calcutta almost at once, 
 as she walked towards the waiting rooms with 
 Sir Francis, who evidently considered the Prince 
 and his towering bouquets a most unexpectedly 
 unwelcome intrusion; in fact, as he stopped an 
 instant before speaking with the railway officials, 
 I distinctly heard the words: "Amazing, insuf- 
 ferable ass! " 
 
 Mr. Stubbs having errands to do, I started 
 with him, in a gharri, to get a few articles not 
 needed at Darjeeling, and left in the Calcutta 
 apartment. Finding himself at the Maidan, 
 near the Parish School, where the Conference 
 was being held, Mr. Stubbs went in, just as his 
 lordship began a most interesting, moving ad- 
 dress. Some of the remarks Mr. Stubbs noted 
 down, as is his habit when he wishes to remem-
 
 ber, always carrying a small book in his pocket, 
 pencil, and reel of thread also, with needles, in 
 case of accident to his clothing. The Earl spoke 
 of feeling it a valued privilege to have seen for 
 himself the efforts made by good men and 
 women in all parts of the world, and from these 
 experiences could truly say, self-denying labours 
 are never in vain. Heartily wishing them every 
 happiness, and continued success in their ardu- 
 ous work ; if, as a layman, he might be permitted 
 to offer a word of advice, or rather, place before 
 them thoughts coming to his mind in connection 
 with foreign lands, he would speak of lights that 
 have failed, and efforts that can rightly be made 
 towards strengthening the things that remain of 
 good, in ancient faiths. Where earnest teachers 
 of old have taught truths, teachers in these days 
 should recognize this good, and through such 
 beginnings lead to nobler faith and action. New 
 ideas cannot immediately be grasped, nor old 
 traditions thrown aside. Something touching 
 foods suitable for hot countries was said, and 
 that native habits and beliefs regarding eating 
 of meats must be respected. Mr. Stubbs, how- 
 ever, having to hurry off to see about some par- 
 cels expected from England, missed part of the 
 address, and could not remain for the prize- 
 giving to the children, but, in passing from the 
 hall, perceived that his lordship's speech im- 
 pressed the audience greatly, and several re- 
 marked that it was altogether the best made that 
 day,
 
 198 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Near the chapel entrance, on his way out, Mr. 
 Stubbs nearly ran into a wailing Hindu found- 
 ling, waiting, in its godmother's arms, to re- 
 nounce the pomps and vanities of this world.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 LADY EMILY considered the garden party 
 perfectly delightful, the scene enchanting, when 
 all the guests assembled on the green lawns to 
 greet the Viceroy, who came in state with out- 
 riders, members of his staff with him, of course, 
 and that aide-de-camp, who was Sir Francis, a 
 distant kinsman of the Viceroy, and her own 
 also, though they never had met until that first 
 night at Government House, when Sir Francis 
 took her ladyship in to dinner. Lady Emily 
 remarked she had at once the feeling of having 
 always known him; and strangely enough, Sir 
 Francis mentioned this same feeling to her lady- 
 ship and was most thoughtful in pointing out 
 the celebrities, native princes attired in gar- 
 ments strikingly like dressing-gowns, over which 
 gorgeous necklaces are worn, emeralds, full 
 of flaws, of course, but immense in size, and 
 huge pearls. Several maharanees were present, 
 charming in manner and features. Her ladyship 
 spoke with these ladies for a few moments in 
 the large marquee on the lawn, where delicious 
 ices and other refreshments were served. 
 
 After this, and until it was time to return to 
 Government House, before leaving for the Be- 
 
 199
 
 200 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 nares train, her ladyship strolled about the gar- 
 dens, Sir Francis being especially anxious she 
 should see some rare tropical blossoms ; far more 
 entertaining, he declared, than a lot of distin- 
 guished travellers, or jealous native reprobates, 
 looking daggers at other equally puffed out 
 " Highnesses " if the Viceroy happened to ad- 
 dress one, when another thought he should have 
 been spoken to first. 
 
 At the railway station there was great con- 
 fusion and rushing about. I half feared Sir 
 Francis would be injured, for positively he did 
 not leave the carriage until the train started, 
 placing, just at that moment, after the other 
 ladies and gentlemen had left, a small pack- 
 age in Lady Emily's hand. It contained one 
 of the flowers Sir Francis had in mind and 
 searched for when walking with her ladyship 
 that afternoon at the garden party. Later Lady 
 Emily opened the package. I could not help 
 seeing it contained much writing, about the 
 specimens probably, as Lady Emily is quite de- 
 voted to botany, always keen, Fraulein thought, 
 to know the names, and examine with magnify- 
 ing glasses the wild flowers near Ortham. 
 
 The Countess gave a Latin name to the large, 
 odd-looking blossom that dropped out of the 
 envelope, saying she believed it belonged to that 
 family. The guide, being asked the Indian 
 name, replied, " It is a flower greatly cher- 
 ished by Hindu brides." Though no comments 
 were made, I did also see what appeared to be
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 201 
 
 a sprig of faded white heather, and a few small 
 blue flowers, I should have thought ordinary 
 English forget-me-nots. The light, however, 
 was somewhat dim, and I may be mistaken. 
 
 Showing no disposition to read the pages then, 
 Lady Emily simply glanced over the closely 
 written sheets before bidding the Earl and 
 Countess " Good night," saying she intended to 
 be up early the following morning; but, after 
 I had fastened the curtains about her ladyship's 
 berth, she called me back to say I might bring 
 that little acetylene reading lamp that hooked 
 into the inner shutters of the sleeping apart- 
 ment, and need not return to put the light out.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 BENAEES is the religious heart of India, the 
 Earl explained to Lady Emily her ladyship 
 prefers Calcutta and the sights pass all for 
 strangeness. Soon after dawn we were in a 
 small boat on the Ganges, and as the sun rose, 
 thousands, men, women and children, came 
 down stone steps or through narrow lanes below 
 the many temples ranged along the river's west 
 bank, to prostrate themselves, offering prayers 
 and washing their bodies in the sacred waters. 
 Some of the ash-daubed, half naked fakirs, are 
 vowed to remain a month, or longer, in the same 
 position. 
 
 As we moved slowly along it was easy to see 
 how earnestly absorbed all were in devotion to 
 their beliefs, whatever these may be. Aged men 
 are brought on litters to the holy stream, wait- 
 ing there, patiently exultant, for death to come, 
 and as their eyes close peacefully for the last 
 time, gaze thankfully on the beloved and, to 
 them, sacred stream of life. * 
 
 Near one group, sheltering under a large 
 straw mat umbrella, stood an elderly man bare 
 to the waist, his skin white and pink as a child's. 
 " He must be a European," Lady Emily ex- 
 
 202
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 203 
 
 claimed ; but the guide said, " No, your lady- 
 ship, that is a leper." According to our ideas, 
 it seems terribly strange for one so afflicted to 
 bathe within a few feet of thousands, who, with 
 queer caste marks, freshly placed by the priests 
 upon their foreheads, drink and throw upon their 
 bodies the water in which all stand. 
 
 The red sandstone temples and turrets tower- 
 ing above the river, and the sun's rays, threw 
 a rosy glow over even the saddest part of the 
 scene; those ghats, or steps where the dead are 
 brought to be burned. Lying upon open biers 
 carried by bearers, the bodies after being im- 
 mersed in the river, are placed on the ground 
 near the water, while the fire, that seldom goes 
 out, is prepared; then one of the mourners, the 
 eldest son, perhaps, walks five times around the 
 funeral pyre, striking the forehead of the dead, 
 to signify that life has departed. Wood is 
 heaped up about the corpse, oil is applied, and 
 a wisp of blazing straw touches the fagots into 
 flame. 
 
 Even in the calm beauty of early morning, it 
 is a sadly depressing performance; and I was 
 thankful when we returned to Benares, though 
 the evil-smelling, flower-strewn temples and 
 courts at which we stopped were also distressing 
 places. At one temple monkeys climbed every- 
 where, chattering like children; and in another, 
 bulls representing in some way Almighty 
 power are kept as objects of veneration or 
 worship.
 
 204 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 That afternoon the Earl and Countess visited 
 a great Maharajah, whose palace, on the other 
 side of the Ganges, is furnished quite in the 
 modern manner. Ornamental clocks, often con- 
 taining music boxes which greatly delight the 
 natives; and vases, the gifts of distinguished 
 guests, adorn the reception rooms. A fine tiger 
 caged in the courtyard, striding and turning in 
 his narrow prison, seemed very unhappy. 
 
 An hour also was passed in a Benares garden 
 conversing with a venerable man considered an 
 extremely holy person by the Brahmins. Mr. 
 Stubbs believes him something like a soothsayer 
 or seer. He wore almost no raiment, and sat 
 upon the ground, shaded by trees, his posture 
 reminding one of the great teacher Buddha, 
 whose beliefs he foEows. A kindly smile and 
 manner convince those seeing him that his 
 thoughts are pure and lofty, though you might 
 not wish to follow all his views; for instance, 
 as to returning over and over to this world, for 
 growth and discipline, and many other things. 
 
 Lady Emily, finding the air of Benares rather 
 depressing after Calcutta, preferred remaining 
 at the hotel instead of making these visits. 
 
 Several short stops were made at different 
 towns before reaching Agra; one, I remember, 
 at Cawnpore, where, in a walled cemetery, lie 
 the bodies of many English, slaughtered in that 
 fearful mutiny. No native, even now, is ever 
 permitted to enter the gates. Mr. Stubbs con- 
 siders it would be more Christian to let such as
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 205 
 
 were in no way concerned in the massacring pass 
 inside and see that beautiful white marble angel 
 of consolation guarding the tombs; but these 
 laws, made long ago, are still kept. 
 
 At some places I could not enjoy the trip at 
 all, we saw so many suffering from famine; 
 such desolate little children, with swollen bodies 
 and thin, pinched faces, their arms and legs like 
 wands. In a piteously gentle way they wailed 
 " Memsahib, oh, Memsahib!" meaning they 
 wanted something to satisfy their hunger. The 
 Government endeavours to provide work for 
 those able to do anything, and food for the help- 
 less. For the smallest coin, or a few grains of 
 rice, their gratitude is touching; but so many 
 are suffering, thousands, the Lord Bishop of 
 Allahabad said, in that district alone, justly 
 entitled, by infirmity and poverty, to succour, 
 and so few to minister to this appalling misery! 
 
 The Earl and Countess constantly subscribed 
 to famine and plague funds, and Lady Emily 
 continually handed out money, sometimes her- 
 self giving it to sightless lepers with disfiguring 
 sores, stretching out fingerless hands in piteous 
 appeal for alms, saying she intended to forget, 
 in India, those English rules of organized char- 
 ity. But the agonizing distress goes on year 
 after year in spite of everything attempted in 
 the way of relief. I could only pray, " May 
 God end it speedily!"
 
 CHAPTER XLI 
 
 OF all the beautiful Indian towns, Agra seems 
 to me the most charming, with that wonderful 
 temple tomb by the river, costing millions of ru- 
 pees, one must believe, having seen its marvellous 
 gems and lace-like carvings, placed there as a 
 king's memorial to his queen; and there he rests 
 by the side of his beloved consort. By day, and 
 under the full, glowing moon, (very different 
 from the watery ball the London March moon 
 is apt to look), more than once I went to this 
 exquisite garden tomb with Lady Emily, as the 
 Countess's strength did not permit her making 
 many excursions. Lady Emily seemed never to 
 tire of walking upon the terraces, reading from 
 a book of poems, often, or sitting where she 
 could gaze into the mirror-like pools of water 
 reflecting that lovely Taj Mahal, and its beau- 
 teous surroundings. Lady Emily was reminded 
 of the devotion shown by our own king, the first 
 Edward, to his loved Eleanor, and those twelve 
 crosses set up in England in remembrance of 
 that sad journey to her last resting-place, in the 
 Abbey at Westminster. 
 
 Thinking of these things leads her ladyship 
 to realize what man's devotion could mean, 
 though she has been told, and Fraulein, who 
 
 206
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 207 
 
 considers herself almost a widow, having in early 
 youth been betrothed to a Professor, an elderly 
 widower, having five children who died sud- 
 denly, confirms this belief, that woman's love 
 is deepest and more enduring. Lady Emily had 
 never spoken to me on such subjects before. I 
 could see, however, that some reply seemed ex- 
 pected, and my own feeling told me that agree- 
 ing with her ladyship regarding this would be 
 safe. 
 
 An expedition, pronounced " bewitching " by 
 Lady Emily, was made from Agra to Futteh- 
 pore-Sikri, where some great monarch, in by-gone 
 ages, built a beautiful mosque and palace. One 
 old building has recently been refitted, and here 
 the Earl's party slept, though Lady Emily de- 
 clared sleeping in such fascinating surroundings 
 to be almost impossible, and passed the greater 
 part of the night though it was by no means 
 warm, judging from what her ladyship told me 
 on a terraced balcony above the charming 
 marble court where the old king's slaves used 
 to perform as living chessmen, or some similar 
 game, he himself directing the moves. 
 
 Another excursion, to Gwalior, the fortressed 
 abode of a Maharajah, delighted her ladyship. 
 While the Earl and Countess attended an en- 
 tertainment, called in India a durbar, I was sent 
 with Emily and the native guide Silva, his 
 mother a Hindu and his father a Portuguese, 
 who, knowing more about this part of India, 
 had replaced Lai, to climb a long, steep hill
 
 208 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 above the town, upon the back of a splendid 
 elephant. The great beast knelt meekly as we 
 mounted by a ladder into the houdah, and then 
 swaying and shuddering as though hoping to 
 frighten us off, finally settled to a steady walk. 
 His front legs, put down in a cautious, gingerly 
 manner, appeared to have a different gait from 
 those behind, which were carried rather stiffly, 
 as the big creature rolled along. 
 
 In passing under an arched gateway near the 
 top of the wall, we saw musicians seated in a 
 balcony, over the gate, and stopped to listen, 
 as they played on uncouth-appearing instru- 
 ments. Weird, Oriental music, Lady Emily 
 thought it. From the hill-top wide views spread 
 out in all directions ; and one or two richly deco- 
 rated temples were seen, also rows of enormous 
 figures, cut from the rocks, standing by the 
 roadside where they had been carved. 
 
 When we returned to the town, Lady Emily 
 could hardly be persuaded to leave the Mahara- 
 jah's stables, as that prince owned several really 
 fine English thoroughbreds. Then a long stop 
 had to be made in order to see the elephants fed. 
 These huge brutes greatly enjoyed their meal 
 of sugar-cane, and big round cakes grain of 
 some sort, I fancy, especially pleased them as 
 they trumpeted loudly for more, after devouring 
 each doled-out portion. 
 
 Just as we turned away to leave, the largest 
 elephant of all came into the yard at a smart 
 pace, evidently fearing he might be late for
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 209 
 
 supper. This enormous beast was tooled along 
 by a small, slender child, a boy perhaps ten 
 years old. Before I realized how near the ele- 
 phant, guided by the mahout, was to where we 
 stood, the beast trumpeted angrily, as if consid- 
 ering visitors an intrusion, and struck viciously 
 with his trunk. In spite of warning cries from 
 the keepers, I managed to get between him and 
 Lady Emily, and should, I fear, have been 
 trampled on had not Mr. Stubbs, who, sent by 
 the Earl to tell Lady Emily it was time to leave 
 for the Agra train, had been looking everywhere, 
 appeared at that instant, and hurling me vio- 
 lently to one side of the path, safe though trem- 
 bling in every limb, bravely placed himself in 
 front, opening and closing his lordship's um- 
 brella as he waved it protectingly over me, 
 stamping hard at the same time, and exclaiming, 
 "Stand, shoo!" 
 
 Enraged by this disturbance, all the other 
 elephants made a tremendous uproar, tugging 
 at heavy iron chains by which they were fas- 
 tened; balancing their huge bodies, first on one 
 foot and then on another, turning and bellowing 
 loudly as they threw back their trunks and 
 waved them over their heads in a most excited 
 manner. Not being much accustomed to ele- 
 phants' ways, I did feel faint, and thankful 
 when Mr. Stubbs whispered he would help me 
 to the carriages waiting outside the animals' 
 quarters, in which we soon returned to the guest 
 house on our way to the railway station.
 
 CHAPTER XLII 
 
 AT Lucknow, a great deal connected with that 
 awful mutiny was to be seen and described. 
 What days of heart-rending anguish must have 
 been endured by those inside the forts, and by 
 those attempting to rescue the besieged women 
 and children, in such fearful peril from shells, 
 and with the brutal enemy attacking and over- 
 coming one hiding-place after another; until, 
 when all despaired of succour, our glorious 
 Scotch bagpipes told, unmistakably, that relief 
 at last was near. 
 
 I am silly over being a Highland lassie, Mr. 
 Stubbs declares; but the love of lochs, moors, 
 bagpipes and heather is born in me, and never 
 can fail while life lasts. 
 
 One night, Hindu magicians, three or four 
 white-robed men, gave an exhibition of their 
 marvellous doings. Even when the tricks, or 
 whatever they may be, are explained, they seem 
 almost as wonderful as ever. How can a cov- 
 ered basket be pierced in every direction with 
 a sword, until blood flows out, without destroy- 
 ing the small boy you have seen curled up in- 
 side? Mr. Stubbs described his having caught 
 the jugglers with a bladder full of something 
 
 210
 
 the colour of blood; and believes also, instead 
 of real mangoes growing out of flower-pots, as 
 you watch, the conjurors slip in one plant after 
 another. Detecting such doings is impossible, 
 they are that skilful; but, as Mr. Stubbs inti- 
 mated to them, he is not a man easily deceived, 
 and feels sure he has discovered some, if not all, 
 of their methods. I much preferred the tricks 
 to those horrible serpents the snake-charmers 
 brought; handling pythons, writhing cobras 
 and other reptiles as though they were kittens. 
 The Countess rebuked one man wanting to show 
 a battle between a cobra and a mongoose, say- 
 ing such cruelties could not be permitted in her 
 presence. Her ladyship greatly disliked an- 
 other performance, when a man like a skeleton, 
 he was that emaciated, forced weights behind 
 his eyeballs, supporting by them a basket filled 
 with glass balls and other objects. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs is convinced we still are treading 
 on volcanoes in India; an unheaval may come 
 without warning, none can prophesy what may 
 happen. He has studied native ways for him- 
 self, and heard much of their doings, ever since 
 he was a lad, from having an uncle in the service 
 of a former viceroy. The Indians have such 
 uncommon, mysterious ways. From one end 
 of the land to the other they send messages, by 
 smearing the trees, or handing from one village 
 to another those small dried cakes. Killing flies 
 seems to be forbidden, but nearly twisting the 
 tail off a hard-worked or obstinate bullock is
 
 212 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 tolerated, and if a troublesome monkey chances 
 to fall into a swift-flowing stream, in trying to 
 drink, temperance societies are not organized 
 to save him. After seeing the tropics for him- 
 self, Mr. Stubbs inclines to agree with those pre- 
 ferring an honest potato patch or turnip field at 
 home, to all the waving palms or coral strands 
 to be found abroad.
 
 CHAPTER XLIII 
 
 THE streets of Delhi resemble a scene on the 
 stage, Mr. Stubbs asserts, reminding him, also, 
 of his favourite Champs Elysees, though the 
 setting is different. Nothing pleases him better 
 than strolling along that broad Chandni Chauk, 
 studying native methods and watching the mov- 
 ing throngs on foot, and in every sort of vehi- 
 cle; horsemen and camel riders, as well. In 
 speaking of Delhi, a valet told him to go to 
 Chandni Chauk for anything wanted; and Mr. 
 Stubbs getting it fixed in his mind as a shop 
 could hardly be persuaded, the first time he 
 started out, having taken a gharri in order 
 to attend to various errands, but what the 
 driver was trying to cheat, when he wanted to 
 leave him at some corner shop called Ram's; 
 pretending, as Mr. Stubbs then thought, that 
 he knew no dealer named Chandni Chauk. 
 
 One morning, clear, and crisp for India, Lady 
 Emily wishing to make purchases, I accom- 
 panied her ladyship and Silva to the bazaars. 
 It is difficult to escape the peddlers and toots, 
 always hanging around gates and verandas, 
 clinging to the carriage steps if they get half 
 a chance, and, when driven from one side, rush- 
 
 213
 
 214 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 ing nimbly to the other, or hiding behind and 
 shrieking, " Memsahib, buy me. Buy my shop, 
 lady. Nudder man, he no good!" After an 
 hour's shopping we stopped at a palace built 
 by one of the old rulers, a Shah Jehan. In those 
 days this palace must indeed have been splendid, 
 one throne room surpassing all for magnificence. 
 An English soldier, from the barracks near, 
 seemed to have oversight of this place. He was 
 not long from home, evidently, though much 
 freckled by the Indian sun, and limping some- 
 what from rather tight boots. Calling Lady 
 Emily's attention to where the Peacock Throne 
 a wonderfully jewelled chair had stood 
 until it was stolen or destroyed, he explained the 
 inscription in Persian letters upon the wall, 
 meant, 
 
 "If on earth be an Eden of bliss, 
 It is this, it is this." 
 
 The young man's hair was extremely red, and 
 when he rolled very blue eyes towards the ceil- 
 ing, reciting these lines, but changing the sound 
 to, 
 
 " If hon hearth be han Heden of bliss, 
 It is this, it is this." 
 
 her ladyship, I could see, found it hard to refrain 
 from smiling. 
 
 The following day, Lady Emily, with the 
 Earl and Countess, attended a picnic given in 
 their honour by the British General stationed at
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 215 
 
 Delhi. Mr. Stubbs went on the box of one of 
 the carriages. The drive of ten miles to the old 
 city of Delhi was most entertaining, he thought; 
 tombs and mosques the whole way, nearly, and 
 one small memorial column, the most ancient of 
 all, had been placed by the roadside hundreds 
 of years before our Lord's birth. After making 
 a fairly good meal, he found one of the noted 
 sights, near the sort of tea-house where lunch- 
 eon had been served, was a beautiful tower, the 
 Kutab. The prospect from the top he consid- 
 ered well worth mounting hundreds of steps to 
 see, and learned also that almost upon that spot 
 the " Thousand and One Nights " tales af- 
 fording him much entertainment as a lad had 
 been told. The ladies and gentlemen stopped to 
 examine a deep well, in which, it is said, one can 
 never drown, and a small Hindu boy plunged 
 down so many shivering feet, Mr. Stubbs could 
 hardly bear to look at him, thankful though he 
 was, to see the little chap rise safely to the sur- 
 face. 
 
 On leaving Delhi, three days were passed 
 at Amritsar, the Earl desiring to show the 
 Countess and Lady Emily a wonderful golden 
 temple, standing in the centre of a lake and 
 reached by a beautiful marble causeway. Late 
 one afternoon, I went to this spot, which is much 
 revered by the people of Amritsar, with Mr. 
 Stubbs, who much disliked having to remove 
 his boots and put on felt slippers; but the 
 natives considering the slaughtering of cows a
 
 216 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 sort of insult to their religious beliefs, will not 
 permit leather soles to enter the temple; and, 
 after all, though not approving the worship of 
 beasts in any way, Mr. Stubbs believes in teach- 
 ings that uphold kindly treatment of animals, 
 and these views he considers akin to those held 
 by many of our London clergy, who greatly 
 dislike those showy hats, decorated with plu- 
 mage torn from wild birds and worn in the 
 churches by their parishioners. The golden dome 
 reflected in the water, and throngs of gaily at- 
 tired people, the Sikhs and others, reputed very 
 loyal to the British, made a splendid, stirring 
 sight, though to my mind, more natural scenes, 
 hills, peaceful valleys and snowy heights, - 
 give most satisfaction. 
 
 Sunday was spent at Lahore, a little beyond 
 the city, in a pleasant bungalow owned by 
 friends of the Earl's. The gardens are tasteful, 
 cultivated spots, but not so full of flowers as our 
 own trim bed in England. Industries of all 
 sorts are carried on out of doors in Lahore and 
 one could walk its streets for hours without tir- 
 ing. Workers of every description are con- 
 stantly busy, and the narrow thronged lanes, 
 backed by carved house-fronts and latticed win- 
 dows, are like pictures.
 
