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If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Dinners and Diners - Where and How to Dine in London - -Author: Nathaniel Newnham-Davis - -Release Date: September 18, 2016 [EBook #53079] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DINNERS AND DINERS *** - - - - -Produced by Clare Graham and Marc D'Hooghe at Free -Literature (online soon in an extended version, also linking -to free sources for education worldwide ... MOOC's, -educational materials,...) Images generously made available -by the Internet Archive. - - - - - -DINNERS AND DINERS - -WHERE AND HOW TO DINE IN LONDON - - -BY - -LIEUT.-COL. [NATHANIEL] NEWNHAM-DAVIS - -London - -GRANT RICHARDS -9 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. - -OFFICE OF THE PALL MALL PUBLICATIONS -18 CHARING CROSS ROAD, W.C. - -1899 - - - - -_To all the gentlemen, the managers of the various restaurants and the -masters of the culinary art, who have assisted me in the making of this -little book, I give my most grateful thanks_. - - _THE AUTHOR_. - - - - -PREFACE - -When the series of articles now collected in this volume was first -discussed between their author and myself in the early part of 1897, -we found it a matter of no slight difficulty to determine what range -they should take, and to what class of establishments they should be -confined. There is no accounting for the variety of people's tastes -in the matter of eating and drinking, and among the readers of the -_Pall Mall Gazette_ persons no doubt could be found ranging from the -Sybarite, who requires Lucullus-like banquets, to him of the simple -appetite for whom little more than a dinner with Duke Humphrey would -suffice. Consequently, the choice of places to be visited had to be -made in a catholic spirit, with the necessary result that a formidably -long list was prepared. In selecting Colonel Newnham-Davis to carry out -this commission for the _Pall Mall Gazette_, I knew I was availing -myself of the services of a thoroughly experienced, trustworthy, and -capable commissioner, who would deal with the task entrusted to him in -a pleasantly mixed anecdotal and critical spirit, while at the same -time supplying useful guidance to persons wanting to know where to dine -and what they would have to pay. In the following pages it will be seen -how well he carried out the duty he undertook, and I am able to add -that "Dinners and Diners" had a great vogue and very wide popularity -among the readers of the _Pall Mall Gazette_. There were very many -requests from various quarters that they should be collected into book -form, and this has now been done with some valuable additions included -in the shape of recipes and other information. In these days, when the -taste for dining at restaurants is so largely on the increase, I have -little doubt that the republication of these articles will be welcomed, -and that they will supply not only interesting but useful information. - - THE EDITOR OF THE - _Pall Mall Gazette_. - - _March_ 1899. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - FOREWORD Page - - The Difficulties of Dining xvii - - CHAPTER I - Princes' Hall (Piccadilly) 1 - - CHAPTER II - The Cheshire Cheese 9 - - CHAPTER III - The Holborn 15 - - CHAPTER IV - Romano's 22 - - CHAPTER V - Simpson's 31 - - CHAPTER VI - The Hans Crescent Hotel 38 - - CHAPTER VII - The Blue Posts (Cork Street) 45 - - CHAPTER VIII - Verrey's (Regent Street) 51 - - CHAPTER IX - The Hotel Cecil (the Strand) 59 - - CHAPTER X - Gatti's (the Strand) 67 - - CHAPTER XI - The Savoy (Thames Embankment) 73 - Joseph at the Savoy 82 - - CHAPTER XII - The St. George's Café (St. Martin's Lane) 89 - - CHAPTER XIII - Willis's Rooms (King Street) 95 - - CHAPTER XIV - Le Restaurant des Gourmets (Lisle Street) 102 - - CHAPTER XV - The Trocadero (Shaftesbury Avenue) 108 - - CHAPTER XVI - The American Bar, Criterion (Piccadilly Circus) 116 - - CHAPTER XVII - The Hotel Continental (Regent Street) 122 - - CHAPTER XVIII - The Avondale (Piccadilly) 128 - - CHAPTER XIX - The Mercers' Hall (Cheapside) 137 - - CHAPTER XX - In ---- Street 143 - - CHAPTER XXI - A Regimental Dinner (Hotel Victoria, Northumberland - Avenue) 149 - - CHAPTER XXII - Dieudonné's (Ryder Street) 156 - - CHAPTER XXIII - The Berkeley (Piccadilly) 162 - - CHAPTER XXIV - The Ship (Greenwich) 175 - - CHAPTER XXV - The House of Commons 182 - - CHAPTER XXVI - Earl's Court 189 - - CHAPTER XXVII - The Star and Garter (Richmond) 196 - - CHAPTER XXVIII - The Cavour (Leicester Square) 203 - - CHAPTER XXIX - The Café Royal (Regent Street) 209 - - CHAPTER XXX - Frascati's (Oxford Street) 218 - - CHAPTER XXXI - The Freemasons' Tavern (Great Queen Street) 224 - - CHAPTER XXXII - Scott's (Piccadilly Circus) 231 - - CHAPTER XXXIII - The East Room (Criterion, Piccadilly Circus) 237 - - CHAPTER XXXIV - The Monico (Shaftesbury Avenue) 247 - - CHAPTER XXXV - Goldstein's (Bloomfield Street) 253 - - CHAPTER XXXVI - The Tivoli (the Strand) 259 - - CHAPTER XXXVII - The Gordon Hotels (Northumberland Avenue) 266 - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - The Queen's Guard (St. James's Palace) 272 - - CHAPTER XXXIX - The Coburg (Carlos Place) 279 - - CHAPTER XL - The Midland Hotel (St. Pancras) 285 - - CHAPTER XLI - Kettner's (Church Street) 291 - - CHAPTER XLII - Pagani's (Great Portland Street) 297 - - CHAPTER XLIII - Claridge's (Brook Street) 304 - - CHAPTER XLIV - Hotel de Paris (Leicester Place) 311 - - CHAPTER XLV - The Walsingham House (Piccadilly) 317 - - CHAPTER XLVI - Challis's (Rupert Street) 324 - - CHAPTER XLVII - Epitaux's (The Haymarket) 330 - - -[Transcriber's note: The advertisements bound in at the beginning and -end of the original publication have been grouped together at the end -of this digital edition.] - - - - -FOREWORD - -THE DIFFICULTIES OF DINING - - -I would be willing to make you, my dear sir, a very small bet, that if -in the early afternoon you go into the restaurant where you intend to -dine in the evening and disturb the head waiter, who is reading a paper -at one of the side tables, suddenly breaking the news upon him that -you want a simple little dinner for two at eight o'clock, and wish to -commence the repast with clear soup, he, in reply, after pulling out -a book of order papers and biting his lead pencil, will, a moment of -thought intervening, suggest _petite marmite_. - -It is not his fault. Hundreds of Britons have taken the _carte de -jour_ out of his hands, and, looking at the list of soups, puzzled by -the names which mean nothing to them, have fallen back upon _petite -marmite_ or _croûte au pot_, which they know are harmless homely soups -which the lady they are going to bring to dinner cannot object to. - -It requires a certain amount of bravery, a little consciousness of -knowledge, for the ordinary man looking down a list of dishes to put -his finger on every third one and ask, "What is that?" He is much more -likely, the head waiter, who has summed him up, prompting him, to order -very much the dinner that he would have eaten in his suburban home had -he been dining there that night. - -Every good cook has his little vanities. They are all inventors; and -when any one of them, breaking away from the strict lines of the -classic _haute cuisine_, finds that a pinch of this or two drops of -that improves some well-known dish, he immediately gives it a new name. -It is the same with explorers. Did any one of them find a goat with -half a twist more in its horns than another explorer had noticed, but -he called it a new species and christened it Ovis Jonesi, Browni, or -Robinsoni, according to his surname. If you see _filets de sole à la -Hercules John Jones_ on the _carte_ do not be afraid to ask what it is. -It is probably some old acquaintance slightly altered by the chef, who -has had a flash of inspiration when preparing it for Mr. Hercules John -Jones, a valued client of the restaurant. - -I should have begun this foreword by warning all experienced diners to -skip it and go on to Chapter I. It is not too late to do so now. I, who -have gone through all the agonies that a simple Briton struggling in -the spider web of a _carte de jour_ can endure, am only trying to warn -other simple Britons with a liking for a good dinner by an account of -my experiences. - -If you or I, in the absence of the _maître d'hôtel_ and the head -waiter, fall into the hands of an underling, Heaven help us. He will -lure you or me on to order the most expensive dinner that his limited -imagination can conceive, and thinks he is doing his duty to the -_patron_. Luckily, such ill-luck as this rarely occurs. The manager is -the man to look for, if possible, when composing a menu. The higher you -reach up that glorious scale of responsibility which runs from manager -to _marmiton_, the more intelligent help you will get in ordering your -dinner, the more certain you are to have an artistic meal, and not to -be spending money unworthily. - -That you must pay on the higher scale for a really artistic dinner is, -I regret to say, a necessity. No doubt the luxurious surroundings, the -quick, quiet service appear indirectly in the bill; but the material -for the dinner is costly. No pains are spared nowadays to put on the -table of a first-class restaurant the very best food that the world -can produce. Not only France, but countries much farther afield are -systematically pillaged that Londoners may dine, and I do not despair -of some day eating mangostines for dessert. All this costs money; but -the _gourmets_, like the dilettanti in any other art, do not get a -_chef-d'œuvre_ for the price of a "pot-boiler." - -I, personally, always prefer a dinner _à la carte_ to a _table-d'hôte_ -one. The _table-d'hôte_ one--which is a misused word, for the -_table-d'hôte_ was the general table presided over by the host--has -advanced, with the more general appreciation that dining does not mean -simply eating, and at a good restaurant the dinner of the day is -cooked to the minute for the groups at each separate table; but it -has the disadvantage that you have to eat a dinner ordered according -to somebody else's idea, and you have no choice as to length or -composition. With a friendly _maître d'hôtel_ to assist, the composing -of a _menu_ for a small dinner is a pleasure. To eat a _table-d'hôte_ -dinner is like landing a fish which has been hooked and played by -someone else. - -Mr. Echenard, late of the Savoy, in chatting over the vagaries of -diners, shook his head over the want of knowledge of the wines that -should be drunk with the various kinds of food. No man knows better -what goes to make a perfect dinner than Mr. Echenard does, and as -to the sinfulness of Britons in this particular, I quite agreed -with him. In Paris no man dreams of drinking champagne, and nothing -but champagne, for dinner; but in London the climate and the taste -of the fair sex go before orthodox rules. A tired man in our heavy -atmosphere feels often that champagne is the one wine that will give -him life again; and as the ladies as a rule would think a dinner at a -restaurant incomplete without champagne, ninety-nine out of a hundred -Englishmen, in ordering a little dinner for two, turn instinctively to -the champagne page of the wine-card. It is wrong, but until we get a -new atmosphere and give up taking ladies out to dinner, champagne will -be practically the only wine drunk at restaurants. - -On the subject of tips it is difficult to write. I have always found -that a shilling for every pound or part of a pound, or a shilling -for each member of a party brings a "thank you" from the waiter at -any first-class restaurant. I should be inclined to err a little -on the liberal side of this scale; for waiters do not have an easy -life, are mainly dependent on the tips they get, and have it in their -power to greatly add to, or detract from, the pleasure of a dinner. -I always find that the man who talks about "spoiling the market," in -this respect is thinking of protecting his own pocket and not his -neighbour's. - -Finally--and I feel very much as if I had been preaching a sermon--I -should, to put it all as shortly as possible, advise you, my brother -simple Briton--not you, the experienced diners, who have been expressly -warned off from this lecture--in ordering your dinner to get the aid of -the manager, and failing him the _maître d'hôtel_, never to be hustled -by an underling into ordering a big dinner when you want a small one, -and never to be afraid of asking what the composition of a dish is. - - * * * * * - -The following little essay on the duties of a maître d'hôtel which -Mons. Joseph has sent me speaks most eloquently for itself: - - -MON CHER COLONEL-- - -Vous me demandez pour votre nouveau livre des recettes. Méfiez-vous -des recettes. Depuis la cuisinière bourgeoise et le Baron Brisse -on a chanté la chanson sur tous les airs et sur tous les tons. Et -qu'en reste-t'il; qui s'en souvient? Je veux dire dans le public -aristocratique pour qui vous écrivez, et que vous comptez intéresser -avec votre nouvelle publication, cherchez le nouveau dans les à propos -de table, donnez des conseils aux maîtresses de maison, qui dépensent -beaucoup d'argent pour donner des dîners fatiguants, trop longs, -trop compliqués; dîtes leur qu'un bon dîner doit être court, que -les convives doivent manger et non goûter, qu'elles exigent de leur -cuisinier ou cuisinière de n'être pas trop savants, qu'ils respectent -avant tout le goût que le bon Dieu a donné à toutes choses de ne pas -les dénaturer par des combinaisons, qui