rently
volatile cynicism had a heart. When this was once questioned in
company, one who knew her well replied: "Ah! yes, she has a heart,
and it is like a grain of mustard-seed!" But her kindliness was
shown, with great fidelity, to those whom she really honoured with
her favour. I do not know whether it would be strictly correct to
say that she had the genius of friendship, because that supposes a
certain initiative and action which were foreign to Lady Dorothy's
habits. But she possessed, to a high degree, the genius of
comradeship. She held the reins very tightly, and she let no one
escape whom she wished to retain. She took immense pains to
preserve her friendships, and indeed became, dear creature, a
little bit tyrannical at last. Her notes grew to be excessively
emphatic. She would begin a letter quite cheerfully with "Oh, you
demon!" or complain of "total and terrible neglect of an old
friend; I could fill this sheet of paper with an account of your
misdeeds!" She was ingenious in reproach: "I cannot afford to waste
penny after penny, and no assets forthcoming," or "I have only two
correspondents, and one of them is a traitor; I therefore cease to
write to you for ever!" This might sound formidable, but it was
only one of the constant surprises of her humour, and would be
followed next day by the most placable of notelets.

Her curiosity with regard to life spread to her benevolences, which
often took somewhat the form of voyages of discovery. Among these
her weekly excursion to the London Hospital, in all weathers and in
every kind of cheap conveyance, was prominent. I have to confess
that I preferred that a visit to her should not be immediately
prefaced by one of these adventures among the "pore dear things" at
the hospital, because that was sure to mean the recital of some
gruesome operation she had heard of, or the details of some almost
equally gruesome cure. She enjoyed the whole experience in a way
which is blank to the professional humanitarian, but I suspect the
"pore dear things" appreciated her listening smile and sympathetic
worldliness much more than they would have done the admonitions of
a more conscious philanthropist.

And, indeed, in retrospect, it is her kindliness that shines forth.
She followed all that her friend