 CHAPTER XLIV 
 
 AT Rawal Pindi we lived in a village of tents. 
 As it is a large military post, there are tents 
 of every variety and size; some connected by 
 canvas corridors, and in these the Countess and 
 Lady Emily lodged. They were extremely 
 comfortable, though open fires seemed decidedly 
 agreeable during the February nights spent 
 there. The Earl desiring that the Countess 
 should have a glimpse towards Kashmir, a 
 region where, before his lordship's marriage, 
 he had passed a summer, an expedition to Mur- 
 ree was arranged for the following day from 
 Pindi, but the morning proving raw and disa- 
 greeable, the Countess thought best not to go, 
 and I was sent with Lady Emily. A young 
 lady from the Commanding General's family 
 accompanied her ladyship in the victoria, and the 
 General's aide-de-camp rode with his lordship. 
 
 Several miles from Pindi, rough vehicles, 
 called tongas, waited, in which we ascended the 
 mountain roads, the carriage being sent back to 
 the Post. After climbing steep, bare hillsides 
 and toiling through narrow mountain passes for 
 many miles, changing the horses repeatedly 
 
 217
 
 218 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 as they went at a brisk pace the snow 
 became so deep that the roads were no longer 
 passable for wheels, and all of the party had to 
 be carried, by bearers, in chairs or doolies, until 
 the bungalow placed at the Earl's disposal was 
 reached. Here, it was delightful to find that 
 wood fires blazed delightfully, some on open 
 hearths, and almost scalding tea was ready to be 
 served by a decrepit, but low-salaaming Kitmut- 
 gar. 
 
 The sun shone brightly the next morning, 
 and, before Lady Emily finished dressing, a 
 heavy fringe of icicles formed over night on 
 the veranda-roof had melted. I heard her 
 ladyship say to Miss Bernice, the General's 
 youngest daughter, that she was delighted, it 
 would now be possible to ride that morning, as 
 they had intended doing, for a view towards the 
 Vale of Kashmir. If one could get there dur- 
 ing the winter season, the scenery would, no 
 doubt, be charming, but she felt especially eager 
 even to look in that direction, since having heard 
 a most lovely poem, " Lalla Rookh " read at 
 Government House one evening, when tableaux 
 representing scenes in the heroine's life were 
 given, and Sir Francis, the Viceroy's A. D. C., 
 who reads charmingly, recited parts of the poem 
 as the pictures were being shown; and after- 
 wards had told of a most interesting visit to 
 Kashmir, made by him, he already had 
 achieved success as an explorer, during the 
 hot weather of the previous year.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 219 
 
 When her ladyship returned to the bungalow, 
 before starting for Rawal Pindi, she was enthu- 
 siastic over the rugged hills they had climbed 
 on rough ponies in the frosty, invigorating air, 
 describing the fine, wide valleys seen beyond the 
 wild peaks and snowy mountain ranges, giving 
 one, the Earl thought, a fair idea of those in 
 Kashmir, though by no means as well watered 
 and fertile. 
 
 On leaving Lahore, came a night's ride by 
 train. One could feel the engine pulling heav- 
 ily up grade and the air became decidedly chilly. 
 When the moon struggled out from under the 
 clouds, I could see we were moving along bar- 
 ren, rocky hillsides; but towards morning fields 
 of millet surrounded the straggling hamlets. 
 
 Near Attock, where the Earl stopped for 
 tiffin, at the fortress commanding the narrow 
 valley, a rushing stream was crossed, the river 
 Indus, Lady Emily said, adding that this region 
 was associated with a famous general of olden 
 times named Alexander, who conquered the 
 greater part of the world. Descendants of his 
 soldiers still dwell in the Punjab, distinguished 
 from other natives by blue eyes and fairer skins. 
 In case of attempt by Russia to enter India, 
 Attock would be a vitally important point to 
 protect, Mr. Stubbs understands, and says that 
 these new guns mounted on the fortress are 
 marvels of power and accuracy of aim. He 
 trusts they never will be turned towards any 
 invading foes, but should war come, he knows,
 
 220 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 from what he has himself seen, that they would 
 speak loudly and surely; and no braver, truer 
 men can be found in any part of the world than 
 those behind the guns.
 
 CHAPTER XLV 
 
 SEVERAL officers waited to greet the Earl at 
 the Peshawar station, telling his lordship he was 
 expected at the military headquarters one of 
 the most important cantonments in India and 
 that the mess had prepared a rousing welcome, 
 hoping to keep him as long as possible. 
 
 The Countess having promised to visit the 
 wife of the English rector, Lady Emily accom- 
 panied her ladyship to a very nice bungalow 
 situated in pleasant gardens not far from the 
 church, where fruit trees and violets, in spite of 
 a cold, piercing wind, already showed signs of 
 blossoming. 
 
 Finding the Khyber Pass, leading to Afghan- 
 istan, would be open and guarded the following 
 day, an early start was made, the Earl and Lady 
 Emily going with the rector's sister and niece in 
 a landau to the entrance of the Pass, nine or 
 ten miles from Peshawar, where turn-turns, or 
 dog-carts were ordered to meet them. The trip 
 was decidedly exciting, although her ladyship 
 did not consider there was much real danger. 
 Still, their own escort kept near, and the sowars, 
 or armed native guards, did keep popping up 
 every little way, Lady Emily noticed. On some 
 
 221
 
 222 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 of the routes the hillsmen met, going through the 
 Pass, were exceedingly fierce in appearance. 
 Part of the way the narrow road was fairly 
 crowded with camels, bringing in huge bales of 
 Kabul, or Bokhara silks and rugs, fruits and 
 nuts to dealers in Peshawar, salt and all sorts 
 of Manchester goods being returned in ex- 
 change. Many travelled to Afghanistan on 
 foot, apparently, and many more mounted on 
 shaggy ponies, or rode in native bullock carts, 
 others riding really beautiful, spirited horses. 
 About noon a disused fortress, perched high 
 upon the rocky hillside above the Pass, was 
 reached. A small tent had been pitched near 
 here, and luncheon hampers were soon opened 
 under its shelter. While lunching a string of 
 camels stopped by the wayside, and Lady Emily 
 begged one of the officers, who had joined the 
 Earl's party at the beginning of the Pass, to 
 give the tattered, hungry -looking boy in charge, 
 some sandwiches. The gentleman consented, but 
 the lad would not accept, he was positive, fearing 
 to be defiled by eating meat offered by infidels; 
 and sure enough, though evidently half starved, 
 the little chap simply wagged his head most 
 determinedly, and soon tramped on behind his 
 big, brown charges. After luncheon, all walked 
 for a long look towards Afghanistan, from the 
 fortress, the party longing to go, Lady Emily 
 declared, and for themselves see the strange, 
 interesting sights in that little known country 
 beyond the Pass.
 
 That afternoon at Peshawar was spent with 
 the Countess and the rector's wife in exploring 
 the bazaars where, from small shops behind the 
 open counters, rolls of lovely silk were brought 
 out; also camel's-hair rugs, long peaked slip- 
 pers of all hues, and cottons stamped in a curi- 
 ous manner with figures in wax were also offered 
 for sale. Crowds filled every part of the bazaars. 
 Most of the men had a war-like, Jewish cast of 
 countenance, some wearing beards apparently 
 dyed red, and hair coloured to match. These 
 people looked so exceedingly fierce, I was thank- 
 ful the Countess had the protection of a guard; 
 and Mr. Stubbs, too, kept near. He remarked 
 that the military and police authorities them- 
 selves acknowledge that it is next to impossible 
 to prevent crimes, such as plundering and as- 
 saulting, in these regions. The wild tradesmen 
 all protect one another and are " Agin the Gov- 
 ernment," whatever it may be, as used to be 
 said respecting parts of Ireland; and once a 
 sentinel is wounded, or a foreigner's house looted, 
 the rascal who does it escapes, as he well knows 
 he can, to mountain fastnesses, where protection 
 is sure, and attempting to catch marauders 
 would be like stirring up a hornet's nest. All 
 who pursued would be badly damaged, and valu- 
 able lives lost, probably, in fruitless search 
 among savage tribes, who recognize neither em- 
 peror, czar nor amir, as sovereign. 
 
 A gymkhana entertainment, with all sorts of 
 sports, was given at the cantonment the follow-
 
 224 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 ing day. Lady Emily found the tent-pegging 
 and camel-racing most amusing; the big crea- 
 tures, seeming really to know what was expected 
 of them, dashed past the band and judges at a 
 furious pace, as though enjoying the applause. 
 
 By taking a night train, we reached Delhi the 
 following evening, leaving almost immediately 
 for Alwar, the Earl having promised the British 
 Resident, in the Rajah's absence, to spend a few 
 hours at the palace, where the valuable old li- 
 brary was a great attraction. Lady Emily 
 thought the armory, the grand white marble 
 tank, the stables and the elephants fascinating; 
 but I was glad not to stop long by those huge 
 beasts, having that attacking one at Gwalior 
 still in mind. The rooms of the palace, though 
 spacious, are not very tastefully furnished. One 
 audience hall hung in rose-velvet draperies, em- 
 broidered in dull gold, had a silver table with 
 water running over it through little channels; 
 this I thought remarkably ingenious. 
 
 Before returning to the train, handsome green 
 velvet chairs, gilded and swan-shaped, were 
 brought by the Dewar's command, the Countess 
 and Lady Emily having expressed a wish to 
 see some ruins upon the top of a neighbouring 
 hill. Finding the heat oppressive, the Countess 
 remained at the palace, being entertained there 
 by the Maharani and other ladies of the Mahara- 
 jah's family. I was directed to accompany Lady 
 Emily and the guides. We were carried through 
 delightful gardens, and then, beyond the mag-
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 225 
 
 nificent marble tank, followed narrow, shaded 
 paths winding up the hillside. Before reaching 
 the top, flocks of wild peacocks came out from 
 the shrubbery, as if to greet us, and blue and 
 green paroquets flew from tree to tree, following 
 the bearers, as though curious to know what this 
 invasion of their quiet groves could mean. 
 
 The sun was fast sinking when we reached 
 the fortress upon the highest terrace above 
 Alwar, consequently Lady Emily did not long 
 linger, though thoroughly enjoying the beauti- 
 ful colouring on the bare rocks, and viewing 
 those distant plains beyond the village. Marble 
 temples and tombs were reflected in the immense 
 palace tank lying at the foot of the cliffs be- 
 neath us. On the way down to Alwar many 
 little offerings, laid upon basket-like trays, were 
 brought to her ladyship, flowers, fruits and 
 eggs, by the slender, white-robed natives from 
 whom Lady Emily bought several small silver 
 trinkets, very prettily wrought by hand.
 
 CHAPTER XLVI 
 
 HEARING from Delhi that the .plague had 
 greatly increased in the vicinity of Bombay, 
 where hundreds of deaths occurred weekly from 
 this dreadful disease, the Earl decided to give 
 up the hunting expedition under consideration, 
 and to return by the first available steamer to 
 Europe, spending, if possible, a fortnight in 
 Egypt on the way. 
 
 At Jeypore I heard Mr. Stubbs jesting with 
 Silva over bringing us to a rose-coloured town 
 most of the Maharajah's buildings being 
 tinted in rose-red shades declaring he could 
 not, however, consider it the pink of perfection. 
 The genial smile of that crocodile in the palace 
 tank gave him long-drawn-out nightmares. 
 Silva prides himself on knowing many English 
 words, but when these are put together, he does 
 not appear to just get any meaning out of the 
 language used, but always shakes his head from 
 side to side, draws in his breath, and says, " Yess, 
 yess, your honour." I don't think he is capable 
 of comprehending anything like English chaff- 
 ing, a difficult enough matter, even for those 
 knowing the tongue. 
 
 226
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 227 
 
 Amber, the old capital of Rajputana, a few 
 miles from Jeypore, is what specially attracts 
 travellers, Lady Emily mentioned, and the next 
 day would be spent there. Her ladyship re- 
 gretted sickness had broken out that disabled the 
 Maharajah's elephants, therefore they could not 
 be used for the trip to Amber, so, much to my 
 relief, we should not be again mounted upon 
 those monstrous creatures. We drove through 
 wide, thronged streets, sprinkled by hand, from 
 pigskins, in the usual fashion; stopping at a 
 museum where vast numbers of Indian relics 
 have been collected, and passing crowds of tinsel- 
 attired women wearing rainbow-hued coverings, 
 turbaned men and Nautch girls, following wed- 
 ding processions, or drawn in large bullock carts. 
 An hour before reaching the deserted city of 
 Amber, palki, long covered litter-like boxes, 
 waited by the wayside for the Earl's party, 
 and in these odd vehicles, carried by four bear- 
 ers, the ascent to the ancient palace was made. 
 None seem to know why so fair a place has been 
 abandoned, " left to phantoms and to ghosts," 
 said Lady Emily. We mounted broad stone 
 steps, and crossed paved courtyards, passing 
 many fine pierced marble screens, and through 
 audience halls inlaid with large mirrors. When 
 the rooms are lighted these must shine most 
 brilliantly. After gathering flowers in a sadly- 
 neglected garden, tea was served on a balcony 
 overlooking a charming lake. 
 
 In returning to the pink, plastered streets of
 
 228 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 i 
 
 Jeypore, we met the Maharajah's cheetahs out 
 for exercise with their keepers. The leopards 
 wore funny leather hoods; something like caps, 
 upon their heads, and seemed quite tame, though 
 fierce enough once started after their prey, it is 
 said. Near the fountain where the cheetahs se- 
 dately paced, many street jugglers amused the 
 passers-by, and grain thrown into the air by an 
 emaciated long-bearded man attracted flocks of 
 beautiful pigeons that circled and wheeled about 
 his head as if thanking the aged man for their 
 supper, finally dropping to the ground and 
 gathering every kernel of corn. 
 
 On the way to Mount Abu, a breezy place 
 among high, barren hills, a few hours were spent 
 at Agmere, where the temples are especially 
 sacred. Upon the lake-like tank near many fine 
 ducks swam, diving under water and remaining 
 so long, before reappearing far from where they 
 went down, it seemed as if they could hardly 
 escape being suffocated. 
 
 The lavishly decorated Jain temples at Mount 
 Abu are marvellously rich in jewels. Such 
 splendid necklaces and ornaments of emeralds 
 and pearls it is a shame to bestow upon idols. 
 Interesting schools were visited not far from the 
 temples, where the English sisters teach and 
 help many poor children. With the British 
 Resident and other friends, the Countess and 
 Lady Emily made a rather exhausting excursion 
 to some mountain temples, going where the road 
 became so stony and steep it was impossible to
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 229 
 
 use the chairs, and the Countess was carried on 
 a wooden seat, supported between two coolies. 
 
 Hearing a vessel would sail two days later 
 from Bombay, touching at Egypt, the Earl de- 
 cided to go directly through by night train, in 
 order to avoid detention in a city where pesti- 
 lence has caused so many deaths. After leaving 
 Mount Abu in clumsy, heavy jinrickshaws 
 drawn by four bearers, the trip to Bombay was 
 hot and uninteresting. At many stations crowds 
 of frightened-looking people waited for trains 
 in which to escape from plague-stricken sur- 
 roundings. In some regions troops of wild 
 monkeys enlivened the scene. Whole families, 
 grandparents and children, evidently travelled 
 together, swinging swiftly from tree to tree, or 
 running hand in hand over the coarse jungle 
 grass. I hoped for a sight of those huge apes 
 called ourang-outangs ; but Mr. Stubbs believes 
 them far too knowing to leave the forests where 
 they build house-nests for themselves in the high 
 trees, and have a sort of intelligent language of 
 their own, some say, in which they converse. 
 
 In Bombay, a large city where many foreign- 
 ers reside, there was barely time for the shop- 
 ping always necessary before beginning long 
 voyages, and then with Lady Emily I drove to 
 Kandy Beach and upon Malabar Hill, seeing 
 those strange Towers of Silence, guarded by the 
 big vultures, patiently awaiting the bodies of 
 faithful Parsees, whose religious beliefs cause 
 their being exposed there, when death comes,
 
 230 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 for the birds to destroy. Long after the Tow- 
 ers of Silence had faded from sight, Lady Emily 
 watched the shores we were fast leaving, finally 
 pensively remarking, when the last glimpse of 
 land vanished, that having learned and enjoyed 
 so much more than she had anticipated in India, 
 it was indeed hard to leave, suddenly, such a 
 deeply interesting country.
 
 CHAPTER XL VII 
 
 ME. STUBBS finds considerable entertainment 
 in watching everything that happens on ship- 
 board. " Little worlds in themselves are these 
 big liners," he says, and thinks the P. & O.'s 
 especially interesting. All sorts of people were 
 travelling homeward, some jarring and object- 
 ing to everything; others, foolishly pleased over 
 being drenched with salt spray, sniffing in what 
 they call briny sea-breezes, even when the air 
 is simply foul with machinery oil, the worst of 
 bad smells, in his opinion. 
 
 The passengers were all devoted, so far as 
 she would permit to a sweet young English 
 widow, but a few weeks ago the adored, happy 
 bride of a gallant officer, who already had re- 
 ceived honourable mention for bravery as cap- 
 tain of a regiment of Highlanders serving in the 
 Punjab. He returned to England for their 
 marriage, and on the voyage back to India sud- 
 den illness came, undetected heart trouble it 
 was thought, though, later, letters were found 
 which showed knowledge of failing powers and 
 courage greater than his strength, and expressed 
 anxiety, should anything happen to him, 
 for the future of his girl wife, for both were 
 
 231
 
 232 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 orphans; her nearest relatives being cousins, 
 living in Switzerland for economy. After hours 
 of agony Captain Gordon passed away, con- 
 scious to the end. Committing his soul to God's 
 keeping, he begged his wife not to grieve, tell- 
 ing her to remember that from ocean depths 
 God would bring them together again, rejoicing. 
 Merciful unconsciousness spared her all knowl- 
 edge of the last rites when, wrapped in the flag, 
 her husband's body was lowered over the vessel's 
 side at sunset, and, until leaving the steamship 
 at Bombay, alone, the young wife, though re- 
 peating half-unconsciously, over and over, 
 'The sea shall give up her dead," was too 
 stunned to realize the desolating changes that 
 had come. 
 
 " Truly sorrow has crowned a young life," the 
 Countess said, when the broken-hearted girl, 
 whose earnest gray eyes still seemed watching 
 for him to whom her whole existence had been 
 given, was placed by the Metropolitan of India 
 under her ladyship's protection for the voyage 
 to England. 
 
 Always there must be a mascot, or ship's pet, 
 on long voyages, Mr. Stubbs declares; and cer- 
 tainly Miss Daisy was held to be this, by every- 
 body. She was a sturdy, happy child, not yet old 
 enough to understand the loneliness of her 
 father, a desolate-appearing major, deserted by 
 his heartless, shallow wife, one of those gay 
 Simla ladies, who, after three years of discon- 
 tented married life, eloped with a man as heart-
 
 lessly selfish as herself. The little girl, cling- 
 ing lovingly to her father or the faithful Indian 
 nurse, prattled joyfully of her dolls, or talked 
 of a cage of tame budjenegas she was taking 
 to her aunt; fortunately seeming never to miss 
 the mother, who had considered the innocent 
 child an intolerable burden. 
 
 Late one afternoon, when most on board were 
 resting or dressing for dinner, Mr. Stubbs went 
 on deck to fetch a lot of books left there by the 
 Earl, and found the small lady had captured a 
 very haughty, lofty-appearing Mrs. Mynvet, the 
 wife of an American millionaire, Mr. Stubbs 
 learned from her travelling servant, and daugh- 
 ter of revolutionary parents, some thought, ab- 
 horring everything British, disliking children 
 and opposed to the President's views. This lady, 
 a black lace scarf covering her high gray pom- 
 padour, and holding a jewelled lorgnon before 
 her extremely sharp eyes, had been persuaded 
 by Miss Daisy to drink make-believe doll's tea 
 with her. 
 
 Seated in a big deck chair by Mrs. Mynvet's 
 side, and holding a cup like a thimble, was that 
 very youthful curate, travelling on account of 
 a weak throat. He seemed always to be repeat- 
 ing to himself, " Reprove, rebuke, exhort! " 
 Standing near, also holding a tiny cup and 
 saucer, in a helpless, protesting fashion, was a 
 pale, gaunt French priest, wearing a broad- 
 brimmed large black beaver hat. His earnest, 
 worn face and grizzled hair told of hard work
 
 and recent illness ; never before had he been seen 
 speaking with any one. A huge rag-baby pre- 
 sided at one end of the toy table, in front of 
 which the child's low seat had been placed; hud- 
 dled on the deck behind, wrapped in her white 
 head covering, crouched the brown-hued, soft- 
 eyed ayah, who watched with beseeching, wistful 
 glances each motion of her golden-haired, im- 
 perious little mistress. 
 
 As soon as Mr. Stubbs appeared, waving 
 toward him an inch-high teapot, Miss Daisy 
 called loudly in her enticing child's voice, 
 " Come, please have a cup of tea wiff Daisy, 
 you very nice man; Daisy like ou ver much." 
 
 He had greatest difficulty in excusing himself, 
 getting away from the company with his arms 
 full of books and cushions, feeling, too, most un- 
 comfortable to seem to disappoint the dear little 
 lady he was always more than willing to oblige. 
 As Mr. Stubbs disappeared down the companion- 
 way, he heard Miss Daisy entreating one of the 
 sailors, a Lascar in bare feet, to join the party. 
 
 Sending fake telegrams is a favourite amuse- 
 ment on deck among the young people, and 
 those older make quite a serious game out of it, 
 looking up the names of such Indian places as 
 they have visited, in order to get them into the 
 messages. No two people appear to pronounce 
 the Hindustanee words in just the same way, 
 Lady Emily declares, and are always disagree- 
 ing or discussing sometimes not without tem- 
 per how they should be spelled, or where
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 235 
 
 accents must be placed. Her ladyship thinks 
 that having little else to do accounts for their 
 eagerness to prove themselves right in the pro- 
 nunciation each prefers. Three times she has 
 changed Baddulla, ba- bad- baddu, to suit dif- 
 ferent authorities, and now, notwithstanding all 
 protestations, intends going back to the way she 
 fancied right when she first saw the place. 
 
 Charades, scenes from " Kim," and a very 
 amusing little play called ' The Memsahib's 
 Cheetah," were given by the passengers, and a 
 song sung in a' droll rollicking manner by one of 
 the officers, a dapper, no longer youthful gen- 
 tleman, returning from special duty in Japan, 
 had great success: the refrain goes: 
 
 " I am a Jap, Jap, Jappy young man, 
 
 I copy them all I can, 
 Their arts and their ways, 
 
 Their pranks and their plays, 
 We follow them when we can." 
 
 Many constantly demanded " Tommy At- 
 kins " or " The Little Tin Soldier." Both Mr. 
 Stubbs and I preferred these to that one fre- 
 quently sung in a coquettish manner by a portly, 
 gypsy-appearing person, ordinarily very sedate 
 and settled: 
 
 " Tho' thou my love betray eth 
 I fain would hover near thee." 
 
 The dining-saloon stewards are fairly mad- 
 dened by the way they are harried and worried
 
 236 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 over the punkahs; passengers on one side of the 
 table requesting they shall be stopped on account 
 of too much wind, a perfect hurricane, they 
 call it. As some have bald heads it must be very 
 annoying. Those on the other side say they shall 
 be compelled to go without meals, if they are left 
 to gasp in such a temperature, without any breeze 
 whatever. They actually glare at one another, 
 expostulating and giving dreadful abuse in a 
 polite manner, one red-faced gentleman going 
 the length of denouncing a couple of lean, neu- 
 ralgic ladies opposite him, touring the world 
 alone, as malicious mummies, owing to their 
 tipping a steward to turn off the punkahs en- 
 tirely. 
 
 Some enjoy piano music in the deck saloon; 
 others go out, slamming doors violently, when- 
 ever music is mentioned. All agree in praising 
 the captain, a quiet, reserved gentleman, fond 
 of sketching, who seldom mingles with the pas- 
 sengers; but they complain of almost every- 
 body else, including the steamship company, 
 their agents, the quarters assigned, and their 
 treatment in general. Mr. Stubbs considers the 
 majority get far more comfort out of iced drinks 
 and dishes than from one another's company or 
 the thought of returning home. 
 
 One night, after a dance on deck, Lady Emily 
 came to the cabin, telling me she would change 
 the white taffeta and Irish lace gown her lady- 
 ship was wearing for a short skirt. A Swedish
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 237 
 
 astronomer attached to some scientific expedition 
 had promised to explain the constellations, should 
 the night continue cloudless; if they would go 
 to the ship's bow, he added, he could point out 
 the Southern Cross, stars the Earl had seen on 
 an earlier voyage, and her ladyship longed to 
 see. Wondrous things in the heavens were 
 shown through a small telescope, and even an 
 ordinary opera-glass helped in identifying the 
 more glowing stars, and in placing constellations, 
 her ladyship remarked later. The astronomer 
 thought it by no means impossible that in ages 
 to come, these throbbing planets differing from 
 one another in size and glory, may be investi- 
 gated by means of air ships. 
 