à force d'être raffinées -deviennent barbares. - -On a beaucoup parlé du cuisinier. Si nous exposions un peu ce que doit -être le Maître d'Hôtel. - - -LE MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL FRANÇAIS - -La plus grande force du Maître d'hôtel français, je dis maître d'hôtel -français à dessein, car si le cuisinier français a su tirer parti des -produits de la nature avec un art infini, pour en faire des aliments -aimables, agréables, et bienfaisants, le Maître d'hôtel français seul -est susceptible de les faire accepter et désirer. Or voilà pour le -Maître d'hôtel le champ qu'il a à explorer. Champ vaste s'il en fût, -car déviner avec tact ce qui peut plaire à celui-ci et ne pas plaire à -celui-là, est un problème à résoudre selon la nature, le tempérament -et la nationalité de celui qu'il doit faire manger. Il doit donc être -le conseil, le tentateur, et le metteur en scène. Il faut pour être un -maître d'hôtel accompli, mettre de côté, ou du moins ne pas laisser -percer le but commercial, tout en étant un commerçant hors ligne (je -parle ici du maître d'hôtel public de restaurant, attendu que dans la -maison particulière, le commerce n'a rien à voir, ce qui simplifie -énormement le rôle du maître d'hôtel. Pour cela il faut être un peu -diplomate, et un peu artiste dans l'art de dire, afin de colorer -le projet de repas que l'on doit soumettre à son dîneur). Il faut -donc agir sur l'imagination pour fair oublier la machine que l'on va -alimenter, en un mot masquer le côté matériel de manger. J'ai acquis la -certitude qu'un plat savamment préparé par un cuisinier hors ligne peut -passer inaperçu, ou inapprecié si le maître d'hôtel, qui devient alors -metteur en scène, ne sait pas présenter l'œuvre, de façon à le faire -désirer, de sorte que si ce mets est servi par un maître d'hôtel qui -n'en comprend pas le caractère, il lui sera impossible de lui donner -tout son relief, et alors l'œuvre du cuisinier sera anéanti et passera -inaperçu. - -Ce maître d'hôtel doit être aussi un observateur et un juge et doit -transmettre son appréciation au chef de cuisine, mais pour apprécier il -faut savoir, pour savoir il faut aimer son art, le maître d'hôtel doit -être un apôtre. - -Il doit transmettre les observations qu'il a pu entendre pendant le -cours d'un dîner de la part des convives, observations favorables ou -défavorables, il doit les transmettre au chef et aviser avec lui. Il -doit aussi être en observation, car il arrive le plus souvent que les -convives ne disent rien à cause de leur amphitryon mais ne mangent pas -avec plaisir et entrain le mets présenté: là encore le maître d'hôtel -doit chercher le pourquoi. Il y a aussi dans un déjeuner ou un dîner un -rôle très important réservé au maître d'hôtel. La variété agréable des -hors-d'œuvre, la salade qui accompagne le rôti, le façon de découper -ce rôti avec élégance, de bien disposer ce rôti sur son plat une fois -découpé, découper bien et vite, afin d'éviter le réchaud qui sèche. -Savoir mettre à point une selle de mouton, avec juste ce qu'il faut de -sel sur la partie grasse, qui lui donnera un goût agréable. - -Pour découper le maître d'hôtel doit se placer ni trop près ni trop -loin des convives, afin que ceux-ci soient intéressés, et voient que -tous les détails sont observés avec goût et élégance, de façon à tenter -encore les appétits qui n'en peuvent presque plus mais qui renaissent -encore un peu aiguillonnés par le désir qu'a su faire naître l'artiste -préposé au repas, et qui a su donner encore envie à l'imagination, -quand l'estomac commençait à capituler. - -Le maître d'hôtel a de plus cette partie de la fin du dîner, le choix -d'un bon fromage, les fruits, les soins de température à donner aux -vins, la façon de décanter ceux-ci pour leur donner le maximum de -bouquet; le maître d'hôtel ne peut-il encore être un tentateur avec la -fraise frappée (à la Marivaux)? La pêche à la cardinal, qu'accompagne -si bien le doux parfum de la framboise, légèrement acidulé d'un de jus -de groseille, notre grand carême qualifiait. - -Certains plats de "manger des Dieux," combien l'expression est heureuse. - -Depuis que je suis à Londres j'ai trouvé un nombre incalculable -"d'inventeurs de ma pêche à la cardinal." Il me faudra leur donner la -recette un jour que j'en aurai l'occasion. - -N'est-ce pas de l'art chez le maître d'hôtel qui tente et charme les -convives par ces raffinements, et qui comme un cavalier sur une moture -essoufflée sait encore relever son courage et lui faire faire la -dernière foulée qui décide de la victoire? Après un bon repas le maître -d'hôtel a la grande satisfaction d'avoir donné un peu de bonheur à de -pauvres gens riches, qui ne sont pas toujours des heureux. - -Et comme l'a dit Brillat Savarin "Le plaisir de la table ne nuit pas -aux autres plaisirs." Au contraire, qui sait si _indirectement_ je ne -suis pas le papa de bien des Bébés rieurs, ou la cause au moins de -certaines aventures que mes jolies clientes n'évoquent qu'en souriant -derrière leur éventail? - - JOSEPH - _Directeur du Savoy Restaurant, Londres, - et du Restaurant de Marivaux, Paris_. - - - - -CHAPTER I - -PRINCES' HALL (PICCADILLY) - - -She is a charming little lady, and her husband, to tell the truth, -spoils her just a little. Most married dames would have been content, -if they wished to dine at a restaurant on the occasion of their -birthday, with one dinner; but Mrs. Daffodil--if I may so call her, -from her favourite flower--insisted on having a dinner out on Saturday, -and another on Sunday, and another on Monday, because, though her -twenty-first birthday really fell on Saturday, she was going to keep -it on Monday, when a great party of her husband's people were to meet -at the Savoy, and on Sunday her people were organising a feast at -the Berkley; but Mrs. Daffodil said that unless she dined out on the -evening of her _real_ birthday she was sure she would have no luck -during the coming year, and I was told that I was to have the privilege -of being the third at the little dinner which was to be the veritable -birthday dinner, and that, as a return for this great favour, I was to -order the dinner and choose the restaurant. - -I was too wise to take the full responsibility of anything so -important, and in a council of three we ran down the list of dining -places. Of those we paused over in consideration, the Princes' Hall was -the nearest to Mrs. Daffodil's flat, and the little lady remembered -that she had not dined there this year, and suddenly decided that it -was the very place for a birthday dinner; and should she wear her new -white dress, or would the black dress with the handsome bit of lace -suit her better? Her husband looked a little helpless at the mention of -dress, and I at a venture suggested the black, for I remembered that -the roof of the grand salon of the Princes', with its heavy mouldings, -was white picked out with gold, while the great panels of brick red, -powdered with golden fleurs-de-lys and the palms filling-in the -corners, would show up a black dress just as well as a white one. - -Black it was to be, and, this important matter decided, I was sent -off as an advance messenger in a hansom cab to order the best table -available and a dinner, not too elaborate and not too small, which was -to be ready by the time little Mrs. Daffodil had dressed and could -drive down to the restaurant in her brougham. - -My hansom was a fleet one. A party of guests at one of the tables by -the windows, evidently bound for a theatre, had finished their dinner -and were just off and away as I arrived, and I pounced like a hawk -upon the table they left vacant. The first preliminaries were soon -over, for the little dapper _maître d'hôtel_, whom I had known in -previous days at the East Room of the Criterion, had the table cleared -at once, found some yellow flowers which, if they were not daffodils, -were very like them, and had big bouquets of them put upon the table. -Then came the important question of the dinner. _Hors-d'œuvre variés_, -suggested the little _maître d'hôtel_; but I moved as an amendment -that it should be caviar, for the caviar at the Princes' is Benoist's, -and no man imports better. "Turtle," suggested the _maître d'hôtel_, a -little doubtfully, after being defeated in his first venture, and as -I passed the suggestion with a nod _potage tortue_ went down on the -slip of paper. Mrs. Daffodil had made a suggestion as to salmon which -she withdrew as soon as made, but I had remembered it, and _saumon à -la Grenobloise_ was scribbled down. "Now," said the _maître d'hôtel_ -a little decisively, "since the soup and the fish are brown, we must -have a white _entrée_," and as I was not prepared at the moment with -any practical suggestion, having thought of _noisettes de mouton_ and -a woodcock as the rest of the solid part of the dinner, I allowed the -proposal to go by default, and _fricassée de poulet à l'Ancienne_ was -ordered. "A tiny saddle of lamb?" was the next suggestion, and although -I regretted my prospective woodcock I let the matter go, for we had -a bird already in the menu. "_Pommes nouvelles risolées. Salade de -mâche, céleri, betterave. Asperges anglaises_," reeled off my mentor, -and I nodded at the mention of the English asparagus; and then to show -that I was going to have a word in the ordering of the dinner I added -_macédoine de fruits à l'orientale_ and _friandises_ without requiring -any prompting. - -I waited in the bright, French-looking entrance hall, with its mirrors -and screens decorated with painted flowers, and watched the people -coming in and going out. A party of smart young men from the Stock -Exchange, most of whom I knew, on their way to a row of stalls they -had taken at the Gaiety, passed and chaffed me for my waiting; but -the sound of the band within in the great white railed-in musicians' -gallery was cheerful--and an excellent band it is, each artist in it -being a soloist of some celebrity--and presently M. Fourault, the -manager, who is the brother-in-law of M. Benoist, came out and talked -to me, saying that M. Azema, the _chef_, was personally superintending -the cooking of the dinner, to which I replied that I was much obliged -that the great artist from the Café Anglais should have paid me the -compliment. Then M. Fourault launched forth into details of the service -and the building: how the dishes are brought direct to the guests by -hand so as to avoid the chance of draughts in lifts; of the beauty of -the kitchen; the arrangements to keep in touch with and co-operate with -the Royal Institute on the top floor, and a variety of other topics. -And as he talked Signor Bocchi's band inside was softly playing, and I -was growing hungry waiting for little Mrs. Daffodil, for I knew that it -would not be her husband who caused the delay. - -The brougham drew up before the glass portico with its brass -ornamentations, and Mrs. Daffodil in the wonderful black dress was -helped out. She would bring her ermine cape in with her, she thought; -and having arrived at the table smiled graciously at seeing her -name-flowers there. I explained that the table by the door protected by -the glass screens was my favourite one, and that I should have taken it -if possible, but that it had been engaged for days, and Mrs. Daffodil -was pleased to think the one we had obtained was quite as nice. Didn't -she think the room, with its big panels, its few long mirrors, its -clusters of electric lights and electric candles on the tables, and its -musicians' gallery over the entrance to the offices and kitchen, very -handsome? I asked. And as she helped herself to the caviar, each little -ball as separate as if they had been pellets of shot, she assented; but -to show that she was critical, thought there ought to have been more -palms. Then the little lady took up the questioning, and wanted to know -who everybody was who was dining. I was able to point out a well-known -artist taking a quiet meal with his wife, who at one time was an -ornament of the comedy-stage; a party of soldier officers up from -Aldershot (and I had a story of the gallantry of one of them, and how -he should have won by right a Victoria Cross); an ex-Gaiety girl who -was the heroine of a breach of promise case, and who had at the table -she occupied quite a crowd of gilded youths; a youngster whose good -looks have won him a very rich but not too young wife--and there I had -to pause, for though the room was full of well-dressed, smart-looking -people, I knew no more of them by name. - -I was reproved for not knowing my London better, and tried to turn -the conversation by telling my host that I would sooner share the -burgundy with him than drink the champagne which Mrs. Daffodil thought -a necessary part of her birthday dinner, but at that moment, the soup -being brought, we all relapsed into serious criticism. The turtle -soup was good undoubtedly, as good as at any City dinner, with its -jade-coloured semi-solid floating in the darker liquor, and we praised -that unreservedly, but I was told that I was in a carping mood because -I stated that I like my salmon as plainly cooked as possible. As to the -_fricassée_, I liked it immensely; but Mrs. Daffodil, because her shoe -pinched, or for some other good reason, said that she hated truffles. -The lamb, the most delicate little _selle d'agneau de lait_, with -the potatoes and the dark green salad relieved by the crimson of the -beetroot, was admirable. English asparagus never can be anything but -good, and though my hostess insisted on my eating a cherry