for ................. 150 |
| Autographs ........................ 10 |
| |
| Positively no Invitations for Five-o'Clock |
| Teas or Morning Musicales considered. |
--------------------------------------------------

"Well, I declare!" tittered Elizabeth, as she read. "Isn't that
extraordinary? He's got the three-name craze, too!"

"It's perfectly ridiculous," said Cleopatra. "But it's fairer than Artemus
Ward's plan. Mozart gives notice of his intentions to charge you; but with
Ward it's different. He comes, and afterwards sends a bill for his fun.
Why, only last week I got a 'quarterly statement' from him showing a
charge against me of thirty-eight dollars for humorous remarks made to my
guests at a little chafing-dish party I gave in honor of Balzac, and,
worst of all, he had marked it 'Please remit.' Even Antony, when he wrote
a sonnet to my eyebrow, wouldn't let me have it until he had heard whether
or not Boswell wanted it for publication in the _Gossip_. With Rubens
giving chalk-talks for pay, Phidias doing 'Five-minute Masterpieces in
Putty' for suburban lyceums, and all the illustrious in other lines
turning their genius to account through the entertainment bureaus, it's
impossible to have a salon now."

"You are indeed right," said Madame Recamier, sadly. "Those were palmy
days when genius was satisfied with chicken salad and lemonade. I shall
never forget those nights when the wit and wisdom of all time
were--ah--were on tap at my house, if I may so speak, at a cost to me of
lights and supper. Now the only people who will come for nothing are those
we used to think of paying to stay away. Boswell is always ready, but you
can't run a salon on Boswell."

"Well," said Portia, "I sincerely hope that you won't give up the
functions altogether, because I have always found them most delightful. It
is still possible to have lights and supper."

"I have a plan for next winter," said Madame Recamier, "but I suppose I
shall be accused of going into the commercial side of it if I adopt it.
The plan is, briefly, to incorporate my salon. That's an idea worthy of an
American, I admit; but if I don't do it I'll have to give it up entirely,
which, as you intimate, would be too bad. An incorporated salon, however,
would be a grand thing, if only because it would perpetuate the salon.
'The Recamier Salon (Limited)' would be a most