 From the Indian Ocean we entered the Red 
 Sea, many on board being decidedly disap- 
 pointed that no landing could be made at Aden. 
 Our vessel having come from an infected port, 
 passengers would be obliged to remain in quar- 
 antine for several days before entering the town. 
 An English lady, on her way home from Ne- 
 paul, had long counted on spending the twelve 
 hours in port with a married daughter, living 
 there, but could not go to her; and if the daugh- 
 ter came on board it would mean being quaran- 
 tined on returning to Aden, as though she, her- 
 self, had come from Bombay; so, instead of kiss- 
 ing the new grandchild, the little fellow was held 
 up, struggling and kicking, in his father's arms, 
 to be " kodaked," his parents later sailing around
 
 238 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 and around the ship, shouting greetings, and 
 receiving messages and gifts from the grand- 
 mother on deck. 
 
 One Sunday morning, while waiting outside 
 Lady Emily's cabin, the pleasantest mannered 
 old Scotch lady spoke to me. Her face was not 
 even elderly, but fair and frank as a child's, 
 the snowy hair being smoothed back in the way 
 her late Majesty always wore it. Mrs. Fraser 
 -for that was her name handed me a small 
 book, the Psalms of David, saying, in a kindly 
 way, " I am glad to ken a country woman of 
 my own is on board." She then told me, to 
 every native in India the Prayer Union, to which 
 she belongs, hopes to give at least some part of 
 the Scriptures, believing God's spirit leads minds 
 seeking light to comprehend that His kingdom 
 is within. 
 
 Mrs. Fraser had been visiting her nephew, a 
 medical missionary in Burmah, and was on her 
 way to Morocco, where a niece is serving as 
 trained nurse in a missionary hospital. She won- 
 dered if I knew we should soon pass near Mt. 
 Sinai, though uncertain whether the mountain 
 was actually visible from the Red Sea. To be 
 near so many of the ancient places mentioned in 
 the Bible thrills one. 
 
 The day proving intensely hot, the Captain 
 feared it might be necessary to reverse the en- 
 gines in order to give sufficient air in the engine 
 room, but a light breeze came up before sunset. 
 As I was leaving Mrs. Gordon's cabin in the
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 239 
 
 evening, for sometimes the stewardess per- 
 mitted me to do some little service for that dear 
 lady I heard Mrs. Fraser, who was often 
 there, reading aloud pleasant books about birds 
 and flowers, singing softly one of those quiet 
 old psalms I had not heard sung since faraway 
 days of childhood in Scotland; and then she 
 said, 
 
 " I am a lone woman, child, all have gone 
 before. Long ago the dear Lord led them to 
 His better country. You must bide a wee with 
 me in Aberdeen ; we will cheer one another when 
 shadows fall." There was no reply, but that 
 warm hand-clasp, and the only real smile I had 
 seen on the wan face meant a grateful heart, I 
 am sure. 
 
 The day before reaching Suez, we passed a 
 troop ship, outward bound for India. How 
 those brave boys, manning the rigging and 
 crowding the forward decks, did cheer while 
 flags were dipped and handkerchiefs waved 1 To 
 think but few, probably, would ever return to 
 their own land made my heart ache, longing for 
 the time when wars shall cease. 
 
 The following day we overtook a slow, rolling 
 vessel, filled high above the sea with cages, and 
 Mr. Stubbs ascertained it was a menagerie ship, 
 bound for some famous dealer in Germany. The 
 owners had been collecting wild beasts for 
 months, through Africa, Arabia and India. Mr. 
 Stubbs thinks they must have captured most of 
 the serpents and tigers ; for though before going
 
 240 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 to India he had felt rather alarmed about boa- 
 constrictors, lions and the like, he never saw a 
 tiger uncaged, nor a cobra out of a tamer's keep- 
 ing. The first night in a dak bungalow, he 
 did hear what he feared must be a large snake, 
 moving stealthily about, but found when he man- 
 aged to strike a match, it was a toad hopping 
 up against the wire-screened window, trying to 
 escape. 
 
 At Suez the Earl decided to disembark, and 
 go by rail to Cairo instead of keeping with the 
 vessel through the canal. That morning I heard 
 the curate telling the lady from Nepaul that he 
 had seen the sun set over Africa, and rise over 
 Asia. The pale, thin-locked, wrinkled man 
 standing near, a philosopher he styles him- 
 self, known on shipboard as the " dream gen- 
 tleman," because of his fondness for interpreting 
 his dreams to any one who will listen, remarked, 
 " This may be prophetic of coming events, 
 young friend. Before you long life stretches, 
 the wood for your coffin is still growing, years 
 ago mine was felled from the forest and awaits 
 me. Study the stars, and your night visions; 
 who knows which is the true life? Many find 
 happiness only in what are called dreams! " 
 
 We reached Cairo late in the evening, going 
 directly to that large hotel, surrounded by ex- 
 tensive grounds, and formerly a palace, where 
 spacious apartments had been reserved for the 
 Earl. The River Nile flows beneath the fine 
 bridge crossed in reaching the hotel.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 241 
 
 Busy days followed, the Countess and Lady 
 Emily paying visits and making many excur- 
 sions; while his lordship was repeatedly sent for 
 by that Earl who helps the Khedive in govern- 
 ing Egypt, consenting one evening to deliver 
 an address "an informal talk," according to 
 Mr. Stubbs at this gentleman's residence, and 
 no reporting permitted. Great Britain's foreign 
 policy was reviewed, his lordship declaring there 
 must be no wavering nor uncertainty over 
 boundary lines, and a clear understanding with 
 minor powers regarding the disposal of territory. 
 
 A very delightful expedition, Lady Emily 
 thought, the one made with a party of ladies and 
 gentlemen to the Sphinx, and large pyramids, 
 an afternoon's drive from Cairo. After seeing 
 some sports at a club beyond the golf links, 
 camels were mounted for the short ride to the 
 Pyramids. Lady Emily had considered much 
 written regarding one's sensations in riding 
 camels as absurd exaggeration, but believed these 
 descriptions fell far short of the truth, when her 
 own big brown beast, kneeling until she was in 
 the saddle, jerked out each leg separately, and 
 jolted himself into an upright position. Some- 
 thing gave way in his back, as well as in her 
 own, her ladyship feared, when he finally arose 
 from the sands, and plunged toward the Sphinx. 
 Two or three natives, Bedouins of the desert, 
 push and pull, insisting they are helping 
 travellers wishing to climb to the top of those 
 immense stone blocks forming the great pyra-
 
 242 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 mid. Lady Emily's arms ached for days after 
 this experience; though seeing that deep red 
 sunset glow over the sands, and upon that won- 
 derful Sphinx itself, well repaid for all fatigue, 
 and the moonlight drive back to Cairo her lady- 
 ship greatly enjoyed.
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII 
 
 WHILE waiting the following morning in a 
 victoria, near the hotel entrance, ready to start 
 on an excursion, arranged for that day, to those 
 smaller pyramids and tombs not far from Mem- 
 phis, a note was handed Lady Emily. Urgent 
 official business, the Earl wrote, obliged an im- 
 mediate interview with the Khedive, and rinding 
 neither interview nor excursion could be post- 
 poned he desired her ladyship should make the 
 trip accompanied by Stubbs and me, with Maha- 
 mud the guide. 
 
 This message was brought by a stranger who 
 explained that he was Achmud, Mahamud's 
 youngest brother, and that the latter, hurrying 
 from Cook's office with the tickets, had heed- 
 lessly pushed against a donkey standing in front 
 of Shepheard's hotel and been viciously kicked 
 by the brute, his wrist being completely disabled 
 and his ribs very painful. Stepping back to 
 Cook's he found Achmud, who was employed 
 there, though not as regular dragoman, how- 
 ever, and told him to run with the note and 
 tickets, and when the circumstances were ex- 
 plained to the Earl he felt sure Achmud would 
 
 243
 
 244 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 be permitted to replace Mahamud for that after- 
 noon. 
 
 Though hesitating about leaving without 
 Mahamud, as there was barely time to catch the 
 boat, Lady Emily wrote a line to the Countess, 
 who was resting after an exhausting morning 
 with mummies and other treasures at the Gizeh 
 Museum, and instructed the Syce, who always 
 runs before the Earl's carriage in Cairo, a 
 slim, white-garbed young fellow girded about 
 his waist with a wide, many-coloured silk sash, 
 to see that the note reached the Countess in an 
 hour. 
 
 Although not long past midday, a delight- 
 fully cool breeze blew over the Nile, the wind 
 so strong that, owing to my failing to securely 
 fasten Lady Emily's veil, it was carried off, 
 sinking immediately into the river, and along 
 with it, I am sorry to say, that much prized pearl 
 pin, a Christmas gift at Calcutta. Mr. Stubbs 
 placed chairs well forward on deck, and the river 
 trip seemed very short. We passed a small 
 island, and on it, or among the reeds and bul- 
 rushes near, the infant Moses had been found 
 by Pharaoh's daughter, Lady Emily has been 
 told. 
 
 In landing at our destination, Lady Emily 
 was the last to leave the boat, and, as she stepped 
 ashore, the dust ruffle on her ladyship's skirt 
 caught on a nail, tearing away yards of fawn 
 silk, and loosening the upper flounce. Pinning 
 seemed useless, although Mr. Stubbs handed me
 
 two or three strong pins always carried by him 
 under his coat collar, so her ladyship said she 
 would sit under some date palm trees on the 
 bank near the landing, and when the other pas- 
 sengers there were not many on the boat, and 
 these were busy selecting donkeys left, I could 
 get out my pocket sewing case, and put a few 
 stitches in the torn flounce. 
 
 The repairs were soon finished, and Achmud 
 then brought three donkeys; one, a rather fierce 
 looking, large, whitish animal, Lady Emily 
 chose; a smaller donkey for Mr. Stubbs, and 
 a quite meek-looking one, I was rejoiced to see, 
 led up for me. Each donkey had a boy at its 
 head; alert, clever little brown chaps they are, 
 their thin, lithe bodies clad mostly in dull blue 
 cotton shirts. We went slowly, so I felt little 
 alarm. 
 
 After passing many partly veiled women, 
 walking single file, and balancing on their heads 
 large earthen water-pots, we came to some huge 
 stone figures lying prostrate on the ground, and 
 going a mile or more farther over the desert 
 sands beyond, we reached several small pyra- 
 mids and tombs. A few workmen Egyptians 
 were digging in the sands and wheeling bar- 
 rows; but the tourists from the Cairo boat had 
 disappeared. Achmud advised keeping to the 
 right of the diggers; but Mr. Stubbs, seeing an 
 opening, or entrance into the sand at the left, 
 felt very sure it led inside the pyramid where 
 Lady Emily wished to go. Accordingly, as
 
 246 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Achmud had not been to the place since recent 
 excavations had changed the surroundings, her 
 ladyship decided to keep to the left and entered 
 a passage cut into the sand bank. For some 
 distance standing upright was possible, then the 
 path began descending; one had to stoop, and 
 finally the tunnel became so low and narrow, 
 getting on hands and knees was necessary. 
 
 Lady Emily concluded to go on, however, a 
 glimmering light being seen ahead, and turning 
 seemed quite out of the question. We crawled 
 seventy feet further perhaps, when suddenly all 
 before us became absolutely black. Had our 
 eyes failed, or was there a massive something 
 approaching in front, breathing hard and gasp- 
 ing? A moment later we heard voices, and then 
 Lady Emily called, " Don't move, please," and 
 that same second, from behind, Mr. Stubbs ex- 
 claimed, " Move on, keep moving, please," quite 
 in the tones of a London policeman. Some one 
 then demanded, " Why don't you obey the signs? 
 Go back!" And shrill voices together cried, 
 "Halt, halt! bitte! Ach, ach, ja, ja!" "Im- 
 possible! Let the ladies pass out first!" came 
 excitedly from the rear. Finally a man's voice 
 from the other side shouted, " You have no right 
 to come this way, and must go back." So, 
 though Achmud, who could neither see nor un- 
 derstand what was going on, continued screech- 
 ing, " Back, back, go back ! " Lady Emily re- 
 plied, " Turning is impossible. You must wait 
 where you are until we can get out." In crab
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 247 
 
 fashion, but very slowly, on our knees we backed 
 to where walking was possible, and on reaching 
 daylight I saw Lady Emily could never again 
 wear that beige foulard, it was that frayed, be- 
 draggled, and torn from the band in front; and 
 her ladyship's gloves were cut into holes by the 
 gravel. 
 
 Quietly handing me his pocket brush, Mr. 
 Stubbs slipped off with Achmud who was half 
 whimpering and upbraiding to look for the 
 sign. Sure enough it was there, telling travel- 
 lers, in three languages, that entrance was for- 
 bidden; but the board on which the notice was 
 posted had been blown or thrown over upon its 
 face in the sand. Achmud did look crestfallen, 
 though wanting to blame Mr. Stubbs for coun- 
 selling keeping to the left; and Mr. Stubbs, too, 
 had anything but a happy expression, his face 
 purple, his collar almost gone, and his tie awry. 
 
 Presently an extremely corpulent lady, pant- 
 ing and shaking off dust, as she came out from 
 the sandhill for that is what it was, under a 
 corner of the pyramid, but not a pyramid at all 
 began speaking reproachfully in German. 
 
 The ancients, it appears, fearing that the 
 burial places of their rulers might be molested, 
 contrived false tomb chambers, or mask walls, 
 to mislead. The directors of these excavations, 
 finding one of those masked places, left it as 
 discovered, thinking it of interest to the public. 
 From one side the passage was fairly easy, until 
 passing the false tomb about the middle; the
 
 248 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 walls there having been slightly pierced, light 
 penetrated. At this point, the guides usually 
 advise travellers to return the same way, unless 
 exceptionally slender and active. The Arabs, 
 moreover, having long ago been misled by the 
 mask wall, had tunnelled from the other end, 
 hoping to get the treasures they supposed hidden 
 in the tomb. The excavators left this cutting 
 also, so those interested might see how the at- 
 tempt had been made, and the notice at the 
 mouth of the tunnel prevented entering, of 
 course, as the regular guides knew, from 
 that side to the passage and false tomb. 
 
 Following the stout, angered German lady, 
 came a tall, shuffling, rather loosely-put-to- 
 gether, sullen-featured boy. His hair stood 
 straight up from his forehead, a big solar-tope 
 surrounding the back of his head like a halo. 
 Behind him appeared a shy -mannered girl, wear- 
 ing blue glasses; long braids of fair hair hang- 
 ing at the back. Coughing and choking from 
 the dust, she stooped to pick up a big ornamental 
 button, burst from her mother's attire during 
 violent sneezing. Next her, a middle-aged lady 
 emerged from the opening. She was pale and 
 exhausted, seeming delicate in health. Her blue 
 velvet bonnet was wreathed with humming birds. 
 I noticed this the first thing, as the Countess 
 and Lady Emily permit nothing of the sort on 
 their hats. Fairly scrambling behind the fragile, 
 fatigued lady, came a short, thick-set gentleman, 
 round, protruding eyes rolling under a brown
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 249 
 
 bowler hat pushed well back from his perspiring 
 forehead. Advancing directly towards Lady 
 Emily, dusting his boots with his handkerchief, 
 he held out a card, saying, the voice I recog- 
 nized as the one that shouted " Let the ladies 
 out first," when nobody in the tunnel could 
 move, " My name is Bangser, Philadelphia, 
 U. S. A., at your service." This introduction 
 sounded like a challenge to a duel, Lady Emily 
 later told the Countess; and thanking him, her 
 ladyship pointed to the notice that Achmud was 
 then trying to set up again, saying, its having 
 fallen face downward in the sand must be the 
 excuse for having gone into the passage by a 
 forbidden entrance. 
 
 The gentleman replied, " That's all right, 
 don't mention it; accidents will happen, you 
 know." 
 
 Lady Emily, I could see, hoped the tourists 
 would then move on, but Mr. Bangser came 
 nearer, pressing together his lips, and in lower 
 tones continued, " That German lady is an 
 extinguisher, isn't she? Never saw her until 
 this afternoon. She talks English most as well 
 as we do and says she was born in Pennsylvania, 
 just across the river from us. The boy looks a 
 leetle unbalanced, don't he? " Continuing with- 
 out waiting for response, " Presume you're new- 
 comers in Egypt. We have been here nearly 
 three weeks; seen pretty much everything worth 
 seeing up to Philae, and back ; done a good deal 
 of shopping, too, not bothering much with
 
 250 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 guides, either. We are fixing over our place at 
 Weischigen Mounts. Nothing like it in that 
 section when finished, I can tell you. Our son 
 Herbie's the smartest boy in the Schigens High 
 School; stands head in everything; sets there 
 just hauling in prizes, and when it comes time 
 for him to heir my property I propose he shall 
 have something worth talking about. I ain't 
 sparing funds needed on account of decorations; 
 some of our frescoes by first-class Philadelphia 
 artists, I am told, we haven't been in Rome 
 yet, beat the old masters hollow. Before wife 
 and me caught on serious to this mummy business 
 our dragerman that biggest fellow you see 
 selling his photos, sometimes about the hotel 
 doors, but oftener near the Cairo bridge where, 
 he says, the air reminds him of his native desert, 
 - well, he simply despises those interfering gold- 
 banded hotel porters, and says beware of them 
 and everything they recommend, offering, him- 
 self, to advise tourists about reliable antiques; 
 this not being his regular profession he don't 
 think it right to charge, however. 
 
 " A true child of the desert, Shakba declares 
 he is; but knows at a glance, he says, whether 
 people are the right sort; and those capable of 
 appreciating antiques he can tell the instant he 
 sees them. Observing how anxious we were to 
 secure a few real specimens Shakba just hinted, 
 at first, that he might induce his aged uncle, a 
 Bedouin Sheik, sort of lawyer, or judge, this 
 means one trusted absolutely by everybody hav-
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 251 
 
 ing dealings with this old party, to part with 
 provided we pledged ourselves to keep the trans- 
 action private one of the most authentic Amen 
 Ra samples, come at perfectly regular by the 
 Sheik in a little confidential trading; but the 
 smallest joints, even, such as toes or vertebre 
 we soon found were held at museum specimen 
 figures, ' too extravagant for us now with a 
 depressed money market and stocks flighty,' 
 Mrs. B. says. We did buy, however, a dozen 
 tomb necklaces, scarabs, and lots of those blue 
 idols, pretty white inside, though, for ancients, 
 if you crack 'em open. Now we are negotiating 
 for a couple of mummies, and I've my eye on a 
 sacred bull, too. The mummies look like the 
 real thing. One's a thousand years old, if it's 
 a day; the other, smaller, shorter and more 
 shrivelled, from the price ought to belong to an 
 earlier dynasty, but wife suspicions chemicals; 
 says, ' Silas, you may believe me or not, but 
 depend on it, that smallest, most shrunken one 
 was stirring about above ground on our wedding 
 day! ' Short of thirteen years ago, that is. I'd 
 have scruples over anything so recent as that; 
 but when you get to four figures, it does seem 
 to make a difference." 
 
 Lady Emily appeared decidedly uncertain 
 what to reply to all this, and the German lady, 
 having now finished straightening her daughter's 
 hat, and shaking sand out of their shoes, came 
 nearer, remarking in a general way and speak- 
 ing English easily, " I don't like Egypt, it is too
 
 hot, and the eating is so poor, but my children 
 persuaded me to come, just as I was beginning 
 spring house-cleaning. Husband is home, the 
 head of a wholesale sausage house in Hamburg, 
 but worse than useless for cleaning; forgets 
 most everything but to eat his meals. Karl 
 there, he's just turned fourteen, you never would 
 believe from his size, though, that he wasn't 
 years older, his hair has stood up that way ever 
 since he got his second teeth; outgrew his 
 strength; he's studying to be a cornetist, if his 
 father will forgive his not carrying on the Ham- 
 burger business; and did also get into a little 
 trouble with the police nothing serious accord- 
 to my views (having been born in America and 
 only coming to the f aderland to marry my hus- 
 band) ; but Karl, he got overheard declaring 
 the motif of the Kaiser's opera all wrong, and 
 that had it been written by plain Wilhelm 
 Kaiser, instead of Kaiser Wilhelm, it never 
 would have seen the Berlin boards. My lawyer 
 said, ' Better take him away, Frau Schneider, 
 or you will have " lese-majeste " upon you, 
 before you know it.' You are liable to that most 
 anywhere in Germany, you know. Many times 
 have I been homesick for Hamburg, since we 
 started in seeing all these ancient tombs." 
 
 Mr. Bangser nodded in a sympathizing way, 
 and then added, " You never can tell what po- 
 tentates and paladines will do if they get a 
 chance; our senators and congressmen are 
 cranky enough, without referring to ward poli-
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 253 
 
 ticians or all those regular bosses in every de- 
 partment, but kaisers and czars must be worse. 
 I guess we will get along well enough without 
 them in our country, if we steer clear of foreign 
 entanglements, and some of the broils you would 
 not be sorry to have us mix up in. A friend of 
 mine, paymaster in the navy, and just from Con- 
 stantinople, tells me that Sultan there fears to 
 go to bed, and is afraid to get up on account of 
 assassins. He stopped a lot of Saint Paul's 
 Epistles, the other day, from getting to the mis- 
 sionaries, because of that one beginning, * O, 
 foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you? ' 
 insisting this was an underhand way of inciting 
 the people of Galatia to insurrections and mas- 
 sacre. Those Turkish war vessels are the laugh- 
 ing stock of naval men ; have to borrow powder, 
 if asked to fire honorary salutes, I'm informed." 
 
 While this conversation went on Achmud had 
 brought up the donkeys again, and Lady Emily 
 said to Mrs. Bangser, before proceeding to more 
 tombs and mummies, she hoped they would be 
 none the worse for the unexpected encounter in 
 the tunnel. 
 
 We spent but a few moments in those rock- 
 hewn tombs, where Sacred Apis bulls are buried 
 in small chapel-like enclosures, if one may use 
 such a word in connection with beasts, and I 
 was thankful to be safe on the Nile boat again, 
 without further mishap. Just as we reached 
 midstream Mr. Bangser rushed down the bank, 
 the others following, some on donkeys in clouds
 
 254 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 of dust and pursued by beggars clamouring 
 " Backsheesh, backsheesh, give prissent, pris- 
 sent." 
 
 The short gentleman waved a long white thing 
 Mr. Stubbs believed to be the thigh-bone of an 
 ox, and shouted, " Stop, you have left us." The 
 captain refused, however, to make the landing 
 again, saying he was late already, and a boat 
 would be along from the sugar mills in half an 
 hour, and by that passengers could reach Cairo 
 before nine o'clock. 
 
 They did not fail to return safely, for the 
 next morning, when the Countess and Lady 
 Emily were selecting rugs in the bazaars, her 
 ladyship saw the party choosing narghilehs at 
 a Turkish cigarette shop, the wily Turk having 
 persuaded Mr. Bangser to sit cross-legged - 
 not an easy matter and to puff away at a long 
 pipe, while the others sipped coffee, and bar- 
 gained with peddlers who came to the door for 
 gold-embroidered scarfs, combs, scarabs, per- 
 fumes and reed pens, all, the sellers declared, 
 being fresh from temple tombs of the upper 
 Nile. 
 
 A day or two after this excursion to the Mem- 
 phis tombs, we started by train for Alexandria. 
 From this port Lady Emily was decidedly 
 pleased to find a vessel could be taken, that per- 
 mitted stopping in Greece for a few days. The 
 Earl constantly talked of Athens, her ladyship 
 said, having spent a winter there with his tutor 
 before going to Oxford ; and since visiting India,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 255 
 
 she herself has thought far more of heroes, and 
 such brave deeds as one reads of in Greek history ; 
 but had not believed seeing those beautiful is- 
 lands would be possible, on their way to Italy. 
 From Alexandria, once an important city 
 with its grand library, we went by a comfortable 
 steamship, passing the Isle of Crete, to Pireus. 
 Mr. Stubbs is indeed more than kind, for he sat 
 up most of the night after finishing his duties 
 in the Earl's cabin with one of the stewards, 
 ill with hemorrhages, an Irishman from Baity- 
 shannon town, who, the ship's surgeon thinks, is 
 well gone in consumption. The poor fellow 
 used to be on those big liners between Queens- 
 town and New York, but drifted into the Medi- 
 terranean service on account of Ms weak lungs. 
 He has not a living soul connected with him but 
 a sister, and she is married. Still, it was not 
 dying he so much minded, " but dying away 
 from Ireland takes a man's courage," he told 
 Mr. Stubbs, and then said, " On some ships they 
 give a turn-off of the electricity before midnight, 
 you know, just to show lights will soon be out. 
 I've had that notice, Mr. Stubbs; the warning 
 has come, but the light will linger a little while 
 yet."
 