from among -the _friandises_, I left the sweets, as is my custom, alone. - -And the bill. I asked my host to let me look at it, and here it -is:--three couverts, 3s.; caviar, 3s.; tortue, 6s.; saumon, 6s.; -fricassée de poulet, 7s.; selle d'agneau, 8s.; pommes risolées, 2s.; -salade, 1s. 6d.; asperges, 10s. 6d.; macédoine de fruits, 4s. 6d.; one -'67 (Burgundy), 12s.; ½ 140 (champagne), 7s. 6d., three cafés special, -1s. 6d.; three liqueurs fine champagne (1800), 6s.; total, £4: 0: 6. - - 1_st February_. - - * * * * * - -This was a dinner ordered in a hurry and without perhaps due -consideration. Talking over it some days later on with Mons. Fourault, -I asked him to give me a suggestion as to what he considered a typical -Princes' Hall dinner for a larger number, and I also asked him to be my -ambassador to M. Azema, the _chef_, for the _recette_ of the _poulet à -l'Ancienne_, which I had liked so much. - -This is the _menu_ for a dinner of six covers, a very admirable dinner -of ceremony. As to its cost, I am not prepared to guess. - - - Le Signi du Volga. - Les petits coulibiacs à la Czarine. - La crème Ste-Marie. - Les suprêmes de truites à la Princesse. - Les poulardes à la Georges Sand. - Le Baron de Pauillac aux primeurs. - Les bécasses au champagne. - La salade Impériale. - Les asperges d'Argenteuil Ste-Mousseleine. - Le soufflé chaud succès. - La glace Leda. - Une corbeille de friandise. - Les canapés Diane. - Dessert. - - -Mons. Azema thought the _fricassée Ancienne_, the _recette_ of which I -had asked for, too simple a dish, and instead sent me the _recette_ for -the _poularde Georges Sand_, which is a very lordly dish. Here it is as -Mons. Azema wrote it, and a translation for any good people who, like -myself, are puzzled sometimes by the terms employed in la Haute Cuisine. - - -_Recette de la poularde G. Sand_ - -_Lever les membres d'une belle poularde très blanche bien -régulièrement. Faire la tomber à blond, avec un oignon émincé, -une bonne pointe de paprika, et deux verres de vin blanc, environ -quarante-cinq minutes. Retirer la poularde et passer le fonds à -l'étamine, le monter avec un bon beurre d'écrevisse, et garnir -avec queues d'écrevisse, belles truffes, en olives, et croûtons de -feuilletage. Servir très chaud_. - -[Illustration] - -Dismember a large white fowl very carefully. Stew it in white stock, -with a chopped onion, a good pinch of paprika, and two glasses of white -wine, for about forty-five minutes. Take out the fowl, and pass the -stock through the tammy. Flavour with a good cray-fish butter, and -garnish with tails of cray-fish, large truffles, olives, and croûtons -of French puff-paste (_feuilletage_). Serve very hot. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE CHESHIRE CHEESE - - -I had been kept late in Fleet Street on Saturday, and at a little -before seven I woke to the fact that it was near the dinner hour, -that I was in the clothes I had worn all day, that I was brain-weary -and tired, and not energetic. I should be late for dinner if I went -home, half across the width of London; I could not well dine at a club -without evening clothes, and a smart restaurant was equally out of the -question, for I felt, being in the state of humiliation which weariness -and London grime bring one to, that I could not have held my own as -to the choice of a table or the ordering of a dinner against even the -least determined _maître d'hôtel_. - -The easiest way was to dine at one of the Fleet Street hostelries, and -I ran such of them as I know over in my mind. How they have changed -since Herrick rang them into rhyme! Then they were the Sun, the Dog, -the Triple Tun. Now they are the Rainbow, the Cock, Anderton's, the -Cheshire Cheese, and a host more. It was a pudding day at the Cheshire -Cheese, not the crowded day, which is Wednesday, but a day on which I -was sure to get a seat in the lower room and be able to eat my meal -in comfort and content; and that finally decided me in favour of the -hostelry in Wine Office Court. - -It is not a cheerful thoroughfare that leads up to the Cheshire Cheese. -It is a narrow and dark passage, and the squat little door of the -tavern itself is not inviting, for it is reminiscent of a country -public-house. It is not until one is through the sawdusted passage and -into the lower room that one is in warmth and comfort. - -I was a little late. The man who loves the Cheshire Cheese pudding -is in his place at table a few minutes before the pudding is brought -in at 6.30 P.M., a surging billow of creamy white bulging out of a -great brown bowl, and then when the host begins to carve--and there -is a certain amount of solemnity about the opening of this great -pudding--the early guest gets the best helping. By a quarter-past -seven, when I made my entry, the pudding had sunk down into the depths -of the bowl. - -Most of the tables were full, but the long table, at the head of which -Dr. Johnson is alleged to have sat with Goldsmith at his left hand, -had some vacant places, and I took one of them. "Pudding?" said the -head waiter. I assented, and Mr. Moore, the host, a dapper gentleman, -with a wealth of dark hair and a dark moustache, who had been chatting -to a clean-shaven young gentleman who had the seat opposite to mine, -moved to the great bowl to give me my helping, for no one but the host -touches the sacred pudding. The clean-shaven young gentleman relapsed -into a newspaper, and while I waited the few seconds before the -brown mixture of lark and kidney and oyster and steak was put before -me I looked round at my neighbours. A gentleman, bald of head and -with white whiskers, who was addressed as "Doctor," sat in the great -lexicographer's seat, and talking to him was a bearded gentleman whom I -put down at once as a press-man, a sub-editor probably. The only other -guest at our table was a good-looking, middle-aged man in clothes that -had the gloss of newness on them, a flannel shirt, a white collar, and -a gaudy tie. He had finished his meal, was evidently contented with the -world, and there was a conversational glint in his eye when he caught -mine that made me look away at once; for I was hungry and downcast and -not inclined for cheerful converse until I had eaten and drunk. - -"Pudding, sir," and the head waiter put the savoury mass before me; -"and what else?" I ordered a pint of beer and stewed cheese. I ate my -pudding, and being told that the cheese was not ready, ate a "follow" -afterwards, for there is no limit to the amount of pudding allowed, -and some of the "followers," as the host of the tavern calls them, -have been known to have half a dozen helpings; and then the brown and -fizzling cheese in its little tin tray, with a triangle of toast on -either side, was put before me. The cheese, mixed with mustard and -neatly spread on the toast, according to custom, eaten, the last drops -of the bitter beer poured from the pewter tankard into the long glass -which is supposed to give brilliancy to the malt liquor; and then, -feeling a man again, I looked across at the flannel-shirted gentleman -who had been smoking a pipe placidly, with a look which meant "Come on." - -The ripple of conversation broke at once. He had been out in Australia -for fifteen years, went out there as a mere lad, and to-day was his -first day in town after his return. He had been used in past times to -come to the Cheshire Cheese for his mid-day meal, and the first place -he had sought out when he came to London was the old hostelry. He -missed the old waiters, he said, but otherwise the place was much the -same and as homely as ever. - -I recognised in the attraction that had brought this wanderer from -the antipodes to the old-fashioned tavern, first of all places, the -same force that had made me, the _blasé_ man about town, unconsciously -decide to dine there in preference to any other Fleet Street -hostelry--its homeliness. The old-fashioned windows with their wire -blinds, the sawdusted floor, the long clay pipes on the window-sill; -the heirloom portrait of Henry Todd, waiter; the "greybeard" and -leather-jack on their brackets (both gifts from Mr. Seymour Lucas the -artist); the piles of black-handled knives, the willow-pattern plates -and dishes; the curious stand in the centre of the floor for umbrellas; -the great old-fashioned grate with a brass kettle singing merrily on -it; the pile of Whitaker's almanacks putting a touch of colour into -a dark corner; Samuel Johnson's portrait over his favourite seat, and -a host of prints, relating to the great man, on the walls; the high -partitions, one particular square pew being shielded by a green baize -curtain; the simple napery; the ruin of the great pudding on its little -table; all carried one back through the early Victorian times to those -dimmer periods when even coffee-houses were unknown, and every man took -his ease at his inn. - -The floodgates of the friendly stranger's speech once unloosed, he -told me of his life in Australia, and the hard times he had had, and -how matters had come so far right that he was able to come home to -England and enjoy himself for six months; and the clean-shaven young -gentleman--he was going on later to assist in an entertainment to the -poor of Houndsditch, he told us--emerged from his newspaper, and we all -found a good deal to say. Nothing would satisfy the returned wanderer -but that he must be allowed to ask us to join him in drinking a bowl of -the Cheshire Cheese punch, and Mr. Moore, the host, must make one of -the party. The other guests--most of them, I should think, connected -in some way or other with the Fourth Estate--had gradually drifted -away, and Mr. Moore, who had been going from table to table, came and -sat down. "No celebrities here to-night, Mr. Moore," I said somewhat -reproachfully, and he admitted the soft impeachment, but Irish-wise -told us of the great men of the present day that we had missed by not -dining at the Cheese on any night but the present one. Every journalist -of fame, every editor, has eaten within the walls of the old hostelry, -and there is no judge that sits on the bench who has not taken some of -his first dinners as a barrister in the little house up Wine Office -Court. - -The hot punch was brought in in one of the china bowls, of which there -are three or four in a little corner cupboard in the old-fashioned bar -across the passage, and an old silver ladle to serve it with; and the -talk ranged back from the great men of the present day to those of -the past. Thackeray knew the "Cheese" well; Dickens used to come in -his early days and tell the present host's mother all his troubles, -and so we got back to Goldsmith and Johnson, the latter of whom is -the especial patron saint of the hostelry, for when he lived in Gough -Square and Bolt Court the Cheshire Cheese is said to have been his -nightly resort. - -The punch ended, the time came for the reckoning. Of old the head -waiters were all clean-shaven, like Henry Todd, whose portrait hangs -aloft, and all the reckoning was done by word of mouth. But the present -head waiter has introduced innovations; he wears a moustache, and makes -out his bills on paper. This was mine--Ye rump steak pudding, 2s.; -vegetables, 2d.; cheese, 4d.; beer, 5d.; total, 2s. 11d. - - 8_th February_. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE HOLBORN - - -The American Comedian and myself stood at a club window and looked -out on London. He was rehearsing, and so enjoyed the rare privilege -of having his evenings free to spend as he liked. I had no business, -except to get myself a dinner somewhere, so we agreed to eat ours in -company. - -The difficulty was to decide where to dine. The Comedian dined at one -club or another every day of his life before going to the theatre, so a -club dinner was out of the question. Not having a lady to take out we -agreed that we did not care to go to any of the "smart" restaurants: we -wanted something a little more elaborate than a grill-room would give -us, and more amusing company than we were likely to find at the smaller -dining places we knew of. - -I think that the suggestion to dine at the cheap _table d'hôte_ dinner -at one of the very large restaurants, to listen to the music, and look -at the people dining, came from me. Our minds made up on this point, -there was the difficulty of selecting the restaurant, so we agreed to -toss up, and the spin of the coin eventually settled upon the Holborn -Restaurant. - -In the many-coloured marble hall, with its marble staircase springing -from either side, a well-favoured gentleman with a close-clipped grey -beard was standing, a sheet of paper in his hand, and waved us towards -a marble portico, through which we passed to the grand saloon with its -three galleries supported by marble pillars. "A table for two," said a -_maître d'hôtel_, and we were soon seated at a little table near the -centre of the room, at which a waiter in dress clothes, with a white -metal number at his buttonhole and a pencil behind his ear, was in -attendance waiting for orders. The _table d'hôte_ dinner was what we -required, and then I noticed that I had to ask for the wine list, and -that it was not given me opened at the champagnes, as is usually the -custom of waiters. - -The menu, which on a large sheet of stiff paper peeps out from a deep -border of advertisements, is printed both in French and in English. -This is the English side of it on the night we dined:-- - - - SOUPS. - Purée of Hare aux croûtons. - Spaghetti. - - FISH. - Suprême of Sole Joinville. - Plain Potatoes. - Darne