don't see him," she returned slowly. "Of course he can't be in
a turban. I know he has no whiskers or moustache--ah! there he
is!--there, talking to Sir EDWARD LEIGHTON!" She hadn't got even the
Christian names correct. I looked in the direction she had indicated
and saw Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT in close proximity to Sir RICHARD TEMPLE.
But why should I turn and dispel the harmless illusion? Was it for me
to bring discord into a family, and cause the Granddaughter to be cut
out of the Grandmother's will? Never! So, "from information received,"
the Old Lady went on implicitly believing in her informant,
and treasuring up the particulars for the benefit of her other
Grandchildren. "Lord ROBERTS is somewhere here," observed the Young
Lady, sweeping the horizon (so to speak, with apologies to "the
horizon") with her _lorgnette_. "Oh, I should like to see _him_!"
exclaimed the Old Lady, enthusiastically. "Where is he?" "Oh,
I think--" replied the Granddaughter, hesitatingly, "I rather--think
--I've only seen him once--but--oh yes," she added, with wonderful
confidence on finding she was commanding an interested audience of
simple neighbours--"Oh yes--there--in a General's uniform,--he has
just come in--and he is looking for his place,"--and, following
guidance, I, too, craned forward, and was rewarded by catching a
glimpse of Mr. FREDERICK GORDON, Chairman of the Grand Hotels Co.,
Limited, who was good enough to salute me with that air of conscious
power which becomes part and parcel of a man who has the command of
countless battalions in waiting. Encouraged by this incident (for I
had not rounded on her and said, "that is _not_ Lord ROBERTS") the
Young Lady urged on her mistaken career more wildly than ever. She
pointed out the wrong Princess MAY, the Duke of FIFE became H.R.H.
the Duke of YORK, the TECKS were the MECKLENBURG-STRELITZES, the
Gentlemen-at-Arms were dismounted Chelsea Pensioners in Court dress;
the Chinese ladies were Japanese (for they couldn't get even these
correct,--and of course these Orientals are most correct), and
finally, looking up to the gallery where the Orchestra was, she
crowned the edifice by loudly announcing that Sir ARTHUR SULLIVAN was
Sir ARTHUR BALFOUR, and added that he was only performing his official
duty as Leader of the House of Commons. "Then," asked the simple Old
Lady, "are the musicians all obliged to be Members of Parliament?" Her
Granddaughter was equal to the occasion, and answered