 CHAPTER XLIX 
 
 A BEAUTIFULLY clear, early spring morning 
 we landed at Pireus, and drove before breakfast 
 having just a cup of coffee on leaving the ves- 
 sel in open carriages to Athens. Mr. Stubbs 
 and I had the small pieces the larger ones hav- 
 ing been sent to the hotel by train or tram in 
 a victoria behind the Earl's. I could see his 
 lordship pointing out most delightedly to Lady 
 Emily the various sights and buildings, before 
 we stopped at a large hotel on a square, near 
 the Royal Palace that fronts it and a long 
 straight street. Beyond and behind the large, 
 white residence of the King and Queen are beau- 
 tiful gardens, and, crowning a hill not far dis- 
 tant, stands the Parthenon, one of the grandest, 
 most admired buildings of the world. 
 
 The next morning the Earl's old guide, Mr. 
 Thanasis Dimacopoulos, now an aged man, came 
 and begged to show the honourable young lady, 
 as he called Lady Emily, the scenes he, long 
 before her birth, had shown his lordship. Many 
 deeply interesting places were visited: temples, 
 ruins, tombs. Cheerful places the cemeteries 
 must have been, from the sculptures, still re- 
 maining, that once adorned them. The faces 
 have a calm, smiling expression, as if those who 
 
 256
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 257 
 
 carved them, and friends left on this earth, really 
 believed their dear ones have entered a world 
 of light and happiness. Modern Greeks have, 
 depressed feelings, we are told, over troublous 
 times, and the poverty in Greece, and there is 
 sadness everywhere because the ancient glory of 
 their kingdom has departed. They fear, too, 
 being overcome by the Turks, or some covetous 
 European power. 
 
 After visiting the Museum, the Countess and 
 Lady Emily went with the British Minister and 
 his wife to have private audience of the Queen. 
 King George is a son of the venerable King of 
 Denmark, accordingly, of course, brother to our 
 own lovely Queen Alexandra. The sovereign's 
 wife, a beautiful Russian princess, received the 
 Countess most graciously, Lady Emily said, ask- 
 ing many questions about Japan, visited years 
 ago by one of the Grecian princes, her Majesty's 
 son, with the Czarwitch, now Emperor of Rus- 
 sia. Tea was served on a terrace opening into 
 charming gardens, where Lady Emily walked 
 with one of the maids of honour. 
 
 An excursion was arranged by some English 
 and foreign residents for the following day, a 
 battle-field called Marathon having been chosen 
 as the place of meeting. Mr. Stubbs, on the box 
 of one of the carriages for the long drive, heard 
 much talk about the battle, and kept also sharp 
 lookout for bandits, having been told the Greek 
 highways are none too safe, even in these days. 
 A rather windy spot, Mr. Stubbs considered, on
 
 258 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 top of a mound, was selected for spreading out 
 the luncheon ; but as one of the gentlemen, read- 
 ing from a book, declared it to be surely the true 
 site, overlooking a plain, where the battle must 
 have occurred, all seemed satisfied. The fight 
 must have happened long ago, Mr. Stubbs con- 
 cluded. 
 
 After lunching he found a sheltered nook 
 behind some rocks, or ruins. Here, closing his 
 eyes for awhile, he tried to imagine the whole 
 scene: great guns booming, shells bursting, sol- 
 diers rushing hither and thither, all eager for 
 slaughter. History is not his strong point, Mr. 
 Stubbs is bound to say, and he cannot call him- 
 self a prodigious reader, though those lines 
 learned as a lad he could almost recite back- 
 wards now: 
 
 " First William the Conqueror, 
 Then William his son." 
 
 It goes on like this for twenty or more lines; 
 very handy and useful in getting at the kings. 
 In thinking over those battles and struggles of 
 ancient times, he is reminded of verses his Irish 
 grandmother used to sing: 
 
 " If I were King of France, 
 Or still better, Pope of Rome, 
 I'd have no fighting men abroad, 
 Nor weeping maids at home; 
 But this thing I would ordain, 
 For I am sure it would be right, 
 That those who make the battles 
 Shall be the only ones to fight."
 
 Moreover, these lines he believes were written 
 before the days of Krupp and other great rapid- 
 firing destroyers, and recalls his grandmother's 
 telling him that, in her day, children were 
 frightened by threats of Napoleon's catching 
 them. " Old Bony will be after you," was the 
 terrifying assertion, when they quarrelled or 
 were disobedient. 
 
 The ladies appeared delighted at finding some 
 stalks of wild fennel and several big green 
 leaves, most appropriate upon that mound, 
 they commented; but a sort of weed, in Mr. 
 Stubbs's opinion to which the name acanthus 
 was given. Mr. Stubbs pressed a leaf for me, 
 with two violet-coloured anemones and a red 
 poppy. 
 
 On the way back to Athens the party stopped 
 at a farmhouse, getting honey there from bees 
 feeding upon wild flowers growing on the slopes 
 of Mount Hymettus; and arrived in the city 
 in time to dine at the Minister's; then started 
 off to see the Parthenon by moonlight, return- 
 ing after late supper, with some Americans who 
 had been on the excursion to Marathon : a rather 
 exhausting day, Mr. Stubbs considered it. 
 " You never feel precisely the same when you 
 make your noon meal a picnic, especially if, at 
 the same time, you are watching out for brig- 
 ands." 
 
 On Sunday Mr. Stubbs and I walked to Mars 
 Hill, passing many ancient monuments and 
 places of assembly, where you see the very seats,
 
 260 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 hundreds of years ago occupied by wise teachers 
 and students. Here it is that the apostle Saint 
 Paul taught, advising the Athenians as to what 
 is right, and how to avoid wrong. Mr. Stubbs 
 comprehends these teachings far better than the 
 talk about that Parthenon, and those more 
 heathen temples. A very loose, mixed state of 
 things came through getting away from simple 
 principles, and not doing your plain duty, as 
 admonished by all Saint Paul pointed out and 
 declared. He was a wise one for directing 
 women, as well as men. 
 
 Nowadays there is far too little subjection; 
 too much setting up to know by the weaker sex, 
 and alarming attempts to direct the stronger 
 vessels. Mr. Stubbs firmly believes it takes 
 more than Solomon's wisdom to convince such 
 that they are off the straight road.
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 A VERY agreeable, instructive day was spent 
 at a place several hours from Athens, where 
 much digging has recently been done, in the 
 hope of discovering buried treasures, gold orna- 
 ments, marbles, and the like, Lady Emily said, 
 and to learn more respecting the ways of the 
 ancients; and, before leaving Greece, the Earl 
 shipped to England many beautiful little fig- 
 ures, especially selected for his lordship's ap- 
 proval by Mr. Dimacopoulos. These were dug 
 from tombs or temples Tanagra, the Countess 
 calls them to add to the collection, one of the 
 finest in Great Britain, gathered years ago by 
 the late Earl. 
 
 A yachting trip from Athens to Corinth was 
 made by the Earl, Countess and Lady Emily, 
 Mr. Stubbs and I following by rail with the 
 luggage. The air of Greece is delightfully cool, 
 after Egypt, and from the window of the rail- 
 way compartment glimpses of the sea and dis- 
 tant islands also, can be seen, making the land- 
 scape unusually charming. 
 
 We stopped the night at a clean, Greek inn, 
 and the following day Lady Emily rode with the 
 Earl to precipitous heights above the town. Her 
 
 261
 
 262 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 ladyship considered the view of mountains and 
 sea from Acro-Corinthus glorious; and his lord- 
 ship's knowledge of ancient fables and history 
 makes such excursions not easily forgotten. The 
 Earl and Lady Emily rested, read and sketched, 
 after lunching, upon the top of this rocky hill 
 a rough climb for the horses, over little used 
 roads where there are ruins of some sort, 
 until nearly sunset. Coming down, they tasted 
 the Grecian wine at a vine-trellised tavern, a 
 delightfully shaded place. One enormously 
 large vine with far-reaching branches looked as 
 if it might have shadowed the portico for hun- 
 dreds of years. The wine was rather bitter ; but, 
 having very little alcohol added to the grapes, is 
 considered wholesome. 
 
 That morning at Corinth, after his lordship 
 and Lady Emily started on the excursion, I 
 was greatly pleased to have the Countess ask me 
 to read aloud the Epistle written by St. Paul 
 to the people of this very Corinth. Her lady- 
 ship's eyes had been somewhat troublesome, ow- 
 ing to the glare and dust of Egypt, where, 
 in the shape of tormenting flies, one of the 
 plagues still remains, and that her ladyship 
 could put up with my stumbling Scotch way of 
 pronouncing gave me pleasure. Though I was 
 a little nervous, her ladyship kindly assured me 
 that I had a pleasant voice. 
 
 The next move was by rail, part of the way 
 skirting the shores of the sea most blue and 
 sparkling in the warm sunlight, to Olympia.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 263 
 
 Here, centuries ago, among green hills and 
 swift-flowing streams, renowned athletic con- 
 tests were held. One can now trace the outlines 
 of those once splendidly adorned buildings and 
 see the wonderful statues unearthed from ruins 
 of arenas and colonnades. When all is explained 
 one feels he almost hears the shouts of applaud- 
 ing, struggling multitudes, and sees wreaths 
 given the victors, just as crowds now applaud 
 our wrestling matches, or the winners of the 
 Derby and at Ascot. 
 
 From Olympia, the trip to Patras was agree- 
 able and not long. After a day's wait there, an 
 Austrian steamer bound for Corfu came into 
 port, and in this vessel the Earl's party made 
 the short voyage, leaving the steamer for a few 
 hours at Corfu, and driving on this charming 
 island to a beautiful villa, where that lovely, un- 
 fortunate Empress Elizabeth passed some of her 
 happiest days. The marble terraces, overlook- 
 ing peaceful, shining waters, and shaded paths 
 leading to tiny coves or sheltered beaches, are 
 unchanged since their royal owner's death. It 
 saddens the Countess, remembering how one so 
 true and gifted suffered, dying cruelly alone, at 
 last, in a strange land. 
 
 Before the steamship sailed, a former lady-in- 
 waiting to the Empress revisiting Corfu en 
 souvenir, Lady Emily believes, of her dearly 
 loved lamented mistress came on board. This 
 lady has lived in London and spoke English 
 without foreign accent. She talked most inter-
 
 264 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 estingly of past days, telling of walks, drives 
 and moonlit nights by calm waters of the Ionian 
 Sea, and amid those poetic surroundings of the 
 Villa Achilleon. In whatever part of the world 
 she may be, one of her greatest pleasures is 
 watching the sunsets, whether twilight comes 
 with simply a deep red glow, as frequently she 
 recalls having seen beyond Kensington Gardens; 
 or isles of flame arise in azure seas, as she has 
 witnessed among peaks in the Dolomites. She 
 ever loves to associate this tranquil hour with the 
 Empress, it was so often spent with her whose 
 noble spirit she believes still enjoys all that is 
 glorious in a happier world. With the last per- 
 ceptible dip of the sun a vivid green flash always 
 comes, the lady said, and this final gleam, as the 
 sun slips away, she likes to regard as a signal 
 from the shores to which her Empress has gone.
 
 CHAPTER LI 
 
 THOUGH reaching the harbour of Brindisi late 
 in the day, the landing was speedily accom- 
 plished, the Earl and Countess expressing much 
 pleasure at being again in Italy. Before noon 
 the following morning we started by train for 
 Salerno, stopping there to enable the Earl to 
 show Lady Emily those magnificent ruins, the 
 temples at Paestum. All that day we were pass- 
 ing through charming scenes; small gray towns 
 clinging to terraced mountain slopes; castles 
 perched high on solitary rocks, and sometimes 
 having glimpses, from the train, of the Mediter- 
 ranean, before reaching Salerno, just as the 
 lights began shining out from the peasants' cot- 
 tages. 
 
 From Salerno, one of the most charming 
 drives imaginable was made to Amalfi. There, 
 far above the sea, we lodged in what had once 
 been an ancient monastery, overlooking the blue 
 waters. All wished days could be spent here, 
 for they would pass far too quickly, gazing out 
 between the vine-festooned columns of that 
 lovely pergola. From this exquisite spot the 
 road leads to Sorrento, where, among orange, 
 lemon and olive trees, on a steep bluff overhang- 
 
 265
 
 ing the bay, most comfortable hotels have been 
 built, with views of islands and sea one could 
 never tire of looking upon. 
 
 To Capri a dreamlike place, Lady Emily 
 thought the Earl took the Countess and her 
 ladyship the following morning. After leaving 
 the boat, having to climb high cliffs, the Countess 
 rode a gentle donkey; but Lady Emily pre- 
 ferred walking with the Earl to the tiny inn, 
 where a delicious luncheon was served on a 
 sheltered terrace above vines and blossoming 
 trees, with views of Mount Vesuvius, the Bay 
 of Naples and Sorrento, beautiful almost beyond 
 belief if one has not beheld with one's own eyes 
 such enchanting scenes. 
 
 While eating luncheon the freshest of fish, 
 omelette, macaroni, cooked as one never gets it 
 out of Italy, declared his lordship; asparagus 
 daintily prepared, and fruits feathery clouds 
 of smoke gathered above the volcano, sometimes 
 shaped like a huge bird with outstretched wings; 
 again, as the wind varied, becoming floating 
 banners, or trailing streamers, reminding one of 
 the awful calamity that, almost without warning, 
 blotted out this charming prospect, burying in 
 lava, or smothering in ashes, the light-hearted 
 Pompeians, who, rejoicing in the beauty of their 
 vine-covered hills and sparkling waters sur- 
 rounding them, never dreamed that overwhelm- 
 ing peril could be near. 
 
 After luncheon, the Earl and Lady Emily 
 were rowed to a wonderful cavern. One enters
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 267 
 
 through a small opening under the cliffs, and 
 once inside, the large grotto seems flooded with 
 blue moonlight. A fascinating place it is, weird 
 and haunting, quite different from any other 
 caves Lady Emily has seen. The water drip- 
 ping from the oars looks like drops of liquid 
 silver, and the walls have a shining, starry ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 Having the day free, Mr. Stubbs and I took 
 a fly for the afternoon, making a nice turn along 
 the shores before walking to a hill-top where 
 there is a fine agricultural school founded by the 
 government for the training of young Italians. 
 Expert gardeners and cultivators of the soil they 
 become, we were told. Few meadows yield 
 larger, more luxurious crops than these of Italy, 
 and the vines easily rival those of France and 
 Spain. The students find their way to foreign 
 lands, too, as not many of the great land owners 
 in Italy pay the wages good workmen can get 
 in America and other countries; so emigration 
 increases, and very low passage rates are charged 
 by the steamship companies to American and 
 other ports. 
 
 As we descended the hill, admiring the scen- 
 ery and those lanes, shaded by olive and orange 
 trees, where the golden fruit and fragrant blos- 
 soms hang temptingly over gray, moss-grown 
 walls, Mr. Stubbs remarked, he should have to 
 choose, he feared, between ascending Vesuvius 
 by the funicular, or seeing Pompeii, his lord- 
 ship having intimated that a very short stay
 
 would be made in Naples. Half a day off 
 would be the most he could expect, and though 
 disliking to give up the volcano, having read 
 about those last days in Pompeii, he felt he could 
 by no means miss the sights there, and if it came 
 to a choice, should decide in favour of the buried 
 city. 
 
 The Earl had accepted, for himself, and Lady 
 Emily also, he was inclined to think, the invita- 
 tion of a noted Italian professor who makes a 
 specialty of diggings, to accompany a party 
 of naval officers from our war ships then in 
 the harbour, to Pompeii the next day, there- 
 fore he feared my chances of seeing the ruins 
 doubtful and, in case I did not, would endeav- 
 our to remember everything interesting, and on 
 returning relate his experiences to me. 
 
 We lingered along the pleasant lanes, stop- 
 ping here and there to gather wild flowers and 
 twigs of those silvery-lined olive leaves, resting 
 awhile by the wayside shrines one constantly sees 
 in Italy, so it was getting late, and already a 
 decided evening chill was in the air, before we 
 turned into a wider road, leading towards the 
 hotels. Just here we heard a tremendous clat- 
 tering of horses' hoofs, as a man dashed past 
 at full speed, leaning far over his horse's neck, 
 and urging the poor beast, by voice and whip, to 
 still greater effort. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs and I, having barely time to get 
 out of the terrified animal's way, were quite 
 breathless for a moment, and then, hearing
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 269 
 
 warning shouts ahead, again attempted to climb 
 upon the high stone wall, somewhat broken down 
 near where we stood. An instant later two 
 horses attached to a victoria galloped up the 
 road, the vehicle swaying and swerving from 
 side to side in an appalling manner, like the 
 fire department's engines tearing through our 
 London streets, in response to an alarm of fire. 
 On the top two men were seated, or rather, one 
 half stood by the driver, grasping the side of the 
 carriage with one hand, while the other held a 
 pistol apparently levelled directly at us. It 
 gave Mr. Stubbs and me a turn, but before 
 there was a chance to speak, the carriage thun- 
 dered by. The horses, it was easy to see, were 
 fairly exhausted, disappearing beneath low 
 arched trees, where the road leads towards the 
 water. 
 
 As we hurried forward in the direction of the 
 town, a mile or more away, a constable, or armed 
 guard, rode up, and speaking in English, asked 
 Mr. Stubbs if we had met any one on the road. 
 He then said some official connected with one of 
 the Naples banks had stolen securities, funds 
 and other valuables belonging to the depositors. 
 His defalcations having that day been discov- 
 ered, he was making a desperate effort to escape 
 with his booty to a yacht, waiting, it was con- 
 jectured, somewhere off the coast, in readiness 
 to convey him across to Africa. This scheme 
 would probably succeed, he being popular in 
 the neighbourhood, having posed as a philan-
 
 270 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 thropist, while spending others' money; and 
 knowing well, also, many secure cavern hiding 
 places in the cliffs that were inaccessible from the 
 sea, except at low tide, but reached from the 
 land side by secret winding passages, tunnelled 
 for a great distance, and the openings carefully 
 concealed by rocks and creepers. In these caves 
 he could doubtless find refuge until, protected 
 by darkness, flight to his yacht was safely possi- 
 ble. 
 
 After banking hours, it had been the de- 
 faulter's custom, on leaving his office, to go by 
 rail to some point beyond Naples, where his 
 wife usually met him in their motor or victoria; 
 but that day, not having returned to his villa 
 the night before, vainly hoping to longer con- 
 ceal his crime, it was believed, he had made the 
 entire trip in his Panhard, which met him out- 
 side the city. Later, this Panhard, evidently 
 very effectually and purposely disabled, was 
 found by the police, its owner having escaped 
 on one of the fleetest horses in his stables. The 
 police captured the victoria waiting near the 
 station as a " blind," and forced the coachman, 
 as we had seen, to lash his horses to their utmost 
 speed in pursuit of his master. 
 
 We were told the next day that the embezzler 
 had not been overtaken, and there was impres- 
 sion that some of those pursuing might not have 
 been over-zealous in their duty, large sums of 
 money having changed hands, it was believed. 
 Mr. Stubbs says he has watched out for thieves
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 271 
 
 and thugs ever since he left England, but did 
 not anticipate their turning up in the shape of 
 bankers and philanthropists. 
 
 The Countess having greatly enjoyed the air 
 and scenes at Sorrento, it was decided, the fol- 
 lowing day, to drive most of the way to Naples, 
 stopping for luncheon at a charming place mid- 
 way, Mr. Stubbs going ahead by train with the 
 luggage, and I to go with her ladyship in the 
 roomy vettura. Mr. Stubbs finds himself quite 
 capable of making his way anywhere, always 
 picking up a few words and expressions in the 
 language of each country, and likes improving 
 such opportunities for conversation as come to 
 him, though sometimes people reply in English. 
 For instance, this morning the Italian porter 
 at one of the near-by hotels, of whom Mr. Stubbs 
 inquired in very good Italian, he having been 
 in Italy before, never south of Rome, however, 
 as to where copies of the London newspapers 
 could be bought, replied in English, " non com- 
 prehendo the language of France." Fancy, 
 what an absurd mistake. The porter appeared 
 sober, apparently hearing perfectly, also, and 
 Mr. Stubbs talking Italian, the man's own 
 tongue, to him, at that very moment! The pro- 
 nunciation may not have been absolutely that 
 of Sorrento, but the words were quite correct, 
 Mr. Stubbs having looked them out, himself, in 
 the phrase-book. 
 
 The drive toward Naples is not so captivating, 
 Lady Emily considers, as that from Amalfi to
 
 272 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Sorrento; but simply being in Italy is an in- 
 spiration, and every turn of the road reveals 
 glimpses of sea and sbore one wishes never to 
 forget.
 
 CHAPTER LII 
 
 ON arriving at that pleasant hotel, set high 
 upon the terraced hillside above Naples, Mr. 
 Stubbs had everything to rights in the rooms 
 reserved for the Earl. His lordship is the most 
 considerate of masters; but once having given 
 instructions as to how things shall be done, or 
 placed, is extremely particular regarding his 
 wishes being carried out precisely as directed. 
 The writing table, for instance, must be well out 
 from the wall, and the chair always drawn a 
 little slantwise, never pushed under the edge of 
 the table or desk; and the hotel people must not 
 bring in lamps until they are rung for, nor close 
 all the windows before sunset. Mr. Stubbs him- 
 self is most careful to see that directions are 
 followed exactly as given, never slighting any 
 little details of his duties. In Naples he found 
 some of the Countess's favourite hyacinths, the 
 single, white sort, the heavily perfumed vari- 
 ety are never allowed indoors at Ortham, and 
 placed a big blue bowl filled with these delicate 
 flowers upon her ladyship's writing desk. Jars 
 of jonquils and narcissi stood on a. stand in the 
 large square window, leading to a balcony with 
 
 273
 
 274 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 awnings, where, sheltered from winds and glare, 
 one may sit or have tea served; overlooking 
 near-by gardens and the town's thronged streets 
 to the flashing waters of the fascinating bay. 
 
 As Mr. Stubbs had thought probable, the Earl 
 and Lady Emily started early the next morning 
 to meet the naval party from our squadron, who 
 were to accompany the Italian professor to 
 Pompeii, and to the ruins of a smaller place, 
 Herculaneum, this town also having been 
 destroyed by the volcano. These excursions 
 would take most of the day; accordingly the 
 Countess directed me to order a carriage in the 
 afternoon, and accompany her ladyship for some 
 shopping. After going to several shops, buying 
 coral ornaments, tortoise shell combs and photo- 
 graphs, the Countess drove by the seashore, and 
 out through a long cavern or tunnel, to where 
 the views are most charming. We passed many 
 aily-dressed peasants, returning to the city in 
 high carts, much too heavily laden for the one 
 small donkey drawing so many people, and when 
 the stones are slippery, after rains, or from con- 
 stant use, the poor, patient beasts do indeed have 
 a hard time to keep upon their legs. The dwell- 
 ers in this southern part of Italy are extremely 
 superstitious, having firm faith in wearing med- 
 als, bearing the image of patron saints, or the 
 Holy Virgin, or small hands carved in coral, the 
 first and fourth fingers extended in a horn-like 
 fashion to ward off effects of the " evil eye," or 
 avert other misfortunes which they believe may
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 275 
 
 overtake them. Very devout they are, too, at- 
 tending many masses, and venerating relics. 
 
 That evening, when Mr. Stubbs, who had 
 spent half the day at Pompeii, returned, he 
 described the sights as even beyond his expecta- 
 tions; and following the guide, who spreads all 
 the history before you, in very good English, 
 you can quite fancy you see for yourself the 
 temples filled with worshippers, or those terrible 
 scenes on that night of sudden destruction, when 
 sentry and guards bravely kept their places out- 
 side the city walls, perishing in fulfilling their 
 duty. He could picture, too, that poor blind 
 girl, Nydia, of whom he has read in the story, 
 groping through the deserted streets, piteously 
 seeking some friend to save her from terrors the 
 full horror of which she could only imagine. 
 