de saumon. Rémoulade Sauce. - - ENTRÉES. - Bouchées à l'Impératrice. - Sauté Potatoes. - Mutton Cutlets à la Reforme. - - REMOVE. - Ribs of Beef and Horseradish. - Brussels Sprouts. - - ROAST. - Chicken and York Ham. - Chipped Potatoes. - - SWEETS. - Caroline Pudding. St. Honoré Cake. - Kirsch Jelly. - - ICE. - Neapolitan. - - Cheese. Celery. - - DESSERT. - - -We agreed to drink claret, and I picked out a wine third or fourth down -on the list. - -The Comedian said he was hungry, and I told him that I was glad to hear -it, for it might check the miraculous tales which he generally produces -at meal-times. - -With the Spaghetti soup, which was brown and strong, the Comedian -told me the tale of the mummy of one of the Ptolemies who lived some -thousands of years B.C. which was revivified in the Boston Museum by -having clam soup administered to it. It was not one of the Comedian's -best efforts, and I capped it easily by a tale of the Japanese -jelly-fish soup which is supposed to confer everlasting life, and which -tastes and looks like hot water. - -The _darne de saumon_ was rather a pallid slice, which I attributed -to package in ice; but which the Comedian said was owing to its having -overgrown its strength. "And that reminds me," he had just begun when -I had the presence of mind to anticipate him, and to tell the story -of the 140 lbs. mahseer which it took my uncle, on my mother's side, -three days to land from the Ganges. I felt bound to tell him that the -anecdote he subsequently related of a tarpon, that his first cousin, -twice removed, had hooked, towing a steamer's lifeboat from the -Floridas to Long Island, sounded like an invention. - -To avoid friction we talked of our neighbours. Next door to us was -a merry little party of three ladies, one a widow, and a gentleman -in a red tie, and the Comedian invented quite a storyette, after the -manner of Dickens, of the kindly brother taking his three sisters -out to dinner on the birthday of one of them--no brother would order -champagne for his sisters except on the occasion of a birthday, he -said. A couple, in mourning, were husband and wife, and the Comedian, -being in the vein, wove a pathetic little story round the unconscious -couple. Two young men, in spick-and-span black coats, with orchids in -their buttonholes, dining with two pretty girls, were groomsmen from -some wedding entertaining two of the bridesmaids. Some nodding plumes -showing over the second balcony the Comedian declared must belong to -the "principal boy" of some provincial pantomime. - -The cutlet of mutton that was brought to each of us was small, and had -suffered from having to journey some way from the kitchen; but it was -well cooked, and there was unlimited sauce with it. When I told the -Comedian the established fact that at the Cape the sheep have to have -wheels fitted to their tails, he pretended that in New England there is -a breed that draw their tails in miniature waggons. I flatter myself, -however, that my tale of the Ovis Polii, the perpendicular shot and the -three thousand feet fall down a Cashmerian gully left him breathless. -To save the Comedian from brain-weariness caused by invention I drew -the waiter into conversation, and, beginning with the band--a good -band, but much too loud--learned that we should find the time each -piece was played on the programme which was on the back of the menu. -It was not a full night, our waiter told us, but we were early, it was -only 7.15, and the saloon would fill up presently; and then he drifted -into wonderful figures of the number of guests the Holborn could hold -at one time. We wondered inwardly, but sent him off to get us our -beef and Brussels sprouts. "When I was out with Buffalo Bill----" the -Comedian began as the waiter returned; but as my only story to go with -beef is a Wildebeeste story, not one of my best, I mentioned somewhat -austerely, that our helpings were growing cold. Then the Comedian, -who was invincible in appetite, ate a helping of chicken and ham and -reported favourably. Encouraged by this, I ate a slice of the ham -which, with a dash of champagne for sauce, was good. The Comedian told -rather a foolish story of a nigger robbing a hen-roost, which gave me -an opening to relate my celebrated anecdote of the Naval Brigade and -the chickens during the Zulu War, an anecdote which has been known to -make a rheumatic bishop and a deaf Chairman of Quarter Sessions laugh. - -The sweets we took as read, and finished up our dinner with an ice, a -trifle too salt, I thought. The waiter had been disappointed at our -taking no sweets, but when we refused the offer of cheese and celery -and dessert, he was afraid that something must be the matter with us, -for most people at the Holborn eat their dinner steadily through. - -The saloon had filled up as our waiter had predicted. There was a -howling swell with tuberoses in the buttonhole of his frock-coat and -a lordly moustache. There were two youngsters in dress clothes and -"made-up" ties making merry with two damsels. There was a pretty -actress--"she's going to play in our new piece. It's her first night -off from playing at the Frivolity, and she has come here to be quiet," -said the Comedian. There was a business man from the north being -entertained by two City friends, and a host more diners whose history -we had not time to invent, for our waiter had taken the pencil from his -ear and was standing ready with a little book in his hand. - -"Dinners, 7s.; attendance, 6d.; one bottle claret, 4s. 6d.; total, -12s." That was the bill our waiter gave us, and he said "Thank you" -very heartily for a shilling for himself. - -I should have appreciated my dinner more if the Comedian had confined -his conversation to facts. - -I regret to hear that the Comedian permitted himself to say, next day, -at the Club that it was a thousand pities that I could not tell a story -without exaggeration. - - 15_th February_. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -ROMANO'S - - -Sometimes after a period of depression one wants a tonic in dinners, -as one does in health. My gastronomic malady had been a family feast -at which I had sat next to a maiden aunt who, after telling me that I -was getting unpleasantly fat, recounted anecdotes of my infancy and -childhood all tending to prove that I was the most troublesome baby -and worst conducted small boy that ever was. Something had to be done -to banish that maiden aunt and her anecdotes from my memory. The happy -thought came to me that, as the antidote, I had better, as I wanted -cheering up, ask Miss Dainty, of the principal London theatres, to be -kind enough to come out and dine at any time and at any restaurant she -chose to name. I sent my humble invitation by express early in the day, -and received her answer by telegram:--"Yes. Romano's. Eight. See I have -my pet table. I have been given a beautiful poodle--Dainty. Be good, -and you will be happy." - -At luncheon time I strolled down to the restaurant, the -butter-coloured front of which looks on to the Strand, and the -proprietor, "the Roman," as he is called by the habitués of the -establishment, being out, I took Signor Antonelli, his second in -command, into my confidence, secured the table next to the door, -sheltered by a glass screen from the draught, which I knew to be Miss -Dainty's pet one, and proceeded to order dinner. Antonelli--I must drop -the Signor--who has all the appearance of a cavalry colonel, led off -with _hors-d'œuvre_. I followed with, as a suggestion for soup, _crème -Pink 'Un_, a soup named after a light-hearted journal which practically -made "the Roman's" fortune for him. Then, as there were some beautiful -trout in the house, the only question was as to the cooking of them. -_Truite au bleu_, my first thought, was too simple. _Truite Chambord_, -the amendment moved by Antonelli, was too rich; so we compromised by -_Truite Meunière_, in the sauce of which the lemon counteracts the -butter. _Côtelettes de mouton Sefton_ was Antonelli's suggestion, and -was carried unanimously; but I altered his pheasant, which sounded -greedy for two people, into a _perdreau en casserole_. Salad, of -course. Then, taken with a fit of parsimony, I refused to let English -asparagus go down on the slip of paper, and ordered instead _artichauts -hollandais_. Vanilla ice _en corbeille_ and _petits fours_ wound up my -menu. - -When the handsome lady arrived--only ten minutes late--she swept like -a whirlwind through the hall--past the flower-stall, where I had -intended to ask her to pause and choose what flowers she would--in a -dress which was a dream of blue with a constellation of diamonds on it, -and as she settled down into her seat at the table, not quite certain -whether to keep on the blue velvet and ermine cloak or let it drop, I -was told the first instalment of her news at express speed. I need not -look a crosspatch because she was late, the pretty lady said. It was -the fault of the cabman, who was drunk, and had driven her half-way -down Oxford Street. What was a good name for a poodle? The one she had -been given was the dearest creature in the world. It had bitten all the -claws off the Polar bear skin in the drawing-room, had eaten up a new -pair of boots from Paris, had hunted the cat all along the balcony, -breaking two of the blue pots the evergreens were in, and had dragged -all the feathers out of the parrot's tail. Was Sambo a good name? Or -Satan? Or what? Why couldn't I answer? - -My humble suggestions as to a name for a poodle having been treated -with scorn, Miss Dainty turned her attention to the _hors-d'œuvre_. -There were no plain sardines among the numerous little dishes on the -table, and the ordinary tinned sardine was what her capricious ladyship -wanted--and got. The _crème Pink 'Un_ was highly approved of, and I -did my best to explain at length how the combination of rice with -a Bisque soup softened the asperity of the cray-fish. Miss Dainty, -changing the subject, demanded to know what the seascapes, which are -framed all round the room, in mauresque arches, were. I told her -that the distemper paintings of deep blue sea and castles and islands -and mosques, which are the principal features of the room, a room in -which everything, the clock, the musicians' gallery, the electric -light brackets, are of Eastern type, were views on the Bosphorus; -and, thinking to amuse, related how when the paintings were first put -up, a celebrated battle-painter and myself had volunteered to give an -up-to-dateness to them by adding some Armenian atrocities to lend life -to the pictures, and of "the Roman's" horror, under the impression that -we really meant to do as we said. My humorous anecdote fell rather -flat, for Miss Dainty, who did not care much for her trout, though I -thought it very excellent, but a trifle too buttery, said that that was -just the sort of silly thing I would do. - -The quiet person with a silver chain round his neck had brought our -bottle of _St-Marceaux_, and the clean-shaven little Italian waiter in -a white apron had replaced the trout with the cutlets _à la Sefton_. -For these Miss Dainty had nothing but praise, which I echoed very -heartily. - -"Your dinner--everything go right, eh, Mister Esquire?" and "the -Roman," a dapper little Italian in faultless dress-clothes, with a -small, carefully tended moustache, a full head of black hair, turning -grey at the temple, and talking English with a free admixture of -Italian, stood by our table, going his round to see that all the diners -were satisfied. Miss Dainty did not ask for the deep-red carnation -that was in "the Roman's" button-hole; but before he had passed on she -was pinning it into her dress, and when I ventured a very mild remark -I was told that if I had not been mean enough to let her pass the -flower-stall without offering her a button-hole she would not have had -to accept one from anybody else--a retort which was scarcely fair. - -I asked Miss Dainty if she knew who the pretty lady dining with a -good-looking grey-haired man at a table at the end of the room was. -She did know and gave me a full account of the lady's stage career, -and while the _perdreau en casserole_ was being cut up we ran over -the professions of the various diners who occupied the triple line of -little tables running down the room. The two men dining by themselves -were powers in the theatrical world. "May I ask them to come and take -their coffee and old brandy at our table?" I asked, and Miss Dainty -graciously assented. There were as well a well-known theatrical lawyer -talking business with the secretary to a successful manager; a dramatic -author, who was proposing plays to a colonial manager; a lady with -golden hair and a permanent colour to whom a small Judaic youth was -whispering with great earnestness; a well-known sporting lord, dining -by himself; a music-hall agent laying down the law as to contracts to a -journalist; two quiet ladies in sealskin coats; and many others, nearly -all connected with the great army of stage-land. - -A little too much onion with the _perdreau en casserole_ we both -thought, otherwise admirable. Salad good, artichokes good, though we -preferred plain vinegar as a dressing to the _hollandais_ one, and the -ice delicious. Then Miss Dainty trifled with cherries cased in pink -sweetness and sections of oranges sealed in transparent sugar, and our -two friends from the table at the far end came across and took coffee -and liqueurs with us, and talked of the old days when Romano's was but -a quarter of the