 Generally speaking, Mr. Stubbs has too great 
 respect for his stomach to eat much in the way 
 of sweets or ices, but did feel the need of re- 
 freshment, he says, on returning from those 
 scenes at Pompeii, and consequently stopped at 
 a confectioner's for an ice, much nicer than any 
 he remembers having eaten in France. He was 
 kind enough to invite me to go again that eve- 
 ning to this same place. We sat at a small 
 round table outside the restaurant, where a band 
 played, and a company of singers gave several 
 splendid songs. Santa Lucia is one I like es- 
 pecially, having heard it before at Sorrento, 
 when watching the peasants dancing, on the 
 terrace, a very merry noted dance of that region;
 
 276 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 the Tarantella, it is called. I agreed with Mr. 
 Stubbs regarding the ices; nothing could be 
 better, and our evening was most enjoyable. 
 The Countess having dined out, did not want 
 me until after ten o'clock. 
 
 The next morning Lady Emily desired I 
 should be ready at half after nine, as she in- 
 tended going to a museum, and the Aquarium. 
 The galleries were extremely interesting ; marbles, 
 bronzes, and paintings, the former dug from 
 where the ancients lived. You see also the very 
 mirrors and toilet articles once used by those 
 poor, destroyed ladies. The Aquarium her lady- 
 ship considered finer than those at Brighton or 
 in New York; and such entertaining monsters 
 in the way of fish I have never seen. One, 
 named octopus, was a spongy, skeleton-like 
 creature, with long, grasping arms, and legs 
 writhing out in all directions from his ghost-like 
 body. There were other fish of brilliant hues, 
 and in one tank tiny creatures, mer-horses, Lady 
 Emily said they should be named, floated, their 
 heads shaped like a pony's, and their bodies 
 steered along by small curled-up tails. Another 
 curiosity was the electric eel. On grasping it 
 firmly, a shock comes as though from an electric 
 battery. 
 
 Her ladyship, having promised to return for 
 noon breakfast, or luncheon, before starting with 
 the Earl for Mount Vesuvius, could not remain 
 as long as she would otherwise have liked at the 
 Aquarium. Breakfast was served under awn-
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 277 
 
 ings in the balcony; a street band, wheeling a 
 piano, stopped in the roadway below, and pro- 
 vided unexpected musical attractions of a very 
 enlivening sort. 
 
 On Mr. Stubbs asking the Earl, shortly before 
 it was time to start for Mount Vesuvius, whether 
 his lordship wished to take the field glasses and 
 aneroid, his lordship replied, ' Yes, you can 
 take them, Stubbs, and a wrap for Lady Emily, 
 as we may be out rather late." Mr. Stubbs, 
 naturally, was quite delighted, managing to get 
 in both excursions, one having been the most 
 he had felt it safe to count on. 
 
 From the summit of Vesuvius the views in 
 every direction were beautiful, Lady Emily told 
 me, but not so charming as those looking land- 
 ward from Capri over the rippling waters; and 
 the volcano was by no means as marvellous a 
 sight as that wonderful lake or abyss of fire 
 into which we looked, after crossing those black- 
 ened, twisted lava fields of Kilauea, that night 
 long ago in the Hawaiian Islands. Her lady- 
 ship has a strong feeling that " Vesuvio," as 
 Italians call the volcano, can not be trusted, and 
 may again overwhelm those unsuspecting peas- 
 ants, and devastate their fruitful vineyards, as 
 it did ages ago. 
 
 In spite of what is said of the indolence of 
 people living in warm climates, these Italians 
 do seem very industrious, working willingly, Mr. 
 Stubbs is assured, for a shilling or two a day, 
 and being cheery and lighthearted over hard-
 
 278 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 ships; but this pittance even would be counted 
 riches in China or India, where hundreds of 
 thousands perish from sheer starvation. He 
 does not wonder that the half-famished Chinese 
 take opium to forget their misery, as our down- 
 trodden, hunger-gnawed outcasts in London 
 drink rum, getting so filled with the poison that 
 a match touched to some of them, he believes, 
 would flame like a torch. 
 
 The scenery between Naples and Rome is not 
 so varied and interesting as that between Brin- 
 disi and Salerno; but there are nice bits of coun- 
 try, and thriving farm lands. Owing to two or 
 three tiresome delays mischief workers having 
 wickedly placed obstructions on the lines, hop- 
 ing to plunder the travellers' luggage, it was 
 thought, though none knew surely the cause of 
 those tedious waits the train was very late in 
 reaching Rome. It was after dark, in fact, when 
 the guard called " Roma," and the passengers 
 hurried from the large crowded station to car- 
 riages and omnibuses waiting outside. 
 
 The hotel is but a short distance from the rail- 
 way station, and quite close to the British Em- 
 bassy. I heard the Earl reminding Lady Emily, 
 who seemed delighted to be in what Fraulein 
 always spoke of as the Eternal City, that the 
 immortal Goethe has said, " One only finds in 
 Rome what one takes there," meaning hard 
 study is needed to attempt comprehending 
 places so wonderful and aged as this great city 
 of Rome.
 
 CHAPTER LIII 
 
 IT being Holy Week, shortly after our ar- 
 rival, and strictly observed in Rome, no large 
 formal entertainments took place. One or two 
 solemn concerts, however, were attended by the 
 Countess and Lady Emily, who spent many 
 hours in churches and galleries. 
 
 Mr. Stubbs and I were given much liberty 
 for sight-seeing, and he, having seen most of 
 the interesting places before, made our going 
 about together very instructive and agreeable, 
 especially now that, having travelled so much, 
 and read more, I can appreciate this grand op- 
 portunity for seeing all sides of the wonderful 
 world. 
 
 Rome and its seven hills did use to be spoken 
 of in Scotland when I was a child; but many 
 of the Papist doings were not just well thought 
 of, and our Highlanders talked a good deal 
 about Jesuits, the scarlet woman and faults in 
 the church of Rome. Malcolm, one of our old- 
 est pipers, was free to say, he knew beyond 
 peradventure there was a Papist Fund, called 
 the " skirmishing fund," for perverting and sub- 
 duing Scotland. Did not Deborah, Malcolm's 
 
 279
 
 280 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 step-sister, she that was lady's maid to an in- 
 valid who, travelling in foreign parts went over 
 sudden to Papacy, with her own eyes behold 
 in one of their worshipping places above that 
 Lourdes' Grotto, a banner bearing the inscrip- 
 tion, "Pray for Scotland!" Straws indeed 
 show which way the wind blows and it's the enter- 
 ing wedge, mind you, that forces granite asunder. 
 If kirk and ministers fail their bounden duty 
 John Knox's spirit abides in Scotland, and there 
 are those more than willing, in Malcolm's belief, 
 to speak the warning word. Many severe trials 
 burying his last of kin ; savings going, too, 
 through no fault of his own did not embitter 
 Malcolm's stern, but tender nature. A giant 
 in strength and suffering, his oft-repeated ad- 
 monitions, " Keep aye drappin' in the seeds, 
 mon, they will be workin' when we be slapin', 
 and ye'l no stand fermer yesel' laddie by studin' 
 fayblenesses, an' dwellin' on the weeked deeds 
 o' anither," has steadied the purpose of many a 
 Highland-born lad, in dire temptation. Doubt- 
 less errors and wrong doings still exist in both 
 kirk and church; but "those of every faith, 
 striving for truth, are getting closer together, 
 learning to forget differences that once separated 
 them." 
 
 In talking with Lady Emily regarding intol- 
 erance towards others' beliefs, and of divisions 
 and differences separating Christian people, the 
 Countess said, - " Nations make peace, and 
 become allies after fiercest conflicts. Why
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 281 
 
 should those claiming to follow Christ permit 
 a divided Christendom? " 
 
 One forenoon Mr. Stubbs and I passed a 
 couple of hours in the Vatican galleries, seeing, 
 as Mr. Stubbs pointed out, some of the great- 
 est canvases ever painted by mortal hand. Of 
 immense size they are, depicting every sort of 
 subject. Mr. Stubbs prefers the soberer ones, 
 famous teachers, mountain scenes, flowers and 
 children, having been brought up, after his 
 mother's death, " in a very quiet way, by his 
 father's sister, a Methodist. Nymphs, sorcer- 
 esses and the like have little to tempt his admira- 
 tion. After studying all those most noted pic- 
 tures, we walked long distances, going up and 
 down many stone steps, to reach the halls of 
 statutes; the like I have never seen. A gentle- 
 man, followed by a drooping-appearing com- 
 pany of tourists, explained, in English, the more 
 interesting figures and groups, informing those 
 pressing near enough to hear, who had made 
 them, and where they were found. He called 
 the Vatican, ' * This great storehouse of dead 
 ages," urging the wearied ladies and gentlemen 
 to attack its treasures, rich past estimating in 
 marbles, paintings and books. When he had 
 finished describing all the wonders that could be 
 seen, I heard one of the ladies of the party, a 
 tall, spectacled person, speaking in a quick, 
 jerky manner, say, as she linked her arm through 
 that of a shorter, more robust lady, the front 
 of whose blue flannel blouse was generously
 
 282 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 decorated with ornaments resembling medals and 
 orders; stars, wheels, crescents and the like 
 hanging from ends of ribbon, varying in width 
 and hue, "It is your turn to count the animals 
 this time, I will note the human beings. We 
 shall learn a good deal in this way, even if we 
 don't see the figures again; and if you should 
 find any perfect ones be sure and put it down." 
 Off they started with note books, appearing 
 scarcely to glance at the works of art beyond 
 making out and many were very badly dam- 
 aged by which lady they must be counted. 
 
 I enjoyed Saint Peter's, and climbing that 
 immense dome, as much as any of the sights. 
 Mr. Stubbs holds the catacombs are more satis- 
 fying than anything in the way of pyramids or 
 tombs to be seen in the land of Egypt. He 
 could spend hours meditating on those Christian 
 Martyrs, finding it better than a sermon for 
 the temper. Rambling about that Colosseum 
 is what he thinks improving to the mind; fol- 
 lowing the tracks of those ferocious beasts, im- 
 agining the dreadful carnage and deeds of hor- 
 ror, before the tortured Christians rested peace- 
 fully in charnel houses, under the very palaces, 
 perhaps, of their cruel oppressors. 
 
 Lady Emily enjoyed walking on a terraced 
 hill, where there are ornamental gardens and 
 marble seats, the Pincio. This Promenade 
 overlooks the city, and beyond the gardens where 
 bands play is a famous spot for gathering the 
 first spring violets. This route Lady Emily
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 283 
 
 chose the morning we went to Saint Peter's 
 church, her ladyship directing the carriage to 
 wait in the Piazza del Popolo. After this de- 
 lightful walk, I drove with her ladyship, through 
 narrow streets, to the Tiber, crossing the broad, 
 sluggish stream upon a wide bridge; many 
 marble figures ranged along each side appear 
 to be flying, apparently, from where they are 
 fastened. 
 
 Passing through a rather gloomy street, we 
 came out into that sun-flooded square with fine 
 fountains fronting' the colonnades of the grand- 
 est church ever seen. Lady Emily, being very 
 desirous of seeing the views from the roof, or 
 gallery, outside of the church, stopped at some 
 office where permission is given to make the 
 ascent. The Italian guide wanted to show Lady 
 Emily one or two monuments that had escaped 
 her ladyship's notice in previous visits to the 
 huge church, and pointed out " the worn, world- 
 kissed foot " of the bronze statue of Saint Peter, 
 which stands to the right of that enormously 
 long middle aisle, not far from the high altar. 
 Such a place for dead popes, and tombs, I could 
 never have fancied seeing. The bodies, however, 
 are not always permitted to rest there, it seems, 
 other churches liking to have the honour of a 
 dead pontiff, the guide asserted. Saint Peter's 
 is such a light, cheerful place one can see every- 
 thing well; more agreeable that way than Saint 
 Paul's, in London, and far larger. Mr. Stubbs 
 says I should have seen Saint Peter's as it was
 
 284 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 grandly dressed for some festival: miles of red 
 velvet and damask hangings on the walls, and 
 thousands upon thousands of pilgrims, fairly 
 lost, however, in that immense space. 
 
 After examining various chapels and many 
 marble monuments, we were shown to a small 
 door, near the tomb of one of the more recent 
 popes, and found the winding ascent from there 
 to the dome quite easy. Along this passage 
 stone tablets were set into the walls recording 
 the names of crowned heads and other highly 
 placed personages who had ascended. Coming 
 out upon a wide roof and gallery above the 
 portico, where the prospect over the square and 
 hills beyond S. Angelo's Castel is very fine, we 
 mounted steps to reach the lantern. From here 
 one overlooks charming gardens where the Pope 
 walks. Lady Emily felt almost convinced that 
 a slow-moving figure, clad in white, leaning on 
 a cane and walking feebly, was His Holiness; 
 but the distance was too great to distinguish 
 features. When we reached the lantern beneath 
 the gilded cross surmounting all, we came to an 
 iron ladder leading to the ball, and desiring to 
 see the views from those narrow windows open- 
 ing on every side, her ladyship directed me to 
 stand at the foot of the ladder until she climbed 
 to this highest point above the church. 
 
 To really see the famed Roman churches 
 would take months. Lady Emily especially 
 likes Santa Maria Maggiore and the extremely 
 ancient memorial to Saint John near-by; also
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 285 
 
 a very grand church built in honour of Saint 
 Paul, outside the walls of Rome, near where this 
 apostle, it is believed, suffered martyrdom. The 
 Americans have a smaller church, known as 
 Saint Paul's, inside the walls, and to this her 
 ladyship walked for afternoon service on Palm 
 Sunday.
 
 CHAPTER LIV 
 
 NEVER was sunshine brighter nor air softer 
 than on Easter morning, when, after days of 
 silence and gloom, all the bells of Rome rang 
 out most jubilantly. The English church was 
 crowded at the morning service and throughout 
 the day, early and late, sight-seers and relic- 
 venerating pilgrims, drawn to Rome from be- 
 yond distant seas, as well as goatskin clad 
 peasants, thronged public squares and churches 
 enjoying the brilliant sights and grand inspir- 
 ing music. That joyous festival ended with 
 vespers, at a convent above those stone steps 
 leading from the Spanish square to the Pincian, 
 where, behind latticed barriers, the nuns' sweet 
 singing charmed all listeners. 
 
 Easter Monday an excursion, arranged by 
 one of the ambassadors, was made in motor-cars 
 to Ostia, formerly a noted harbour beyond Rome. 
 The Earl and Lady Emily did not return to 
 the hotel until ten o'clock. Two tires of the 
 Ambassador's car having been punctured, and 
 the machinery of their own giving out, involved 
 a wait of exasperating hours by the roadside, 
 until assistance came and repairs could be made. 
 The following evening the Countess attended a 
 
 286
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 287 
 
 reception at the King's palace. Their Majes- 
 ties are devoted to each other, to the little prin- 
 cesses and to the charming Queen Dowager, the 
 children paying daily visits to their royal grand- 
 mamma when Her Majesty, who is fond of 
 touring the country by motor, is in Rome. 
 
 One day that week, following Easter, the Earl 
 entertained at luncheon those guests from the 
 Embassy with whom his lordship and Lady 
 Emily were always making long riding expedi- 
 tions to the Campagna, or, beyond the ruins 
 there, to villas and lakes among the hills sur- 
 rounding the ancient city. As the last course 
 was served a despatch came and was handed at 
 once to the Earl by Mr. Stubbs, who remained 
 in the dining-room long enough to ascertain that 
 it was from the Viceroy, and brought bad news. 
 The cable, a lengthy message in code, or cipher, 
 told that Sir Francis had met with most serious 
 injury on a hunting party with some German 
 princes then visiting India, and begged the Earl 
 should see, if possible, his mother, Lady Char- 
 lotte, who was in Italy, possibly in Sicily, but 
 more probably in Ravello, her ladyship having 
 ordered her touring-car to be at Naples directly 
 after Easter, in order to go to the Italian lakes 
 for a fortnight, before returning to England. 
 
 Lady Charlotte, having spent the winter 
 abroad on account of ill health, at present was 
 alone with a travelling companion and maid. 
 Fearing the effects of sudden shock to her lady- 
 ship, in hearing that her only son was dan-
 
 288 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 gerously injured, among Indian jungles, thou- 
 sands of miles separating them, the Earl imme- 
 diately inquired regarding trains south, and tele- 
 graphed Lady Charlotte's bankers in Naples, 
 who replied that her ladyship, having arrived 
 from Palermo that morning, had gone directly 
 to the hotel where she usually stopped, about 
 an hour from Naples, and would probably 
 remain there several days. 
 
 His lordship decided to leave by the night 
 train for Naples, returning to Rome as soon as 
 he had broken the news to Lady Charlotte, and 
 ascertained her wishes. Mr. Stubbs concluded 
 the trip meant two or three days' absence, at 
 longest, from one portmanteau only being taken, 
 and said the hotel where Lady Charlotte stopped 
 was the house at which we lunched on leaving 
 Sorrento. Its name in Italian means: "Health 
 can here be found." 
 
 Before noon, the following day, having occa- 
 sion to pass through the Countess's reception- 
 room, I found there that beautiful lady Mr. 
 Stubbs called " The American Duchess," and, 
 stopping to straighten things in the Countess's 
 chamber, I overheard Lady Emily say to the 
 visitor, they felt greatly distressed at having bad 
 news from a cousin in India, consequently the 
 Earl had left Rome the night before, hoping to 
 meet Lady Charlotte in Naples, though, shortly 
 before the Duchess's visit, a telegram informed 
 them he had missed Lady Charlotte by half an 
 hour.
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 289 
 
 Her ladyship's plans had been unexpectedly 
 changed on account of a slight accident to her 
 chauffeur, a hot cinder having gotten into his 
 eye caused inflammation requiring hospital treat- 
 ment and complete rest. He probably would be 
 unfit for duty for a fortnight, and Lady Char- 
 lotte, being extremely nervous with any other 
 chauffeur, determined to go by sea to Genoa, 
 and these particulars I learned later from Mr. 
 Stubbs finding an especially desirable cabin 
 available on the German steamer then in port, 
 and also being disappointed that the suite usually 
 reserved for her in the hotel near Naples could 
 not be given up because the Russian Grand 
 Duke then occupying it was detained by illness 
 following a recent surgical operation, Lady 
 Charlotte did not even unpack. Spending one 
 night only at the hotel, she sent her maid to the 
 bankers for the letters on her way to the steamer 
 the next morning. The Earl, much tried at 
 missing Lady Charlotte, caught the express for 
 Genoa, without stopping in Rome. 
 
 The same evening after her Grace's visit, I 
 was waiting for Lady Emily, who had not yet 
 returned from riding, the weather having turned 
 colder suddenly, and it being later than the hour 
 she usually came in, I closed the windows of her 
 ladyship's room, and lighted a stick or two in 
 the small fireplace, so the room might be com- 
 fortably warm when her ladyship dressed for 
 dinner. A moment later I heard her step in 
 the corridor. Pausing at the door instead of
 
 290 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 the usual pleasant word or look towards me, 
 her ladyship went straight to the window, fling- 
 ing it wide open, exclaiming sharply, " Why do 
 you never air this room? The heat is simply 
 unendurable." 
 
 Seeing her ladyship looked flushed and fa- 
 tigued, I did not, of course, explain that the 
 windows had been closed barely five minutes; 
 but stood near the large chair, into which she 
 had thrown herself, and waited to take her rid- 
 ing hat and gloves. When her ladyship's rin- 
 gers touched mine, they were as cold as ice. I 
 begged to ring for tea, but Lady Emily said it 
 was too late. A pelting shower had detained 
 them, and finally obliged sheltering near some 
 ruins, as one of the young ladies in the party, 
 unaccustomed to riding, became rather hyster- 
 ical and feared to go on. It being nearly seven, 
 her ladyship would dress in ten minutes, two or 
 three guests, invited the week before, having 
 promised to dine with the Countess that evening. 
 I waited twenty minutes, but Lady Emily still 
 sat in her habit by the fire, the windows open at 
 one side. She had not given me her riding stick 
 and was tracing figures with it on the carpet, 
 or fanning herself with a magazine picked up 
 from the table near-by. Not a word had been 
 spoken until her ladyship directed me to bring 
 a black mousseline de soie, instead of the pale 
 green taffeta I had laid out for that evening. 
 As the gown had to be shaken out it having 
 been folded away on the bottom of the long
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 291 
 
 upholstered chest in the dressing-room and 
 Lady Emily was very slow in dressing, the 
 clocks were striking eight before her ladyship 
 started for the dining-room. I felt uneasy about 
 Lady Emily, for though she had not seemed 
 quite well since the motor-car trip to Ostia, I 
 never had seen her ladyship so exhausted; but 
 there was no one to whom I could then speak. 
 
 It was barely ten o'clock when her ladyship 
 came back. I was to go to the Countess, but 
 must say nothing as to the cold her ladyship 
 believed the chill of the afternoon would prob- 
 ably result in, and now that the guests had gone 
 on to some entertainment, she was thankful to 
 say she could go to bed early. When I re- 
 turned from the Countess's room Lady Emily 
 still sat in the large chair, fanning herself, 
 though a strong breeze was blowing upon her 
 from the open windows on the other side of the 
 room, and evidently so feverish that I felt sorry 
 I had not disobeyed and told her ladyship that 
 Lady Emily was ill. 
 
 Being then too late to disturb the Countess, I 
 decided to unfasten the dressing-room door, and 
 after Lady Emily was in bed, I would slip out 
 that way to my own room, get a covering of 
 some sort and spend the night on the large box, 
 or in a chair, where, in case her ladyship wanted 
 anything, I should be instantly at hand. For 
 a long while Lady Emily tossed about uneasily, 
 very restless and breathing hard and hoarsely, 
 but finally slept. Many times during the night,
 
 292 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 quivering with apprehension, I stood at the 
 dressing-room door, but dared not enter the 
 next room, fearing I might startle Lady Emily. 
 But at last, when daybreak came, as she stirred 
 restlessly, murmuring, as if in pain, I crept 
 softly to her bedside. Her ladyship raised her 
 head a little, opening her eyes, but seemed hardly 
 to know me, and muttering half to herself, 
 " Less light, the sun kills in India," turned 
 toward the wall again breathing most heavily. 
 
 Thoroughly alarmed, I went quickly to the 
 Countess, who, as soon as she saw Lady Emily, 
 sent immediately for the doctor. After seeing 
 Lady Emily, her ladyship's temperature was 
 not satisfactory, he said, nor did he like the 
 symptoms of exhaustion; but would return an 
 hour later, as consultations obliged his going to 
 the hospital before that time. 
 
 On the doctor's second visit, he informed the 
 Countess that his apprehensions were justified, 
 and as he feared, Lady Emily suffered with 
 pneumonia, caused, doubtless, by exposure when 
 over-heated, and in a run-down condition, on 
 the Campagna at nightfall, and that he must 
 not disguise his anxiety in finding that both 
 lungs appeared to be involved. A great blow 
 this to the Countess, and especially in the Earl's 
 absence. The doctor summoned, by messenger, 
 a trained nurse, a young English woman then 
 in Perugia, with a convalescent patient, no 
 longer needing her services; and Sister Claudia,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 293 
 
 a favourite fever nurse of the doctor's, came 
 without delay. 
 
 Hearing from the Earl that slightly more re- 
 assuring news had been received from Sir Fran- 
 cis, and knowing his lordship would return to 
 Rome as soon as he could leave Lady Charlotte, 
 the Countess did not telegraph, and it was late 
 the following day when the Earl arrived from 
 Milan, where he had overtaken Lady Charlotte.
 
 CHAPTER LV 
 
 THE ceaseless anxiety of days that followed 
 seems now a nightmare of suspense and despair. 
 Skilled physicians consulted, devoted nurses 
 watched, and my dear young mistress slowly, 
 steadily slipped from the grasp of those who 
 would have given their lives to save hers. Rome 
 was deserted by its gay throngs of Easter visit- 
 ors, and the very air heavy and lifeless. Mes- 
 sengers came daily, from those remaining at the 
 Embassy, with fruits and flowers, and more than 
 once, the Queen sent her lady-in-waiting. Of 
 these kind inquiries and attentions Lady Emily 
 knew nothing. The Countess could scarcely be 
 persuaded to leave the sickroom, but repeatedly 
 the Earl insisted that an hour's drive in the fresh 
 air should be taken, while his lordship remained 
 near Lady Emily; and it seemed comforting to 
 her ladyship to have me go with her. She al- 
 ways directed the coachman to drive to the Prot- 
 estant Cemetery, telling me, the first morning 
 we went there, that her own mother and sister 
 had been laid to rest in that peaceful spot close 
 to St. Paul's Gate and outside the Roman walls, 
 almost in the shadow of the tomb where, nearly 
 two thousand years ago, Cestius was laid; so, 
 
 294
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 295 
 
 as a young girl, the Countess had gone there 
 before, in despairing distress. 
 
 I recollected then what Mrs. Bufers had 
 spoken of at Ortham. The Duke, the Count- 
 ess's father, as is well known, was a more lively, 
 excitable gentleman than most ladies like as 
 husbands, and after the death of his last son 
 four or five children having died in infancy, 
 none but the Countess, her sister and one boy 
 living the first year out just as there was hope 
 declining years might be more profitably spent 
 the Duke started on a long yachting cruise, 
 leaving no address, but taking with his Grace 
 a very disorderly, carousing company of men 
 and women. After these journeyings began, 
 the Duchess, with her two little daughters, spent 
 years travelling; living on the Continent, at 
 Hanover, Stuttgart and Munich, coming one 
 winter to Rome, for the second time, when the 
 Countess was fifteen. 
 
 Repeatedly, rumours came later proven 
 false of the Duke's death by one disaster or 
 another ; consequently, in again hearing that the 
 yacht had been wrecked, in a terrible tornado 
 on the Pacific, the tidings were not, at first, be- 
 lieved; but, later, absolute confirmation of this 
 report was given, by the sailing master, who for 
 days had drifted in a life boat, alone with a 
 cabin boy, and the pet cat, a mascot which the 
 little chap had risked his own life to save, when 
 the yacht was driven upon the rocks. Finally, 
 more dead than alive, they were tossed ashore
 
 296 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 upon an island, and later rescued from these 
 perilous surroundings by the crew of a sailing 
 vessel bound for the Pitcairn Islands. 
 
 The Duchess, spent with anxiety and grief 
 over the death, from diphtheria, of her youngest 
 child, the Countess's only surviving sister, whom 
 she had nursed through days of intense suffering, 
 died, almost without making effort to live, beg- 
 ging her companion, who was also the Countess's 
 governess, to see that her dying wishes were car- 
 ried out, and her body left in undisturbed peace 
 by the side of her little girl in the Cemetery at 
 Rome. The desolate, despondent Duchess de- 
 parted this world with but one regret, the 
 unsettled future of her only child. 
 
 The Countess, orphaned before she was six- 
 teen, went immediately to her grandmother in 
 Scotland, remaining there until her marriage, 
 three years later, with the Earl, a playfellow of 
 her childhood, and connected by ties of blood 
 with her mother's family., When the Countess 
 was nearly twenty, the heir, Lady Emily's eld- 
 est brother, was born, bringing greatest rejoicing 
 over this event, the coming of the first son ex- 
 cepting his lordship, in three generations, to that 
 branch of the Earl's family. Before his second 
 birthday the happy young parents took their 
 baby to spend a month with its venerable Scotch 
 grandmother in the Highlands, greatly rejoic- 
 ing, too, in again revisiting the scenes of their 
 own courtship and marriage. A large, light- 
 hearted company assembled in the rather gloomy
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 297 
 
 old castle, where entertainments and excursions 
 added to the enjoyment of each day. The 
 Countess was among the gayest, and, being 
 young and inexperienced, noticed nothing amiss 
 with the heir. The child looked the picture of 
 rosy, perfect health; but his strength must have 
 been slowly undermined by a poisonous drain 
 that later, it was found, opened into the nursery. 
 
 From revels over some distant laird's home- 
 coming, a Highland torchlight procession and 
 ball, the Countess was hastily summoned a 
 night's ride from the Castle, though delayed 
 several hours longer owing to swollen streams 
 having destroyed the bridges to find her only 
 child in convulsions, dying in his great-grand- 
 mother's arms. It was this grief that shadowed 
 the Countess's early life, leaving a delicacy of 
 constitution which always remained. Years later, 
 after months of illness, the next heir, Lord Gla- 
 morden, came. 
 
 The Countess had presentiments of sorrow in 
 coming to Rome, remembering her girlish dis- 
 tress and desolation when bereaved there of her 
 mother and sister; but happy years had softened 
 that keen pain, which the present days of anxiety 
 seemed to bring back. 
 
 As we were returning to the hotel that morn- 
 ing, driving through the Forum, and passing a 
 fine old stone arch with the seven-branched can- 
 dlestick engraven upon it, the Countess told me 
 she remembered her mother saying, it was truth 
 a noble Frenchwoman wrote when she said,
 
 " having suffered much is like understanding 
 many languages;" and that sadly unhappy 
 Duchess could not but know, from experience, 
 whereof she spoke. 
 
 One afternoon when, for days, Lady Emily 
 had lain with little perceptible change in her con- 
 dition of extreme weakness, intervals of fever 
 followed by unconsciousness, I begged nurse 
 Neale to let me watch while she rested. I could 
 neither sleep nor eat those days; and it never 
 tired me, though grieving beyond expression 
 to witness sufferings I was powerless to relieve, 
 - to sit, as I did that afternoon, hoping I might 
 be of use, behind the head of her ladyship's bed, 
 which had been drawn from the wall so that all 
 air possible might reach the sufferer. In a large 
 chair the Countess sat near the foot of the bed, 
 a book in her hand; that small, white vellum 
 one written by Father Kempis, the gift of her 
 mother, always kept upon her ladyship's dress- 
 ing-table. The pages, I noticed, were seldom 
 turned, though her ladyship had not left the 
 room for hours. The door opened noiselessly; 
 it must be Sister Claudia returning from some 
 outside errands, I thought; but it was the Earl 
 who entered, hesitating a moment on the thresh- 
 old. His lordship glanced towards the bed, his 
 eyes lingering tenderly upon Lady Emily, who 
 just then appeared to be most calmly resting. 
 The high screens of soft green silk before the 
 windows darkened that side of the room where 
 the Countess sat; and the Earl walked swiftly,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 299 
 
 though a little falteringly, towards her chair, a 
 look strong and exalted shining upon his face, 
 such as I never had seen before, whether of 
 greatest joy, or the deepest anguish, I could not 
 tell. Placing his hand on the Countess's shoul- 
 der, I heard the words quietly spoken that 
 burned and echoed in my brain. " Dearest, you 
 we must be brave our child may no 
 longer need our care. A change, the doctors 
 think, must come before night." 
 
 How I reached my room I never can tell; 
 but as I dragged myself, stunned, groping and 
 stumbling through corridors that seemed endless, 
 I remember repeating, " A change must come 
 before night," and feeling fervently thankful 
 that in those last hours of despairing agony the 
 Earl and Countess were alone with their child.
 
 CHAPTER LVI 
 
 WEEKS passed, blank to me, save for moments 
 of desperate weakness and half-comprehended 
 pain, before, suddenly wakening from the stu- 
 por caused by fever, in which, all unknown to 
 me, my life had nearly burned away, for the 
 first time I became conscious of the touch of 
 strong, caressing hands upon my throbbing 
 brows, and looking up saw Sister Claudia's kind 
 face bending over me. Her steadfast eyes met 
 mine with such a friendly look ; her smooth cheeks 
 glowing with colour, faint and soft as an in- 
 fant's. As if under some uncanny spell, be- 
 wildered and speechless, I gazed upon her, and 
 about the unfamiliar room; feeling that she 
 could perhaps tell me how, through chilling mists 
 and darkness, I had struggled back to this earth, 
 from far-away regions of mystery and silence; 
 but my lips could not frame the only question 
 my heart wished to ask. Seeming to divine my 
 thoughts, Sister Claudia came nearer; taking 
 both my hands firmly, and pressing the palms 
 gently together, she said, ' Thank the good 
 Lord, dear child, Lady Emily lives." Then 
 again I seemed sinking and slipping from all 
 that living means, and I know now, death can 
 
 300
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 301 
 
 never come to me as a stranger. Little by little 
 -as for days Sister Claudia refused to permit 
 but few words spoken, the only thing she was 
 severe about that long interval of half -con- 
 sciousness became clearer. 
 
 When all hope had been given up, and they 
 believed Lady Emily dying, a sudden, wonder- 
 ful change came; the strong forces of her brave, 
 young life hurled themselves for so Sister 
 Claudia described this change that caused such 
 joy against the disease that had almost con- 
 quered, and with vitality such as the doctors had 
 never before seen equalled she turned from the 
 open grave towards renewed life. Powers, be- 
 yond understanding, gave back, in God's Provi- 
 dence, the precious daughter who had already 
 passed, it was believed, beyond the changes and 
 chances of this mortal life. 
 
 Lady Emily's strong, unbroken constitution 
 helped towards an amazing recovery, and, by the 
 time I knew she had not left us, her ladyship was 
 with the Countess at Varese, among the lakes 
 of Italy. Lord Frederic, her ladyship's uncle, 
 having sent his yacht, the short voyage was ac- 
 complished with little fatigue, and everything 
 promised speedy convalescence, if no relapse oc- 
 curred. The dear Countess wrote many, many 
 charges, unneeded though they were, to good 
 Sister Claudia, as to my care, insisting that daily 
 letters should tell her just how I was getting 
 on, absolutely the quietest room in the hospital 
 must be mine, and every attention given, night
 
 302 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 and day, until I was strong enough to drive out 
 and, under Sister Claudia's care, rejoin her lady- 
 ship at Varese, where they intended remaining 
 several weeks longer. 
 
 When Mr. Stubbs's letters began coming, I 
 learned many details, he liking to write of all 
 going on, or of everything likely to happen. 
 One or two short notes came from Varese, tell- 
 ing me a special train had most satisfactorily 
 conveyed the Earl's party to that place, by way 
 of Milan, and that the entire second floor of the 
 hotel, on the side towards Monte Rosa, was 
 reserved ; and in the higher air Lady Emily con- 
 tinued gaining in a way surprising even nurse 
 Neale, who always was extremely sanguine re- 
 garding her cases. After that week, the assist- 
 ant only of the Roman doctor who had accom- 
 panied Lady Emily to Varese would remain. 
 Four or five days after the last note from Italy, 
 this letter came, dated, I was astonished to see, 
 at Ortham. 
 
 "DEAR Miss BURNS: Hearing good ac- 
 counts of your continued improvement in health 
 is indeed welcome news to me, and, now you are 
 recovering, it will be helpful rather than harm- 
 ful for you to hear of present doings. First, 
 you will want to know that Lady Emily gains 
 without sign or suggestion of a set-back, though 
 my feeling is, none can be too sure about any- 
 thing in this moving world; and sundry sur-
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 303 
 
 prising changes come, as you will see before 
 finishing this letter. 
 
 " Repeated telegrams from India gave little 
 that was hopeful of recovery for Sir Francis. 
 Finally came a long message, saying that by slow 
 stages the hunting party having been with the 
 Governor-General of Bengal somewhere in those 
 wild regions north of Bombay Sir Francis 
 had been carried to that city for surgical treat- 
 ment, and the internal injuries, considered ex- 
 tremely alarming at first, appeared to be far 
 less dangerous than anticipated. He was, too, 
 recovering from the shock of having been 
 dragged by his horse, over rough paths, to 
 where the party intended to have mounted ele- 
 phants for the tiger hunt. The wounds caused 
 by striking his head upon the stones were the 
 most serious, but were healing nicely, and the 
 broken arm knitting well also. Nothing did Sir 
 Francis quite so much good as the Earl's cable, 
 inviting him to come direct to Italy when strong 
 enough to travel. 
 
 " I may as well enclose Mr. Varley's letter, for 
 that gives a hint, and more, of how matters 
 stand. There never was a shadow of objection 
 to Sir Francis, though some straight-laced people 
 might think him a trifle lavish in his way of 
 spending, and a little daring and reckless as to 
 his own safety, or others' views about his wel- 
 fare; but you may as well know that Lady 
 Emily might have had the strawberry leaves,
 
 304 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 with one of the oldest titles of the realm, had 
 she so minded. 
 
 " I mention no names ; but the Duke is a man 
 of whom any woman can be proud; not the 
 newly-made variety and was, long before his 
 first marriage, one of the Earl's closest friends. 
 Having been a great traveller since the death of 
 the Duchess, his Grace did not see Lady Emily 
 for years, until they met on her sixteenth birth- 
 day, I think it was, and again at Hurlingham, 
 when Lord Glamorden's favourite pony was on 
 the winning polo team. 
 
 " His Grace ran down to Ortham twice before 
 we sailed for the States ; you may recollect those 
 mauve orchids, worn by the Countess at Liver- 
 pool; these came from the Duke's conservatory, 
 brought by his own hands when taking leave on 
 the steamer. From bits of conversation, and a 
 word here and there, I gather that no proposals 
 were to be made to Lady Emily until after her 
 seventeenth birthday; and no definite reply to 
 be asked until returning to England, the Duke 
 having declared he would gladly wait a year if 
 necessary, before knowing his fate. It was his 
 Grace's intention, I understand, to run over to 
 Italy, had not Lady Emily's illness prevented, 
 joining the Earl's party in Florence, I believe, 
 as being less gossipy than Rome. 
 
 " Lady Emily had always liked his Grace, con- 
 sidering him, naturally, however, simply a friend 
 of the Earl's ; but had it not been for Sir Fran- 
 cis, her ladyship doubtless would have yielded
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 305 
 
 to her father's wishes, though the Earl never 
 was one to unduly force his children's inclina- 
 tions; but, after Calcutta, I have very good 
 reason for believing no earthly power could turn 
 Lady Emily from Sir Francis, though they do 
 say hearing he was almost dead caused her lady- 
 ship to know where her heart was. That is as 
 may be; but one thing is certain, both began 
 mending about the same time, neither knowing 
 of the other's condition. 
 
 " Miss Neale acknowledges having known of 
 similar cases before; and by this time Sir Fran- 
 cis is actually on his way to Varese, the Bombay 
 surgeons having declared a sea voyage and 
 change of air the best tonics possible; and he 
 will find his mother there, or rather, Lady 
 Charlotte hopes to join him at Brindisi, as 
 well as the Countess and Lady Emily. 
 
 " But I must tell you how we came to be back 
 in England. Last Thursday, his lordship was 
 breakfasting at the time, a despatch came. He 
 looked much disturbed when reading it, I no- 
 ticed, crumpling the telegram hastily into his 
 pocket as the Countess entered the room. An 
 hour later, summons came from his lordship, and 
 he said, * Very unexpected news from Ortham, 
 Stubbs. The entire west wing has been des- 
 troyed by fire. Lady Glamorden's pet monkey 
 appears to have had a trick of playing with 
 matches; or, possibly, crossed wires on some new 
 electric lighting recently put in caused the fire, 
 which smouldered until midnight, breaking out,
 
 306 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 after the house was closed for the night, into 
 uncontrollable flames.' His lordship went on 
 to say none of the portraits were harmed, the 
 picture gallery being in the east wing; but they 
 feared the effect of the alarm upon Lady Gla- 
 morden, in her present delicate condition, and 
 he would take the first express, to catch the fast- 
 est channel service for London, and return to 
 Italy as soon as he could attend to any matters 
 requiring his lordship's presence at Ortham, 
 
 "So this is the history of our being at the 
 Towers again; and natural, solid, and very nice, 
 too, it do look, after being among those un- 
 couth foreign stucco shams abroad, in spite 
 of the fire's destruction. The walls of the west 
 wing are in better shape than at first was feared, 
 so rebuilding can soon begin; and as for Lord 
 and Lady Glamorden, they are never apart, and 
 the days are too short for their happiness. The 
 old Spanish rooms, those with dark wainscoting 
 and leather, above the banqueting hall, you re- 
 member, are being done over and refitted for 
 use as a nursery, until the rooms facing south in 
 the new wing are ready. 
 
 ' You can keep Mr. Varley's letter until we 
 meet. Meanwhile, wishing you speedy recovery 
 from all ills, and every prosperity, 
 
 ' Yours truly, as ever, who would gladly be 
 much more, 
 
 "JOHN STUBBS. 
 
 " P. S. I shall, of course, write Varley that I
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 307 
 
 observed all he mentions in Calcutta; but did 
 not consider matters sufficiently advanced to 
 speak decidedly." 
 
 Mr. Varley's letter was written from Simla. 
 
 " DEAR MR. STUBBS : I take the first oppor- 
 tunity coming to me, my duties having been 
 unusually heavy this past week, to thank you for 
 the exceedingly acceptable gift of Turkish to- 
 bacco and cigarettes. The latter not very whole- 
 some for a man's use, I am afraid; but all the 
 same, I am remarkably glad to get a supply, 
 on account of the visiting valets; some French 
 and Austrians will touch nothing else. The 
 patent picnic knife, fork and spoon combined, 
 picked up in Cairo, you tell me, comes in most 
 handy, too, as one never knows what may turn 
 up, or on frontier expeditions how far you may 
 get separated from supplies; and Wednesday 
 we have orders to start for some border trip, the 
 exact direction or meaning of which I have not 
 yet been able to discover; but the knife comes 
 just in time. 
 
 " I wonder you have no news to give about 
 Sir Francis's and Lady Emily's affairs. Our 
 people are discussing what you appear not to 
 have observed at Calcutta, and the day before 
 the Earl's party left for Darjeeling, we made 
 sure matters came to a climax, hearing very 
 definitely to that effect, from Hallins, Sir Fran- 
 cis's groom. Something being wrong with one
 
 308 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 of the horses, he was directed by the head coach- 
 man to find Sir Francis at Government House 
 or in the gardens. 
 
 " Passing down the steps and hearing voices, 
 he found Sir Francis, with two or three other 
 gentlemen and ladies, seated beyond the terrace, 
 where there is more shade at that morning hour. 
 Hallins hesitated about disturbing the party, 
 and then heard that frisky youngster, Sir Egbert 
 Bettengen, who is capering through India with 
 a tutor or guardian who, though he looks like 
 a petrified boy himself, is for ever pulling his 
 pupil out of scrapes say, ' I'll wager any- 
 thing you like, for all your talk about Calcutta 
 history, you never can take Lady Emily direct 
 to the Black Hole, without asking your way.' 
 Sir Francis, laughing good-naturedly, replied, 
 'Very well, I accept; and if Lady Emily 
 consents to go with me to-morrow, you can send 
 me that silver-mounted turquoise horse-shoe I 
 saw you wearing at the races.' The other ladies 
 and gentlemen declared they would follow to 
 see fair play. Observing Hallins standing near, 
 Sir Francis directed him where to have his dog- 
 cart, in an hour's time, adding he would order 
 a victoria to be ready also, in case any of the 
 party did not care about walking back to Gov- 
 ernment House from the Black Hole. Then, 
 learning from Hallins of the wrongly-driven 
 nail, just discovered as causing the mysterious 
 lameness to his hunter, Sir Francis hurried off,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 309 
 
 promising, if Lady Emily could be ready, to 
 start in half an hour. 
 
 " It appears Sir Francis did know exactly 
 how to reach the scene of that long-ago tortur- 
 ing, and had no difficulty whatever in convincing 
 the young baronet, years Sir Francis's junior, 
 you know Sir Francis is barely turned 
 twenty-three, if I am not mistaken that no 
 inquiries had been made on the way; and then, 
 while Hallins stood at the horse's head outside 
 the Black Hole entrance, he felt absolutely con- 
 vinced, from Sir Francis's expression in hand- 
 ing Lady Emily into the dog-cart, that some 
 sort of understanding had been arrived at be- 
 tween them on the trip to the Black Hole. 
 
 " Hallins has no objection to a little gossip, 
 he declares, or to listening, in a general way; 
 otherwise, ' 'ow should we know what is going 
 hon? Wot I 'ear about the 'ouse and stables is 
 public,' he says, ' but wot I over 'ears in a dog- 
 cart do seem more secret, private like; and un- 
 less concerning myself, never repeats.' So he 
 was a bit stiff in letting fall anything actually 
 said on that short drive returning to Govern- 
 ment House. He do claim, also, Sir Francis 
 has been more than generous to him, and has 
 promised, in case of his not returning to Eng- 
 land, that he will give Hallins's sweetheart her 
 passage to India. She could come out under 
 the stewardess's care, in the troop-ship, and after 
 the wedding Sir Francis would set them up in
 
 310 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 a nice little home in Calcutta; or, if the girl 
 feared to come, Hallins could return to England 
 after Easter, and he will set him up there. Very 
 handsome treatment, I must say, and what would 
 be expected from Sir Francis, especially if his 
 own thoughts were running that way. 
 
 ' We all know, of course, Lady Emily might 
 make a better match in the way of rank and 
 riches; but look it up in the Peerage and you 
 will see the Duke is nearly her own father's age, 
 wonderfully preserved for his years, though, I 
 grant you. You know, too, there is a chance, 
 it is too early yet to speak positively, of an earl- 
 dom's coming to Sir Francis. One life only, - 
 a gentleman always travelling with plain daugh- 
 ters, is between him and his cousin (who has 
 bad health and a craze for motoring, entering 
 for every speeding contest though never win- 
 ning, and usually falling out, or coming in last 
 at home or abroad), no longer a very young 
 man; and that baccarat scandal means separa- 
 tion already, and in my opinion likely to be a 
 divorce. 
 
 " When out here, after touring Africa, he 
 got the nickname of ' General Ananias of the 
 Torrid Zone.' His simplest anecdotes set the 
 entire table staring at one another, biting their 
 lips and breathlessly wondering what would 
 come next. I myself heard him telling most 
 seriously of a tribe of tail-less baboons, among 
 whom he had somewhere lived in the forests,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 311 
 
 declaring he had often seen these creatures 
 nimbly extracting the finest feathers from the 
 wild peacocks, and skilfully weaving them into 
 fans, which they presented to the lady baboons 
 for use as sunshades in that tropical heat. 
 
 " In any case, Sir Francis is by no means a 
 pauper, in spite of his father's having been the 
 gayest of sports, a spendthrift, if ever there 
 was one mortgaging and spending every- 
 thing he could lay hands on. I well remember 
 reading of those wild doings; and my youngest 
 brother, never a credit to the family, who 
 turned to bookmaking, and should have been 
 put in the madhouse, told me incredible sums 
 were thrown away through his devotion to the 
 turf. Sir Francis has never shown the least in- 
 clination that way; and his mother, whose own 
 rather decent fortune I am inclined to think 
 was securely tied up to keep it from being 
 squandered, most carefully nursed the estates 
 during his long minority. She immediately 
 rented Stanhaven House to the richest of Bra- 
 zilian diamond merchants for a long term; and 
 even the shooting lodge near Balmoral brings 
 in over a thousand pounds a year, beyond ex- 
 penses, if I am not mistaken, on a seven years' 
 lease to a rich American, who fancied, and must 
 have, just that site. 
 
 " Lady Charlotte herself, to my certain 
 knowledge, went down to Windsor, living in 
 the simplest * Buttons and petticoat ' fashion, I
 
 312 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 call it, no proper establishment, so as to be 
 near Sir Francis at Eton; and, when he entered 
 at Christ Church, spent most of her time with 
 a relative, a Dean or Canon at Banbury, wishing 
 to be within easy reach of Oxford. 
 
 " If they wanted to keep Lady Emily heart- 
 whole for his Grace, they never should have 
 taken her beyond the States. Between ourselves, 
 I don't think the Countess much of a manager 
 that way; and Sir Francis is credited with be- 
 ing the finest, most captivating figure of an 
 A. D. C. we ever have had at Government 
 House, and one you would find it hard to match 
 in London. Well, all is fair in love or war ; and 
 we hope Sir Francis will win. He starts with 
 the Viceroy Wednesday lately, all think he 
 has rather avoided what we call ' House Duty,' 
 that is, trotting attendance on the ladies, and 
 receiving the Viceroy's visitors and then goes 
 tiger-hunting (dangerous sport it is) with those 
 German princelings who left us yesterday. 
 Decidedly harassing, meddlesome martinets, we 
 think them, scrutinizing everybody and every- 
 thing in a most arrogant fashion. 
 
 ' You may write me down a very undiscern- 
 ing man if this Calcutta business does not result 
 in a match. 
 
 ' The rains will soon be upon us, a deluge, 
 that means, among these slippery Simla hills, 
 but more airy ; better sleeping than on the plains 
 during hot weather. 
 
 " Thanking you for your acceptable presents,
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 313 
 
 and hoping your health continues good, and all 
 your interests prospering, I am, 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 " HENRY VAELEY. 
 
 " P. S. We have it fairly accurate, though 
 misleading hints were thrown out as to ' official 
 business/ that Sir F.'s sudden rushing off to 
 Bombay meant he reached the pier, owing to 
 a break-down north of the Hyderabid division, 
 - precisely half an hour after Lady E. steamed 
 out of the harbour. There has been considerable 
 friction and censuring between the Viceroy and 
 some highly placed army officials. The govern- 
 ment does make preposterous demands, but our 
 position defies criticism. It will blow over, how- 
 ever, I fancy, and I hardly think we shall be in 
 London this season. You will all get to Ortham 
 for the christening, I presume." 
 