size it is now, when it was far more Bohemian than it -is now, when there was a little aquarium in the front window into which -the sons of Belial used to try and force each other late at night, much -to the consternation of the gold-fish, when everybody who took his -meals there knew everybody else and the chaff ran riot down the single -line of little tables, and when every Sunday morning a devoted but -Sabbath-breaking band were led across the Strand by "the Roman" to see -his cellars, "best in London," as he used to say. - -All of a sudden Miss Dainty, whom these reminiscences did not interest -very much, remembered that the door of the parrot's cage had been left -open. She was quite sure that the poodle would be trying to kill the -bird, and she must go back at once to see to the matter. - -I put Miss Dainty, who said that she had enjoyed her dinner, into a -hansom, two brown eyes full of laughter set in a pretty face looked out -at me as she told me to be good and that then I should be happy, the -cabman cried "Pull up" to his horse, and the pretty lady was off to the -rescue of the parrot. - -Then I went back and paid my bill: Two couverts, 6d.; hors-d'œuvre, -2s.; crème Pink 'Un, 2s.; truite, 2s. 6d.; côtelettes de mouton, 2s. -6d.; petits pois, 1s.; pommes, 1s.; perdreau, 6s.; salade, 1s.; -artichauts, 2s.; glace, 2s.; champagne (107), 13s. 6d.; café, 3s.; -liqueurs, 5s.; total £2: 4s. - - 22_nd February_. - - * * * * * - -When I asked Antonelli for a specimen menu of a dinner of ceremony such -as is often given in the pretty Japanese room on the second floor he -looked pleased and said that I should certainly have it; but when I -asked for the _recette_ of the _crème Pink 'Un_ he looked as doleful -as if he had just heard of the death of his grandmother. But Signor -Romano came to the rescue. "The _chef_ he say that soup what-you-call-a -_secret du maison_; but I tell him no matter _secret_ or not he just -write it out for you." So I got my _recette_. This is the dinner, and a -noble feast it is, that Antonelli recommends for a party of twelve. The -_Homard sauté à la Julien_ is a speciality of Romano's; but I have some -respect for the feelings of Antonelli and the _chef_, and did not ask -for a _recette_ of _that_. - - - Huîtres natives. - Petite bouchée norvégienne. - Tortue claire. - Crème Dubarry. - Homard sauté à la Julien. - Aiguillette de sole. Sauce Germanique. - Zéphir de poussin à la Brillat-Savarin. - Selle d'agneau à la Grand-Veneur. - Petits pois primeur à la Française. - Pomme nouvelle persillade. - Spongada à la Palermitaine. - Jambon d'York braisé au champagne. - Caille à la Crapaudine. - Salade de saison. - Asperges vertes en branche. Sauce mousseuse. - Timbale Marie-Louise. - Bombe à la Romano. - Petits fours assortis. - Dessert. - Café. - - -_Pink 'Un Potage_ - -The _recette_ of the _crème Pink 'Un_ is as follows:-- - -_Mettez dans une casserole deux onces de beurre, deux -cuillères-à-bouche d'huile d'olive; coupez en petits morceaux une -carotte et un oignon, que vous laisserez cuire pendant cinq minutes -tout doucement. Avez ensuite vingt-quatre écrevisses vivantes, un -livre de crevettes et six tomates fraîches, que vous mettrez ensemble; -ajoutez une demi-bouteille de Chablis, et, après avoir assaisonné de -sel et poivre cayenne, couvrez votre casserole et donnez vingt minutes -d'ébullition._ - -_D'autre part prenez une livre d'orge perlée que vous aurez faite cuire -pendant trois heures dans un bouillon ordinaire, brayez dans un mortier -vos écrevisses et crevettes, ainsi que l'orge, mélangez, délayez avec -un litre de bouillon, passez ensuite a l'étamine; ceci fait, remettez -votre potage à chauffer sans lui donner de l'ébullition; additionnez -une réduction de cognac où vous y aurez mis une branche de thym, -deux feuilles de laurier, un petit bouquet de persil, d'estragon et -cerfeuil. Finissez votre potage en y ajoutant six onces de beurre frais -et servez avec croûtons._ - -[Illustration] - -Put in a saucepan two ounces of butter and two teaspoonfuls of olive -oil. Cut a carrot and an onion into small pieces, and let them cook -gently for five minutes. Then take twenty-four live cray-fish, a pound -of prawns, and six fresh tomatoes. Put these in altogether, and then -add half a bottle of Chablis, and after having seasoned with salt and -cayenne pepper, put the lid on the saucepan, and let it boil for twenty -minutes. Have ready a pound of pearl barley which has been cooked for -three hours, in ordinary stock. Pound in a mortar the cray-fish and -prawns, with the barley, dilute with a pint and three-quarters of -stock, and pass through a fine sieve. This done, put the soup back to -warm again, without letting it boil. Add then a little cognac, in which -you have steeped a bunch of thyme, two laurel leaves, and a little -bunch of parsley, tarragon and chervil. Finish your soup by adding six -ounces of fresh butter, and serve with sippets of fried bread. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -SIMPSON'S - - -The battle-painter and I were walking down the Strand, uncertain where -to lunch, when just by the theatrical bookshop a man in a shabby suit -of tweed and a billycock hat, drawn rather low down on his forehead, -passed us quickly, looking into our faces for a second as he did so. -"It's Smith," said the battle-painter. "Poor fellow!" - -It was the man we had been talking about only that morning, the good -fellow who had been at school with me, who had made a voyage on board a -P. and O. in which both the battle-painter and I had gone out to India, -and had been the life and soul of the ship; with whom we had spent a -week in his station on the Bombay side, and who had come on a return -visit to me in the Punjab when the battle-painter honoured me with his -company at the quiet little garrison where I was quartered at the time. -We knew he had left his cavalry regiment, and had heard vaguely that he -had come to grief through some financial smash. Here was our man, and -we turned at once and went after him. - -"I didn't think you fellows would know me in this kit," he said, when -we caught him up and laid friendly hands on him. "Most people don't -seem over-anxious to recognise me now." He certainly did not look -flourishing, though he had the smart carriage of the soldier about him, -was as carefully shaved, and his light moustache as carefully trimmed, -as if he were going on parade, and had the old buoyancy of manner. -"Where will you come and lunch with us?" we both asked in a breath. -"It's my dinner hour now," he told us, and somehow there was a touch of -pathos in the way he said it. We proposed the Savoy grill-room to him, -or Romano's across the way; but he said that, if we were anxious that -he should come and eat with us, he would sooner have a cut from the -saddle of mutton at Simpson's than anything else. - -We turned back and went into the entrance to the old-fashioned -eating-place, with its imitation marble columns, its coloured tile -floor, its trees in tubs, and its two placards on either side, one -announcing that a dinner from the joint is to be had for 2s. 6d., and -the other that a fish dinner for 2s. 9d. is served from 12.30 P.M. to -8.30 P.M. Smith changed his mind. The last fish dinner he had eaten -was at Greenwich more than half a dozen years ago, when he had asked a -party of thirty down to celebrate an investment that was going to make -his fortune, and if we didn't mind he would eat another now. - -We took three seats at the end of one of the tables in the downstairs -room. Smith looked round with an air of recognition. Nothing had -changed, he said, since the days when he used to come to get a cut -from the joint after a day's racing. And, indeed, Simpson's does not -look like a place that changes. The big dumb-waiter in the centre of -the room, almost as tall as a catafalque, with its burden of glasses -and decanters, and four plated wine-coolers, one at each corner as -ornament, the divisions with brass rails and little curtains that run -down one side of the room; the horsehair-stuffed, black-cushioned -chairs and lounges, the mirrors on one side of the room and -ground-glass windows on the other; the painted garlands of flowers and -fish and flesh and fowl, mellowed by age and London smoke, that fill -up the vacant spaces on the wall, the ormolu clocks, the decoratively -folded napkins in glasses on the mantelpieces, the hats and coats -hanging in the room, the screen with many time-tables on it, the great -bar window opening into the room, framing a depth of luminous shadow, -all are old-fashioned. Only the two great candelabra that stand, a -dozen feet high, on either side of the room have been modernised. - -The waiters at Simpson's are Britannic and have that dignity which sits -so well on the chairman of a company addressing his shareholders, or -an M.P. entertaining his constituents, or the genuine English waiter -taking an order. It is an undefinable majesty; but it exists. - -Rubicund gentlemen of portly figure, dressed in white, the carvers, -leisurely push carving dishes, with plated covers, running on wheels, -from customer to customer. - -A benignant waiter with a grey beard had stood and accepted our order, -which was, to begin with, turbot and sauce; and while with becoming -dignity he conveyed the news to one of the white-coated gentlemen, -Smith gave us a résumé of his history since we had all three parted -at a railway station in the Punjab. He had almost been a millionaire, -he had ridden as a trooper in a squadron of American cavalry, he had -fought in Matabeleland, he had tried gold-mining without success; and -now he was going this afternoon down to the City to meet a man who was -going to finance a marvellous invention of his, and presently he would -make the fortunes of the battle-painter and myself. The battle-painter -and myself smiled, and fell-to on our turbot and its rubicund sauce, -for we knew Smith of old. A fine big slice of firm turbot it was, but -I fancy the sauce owed its deep colour and some of its substance to -the artistic methods of the cook. Next Smith voted for a fried sole, -while the battle-painter and I ordered stewed eels, and as the first -bottle of Liebfraumilch, which Smith had preferred to any other wine -or spirit, was getting near low-water mark, I asked our waiter, who -somewhat resembled the ex-Speaker, to bring us another. Smith having -for the moment exhausted his historical reminiscences, we could look -round at our neighbours. Half a dozen country gentlemen up to see the -shire-horses at Islington, most of them confining their attention to -those saddles of mutton which are the pride of Simpson's, a barrister -or two, the good-looking husband of a popular actress, and four or five -well-known bookmakers, for Simpson's is essentially sporting. Then our -eels and the sole were brought. Smith said the sole was excellent; and -except that I like my sauce with the eel a little richer than I got -it at Simpson's, neither the battle-painter nor myself could find the -slightest cause to grumble. The Liebfraumilch was pleasant and soft, -and we were in the best of tempers when the whitebait, a trifle large, -and the salmon for Smith--salmon which looked beautiful, and which we -both secretly envied--arrived. A little group of men who bore the stamp -of racing men about them had congregated round the bar window while we -had been at table, and were being attended to by a rosy-faced maiden. -Cheese and celery we paid but little attention to, for Smith, now quite -the cheery, confident cavalryman of old, said that he must not miss his -appointment in the City, but that when the splendid fortune that was in -his grasp came to him he would give the battle-painter and myself, in -return for our mid-day meal, a dinner at the Savoy that would outdo the -celebrated _rouge-et-noir_ one. It was pleasant to see the good fellow -himself again, and we wished him success in his venture. Then, after -seeing him off, we paid the bill. Dinner, 8s. 6d. (Smith's salmon was -3d. extra); two Liebfraumilch, 12s.; attendance, 9d.; total, £1: 1: 3. - -Afterwards the battle-painter and myself went upstairs into the ladies' -dining-room, a fine room, which is lighter and fresher than the -gentlemen's dining-room below, and there we had coffee and chatted with -Charles Flowerdew, the head waiter, one of the real head waiters as -they knew them in the old days, and listened to his stories and took a -pinch of snuff out of his presentation snuff-box. And here Mr. Crathie, -tall, clean-shaved, except for narrow side whiskers, with a white head -of hair in which a ruddy tint still lingers, found us, and under his -guidance we went farther upstairs and peeped through the glass doors -into the room where half a dozen games of chess were being played. -Mr. Crathie, who has been proprietor and, later, managing director of -Simpson's for half a long lifetime, told us something of the history -of the place, how it originally consisted only of a cigar-shop on the -ground floor and the chess divan above, how he purchased it and formed -it into a small company, and how now a larger company was to have -control of it. - - * * * * * - -Before we left the old-fashioned house, about which the steam of -saddles of mutton seems to cling, we looked in on the Knights of the -Round Table, who have their club-room at Simpson's, who possess a -wonderful collection of portraits of past worthies of the club, and a -unique book of playbills, whose motto is, "I will go eat with thee and -see your Knights," and who once a week dine together off plain English -food at the round table, one piece of mahogany, from which they draw -their name. - - 1_st March._ - - * * * * * - -Since I wrote the above, Simpson's has been acquired by a company which -has also taken over The Golden Cross Hotel, Trafalgar Square. The old -place has in no way been altered by its new masters, who believe in -letting well alone. Charles Flowerdew has left the upper room, and -retired with, I trust, a comfortable competency; but William, who -for many years was head waiter at the Cock, and has as fine a store -of reminiscences as any old-fashioned waiter to be found in London, -now serves in the lower room, and is in himself a mine of amusing -information. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE HANS CRESCENT HOTEL - - -If I had to set an examination paper on the art of dining, one of -the questions I should certainly ask the examinee would be: "What -occupation or amusement would you suggest for your guests after a -dinner at a restaurant on Sunday?" The Hans Crescent Hotel management -have answered this question in a practical way; and not the least -pleasant part of a dinner at the smart hotel Sloane Street way is -the coffee and liqueur and cigarette taken under the palms in the -winter garden, where the red-shaded lamps throw a gentle light, and M. -Casano's band playing Czibulka's waltz-whisper, "Songe d'amour après le -bal," sends one back in a dream to the days when an evening of dancing -was a foretaste of the seventh heaven, and every woman was a possible -divinity. - -The Editor does not write long letters, but the card with his initials -at the bottom gave me place and time, and told me that I should find -myself one of a _partie carrée_. What was the exact reason of the -dinner that the good Editor gave to the gracious lady and the handsome -niece and myself, I do not know; but I rather think that it was a -propitiatory offering made for non-appearance on the editorial tricycle -when warned for escort duty to the gracious lady, who had gone that -day for a long bicycle ride. If it was so, the dinner at the Hans -Crescent Hotel, plus the excuse given, whether it was church-going or -letter-writing, did not save the Editor during the evening from little -barbed conversational shafts as to sloth and laziness and the evil -habit of lying late in bed on the Sabbath morning. - -I never commit the unpardonable offence of being late for dinner, and -three minutes before my time I was waiting in the oak-panelled hall, -which, with its stained-glass window, big staircase with a balcony -at the back, its palms and great fireplace, always looks to me like -an elaborate "set" for a scene in some comedy. The hands of the -clock stole on to eight o'clock, and that feeling of righteousness -which comes to the man who is in time when he believes that his -fellow-creatures are late fell on me, when, on a sudden, M. Diette, -the manager of the hotel, grey of hair and moustache, a black tie -under his "Shakspeare" collar, and a faultless frock-coat, appeared, -and recognising me, asked me whether by chance I was the gentleman for -whom the Editor and two ladies had been waiting some ten minutes in -the drawing-room. So it came that when I went into the drawing-room, -where the two ladies were looking at the brocades in the panels and the -editorial eye was fixed on the clock on the mantelpiece, it was I who -had to stumble through apologies, and I felt conscious that my tale of -waiting in the hall sounded hideously improbable. - -M. Diette himself showed us to our table in the dining-room, which -is as near a reproduction of an old baronial hall as modern comfort, -electric light, and civilisation will allow. The baron of old, in the -days when each man cut his own portion off the roast meat with his -dagger, might have been able to boast of the open fireplace in green -Connemara marble and the panelled walls, but the handsome frieze and -the carved oak pillars would have been beyond his artistic dreams. He -would probably have preferred rushes to the Oriental rugs that half -cover the oak floor, and he would certainly have thought the palmery -seen through the open French window in a glow of rosy light a vision -called up by some magician. - -The Editor, stroking his pointed beard with satisfaction, was reading -through the menu, the gracious lady and the handsome niece were noting, -one by one, the celebrities dining at the other tables, and the head -waiter was standing watching the Editor with the calm but deferential -confidence an artist shows when an important patron is inspecting his -work. A minor servitor, a thin tape of gold on the collar of his livery -coat and wearing white gloves, was also in attendance, and the overture -in the way of _hors-d'œuvre à la Russe_ was before us. - -In quick succession our ladies had named the tall, slim, titled lady -in black, who had come in leaning on a stick; the good-looking young -musical critic, who was entertaining "Belle" and a very pretty girl; a -newly-married Earl and his wife; the handsome stockbroker and his wife, -who in the summer are to be found not far from Maidenhead Bridge, and -at whose table were sitting the most hospitable of up-river hostesses -and her son; a millionaire, who was entertaining a tableful of guests; -and one or two titled couples whom the gracious lady knew, but whose -names meant nothing to me. I was able to add my quota by pointing out -a steward of the Jockey Club, at whose table was the owner of the good -horse Bendigo. - -The Editor, having learned that we all preferred for the moment claret -to champagne, put down the menu with a little sigh of anticipatory -gratitude, and ran his finger half-way down a page on the wine list. -This was the menu which the gracious lady looked at, and then handed on -to me:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre à la Russe. - Consommé Brunoise à la Royale. - Potage en tortue. - Suprême de saumon à la Chambord. - Tournedos à la Montgador. - Poularde à la Demi-Doff. - Caille rôti sur canapé. - SALADE. - Flageolets Mtre. d'Hôtel. Bombe Chateaubriand. - Corbeilles de friandises. - - -The handsome niece had approved of the people at the other tables as -being most of them interesting and good-looking, had said she liked -the table with its decoration of a ring of yellow flowers and leaves -drawn round the basket of _friandises_, and we began dinner with good -appetite and good temper. - -The clear soup with its patchwork ground of minutely chopped vegetables -seen through the amber of its liquid was excellent and hot; the -fish deserved a special word for its sauce, in the making of which -an artist's hand had been employed; and the _tournedos_ with their -attendant "fixings," to use an Americanism, a symphony in rich browns -with the scarlet of the tomato to relieve it, gave no loophole for -captious criticism. We had been talking of the respective merits -of houseboats and cottages as summer residences, and from that had -drifted on to the subject of the wonderful steam launch that the Editor -owns, and inventions generally. The gracious lady had said her say on -the wonders she knew of; and the handsome niece, not to be outdone, -described the invention of the age through which by means of a little -metal case half the size of the smallest pill box, every man is to -make his own soda-water, which is to supersede all other inventions -as a fuse for big guns, and is going to drive dynamite out of the -field; and I, fired by the spirit of healthy emulation, had just -started an account of the flying machine by which I hoped to reach -Mars, to which the ladies, not noticing the twinkle in the Editor's -eyes, were listening gravely, when the waiter brought the _poularde -à la Demi-Doff_. The Editor was the only one of us who took any, and -he, in very excellent French, told the head waiter, who was hovering -round, that he thought it good. Whether it was that the gracious -lady had caught the tail-end of the editorial smile at my Munchausen -flying-machine story, or whether the non-appearance of the tricycle was -remembered, it matters not; but the Editor was gravely warned not to -talk Hindustani at the dinner-table. - -The quails were a trifle over-cooked, and the artistic hand which had -made the sauce for the salmon had not mixed the salad, which was too -vinegary. I think our negative criticism must have hurt the feelings -of the waiter, who probably paused on the way from the kitchen to wipe -away a tear, for the _flageolets_, excellently cooked, were not quite -as hot as they should have been. Then the dinner got into its stride -again, for the _bombe_ was admirable. - -The band had been making music for the past half-hour in the -winter-garden, and the diners at the various tables had gradually -left the oaken hall for the tables, each labelled with the number of -the corresponding dining-tables and name of the host, reserved under -the rosy lamps and the palms. The violins played with a delightful -softness, the rings of cigarette smoke curled and vanished up towards -the glass dome. From table to table the men went, saying a word here, -staying for a chat there; and at last, when the little band had played -Gounod's "Ave Maria," and ended with the wail of Miska's "Czardas," it -was time to gather in the hall to say good-night and be off homewards -to the land of Nod. This was the bill that I asked the Editor to let -me glance at:--Four dinners at 10s. 6d., £2: 2s.; three bottles claret, -£1: 10s.; cafés, 3s.; liqueurs, 3s.; total, £3: 18s. - - 8_th March_. - - * * * * * - -Mr. Francis Taylor has now taken Mons. Diette's place as manager. Mons. -Heiligenstein, as chef, rules the roast, and boiled, and fried. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE BLUE POSTS (CORK STREET) - - -"None of your d--d _à la's_, and remember I won't get into dress -clothes for anybody." That was what the old gentleman wrote, and it -was not an easy matter to find a dining place and a theatre to go to -afterwards that would suit my prospective guest. - -The old gentleman lives his life in a little country town which is -favourable to the growth of characters; he always wears a plain, -double-breasted broadcloth coat; a bird's-eye cravat, taken twice round -his old-fashioned collar, folded in a manner that would puzzle a modern -valet, and secured by a fox-tooth pin; his waistcoats, the irreverent -youths of the club say, descended to him from his great-grandfather, -and his watch chain is a leather chin-strap. He has a particular -chair by a particular window of the county club on which he sits in -the afternoon of non-hunting days, and drinks one stiff glass of -brandy-and-water. He has never worn a greatcoat, never missed a day's -hunting for the last fifteen years, will walk a mile, run a mile, and -ride a mile against any man of his own age, and he is near seventy, -dislikes the French on principle, and has never been to France, and -comes to London as rarely as he can--very pressing business, the Cattle -Show or a horse show being the only matters that would ever bring -him up even for the day. The son, the grandson, and great-grandson -of comfortable country solicitors, he preferred entertaining clients -to advising them, always shut up his office on hunting days, and -having a surplus of the world's goods, for a bachelor, he lives a very -comfortable life in the beetle-browed old house in the High Street, -with its great garden behind, its dark dining-room with a glint of -reflected lights from polished mahogany and massed silver, its crooked -oak staircase, its panelled passages, and bedrooms, each with a huge -four-poster bed, its carved chimney-pieces and uneven floors; with, as -servants, a prim housekeeper, a fat cook--the only woman, he says, in -the county who can make a venison pasty--and an old butler, with whom -he argues as to the port to be drunk after dinner. - -I know the old gentleman's tastes, for he has asked me often enough -to the wonderful oyster and woodcock lunches he gives, and the solid -English dinners in which haunches of venison, saddles of mutton, great -capons, turkeys almost as big as ostriches, cygnets, sucking pigs, and -such-like dishes generally are the _gros pièces_, and it was not easy -to select a suitable dining-place for him. He was up for the Hackney -Show; had, after much pressing, consented to dine and go to the -theatre, and where to take him I did not know. - -The melodrama of the moment at the Adelphi was the play I thought he -would like, and, after passing by mentally my clubs, because he might -not care to be the one man in morning dress among a white-cravated -crowd, and the "smart" restaurants for the same reason, and also -because nothing but brute force would keep a maître d'hôtel from -putting an _à la_ on the menu, the happy thought came to me that at the -Blue Posts the fare would suit my guest well. - -I went down in the early afternoon through the Burlington Arcade, with -its scent of perfumers' shops and its Parisian jewellery, into Cork -Street, where the tavern hides itself modestly. - -I have but vague remembrances of the old house which was burned -down. To-day, if one did not know that the house holds still to its -reputation of being one of the very best places where old-fashioned -British food is to be obtained, it might, with its tiled floors, its -stained-glass windows and doors, its wall-papers of quiet artistic -shades, its electric light, be one of those small restaurants where the -Parisian art of cooking is cultivated. Past the