 Hearing all this exciting news concerning my 
 dear young lady's prospects did keep me from 
 sleeping, and Sister Claudia threatened, if more 
 letters came, to hide them beyond my reach until 
 I should be stronger.
 
 CHAPTER LVII 
 
 FIERCE heat, with desert winds parching one's 
 skin as if they blew from the depths of a blazing 
 crater, came before the doctors and Sister Clau- 
 dia were willing I should leave Rome; but at 
 last pronounced me strong enough for the night's 
 journey; and with little fatigue, all being so 
 kindly planned, we reached Varese. 
 
 Lady Emily was still pale and listless; a day 
 or two later, however, when Sir Francis arrived 
 from Brindisi, no fault could be found with her 
 colour, nor her spirits. Poor Sir Francis did 
 look the very ghost of his former self, his 
 cheeks hollow, and his coat simply hanging about 
 his broad shoulders. The fractured left arm, 
 mending slowly in the hot weather, still had a 
 lifeless, shrunken look. However, after a few 
 days' rest, he declared himself entirely able to 
 wheel Lady Emily in the invalid's chair in which 
 the doctor decreed her ladyship should spend 
 hours out of doors; and within a fortnight both 
 rode on mules to the chapel on the hill top, fol- 
 lowing that steep path by the calvary stations. 
 
 I never tire watching Monte Rosa, coming 
 and going behind the clouds. There is one huge, 
 spotless snow-drift far away that has, to me, the 
 form of a guardian angel, bending over as if to 
 
 814
 
 protect and bless a distant village that lies be- 
 yond the nearer hills. The Countess insists that 
 I shall rest for weeks longer, everything her 
 ladyship needs being done by Cecilia, Lady 
 Charlotte's former maid, who married the head- 
 waiter of one of the Roman hotels, and is glad 
 to return, for a month or so, to her former duties. 
 
 Owing to some questions regarding rebuilding, 
 the Earl was detained longer than anticipated; 
 and when ready to leave England received, from 
 Prince Henry of Prussia, an invitation to be 
 present at Kiel for the yacht regatta; so, as 
 Lady Emily continued progressing towards com- 
 plete recovery, he went to Germany, having 
 partly promised the visit a year earlier, to 
 attend the races, consequently did not reach 
 Varese until the week before we left for Lucerne. 
 I then learned from Mr. Stubbs that although 
 his lordship would not oppose Lady Emily's 
 and you may also say the Countess's wishes, 
 he positively could not consent to any formal 
 betrothal until Lady Emily had had at least 
 part of a season in London. Mr. Stubbs is of 
 opinion, this determination meant seeing the 
 Duke again, his lordship being decidedly loth 
 to give up that offer. 
 
 The Earl was rather pleased to be absent from 
 Varese when Sir Francis arrived, hoping, if 
 Lady Emily met with no opposition, her lady- 
 ship might of her own accord vere 'round favour- 
 ably towards the Duke simply deceiving him- 
 self with false hopes, Mr. Stubbs says, for now
 
 316 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 Lady Emily would never yield. Both Sir Fran- 
 cis and Lady Emily favour, in looks and ways, 
 Mr. Stubbs has been told, the great grandfather 
 from whom both are descended, a rather 
 strong-willed, determined gentleman. 
 
 You should have seen her ladyship's face that 
 morning she had Hallins who goes back to 
 England with Sir Francis on the terrace, to 
 ask particulars of the accident, the doctor having 
 cautioned her ladyship not to let Sir Francis 
 talk on this subject as yet. Hallins told Lady 
 Emily about picking him up, bleeding and un- 
 conscious, and described how the young army 
 surgeon he appears to have been little more 
 than a boy declared in his hearing, as his fin- 
 gers fumbled for Sir Francis' pulse, " I don't 
 think he will live to be moved." 
 
 Hallins said, as he was telling about examin- 
 ing for internal injury, and probing for the 
 head wounds, her ladyship went as white as 
 his collar, plainly showing her devotion to Sir 
 Francis. Hallins would feel very thankful in- 
 deed should his Hannah ever express such feel- 
 ing if he chances to get smashed up in a run- 
 away, or breaks his neck training in raw tandem 
 leaders. 
 
 Another day, when the wind blew invigorat- 
 ingly fresh, straight from the Alps, rather smil- 
 ingly perverse, Lady Emily declared that posi- 
 tively she envied Sir Francis's being able to go 
 by motor to a neighbouring villa where that 
 Italian prince, famous as an explorer and moun-
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 317 
 
 tain climber, was then visiting, and who, recall- 
 ing earlier mountaineering expeditions with Sir 
 Francis, had invited his lordship to breakfast. 
 Lady Emily asserted that in reading accounts 
 of this prince's bravery, her heart had been almost 
 won, and later, seeing him at the Opera, and 
 talking with him at that last Meet of the season, 
 outside the Porta San Paolo at Rome, the con- 
 quest had been complete. 
 
 Very seriously, apparently, Sir Francis re- 
 sponded that, these being her ladyship's true sen- 
 timents, though always he had admired the 
 prince, and valued his friendship, a duel with 
 his ducal highness seemed inevitable; and under 
 these circumstances he had best perhaps, de- 
 cline his hospitality. Very quickly then Lady 
 Erinily insisted that everybody knew, doubt- 
 less solely for reasons entirely satisfactory to 
 himself, that unconquered snows alone com- 
 pelled the prince's homage, and positively Sir 
 Francis must not deprive her of the pleasure 
 anticipated in hearing all about the breakfast, 
 and the prince's latest adventures. This, I am 
 sure, Sir Francis did relate late that same eve- 
 ning, on the Countess's balcony, which has been 
 partly enclosed by glass and tall rose trees, 
 ramblers, white and red, in green majolica tubs, 
 and the balustrades screened by the spiciest of 
 carnations, many varieties in full bloom. 
 
 After resting at charming places on Lakes 
 Maggiore and Como and then driving under 
 cloudless skies over the splendid Simplon Pass,
 
 a few days were spent at Lausanne, on Lake 
 Geneva, before travelling through to Paris by 
 rail. 
 
 I did not enjoy those gay scenes in the Bois, 
 and on the Boulevards, nor even the brilliantly 
 lighted arcades of the Rue de Rivoli and Palais 
 Royal of which Mr. Stubbs has so often talked, 
 as much as he wanted I should, and was truly 
 delighted on hearing the Countess say that after 
 Lady Emily had seen the galleries her lady- 
 ship not having been in Paris since she was 
 thirteen and certain orders had been given the 
 dressmakers, we would return home. Lady 
 Emily was also pleased, I think, with this plan, 
 Sir Francis having left the party on reaching 
 Paris, intending to make a short stay in Eng- 
 land; then a hurried visit to India would permit 
 him to settle his affairs there, he having plans 
 in connection with Mayo College at Agmere, 
 and for improving the water supply in some 
 needy regions that he was especially anxious 
 to work out personally. At latest, however, 
 he would reach home again by Easter. I 
 don't think Lady Emily liked contemplating 
 this possible six months' absence, but I heard 
 Sir Francis protest it would be cowardly not to 
 carry out the work planned and that thinking of 
 her would now inspire and be woven into every 
 effort to help others as long as he lived. Some- 
 thing, too, was said about having a ring or 
 bracelet with Mizpah engraved on the clasp, and 
 daily letters.
 
 CHAPTER LVIII 
 
 ALMOST the first home face for we stopped 
 the night in London after those rough, upsetting 
 hours on the Channel was Mary's. How glad 
 we were to meet again! and kinder and pleas- 
 anter than ever she did look. That evening 
 Aunt Sarah's stepson, Sam, came to see me, and 
 I may as well write it down at once I 
 could not say " No " when he said, " Annie, I 
 need you, as I have always needed you. I have 
 neither kith nor kin, and never knew a mother 
 but Aunt Sarah. Tell me you will let me make 
 you a home, dear, before you leave again." 
 
 It is just his way; none could call Sam hand- 
 some-featured. He is a little shorter than I am, 
 and a matter of a few months younger; bent- 
 shouldered like, a trifle, too, from constant 
 working; but such honest eyes, under wide 
 brows, and chestnut hair waving upon his fore- 
 head in a very pleasant way. He was never 
 too tired, hard as he always has been forced to 
 work, to help me with water-jugs, or errands 
 at Aunt Sarah's, when early and late I had to 
 be up, waiting on the lodgers; and after father 
 died, Sam just a small lad when I trimmed 
 my hat with black ribbons, put a mourning band 
 
 319
 
 320 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 on his sleeve, thinking it might seem less lone- 
 some like, I being without kin in London. Even 
 at that age Sam was always reading, poring over 
 pilgrimages, crusades, ancient conflicts and the 
 like, when he got the chance, sitting up winter 
 nights by the hall light left burning for the 
 benefit of Aunt Sarah's favourite lodger, a pro- 
 fessional contortionist, and flutist at dull seasons. 
 Often have I heard Aunt Sarah declare, had her 
 last husband not been by far the worst of the 
 three, she would take her courage in her hands 
 and doff her cap again, he having such winning 
 ways and genteel manners, though always down 
 in his luck and by no means as steady in his habits 
 as she could wish ; but nothing decided ever came 
 of the courting that went on and off between 
 them. 
 
 Of course Mr. Stubbs did think that is, 
 when on the Indian Ocean did say, he dwelt 
 more and more, now that he was not quite so 
 young as he once was, on man's not living alone ; 
 and that our having travelled extensively to- 
 gether, and getting to know each other's ways 
 and feelings, would prevent mistakes ; and some- 
 time there was no need whatever for haste - 
 he wanted I should consider becoming the second 
 Mrs. Stubbs. After being at Benares it came 
 out, owing to his saying nothing would ever 
 induce him to ask his widow to make any sacri- 
 fices, such as burning herself for him. 
 
 One never could tell what a man might do 
 until he got the chance, I said, and then he
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 321 
 
 explained he had early been widowed, but his 
 wife not having lived the year out, few knew of 
 his marriage. I was sorry, naturally, having 
 always admired Mr. Stubbs; but on thinking 
 more of Sam when I lay ill in Rome, and he 
 being so faithful writing, seldom missing a 
 Sunday, and I having mailed my letters al- 
 most as constant, I made up my mind if ever 
 again he said anything definite, he having been 
 down three weeks in the hospital with pleurisy, 
 before we sailed, and forbade Mary, knowing 
 how busy I then was with my new duties, from 
 letting me know, I would tell him " Yes." 
 As Mary generally wrote when Sam did, asking 
 him to enclose the letter, I thought it no harm 
 when Mr. Stubbs teased me about getting so 
 many letters, to simply mention I had heard 
 from Mary, whom Mr. Stubbs always liked, 
 without speaking of Sam, who was a stranger 
 to him. In a fortnight, I would give him his 
 answer, I told Sam, wishing first to speak to 
 the Countess; but must confess I realized, that 
 first night in London, how my feelings towards 
 Sam had grown and strengthened in that year 
 of separation, and what my reply must be.
 
 CHAPTER LIX 
 
 ORTHAM was so far rebuilt, the .part des- 
 troyed by the fire that is, you never could 
 have told from the outside, when we drove up 
 through the long beech avenue a beautiful, hazy 
 October evening, that the west wing had suf- 
 fered as it did. In the east wing was the sweet- 
 est, cooing, dimpled baby ever seen; "a little 
 girl this time," said Lord Glamorden, but, as 
 Constance junior was the living image of what 
 her mother must have been he could find no fault 
 with either. 
 
 There was so much coming and going, Sir 
 Francis and Lady Charlotte among the first 
 guests to arrive, that it was Sunday before 
 I had a chance to speak with the Countess about 
 Sam's wishes. Her ladyship had never before 
 heard of Sam, and in the goodness of her heart 
 said, " I am sorry for Stubbs, Burns; his lord- 
 ship considers him most reliable, a little over- 
 cautious, perhaps, but very trustworthy, if a trifle 
 slow; he has been saving, too, and must have 
 laid by a considerable sum." But when I told 
 the Countess all about Sam, how he had declared 
 if I favoured Mr. Stubbs, thinking him a better 
 match, he would leave for the States by the next 
 
 322
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 323 
 
 steamer, never troubling me again unless I sent 
 for him, her ladyship very kindly thought he 
 must, also, be a reliable young man, and he 
 might come to Ortham the following Sunday, 
 when her ladyship herself would talk with him. 
 A day or two after Sir Francis arrived, a 
 frosty November morning, as I hastened back 
 to the Towers from the Lodge, where the keep- 
 er's aged mother was recovering from a sudden 
 bad turn, I felt so childishly light-hearted at 
 being home again that I could scarce keep 
 from racing with the dry oak leaves, eddying 
 and scudding in half wreath drifts over the still 
 green turf. Just this side the maze I met Mr. 
 Stubbs, stepping briskly towards the gates. He 
 stopped long enough to excitedly whisper, 
 ' Who do you think has just arrived? That 
 exploring Italian prince, it may be to offer con- 
 gratulations. I am no trouble-borrower, nor one 
 to fidget and worry over affairs; but my word 
 for it, these foreigners make nothing of chal- 
 lengings and duellings once their fancy gets 
 aroused, and I'd rather not see the best of them 
 roaming about until matters are positively ar- 
 ranged. Beware of flying in the face of Provi- 
 dence, I say, and thankful we should be that his 
 constitution keeps the other duke safely in the 
 Engadine climate, at present, or we might all 
 become involved in personal encounters and no 
 end of disagreeable, complicating happenings." 
 Without giving me a chance to reply, Mr. 
 Stubbs hurried off, saying he must catch the up
 
 324 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 express and would return from London late that 
 evening. 
 
 Mary came down that first Sunday at Ortham, 
 and we had indeed a great deal to talk over 
 until it was time for her to leave to catch the 
 train. Mr. Stubbs kindly offered to walk to the 
 station with us after evening prayer. It is not 
 a very long walk from the church to the rail- 
 road station, and Mr. Stubbs talked most of the 
 way, telling Mary one needs the patience of 
 Job in travelling, and of the annoying bother 
 he had in India trying to discover the right 
 " bhesti " or bearer, to carry out his lordship's 
 bath; for the man who brings in the tub refuses 
 to remove it, fearing he will lose caste. Mr. 
 Stubbs considers the " chit " system, prevailing 
 throughout China and India, very sensible; ma- 
 king messages sent, as well as the replies, ex- 
 ceedingly plain; and writing everything in a 
 notebook prevents endless parleying and confu- 
 sion in dealing with native bearers. Mary 
 laughed heartily over some of the mistakes he 
 described, in trying to make tradespeople and 
 the like, in Italy and France, comprehend their 
 own language. He thinks them, ordinarily, keen 
 and quick to understand in other directions, but 
 remarkably stupid respecting their own tongues. 
 
 When we reached the booking office, and 
 Mary was making sure her up-ticket was all 
 right, I heard Mr. Stubbs describing to her that 
 ebony elephant, mounted as an inkstand, in 
 sterling silver, which I know he values highly as
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 325 
 
 Mr. Varley's gift to him in Calcutta, mentioning 
 he would be pleased to give it to her as a keep- 
 sake of the foreign countries they had been talk- 
 ing of; inquiring, too, in his protecting manner, 
 always liking to show such little attentions, a 
 few drops of rain having fallen, followed by 
 flashes of lightning and thunder rumblings 
 was she quite sure she did not mind making the 
 up trip alone? 
 
 Mr. Stubbs helped Mary into the railway car- 
 riage Mary was the only passenger from our 
 station; one lady, however, already sat on the 
 farther side of the compartment, her back 
 toward the engine. Mr. Stubbs and I waited 
 on the platform until the guard fastened the 
 door, and, as the train pulled out, Mary leaned 
 from the carriage window, bowing and waving 
 her handkerchief. That new mustard-coloured 
 gown does become her face and figure, and the 
 hat of the same shade, trimmed with black velvet 
 and ostrich tips, suits her uncommonly well. 
 Before we had passed beyond the station en- 
 trance, after going through the waiting-room, a 
 crash of falling metal and breaking glass caused 
 Mr. Stubbs to run quickly back, and I followed. 
 Reaching the platform again we saw an iron 
 girder, supporting that part of the station roof 
 projecting over the lines, had fallen directly 
 upon the up-train. The guard, who was run- 
 ning excitedly along the platform, looking into 
 each carriage, called out to Mr. Stubbs, " Your 
 wife is all right. The lady in the forward seat
 
 326 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 got a nasty gash on her chin from the breaking 
 glass; but that's all the accident amounts to." 
 Mary was at the carriage window again by this 
 time, and though the train moved off, almost 
 without delay, I could see her face was redder 
 than Mr. Stubbs's, when she heard these re- 
 marks. 
 
 Having no chance to speak of Sam earlier in 
 the day, as Mr. Stubbs and I were returning 
 homeward, sauntering through the Park, I just 
 myself mentioned about our having been boy and 
 girl together at Aunt Sarah's, and though Mr. 
 Stubbs never has directly referred again to that 
 confidential talk the moonlit night led to our 
 having when on the Indian Ocean, I could see 
 he did not feel dissatisfied at my thinking so 
 much of Sam, and more than once inquired if Miss 
 Mary was not most obliging and appreciative, 
 no fickleness in her nature, surely, and always 
 he has admired her photograph; regarding her 
 age and people he also wished to know. She is 
 just seven years older than I am. I did not 
 tell him, of course, that Mary herself had men- 
 tioned, before starting for the station, that she 
 considered Mr. Stubbs more affable than ever; 
 rounder and pinker, perhaps, than before leav- 
 ing for the long trip ; and all left of his hair was 
 a very nice, soft shade. 
 
 Mary by no means agreed with Madame 
 Duval, whom she heard remarking to Miss 
 Barnes that in her eyes Monsieur Stubbs had 
 well aged by the trip, and that he had not
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 327 
 
 changed his habit of being incredibly chary with 
 his words, in spite of his new American teeth. 
 Miss Barnes replied that she had never found 
 him wanting in communicativeness, but he did 
 most like conversing upon his own feelings, and 
 judging now from appearances, it would not be 
 surprising if sometime he went off suddenly 
 with a stroke. 
 
 Long ago Mr. Stubbs told me, I am sorry to 
 say, that that odious grimacing woman, Madame 
 Duval, angered him, her smooth, scheming 
 French ways bringing out all the worst in his 
 nature; consequently he avoided her as far as 
 possible, hoping she would leave him alone, it 
 being a well-known fact, though she did suc- 
 ceed in hoodwinking many, that the former valet 
 threw up the place owing to her. The man was 
 most peaceable and steady, own brother to a 
 valet then on the Prince of Wales's pension list, 
 after ten years' and more service at Marlborough 
 House and Sandringham; but in a fit of temper 
 Finch had remarked Duval, then a much 
 younger woman, overhearing it that she never 
 crossed his path without his wanting to strangle 
 her. This speech came out through Madame 
 herself, asking one of the footmen, who had been 
 in the Embassy service at Paris, " What does 
 ' strang-le ' mean in French? " She made a tre- 
 mendous fuss, demanding Finch should apolo- 
 gize; and he, becoming enraged, proclaimed, 
 some insisted before the Earl himself and in the 
 butler's presence, he would gladly leave the best
 
 328 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 situation he ever had rather than so much as 
 put eyes on that woman again; saying also, she 
 always did remind him of those anaconda mon- 
 sters he had read of, mouthing and sliming their 
 victims before swallowing them. 
 
 This occurred before my coming to Ortham, 
 of course, and I never did have speech with 
 Finch, he, after marrying the upper parlour- 
 maid in a diplomatist's family, a most attractive, 
 superior young person, I am told, having 
 gone to the States with the returning American 
 Ambassador, or Minister rather, as he then was, 
 to the Court of Saint James; but what I had 
 heard prejudiced me against French Madames, 
 though comprehending the world's ways well 
 enough to know every question has more than 
 one side, and I am free to say she may be wiser 
 now she's older and determined on returning to 
 her Rouen; but I want no French, nor English 
 compliments from the like of her. " Fancy the 
 impertinence of ferreting out," Mr. Stubbs con- 
 tinued, " about my having married early in life, 
 and attempting to discuss the subject with Mrs. 
 Bufers, (who, by the way, being a particularly 
 good friend of mine, felt she must give me a 
 word of warning), remarking that, though I had 
 little to boast of as to personal appearance, she 
 did not doubt I was capable of making a ' mari 
 tres comme il faut.' Think of the meddling 
 busybody in others' affairs venturing to say this 
 about me. She's no favourite with men, and 
 may as well know none here desire to become
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 329 
 
 Monsieur Duval's successor. You should have 
 seen her expression when that clock-winding 
 young fellow was down, the other day, tinkering 
 at the pantry clock and describing those scientific 
 experiments with serum germs and microbes at 
 one of the big city hospitals where he had been 
 employed. Seeing Madame was listening at the 
 door I could not refrain from asking if they had 
 yet discovered any serums for ill-temper and lazi- 
 ness? Glancing towards Madame she under- 
 stood, I saw, my meaning, though sniffing hard 
 and passing on, ignoring the remark."
 
 CHAPTER LX 
 
 WHEN Sam came down the next Sunday, I 
 had the whole afternoon free, and did feel proud 
 of his tidy, manly appearance and very thank- 
 ful he could see and speak with a lady like the 
 Countess. Long ago, as a younger lad, he was 
 a little wild, and did have some feeling, many 
 times before he was twenty I have heard him 
 assert, that the House of Lords should be abol- 
 ished, declaring, too, that working people had 
 petitioned long enough and must now demand 
 their rights. Sam's face has never lost that 
 solemn, wistful look most children have who 
 never have known a mother, nor much of a 
 father; but it is kindly and earnest; quick to 
 smile when he speaks. 
 
 The Countess received Sam in the morning- 
 room and talked with him nearly half an hour. 
 After seeing her ladyship he found me beneath 
 the clump of Scotch firs beyond the kitchen 
 gardens, and declared, for goodness, he had 
 never seen her equal. 
 
 " I will not hide it from you, Annie, but long 
 I have thought a new country the place for a 
 poor man to bring up his family. My health 
 is none too good in these London fogs. I try 
 
 330
 
 my best to work faithful, but there is no use 
 counting on raises, sure to come if I were a more 
 able-bodied sort of chap. At the hospital they 
 told me my lungs didn't work as they should, 
 and if you are willing, before many years pass 
 we will go to that California you spoke of 
 I had thought of South America as offering most 
 in the way of pay, but there are too many revo- 
 lutions and earthquakes to risk at present and 
 start a farm of our own; or I could keep on 
 awhile there with the printing work. A young 
 fellow on one of the big Strand Weeklies went 
 out to that city of Angels, where you stopped, 
 made a success in six months and had his sweet- 
 heart and her mother out within the year. 
 
 * Yes, Annie, republics I always have believed 
 give a man the chance, though those constant 
 strikes and labour troubles over there, of recent 
 years, I don't clearly understand. Still, from 
 present accounts, thinking men are beginning to 
 tire of leaders claiming to protect the working 
 man and meanwhile filling their own pockets by 
 levying blackmail, or on the proceeds of rows 
 they have managed to stir up. Getting any real 
 help from such scamps is as useless as shaking 
 your fist at the mountains for not giving up their 
 gold. Like a nightmare it hangs over me, the 
 awful struggles of men I have known, honest as 
 the day, hard-working fellows, out of a job 
 through no fault of their own, ailing, and not 
 knowing till too late that the feebleness came 
 from being half -starved ; waking up in the
 
 332 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 gloom, if they chanced to sleep at all, from cold 
 and worry, with that despairing feeling of hav- 
 ing the weight of the whole world upon them, 
 as they listen to their helpless children crying 
 and pleading for bread. It is present relief such 
 crushed beings want, not promises about the 
 future. Unrelieved suffering here is enough for 
 them to dread and shudder over without dwell- 
 ing on what there is uncertainty about. 
 
 " A young Hollander who had seen better 
 days in his own land, before sinking to the low- 
 est depths of Whitechapel poverty, told me when 
 stranded, utterly friendless and almost penniless 
 in London, his wife ill and a wailing baby to 
 look after, he felt while tramping through 
 thronged streets, alone, vainly seeking work and 
 with the torments of hell pressing on him, that 
 transparent, but impassable barriers separated 
 him from the rest of mankind; and at night the 
 feeling came keen upon him of being one of 
 the belated, betrayed travellers, lured into mur- 
 derous Black Forest haunts to find a heavy 
 ceiling, from which escape was impossible, 
 slowly descending until it crushed and mangled 
 its victims, before death came. 
 
 " Many of the clergy and others are learning 
 that ministering to tortured bodies and giving 
 the helpless a chance is helping to cure the soul's 
 distress. I am rarely inside a church door these 
 days, being tired and stupid from the week's 
 work; but our London Bishop knows something 
 of what the appalling daily struggle means in
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 333 
 
 the slums; that one in New York, too, I see, 
 likes helping and heartening people in a kindly, 
 human way. Men are awakening everywhere, 
 Annie, each in his own way, striving and grop- 
 ing as never before these days, longing and seek- 
 ing for surer foundations; some listening for 
 that still, small voice and vision beyond the mere 
 physical which preachers tell of, many seeing in 
 the struggles signs, as that poet puts it, of 
 growth : 
 
 Like tides on a crescent sea-beach 
 When the moon is new and thin, 
 Into our hearts high yearnings 
 Come welling and surging in; 
 Come from the mystic ocean 
 Whose rim no foot has trod 
 Some of us call it longing 
 And others call it God.' 
 
 * You know I was born and bred among 
 Derbyshire peaks, Annie, though seldom it is, 
 for many years, that I have seen hills higher than 
 Saint Paul's Cross, but I don't forget those 
 church army folks, liking, as a lad, to listen to 
 their singing out of doors, and how one parson 
 said you must go through those dark valleys, 
 between the high peaks, to realize the mountain's 
 strength, and that God leads by stormy, weary 
 ways to teach His power. This may be true; 
 and one thing is sure, Annie, you have made 
 me know there is good in life, and evil cannot 
 overwhelm love; you do know how I cleave to 
 you with my whole heart, Annie."
 
 334 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 I did just then lay my head on Sam's shoul- 
 der, and could not refrain from telling him noth- 
 ing in this world should ever part us again. He 
 did seem relieved and satisfied, and soon began 
 consulting me about plans, saying a printer 
 friend had offered him unexpectedly he being 
 obliged to move nearer Paternoster Row a 
 three-years' unexpired lease of a nice four- 
 roomed cottage towards Hampstead Heathway, 
 not far from the new Foundling Children's 
 Home, with a garden. He had mentioned this 
 to her ladyship, it being necessary to give an 
 answer without delay to the people now occupy- 
 ing the cottage, asking, if I consented, whether 
 it would be convenient to have me leave 
 Ortham before Ash-Wednesday. The Countess 
 was so lovely as to reply that I had shown devo- 
 tion beyond praise to herself and Lady Emily; 
 and if I believed it for my happiness, she wished 
 me to accept Sam; and as a wedding gift would 
 provide all needed for the cottage and three 
 years' rent. 
 
 Before we had finished our long talk, deciding 
 on many things, Sam declaring it the great- 
 est comfort to bring out what you keep turning 
 over in your mind, if a person really cares about 
 what is pressing on you, Mr. Stubbs strolled 
 towards us down the path from the dovecots, 
 and I had a chance to introduce Sam. They 
 were friendly at once, and Mr. Stubbs very 
 pleasantly mentioned having seen, the past week, 
 a neat Dresden tea-service, scalloped and gilded
 
 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 335 
 
 borders with small yellow and pink roses his 
 favourite flowers tied together with a lovers' 
 knot, painted upon the different pieces; 
 strangely enough, on leaving the Oxford Street 
 shop, he had met Miss Mary, so persuaded her 
 to go back with him and give her opinion as to 
 whether it would be acceptable to me as a mar- 
 riage gift. She declared it " one of the most 
 sweetly pretty tea-services she had ever seen." 
 They then selected two flower window-boxes for 
 the sitting-room, one tiled in front, decorated 
 with thrushes and apple blossoms, the other hav- 
 ing humming birds and bees hovering over 
 honeysuckles, both against a blue sky, and most 
 handsomely finished, Mr. Stubbs is bound to 
 say, though speaking of his own gift. Sam told 
 him he had just been telling me about the gar- 
 den having noticed there one of those nice 
 ornamental rustic iron seats, left on the prem- 
 ises by former tenants and is most determined 
 on contriving an arbour of some sort, begging 
 Mr. Stubbs to say he would bring Mary down, 
 the first fair day of spring, so we four might 
 have tea there together. Mr. Stubbs appeared 
 extremely willing, saying in any case he should 
 be obliged to see Miss Mary again before Christ- 
 mas, and would then tell her of the kind invita- 
 tion, and endeavour to get her consent to accept 
 for the first clear Sunday in March. 
 
 Before Sam returned to London everything 
 was decided concerning the cottage and many 
 other things. The next evening a letter came
 
 336 TRAVELS OF A LADY'S MAID 
 
 from Mary, who wrote she wished to give me 
 all the gardening tools I could use, also one of 
 the window-boxes Mr. Stubbs had put aside at 
 the china shop. 
 
 Lady Emily was kind enough to tell me the 
 Countess was very pleased with Sam; and that 
 when my wedding day came, before Lent her 
 own marriage, if present plans are carried out, 
 could not come until after Easter, Sir Francis 
 being already on the Mediterranean crossing 
 toward India everything I wore on that occa- 
 sion, and needed, must be her gift. The gown 
 of white taffeta, unless I preferred ivory cloth 
 for the winter, trimmed with a bit of real lace 
 about the neck and sleeves, she thought would 
 be nicest; and my lace hat must have bride 
 roses and foliage; nothing simpler or more be- 
 coming, her ladyship thinks, unless I fancied 
 white geraniums or lilacs. Her ladyship also 
 very kindly offered to speak to the vicar, when 
 Sam and I decided on a convenient day. All 
 seemed easily settled ; and such kindness I never, 
 never could have expected. 
 
 I shall be near those I love for at least three 
 years, and find the twins again, God willing, 
 before Sam and I start for the new world, that 
 seems to me now a familiar dwelling-place. 
 
 THE END.
 
 From 
 
 L. C. Page & Company's 
 Announcement List 
 of New Fiction 
 
 The Call of the South 
 
 BY ROBERT LEE DURHAM. Cloth decorative, with 6 illus- 
 trations by Henry Roth $1.50 
 
 A very strong novel dealing with the race problem in this 
 country. The principal theme is the danger to society from the 
 increasing miscegenation of the black and white races, and the 
 encouragement it receives in the social amenities extended to 
 negroes of distinction by persons prominent in politics, philan- 
 thropy and educational endeavor; and the author, a Southern 
 lawyer, hopes to call the attention of the whole country to the 
 need of earnest work toward its discouragement. He has 
 written an absorbing drama of life which appeals with apparent 
 logic and of which the inevitable denouement cornea a* a final 
 and convincing climax. 
 
 The author may be criticized by those who prefer not to face 
 the hour " When Your Fear Cometh As Desolation And Your 
 Destruction Cometh As A Whirlwind; " but his honesty of 
 purpose hi the frank expression of a danger so well understood 
 in the South, which, however, many in the North refute to 
 recognize, while others have overlooked it, will be upheld by 
 the sober second thought of the majority of his readers.
 
 L. C. PAGE & COMPANY'S 
 
 The House in the Water 
 
 BY CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS, author of " The Haunters of 
 the Silences," " Red Fox," " The Heart of the Ancient 
 Wood," etc. With cover design, sixteen full-page drawings, 
 and many minor decorations by Charles Livingston Bull. 
 Cloth decorative, with decorated wrapper . . $1.50 
 
 Professor Roberts's new book of nature and animal life is one 
 long story in which he tells of the life of that wonderfully acute 
 and tireless little worker, the beaver. " The Boy " and Jabe 
 the Woodsman again appear, figuring in the story even more 
 than they did in " Red Fox; " and the adventures of the boy 
 and the beaver make most absorbing reading for young and 
 old. 
 
 The following chapter headings for " The House in the 
 Water " will give an idea of the fascinating reading to come: 
 
 THE SOUND IN THE NIGHT (Beavers at Work). 
 
 THE BATTLE IN THE POND (Otter and Beaver). 
 
 IN THE UNDER- WATER WORLD (Home Life of the Beaver) 
 
 NIGHT WATCHERS (" The Boy " and Jabe and a Lynx See 
 
 the Beavers at Work). 
 DAM REPAIRING AND DAM BUILDING (A " House-raising " 
 
 Bee). 
 
 THE PERIL OF THE TRAPS (Jabe Shows " The Boy"). 
 WINTER UNDER WATER (Safe from All but Man). 
 THE SAVING OF BOY'S POND (" The Boy " Captures Two 
 
 Outlaws). 
 
 " As a writer about animals, Mr. Roberts occupies an enviable 
 place. He is the most literary, as well as the most imaginative 
 and vivid of all the nature writers." Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 " Hia animal stories are marvels of sympathetic science and 
 literary exactness." New York World. 
 
 " Poet Laureate of the Animal World, Professor Roberts 
 displays the keenest powers of observation closely interwoven 
 with & fine imaginative discretion." Boston Transcript.
 
 LIST OF NEW FICTION 8 
 
 Captain Love 
 
 THE HISTORY OF A MOST ROMANTIC EVENT IN THE LIFE OF 
 AN ENGLISH GENTLEMAN DURING THE REIGN OF HIB MAJESTY 
 GEORGE THE FIRST. CONTAINING INCIDENTS OF COURTSHIP 
 AND DANGER AS RELATED IN THE CHRONICLES OF THE PERIOD 
 AND Now SET DOWN IN PRINT 
 
 BY THEODORE ROBERTS, author of " The Red Feathers," 
 " Brothers of Peril," etc. Cloth decorative, illustrated by 
 Frank T. Merrill $1.50 
 
 A stirring romance with its scene laid in the troublous times 
 in England when so many broken gentlemen foregathered with 
 the " Knights of the Road; " when a man might lose part of 
 his purse to his opponent at " White's " over the dice, and the 
 next day be relieved of the rest of his money on some lonely 
 heath at the point of a pistol in the hand of the self-same gambler. 
 
 But, it the setting be similar to other novels of the period, the 
 story is not. Mr. Roberts's work is always original, his style is 
 always graceful, his imagination fine, his situations refreshingly 
 novel. In his new book he has excelled himself. It is un- 
 doubtedly the best thing he has done. 
 
 Bahama Bill 
 
 BY T. JENKINS HAINS, author of " The Black Barque," 
 " The Voyage of the Arrow," etc. Cloth decorative, with 
 frontispiece in colors by H. R. Reuterdahl . . $1.50 
 
 The scene of Captain Hainc's new sea story is laid in the 
 region of the Florida Keys. His hero, the giant mate of the 
 wrecking sloop, Sea-Horse, while not one to stir the emotions 
 of gentle feminine readers, will arouse interest and admiration 
 in men who appreciate bravery and daring. 
 
 His adventures while plying his desperate trade are full of 
 the danger that holds one at a sharp tension, and the reader 
 forgets to be on the side of law and order in his eagerness to see 
 the " wrecker " safely through his exciting escapades. 
 
 Captain Hains's descriptions of life at sea are vivid, absorbingly 
 frank and remarkably true. " Bahama Bill " ranks high as 
 a stirring, realistic, unsoftened and undiluted tale of the sea, 
 chock full of engrossing interest.
 
 L. C. PAGE <fe COMPANY'S 
 
 Matthew Porter 
 
 BY GAMALIEL BRADFORD, JR., author of " The Private Tutor," 
 etc. With a frontispiece in colors by Griswold Tyng $1.50 
 When a young man has birth and character and strong ambi- 
 tion it is safe to predict for him a brilliant career; and, when 
 The Girl comes into his life, a romance out of the oidinary. 
 Such a man is Matthew Porter, and the author has drawn him 
 with fine power. 
 
 Mr. Bradford has given us a charming romance with an 
 unusual motive. Effective glimpses of the social life of Boston 
 form a contrast to the more serious purpose of the story; but, 
 in " Matthew Porter," it is the conflict of personalities, the 
 development of character, the human element which grips the 
 attention and compels admiration. 
 
 Anne of Green Gables 
 
 BY L. M. MONTGOMERY. Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 
 Every one, young or old, who reads the story of " Anne of 
 Green Gables," will fall in love with her, and tell their friends 
 of her irresistible charm. In her creation of the young heroine 
 of this delightful tale Miss Montgomery will receive praise for 
 her fine sympathy with and delicate appreciation of sensitive 
 and imaginative girlhood. 
 
 The story would take rank for the character of Anne alone; 
 but in the delineation of the characters of the old farmer, and 
 his crabbed, dried-up spinster sister who adopt her, the author 
 has shown an insight and descriptive power which add much to 
 the fascination of the book. 
 
 Spinster Farm 
 
 BY HELEN M. WINSLOW, author of " Literary Boston." Illus- 
 trated from original photographs . . . $1.50 
 Whatever Miss Winslow writes is good, for she is in accord 
 with the life worth living. The Spinster, her niece " Peggy," 
 the Professor, and young Robert Graves, not forgetting 
 Hiram, the hired man, are the characters to whom we are 
 introduced on " Spinster Farm." Most of the incidents and 
 all of the characters are real, as well as the farm and farmhouse, 
 unchanged since Colonial days. 
 
 Light-hearted character sketches, and equally refreshing and 
 unexpected happenings are woven together with a thread of 
 happy romance of which Peggy of course is the vivacious heroine. 
 Alluring descriptions of nature and country life are given with 
 fascinating bits of biography of the farm animals and household
 
 Selections from 
 
 L. C. Page and Company's 
 
 List of Fiction 
 
 WORKS OF 
 
 ROBERT NEILSON STEPHENS 
 
 Each one vol., library izmo, cloth decorative . . 
 
 The Flight of Georgiana 
 
 A ROMANCE OF THE DAYS OF THE YOUNG PRETENDER. Illus- 
 trated by H. C. Edwards. 
 
 " A love-story in the highest degree, a dashing story, and a re- 
 markably well finished piece of work." Chicago Record-Herald. 
 
 The Bright Face of Danger 
 
 Being an account of some adventures of Henri de Launay, son of 
 
 the Sieur de la Tournoire. Illustrated by H. C. Edwards. 
 
 " Mr. Stephens has fairly outdone himself. We thank him 
 
 heartily. The story is nothing if not spirited and entertaining, 
 
 rational and convincing." Boston Transcript. 
 
 The Mystery of Murray Davenport 
 
 (4Oth thousand.) 
 
 "This is easily the best thing that Mr. Stephens has yet done. 
 Those familiar with his other novels can best judge the measure of 
 this praise, which is generous." Buffalo News. 
 
 Captain Ravenshaw 
 
 OR, THE MAID OF CHEAPSIDE. (52d thousand.) A romance 
 of Elizabethan London. Illustrations by Howard Pyle and other 
 artists. 
 
 Not since the absorbing adventures of D'Artagnan have we had 
 anything so good in the blended vein of romance and comedy. 
 
 The Continental Dragoon 
 
 A ROMANCE OF PHILIPSF. MANOR HOUSE IN 1778. (53^ 
 thousand.) Illustrated by H. C. Edwards. 
 
 A stirring romance of the Revolution, with its scene laid ot 
 neutral tarrito*- 
 
 1
 
 L. C. PAGE & COMPANY'S 
 
 Philip Win wood 
 
 (70th thousand.) A Sketch of the Domestic History of an 
 American Captain in the War of Independence, embracing events 
 that occurred between and during the years 1763 and 1785 ia 
 New York and London. Illustrated by E. W. D. Hamilton. 
 
 An Enemy to the King 
 
 (70th thousand.) From the " Recently Discovered Memoirs of 
 the Sieur de la Tournoire." Illustrated by H. De M. Young. 
 An historical romance of the sixteenth century, describing the 
 
 adventures of a young French nobleman at the court of Henry III., 
 
 and on the field with Henry IV. 
 
 The Road to Paris 
 
 A STORY OF ADVENTURE. (35th thousand.) Illustrated by 
 
 H. C. Edwards. 
 
 An historical romance of the eighteenth century, being an account 
 of the life of an American gentleman adventurer of Jacobite an- 
 cestry. 
 
 A Gentleman Player 
 
 His ADVENTURES ON A SECRET MISSION FOR QUEEN ELIZA- 
 BETH. (48th thousand.) Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill. 
 The story of a young gentleman who joins Shakespeare's com- 
 pany of players, and becomes a friend and protege of the great 
 poet. 
 
 Clementina's Highwayman 
 
 Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 
 
 Mr. Stephens has put into his new book, " Clementina's Highway 
 man," the finest qualities of plot, construction, and literary finish. 
 
 The story is laid in the mid-Georgian period. It is a dashing 1 , 
 sparkling, vivacious comedy, with a heroine as lovely and changeable 
 as an April day, and a hero all ardor and daring. 
 
 The exquisite quality of Mr Stephens's literary style clothes the 
 story in a rich but delicate word-fabric ; and never before have his 
 setting and atmosphere been so perfect.
 
 LIST OF FICTION 
 
 VORKS OF 
 
 CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS 
 
 Haunters of the Silences 
 
 Cloth, one volume, with many drawings by Charles Livingston 
 Bull, four of which are in full color .... $2.00 
 
 The stories in Mr. Roberts's new collection are the strongest and 
 best he has ever written. 
 
 He has largely taken for his subjects those animals rarely met 
 with in books, whose lives are spent " In the Silences," where they 
 are the supreme rulers. Mr. Roberts has written of them sympa- 
 thetically, as always, but with fine regard for the scientific truth. 
 
 " As a writer about animals, Mr. Roberts occupies an enviable 
 place. He is the most literary, as well as the most imaginative 
 and vivid of all the nature writers." Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 " His animal stories are marvels of sympathetic science and liter- 
 ary exactness." New York World. 
 
 Red Fox 
 
 THE STORY OF His ADVENTUROUS CAREER IN THE RINGWAAK 
 WILDS, AND OF His FINAL TRIUMPH OVER THE ENEMIES OF 
 His KIND. With fifty illustrations, including frontispiece in 
 color and cover design by Charles Livingston Bull. 
 Square quarto, cloth decorative $2.00 
 
 " Infinitely more wholesome reading than the average tale of 
 sport, since it gives a glimpse of the hunt from the point of view of 
 the hunted." Boston Transcript. 
 
 "True in substance but fascinating as fiction. It will interest 
 old and young, city-bound and free-footed, those who know animals 
 and those who do not." Chicago Record-Herald. 
 
 "A brilliant chapter in natural history." Philadelphia North 
 American.
 
 L. C. PAGE & COMPANY'S 
 
 The Kindred of the Wild 
 
 A BOOK OF ANIMAL LIFE. With fifty-one full-page plates and 
 many decorations from drawings by Charles Livingston Bull. 
 
 Square quarto, decorative cover $2.00 
 
 " Is in many ways the most brilliant collection of animal stories 
 that has appeared ; well named and well done." John Burroughs. 
 
 The Watchers of the Trails 
 
 A companion volume to " The Kindred of the Wild." With 
 forty-eight full-page plates and many decorations from drawings 
 by Charles Livingston Bull. 
 Square quarto, decorative cover ...... $2.00 
 
 " These stories are exquisite in their refinement, and yet robust 
 
 in their appreciation of some of the rougher phases of woodcraft. 
 
 Among the many writers about animals, Mr. Roberts occupies an 
 
 enviable place. The Outlook. 
 
 " This is a book full of delight. An additional charm lies in Mr. 
 
 Bull's faithful and graphic illustrations, which in fashion all their 
 
 own tell the story of the wild life, illuminating and supplementing 
 
 the pen pictures of the author." Literary Digest. 
 
 The Heart That Knows 
 
 Library 1 2mo, cloth, decorative cover .... $1.50 
 " A novel of singularly effective strength, luminous in literary 
 color, rich in its passionate, yet tender drama." New York Globe. 
 
 Earth's Enigmas 
 
 A new edition of Mr. Roberts's first volume of fiction, published 
 in 1892, and out of print for several years, with the addition of 
 three new stories, and ten illustrations by Charles Livingston 
 Bull. 
 
 Library i2mo, cloth, decorative cover . . . . $ 1.50 
 " It will rank high among collections of short stories. In 
 'Earth's Enigmas' is a wider range of subject than in the 'Kin- 
 dred of the Wild.'" Review from advance sheets of the illustrated 
 edition by Tiffany Blake in the Chicago Evening Post. 
 
 Barbara Ladd 
 
 With four illustrations by Frank Verbeck. 
 
 Library 1 2 mo, cloth, decorative cover . . . . $1.50 
 
 " From the opening chapter to the final page Mr. Roberts lures 
 
 as on by his rapt devotion to the changing aspects of Nature and 
 
 by his keen and sympathetic analysis of human character," Boston 
 
 Transcrift.
 
 LIST OF FTCTTON' 
 
 Cameron of Lochiel 
 
 Translated from the French of Philippe Aubert de Gaspe, witk 
 
 frontispiece in color by H. C. Edwards. 
 
 Library I2tno, cloth decorative $1-50 
 
 " Professor Roberts deserves the thanks of his reader for giving 
 a wider audience an opportunity to enjoy this striking bit of French 
 Canadian literature." Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 " It is not often in these days of sensational and philosophical 
 novels that one picks up a book that so touches the heart." 
 Boston Trtnscrift. 
 
 The Prisoner of Mademoiselle 
 
 With frontispiece by Frank T. Merrill. 
 
 Library 121110, cloth decorative, gilt top . rfi-SO 
 
 A tale of Acadia, a land which is the author's heart's delight, 
 of a valiant young lieutenant and a winsome maiden, who first 
 captures and then captivates. 
 
 " This is the kind of a story that makes one grow younger, more 
 innocent, more light-hearted. Its literary quality is impeccable. 
 It is not every day that such a heroine blossoms into even tempo- 
 rary existence, and the very name of the story bears a breath of 
 charm." Chicago Record-Herald. 
 
 The Heart of the Ancient Wood 
 
 With six illustrations by James L. Weston. 
 
 Library i2mo, decorative cover $1.50 
 
 'One of the most fascinating novels of recent days." Boston 
 Journal. 
 
 " A classic twentieth-century romance." New York CommercM 
 Advertiser. 
 
 The Forge in the Forest 
 
 Being the Narrative of the Acadian Ranger, Jean de Mer, 
 Seigneur de Briart, and how he crossed the Black Abbe, and of 
 his adventures in a strange fellowship. Illustrated by Henry 
 Sandham, R. C. A. 
 
 Library 1 2mo, cloth, gilt top $l-SP 
 
 A story of pure love and heroic adventure. 
 
 By the Marshes of Minas 
 
 Library lamo, cloth, gilt top, illustrated . . . . f 1.50 
 Most of these romances are in the author's lighter and more 
 
 playful vein; each is a unit of absorbing interest and exquisite 
 
 workmanship.
 
 L. C. PAGE <5r- COMPANY'S 
 
 A Sister to Evangeline 
 
 Being the Story of Yvonne de Lamourie, and how she went into 
 exile with the villagers of Grand Pre. 
 
 Library 1 2mo, cloth, gilt top, illustrated . . . . $1.50 
 Swift action, fresh atmosphere, wholesome purity, deep passion, 
 and searching analysis characterize this strong novel. 
 
 WORKS OF 
 
 LILIAN BELL 
 
 Carolina Lee 
 
 With a frontispiece in color from an oil painting by Dora Wheeler 
 Keith. Library 1 2mo, cloth, decorative cover . . . $1.50 
 " A Christian Science novel, full of action, alive with incident and 
 brisk with pithy dialogue and humor." Boston Transcript. 
 
 *" A charming portrayal of the attractive life of the South, refresh- 
 ing as a breeze that blows through a pine forest." Albany Times- 
 Union. 
 
 Hope Luring 
 
 Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill. 
 
 Library 1 2mo, cloth, decorative cover .... 1.50 
 "Tall, slender, and athletic, fragile-looking, yet with nerves and 
 sinews of steel under the velvet flesh, frank as a boy and tender and 
 beautiful as a woman, free and independent, yet not bold such is 
 * Hope Loring,' by long odds the subtlest study that has yet been 
 made of the American girl." Dorothy Dix, in the New York 
 American. 
 
 Abroad with the Jimmies 
 
 With a portrait, in duogravure, of the author. 
 Library 1 2mo, cloth, decorative cover .... $1.50 
 " Full of ozone, of snap, of ginger, of swing and momentum." 
 Chicago Evening Pott. 
 
 At Home with the Jardines 
 
 A companion volume to " Abroad with the Jimmies." 
 
 Library 1 2mo, cloth, decorative cover $1.50 
 
 " Bits of gay humor, sunny, whimsical philosophy, and keen in- 
 dubitable insight into the less evident aspects and workings of pure 
 human nature, with a slender thread of a cleverly extraneous love 
 story, keep the interest of the reader fresh." Chicago Record- 
 Herald.