stained-glass doors -leading into the wine-bars, upstairs and into the dining-room, sacred -to the male sex, with its six or seven little square tables, and two -round ones, I went, there to find Frank, the head waiter, not yet in -his evening garb, sitting and reading a paper. Frank, who, with his -white moustache and whiskers and white hair parted in the centre, has -still about him a suggestion of the soldier who fought under the old -Emperor William, has been for fifteen years head waiter at the Posts, -and is a person to be confided in; so I told him particulars as to -the old gentleman who was to be my guest, and asked for suggestions. -The bill of fare, on a long slip of paper, which Frank put into my -hand would have gladdened the old gentleman's heart. There was not an -_à la_ on it--not a word of French, "sauce _tartare_" excepted, and -entrées were rigorously excluded. Frank advised soup, saying that all -the soups were made from stock, no sauces of any kind being used; but -I mistrust the Britannic soup, for we are not a nation of soupmakers, -and would have none. "Grilled or fried?" was the question as to the -fish, and after due discussion I ordered a grilled sole. I was all for -a porterhouse steak, but at this Frank put his foot down. Rump steaks -were the specialty of the house, he said, and explained how the cook -kept the great joint of beef intact, only cutting a steak just before -he put it on the grill, and this being so, a rump steak it had to be, -with potatoes in their jackets, a salad, and cauliflower. Marrow-bones -completed the dinner. For wine I ordered a bottle of Beaune supérieur -and a pint of port. - -At 7.45 to the second my old gentleman, his clean-shaven, ruddy face -bringing a breath of country air with it, appeared, and as we sat -at our table and waited for the sole, of which the cook had started -the cooking as soon as I set foot within the dining-room, I was -given much information as to the hackneys, told of some marvellous -runs that the county hounds had had lately, and was lectured on the -iniquity of the farmers wiring their fences. Then we looked at the -room and the company. The proof print of the coronation of Her Majesty -which hangs on the soft green-coloured wall was approved of as being -patriotic, the frieze with its little tablets bearing the names of -authors and composers and the stained-glass windows and skylight were -considered Frenchified, and the Parian statuettes on the mantelpiece -were dismissed as fal-lals. I wished that some of the stately bucks, -habitués of old days, had been dining there--Mr. Weatherby in his -blue coat and brass buttons, and a great publisher with his black -satin stock; for the young gentlemen who sat at the other tables, most -of them in dress clothes, though irreproachably correct, were not -picturesque. - -Frank brought the sole, piping hot, still sizzling, from the bars. The -cook had given it the necessary squeeze of lemon, and, watching my -guest, I could see that the first item of my dinner was a success. The -Beaune, warmed to just the right temperature, was as good a Burgundy -as a man could wish with his dinner. Then came the steak, not a thin -slab of meat, but a fine, impressive solid mass of beef, great of -depth and size, the typical dish for Englishmen. I cut it, and in the -centre there was the ruddy flush which is as pleasing to the devout -diner as the blush on a maiden's cheek is to the devout lover. The -great potatoes, cooked in their skins, were so hot that they burned -our fingers, the cauliflower was excellent, and there was a delicious -beetroot salad powdered with spring onion. "Damme!" said the old -gentleman, "they understand what a steak is, here." Then came the -marrow-bones, each swathed in its napkin with its attendant square of -toast leaning up against it. Now the first essential in a marrow-bone -is that it should be hot, and the second that it should contain at -least a fair amount of marrow. Our bones were so hot that they could -hardly be held in spite of the protecting napkin, and from each gushed -forth a flood of the steaming delicacy. - -We sat and sipped our port, and trifled with a Cheddar cheese. My old -gentleman had objected to the waiters in such a Britannic house being -of foreign birth; but I comforted him by telling him of the battles -against the French in which Frank had taken part, and of the history of -his maimed hand. "Fought the French, did he?" said the old gentleman. -"That's good. Damme, that's very good!" He had put a date to the port, -and opened his eyes when I told him how little I was charged for -it. Indeed, all the items of my bill were small. Dinners, 10s. 6d.; -Burgundy, 7s.; port, 5s. 6d.; total, £1: 3s. - -"I hope you have not dined badly?" I asked my guest as we rose to -take cab for the Adelphi. "Well, my boy; _very_ well," said the old -gentleman. - - 15_th March._ - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -VERREY'S (REGENT STREET) - - -The little curly-headed, light-haired page, who is the modern Mercury, -in that he gives warning when one is rung up at the telephone in the -club, came to me in the reading-room and told me that a lady at the -Hotel Cecil wished to speak to me. - -"Hullo! Are you there?" was answered by a "Yes" in a lady's voice, and -in a few seconds I was informed that Myra Washington was in London, -that she would like to see me, that she would be busy all the afternoon -shopping, but that if I was not otherwise engaged I might take her out -to dinner and to a show afterwards. - -Mrs. Washington is a lady whom it is a liberal education to have the -honour of being acquainted with, for she knows most people who are -worth knowing in Europe, has been to most places worth seeing, and is -in every way cosmopolitan. She is generally taken for a Russian, until -she speaks, chiefly, I think, because of her hair, which is so light -that it is almost white, and because she smokes cigarettes at every -possible moment. She is to be found in Paris, where she has a flat in -one of the avenues branching from the Arc de Triomphe, and where she -is kind enough, most years, to give me _déjeuner_ on the morning of -the Grand Prix. But her movements are always erratic. I first made her -acquaintance at Suez, where I had the honour to be recorded on the -tablets of her memory as having delivered her from some impertinent -Arab hawkers, and she showed me what American hospitality is during the -exhibition at Chicago, in which city her husband, John P. Washington, -is always making or losing fortunes in the wheat pit. - -I was glad, therefore, to hear the pretty lady's voice again, even -though filtered through a telephone, and I proposed innumerable plans -to her. She had come to London from Cannes to meet John, who was -running over from America for a couple of days on business, and wanted -to do as much as possible in the shortest time. She had been to the -Gaiety after dining at the Savoy her first night in London, had lunched -at Willis's and seen a matinée at Daly's, dined at the Princes' Hall -and spent the evening at the Palace on the second, and now I was to be -responsible for her evening's amusement on the third evening. - -Did she know Verrey's? And as a reply I was asked whether I thought she -knew her own name. Then would she dine with me at the restaurant in -Regent Street, and I would have a box for her at the Empire afterwards? -and Mrs. Washington said she would. "If I may, I will come and call -for you at a little before eight," I said promptly, and Mrs. Washington -wanted to know whether there were bandits in Regent Street. Eventually, -I was told that if I was cooling my feet in the entrance at 8 to a -second I should have the felicity of helping her out of her cab. - -To give Mrs. Washington a satisfactory dinner is not one of the easiest -things in the world, for she understands the art of dining, and is, -as well, a most excellent cook herself when she chooses; so it was -with a full sense of the responsibility I had incurred that I sought -Mr. Krehl, the elder of the two brothers in whose hands Verrey's now -is, and found him in the café. He knew Mrs. Washington, of course, -and hearing that it was she who was to be my guest, he called in his -brother Albert, almost a twin in resemblance to him, who now devotes -all his time to the management of the restaurant, and we held a solemn -council of three. I am a very strong believer myself in small dinners, -but it was difficult to make up a menu which would be sufficiently -substantial, without appearing gluttonous, for two. I held out against -the second entrée; but the sense of the house was distinctly against -me, and the _pouding Saxon_ was an addition that I did not approve of, -but gave in, being outvoted. This was the dinner that we settled on -before I started home to dress:-- - - - Petite marmite. - Œufs à la Russe. - Soufflé de filets de sole à la Verrey. - Timbale Lucullus. - Noisettes d'agneau à la Princesse. - Petits pois à la Française. - Pommes Mirelle. - Aiguillettes de caneton à l'Orange. - Salade Vénétienne. - Pouding Saxon. - Salade de fruits. - - -Mrs. Washington, enveloped in a great furry white cloak, and with -a lace covering to her head, was punctual to the second, and as we -settled down to our table in the dining-room, with its silver arches -to the roof, caught and reflected a hundred times by the mirrors, and -its suave dark-green panels, which formed an excellent background to -the cream-coloured miracle of a dress that Mrs. Washington was wearing, -she told me a few of the events of the last few weeks. She had stayed -in New York for the second Assembly, and had gone from New York to the -Riviera, where Cannes had been her headquarters, and I incidentally was -given full particulars as to doings of the ladies' club there. Now, -pausing for one night in Paris to see the new Palais Royal piece, which -is a play, so Mrs. Washington says, that no respectable girl could take -her grandmother to see, she had run over to England to meet John, and -afterwards was going to leisurely travel to Seville, getting there in -time for the Holy Week processions. - -The soup, admirably hot, had been placed before us by the waiter, -in plain evening clothes, while Mrs. Washington talked and pulled -off her long white gloves, and before using her spoon she took in -the company dining at the many little square tables, lighted by -wax red-shaded candles, in one comprehensive glance; smiled to the -well-known journalist whose love for dogs forms a bond between him and -the Messrs. Krehl, themselves powers in the dog world; thought that the -ruddy-haired prima donna looked well and showed no signs of her recent -illness; wanted to know if it was true that the celebrated musician, -who was dining with his wife, was to be included in the next birthday -list of honours; and nodded to a gentleman with long black whiskers, -her banker in Paris, who was entertaining a party of a dozen. - -The _œufs à la Russe_, with their attendant _vodkhi_, met with Mrs. -Washington's approval: there were no flies on them, was her expression. -We did not quite agree as to the _soufflé_, I daring to say that -though the fish part of the dish was admirable I thought the _soufflé_ -covering might have been lighter, a statement which my guest at once -countered, and, by her superior knowledge of culinary detail reduced me -to silence, overcome but certainly not convinced. As to the _timbale_, -with its savoury contents of quenelles, foie gras, cocks'-combs, and -truffles, there could be no two opinions; it was excellent, and the -same might be said of the _noisettes_, each with its accompanying -_fond d'artichaut_, and the new peas with a leaf of mint boiled with -them. Mrs. Washington would have preferred _pommes soufflées_ to -_pommes Mirelle_, but I could hardly have known that when ordering -dinner. The Venetian salad, a little tower of many-coloured vegetables, -looking like poker chips, Mrs. Washington said, peas, beans, truffles, -potatoes, beetroot, flavoured by a slice of _saucisson_ and dressed -with whipped white of eggs, was one of the triumphs of the dinner, and -so was the _salade de fruits_. For Mrs. Washington to praise a fruit -salad is a high honour, for she is one of the favoured people for whom -François, late of the Grand Hotel, Monte Carlo and now of the Hotel -Cecil, deigns to mix one with his own hands. The gourmets of Europe say -that as a salad maker no man can approach François. I personally uphold -the fruit salads that Frederic, of the Tour d'Argent, makes as being -perfection, but Europe and America vote for François. I was told that -the _pouding Saxon_ was an unnecessary item, and I was rather glad, for -I had shied at it when ordering dinner. - -I reminded Mrs. Washington, who was sipping her Perrier-Jouët lazily, -that the Empire ballet begins comparatively early, and to be in time -for it, which she insisted on, we had to hurry over our coffee (which -is always admirable at Verrey's) and liqueurs, and the cigarette, which -is a necessary of life to the lady. Then, while Mrs. Washington drew -on the long white gloves again, I paid the bill:--hors-d'œuvre, 1s.; -potage, 1s. 6d.; poisson, 3s.; entrées, 2s. 6d. and 3s.; pommes, 6d.; -légumes, 1s.; rôti, 10s. 6d.; salade, 1s.; entremets, 3s.; café, 1s.; -liqueur, 2s.; cigarettes, 2d.; Perrier-Jouët, 1889, 13s.; total, £2: -4: 2. - - 22_nd March_. - - * * * * * - -I asked Mr. Albert Krehl to give me an idea of any special dishes which -Verrey's is proud of, and pausing by the way to tell me how the house -has always tried to wean its patrons from the cut from the joint at -déjeuner time, and to induce them to eat small and light dinners, he -said that entremet ices were one of the delights that Verrey's prides -itself on, dwelt lovingly on a description of an _entrecôte Olga_, and -then reeled off _œufs à la Russe, omelette foies de volaille, sole -Polignac, filets de sole à la Belle Otero, glace Trianon, sole à la -Verrey,_ which has a flavouring of Parmesan, _moules à la Marinière, -poulet Parmentier en casserole_. - -If the Messrs. Krehl counsel small dinners in the salle, they do not -always do so for the private rooms upstairs. This is the menu of a -dinner at which H.R.H. the Prince of Wales was present:-- - - - Œufs à la Kavigote - (Vodkhi). - Bisque d'écrevisses. Consommé Okra. - Rougets à la Muscovite. - Selle de mouton de Galles. - Haricots panachés. Tomates au gratin. - Pommes soufflées. - Timbale Lucullus. - Fonds d'artichauts. Crème pistache. - Grouse. - Salad Rachel. - Biscuit glacé à la Verrey. - Soufflé de laitances. - Dessert. - - -Mr. Krehl gave me the _recette_ of the _timbales à la Lucullus_. Here -it is-- - - -TIMBALE LUCULLUS - -_La garniture Lucullus se compose de: crêtes de coq, rognons de coq, -truffes en lames, quenelles de volaille truffées, champignons, foie -gras dans une demi-glace bien réduite, un filet de madère, et un jus de -truffes._ - -[Illustration] - -The Lucullus garnish is composed of cocks' combs, cocks' kidneys, -truffles cut in slices, chicken quenelles, made with truffles, -mushrooms, foie-gras well stewed down in a semi-liquid glaze,[1] with -just a suspicion of Madeira, and a gravy made from truffles. - -[1] Or a glaze which has not been boiled down so as to make it a very -stiff jelly. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE HOTEL CECIL (THE STRAND) - - -It was in the noble cause of conversion of fellow-man that I dined at -the Hotel Cecil. One of my uncles, the Nabob--so called by us because -he spent many years in the gorgeous East--affects the belief that -there is no good curry to be had outside the portals of his club, -the East India; and for that reason, when he is not dining at home, -dines nowhere but there. I would not dare to trifle with the Nabob's -digestion, for I have reason to believe that he has remembered me in -his will; but I also thought that he should not be allowed to go to his -grave with the erroneous impression that curry can only be made out of -India in St. James's Square. I have eaten good curry at the Criterion, -where a sable gentleman is charged with its preparation, and I also -remembered that at the Cecil they make a speciality of their curries. - -The Nabob, doubting much, said that he would dine with me; and, with -the possibility of the alteration of the terms of that will always -before me, I went down to the Hotel Cecil to interview M. Bertini on -the morning of the day of the dinner. - -Three gentlemen in gorgeous uniforms, and with as much gold lace round -their caps as a field-marshal wears, received me at the door. A clerk -in the reception bureau took my card, wrote something mysterious on a -slip of paper, and sent a page-boy in blue off on the search for M. -Bertini, while I stood and contemplated the great marble staircase. - -M. Bertini would see me directly, I was told; and I went down a floor -or two in the lift and was shown into a comfortable room, the big table -in the centre covered with papers, a telephone at either side of the -armchair by the table, and on the walls sketches for the uniforms of -the gentlemen with gold-laced caps who had received me, a caricature of -M. Bertini, and drawings of various Continental hotels. A yellow dog -which had been asleep under the chiffonier rose, stretched himself, -inspected me, and apparently thought me harmless, for he went to sleep -again. Presently in came M. Bertini himself, looking cool and neat, his -beard closely clipped, his moustache brushed out. I had interfered with -his morning round of inspection; but he could spare a minute or two to -talk over my needs for the evening. I told him at once what I wanted: a -dinner for two with the curry course as the most important item, and M. -Bertini, who is an expert in cookery, took a slip of paper and sketched -out a menu. Here it is:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Consommé Sarah Bernhardt. - Filet de sole à la Garbure. - Côtes en chevreuil. Sauce poivrade. - Haricots verts à la Villars. - Pommes Cécil. - Mousse de foie gras et jambon au champagne. - Curry à l'Indienne. - Bombay Duck, etc. etc. - Asperges. - Bombe à la Cecil. - Petites friandises choisies. - - -We had a table in the corner of the great restaurant, with its dozen -marble pillars, its walnut panelling, its tapestries, the gilt Cecil -arms on a great square of red velvet, its great crystal lamps that -hold the electric light, its fireplaces of Sicilian marble, its gilt -ceiling, its musicians' gallery in one corner. The waiters with their -white aprons bustled silently about setting down the _hors-d'œuvre_, -the important person with the silver chain round his neck took the -order for a bottle of Deutz and Gelderman, and the curry cook, clothed -in white samite, and with his turban neatly rolled, came up to make -his salaam, and was immediately tackled by the Nabob, who in fluent -Hindustani put him through an examination in the art of curry-making, -which was apparently satisfactory, for he was dismissed with a _Bot -atcha_. - -Then the Nabob, hook-nosed, clean-shaven, except for two thin -side-whiskers, turned to me. "When I was at Mhow, in '54, Holkar--not -the present man, but his grandfather, had a curry cook named Afiz, -who----" and just then the waiter brought the soup, which I was glad -of, for I knew my uncle's story of Holkar and Afiz, and how the cook -was to have been beheaded for giving his Highness a mutton curry -instead of an egg one, and was saved by the Nabob's interference, -and I knew that it took half an hour in the telling. The _consommé -Sarah Bernhardt_, which has a foundation of turtle, to which is added -_consommé de volaille, quenelles_ and parsley, was worthy of M. Coste, -erstwhile of Cubats', the gorgeous restaurant in the Champs Elysées, -who has deserted the banks of the Seine for those of the Thames; and -the _filet de sole à la Garbure_, over the description of the cooking -of which M. Guy Gagliardelly, the most attentive of _maîtres d'hôtel_, -waxed eloquent, was another masterpiece of the kitchen. It is a -variation of the _filet de sole Mornay_, having vegetables added to it. - -Then came a pause, and with it the Nabob's opportunity. "Holkar never -gave a great curry feast without asking me to it, for he said that -I was the only European who understood what a curry should be----" -and just then the waiter put down our cutlets before us, and M. -Gagliardelly was at my elbow to explain that the _haricots verts_ were -prepared with flour and egg and then fried like a sole, and M. Laurent, -the _chef du restaurant_, who had been going the round of the tables, -told us the secret of _pommes Cecil_. - -My uncle drew a long breath, and I knew what was coming, when luckily -a lady with a great dog-collar of diamonds passed and attracted his -attention, and I staved off the dissertation on curries for a few -minutes by telling him of the wonderful diamond stomacher the lady -possessed, which made the collar look only like a row of brilliants. I -called the Nabob's attention, too, to a quiet, almost shabbily-dressed -gentleman, dining with his wife and two little girls, for he is a man -with an estate in Australia big enough to form a principality in the -Balkans, and people talk of the revenue he gets from his flocks and -herds with a sort of awe. A little French chansonnette singer; the -editor of a Society newspaper; a well-known musician and his daughter, -who is a rising young actress, were other people of interest to be -pointed out; and by that time our two wedges of the delicately-coloured -_mousse_, with its flavouring gained from tongue and champagne and -old brandy, were before us. The _mousse_ was the only dish in the -dinner that was really open to criticism, and I do not think that I am -captious when I say that I prefer it made less solidly than M. Coste's -creation at the Cecil. - -Then came the dish of the evening, a tender spring-chicken for the -foundation of the curry, and all the accessories, Bombay duck, that -crumpled in our fingers to dust, paprika cakes, thinner than a sheet -of note-paper, and chutnees galore, to add to the savoury mess. It was -a genuine Indian curry, and the curry cook, his hands joined in the -attitude of polite deference, stood and watched rather anxiously the -Nabob take his first mouthful. I myself think the Malay curries the -best in the world, those wonderful preparations of prawns, fish, fowl, -meat, or vegetable, with one great curry as the foundation swimming -in the delicious semi-liquid, which has always the taste of fresh -cocoa-nut, with half a dozen subsidiary curries, and then a host of -_sambals_, little dishes of _ota-ota_, which is fish brains pounded in -cream, fresh cocoa-nut and chili, beans, shredded ham, Bombay duck, and -a hundred other relishes; and I put next to it the Ceylon curry. But -the Nabob swears by the curries of India, and even the old Quai Haies -of his club pay attention when he gives his decision on a question of -feeding. "Er, um, yes, good," said the old gentleman, and the cook -salaamed. "Good, decidedly. I don't say as good as we get it at the -club"--he was bound to say this--"but decidedly good." The success of -the dinner was made, and I felt relieved in my mind as to the will. -The asparagus and the _bombe_, with an electrically illuminated ice -windmill as a background, were but the skirmishes after the pitched -battle had been won. - -As I lighted a cigarette, the Nabob, who does not smoke, began again. -"Holkar always invited me and a fellow Afiz, whose life I saved--that's -a devilish good story that I must tell you some day--used to make one -special curry of lambs' tongues, which he called after me." "Pardon -me, uncle, while I pay my bill," I said as a last resource, and this -was the bill I paid:--Soup, 2s.; filet de sole, 3s.; côte de mouton, -3s.; haricots verts, 1s. 6d.; pommes, 1s.; mousse, 4s.; curry, 3s. -6d.; asperges, 7s. 6d.; bombe, 2s.; two cafés, 2s.; liqueurs, 3s.; -cigarettes, 1s.; wine, 15s.; total, £2: 8: 6. - - 29_th March_. - - * * * * * - -M. Bertini has left the Cecil and Mr. A. Judah, young, alert, with -something of the cavalry-officer in his appearance, reigns in his -stead. Mons. François has deserted Monte Carlo and the Grand Hotel -for the Strand and the Cecil, and now has charge of the restaurant. -François has seen the rise of Monte Carlo, having been a dweller in -Monaco before Mons. Blanc turned a rocky hill into a paradise by -establishing a hell in the centre of it. To hear him tell the story of -the early days of the Casino is very interesting. Mons. Laurent is now -the _maître d'hôtel_ at the Continental. - -Mr. Judah was kind enough to give me the _recette_ for the _consommé -Sarah Bernhardt_, the soup I thought so excellent when I dined at the -Cecil, and I also asked him to suggest a dinner for six people, with -some specialities of the Cecil included in it. - -Here is the _recette_, and here the menu, with an asterisk against the -dishes which are specialities of the Cecil cuisine:-- - - - Caviar frais de Sterlet. - Consommé Sarah Bernhardt. - *Suprême de truite Astronome. - *Poularde soufflée Cecil. - Selle d'agneau de Pauillac rôtie. - Petits pois nouveaux. - Caneton de Rouen à la Presse. - Salade de cœurs de Romaine. - Asperges de Lauris. Sauce mousseline. - Pêches rafraîchies au marasquin. - Comtesse Marie glacée. - Paniers de petits fours. - Fruits. - - -_Consommé Sarah Bernhardt_ - -_II faut d'abord avoir un bon consommé de volaille; le lier avec -du tapioca grillé, que l'on jette dedans pendant qu'il bouille, et -laisser cuire environ trois quarts d'heure; y ajouter une infusion de -cerfeuil, estragon, coriandre, avec une pointe de cayenne, ainsi qu'une -ou deux eschalottes et un ou deux champignons émincés revenus au vieux -Madère sec; verser le tout dans le consommé et laisser cuire environ -dix minutes. Passer au linge fin ou à l'étamine; garnir de peluches, -de petites quenelles d'écrevisses et de ronds de moëlle coupés à -l'emporte, pièce d'environ un centimètre d'épaisseur._ - -You must first have a good stock, made from poultry, then add to it -roasted tapioca, which you throw in while the stock is boiling. Let it -cook for about three-quarters of an hour, then add to it an infusion of -chervil, tarragon, coriander, and a pinch of cayenne pepper, as well -as one or two shallots, and one or two minced mushrooms, which have -been soaked in old dry Madeira. Pour the whole into the stock, and let -it cook for about ten minutes. Pass through fine muslin or a sieve; -garnish with little quenelles of crayfish, grated bread-crumbs, and -rounds of marrow, cut out with the cutter, about three-quarters of an -inch in thickness. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -GATTI'S (THE STRAND) - - -I was somewhat in a quandary. I was going to the new play at the St. -James's, and had made up my mind to dine at a little club not far from -Charing Cross, of which I have the honour to be a member. I went into -the sacred portals. I found the hall without a hat or coat hung up in -it, and entering the big room of the club I disturbed the meditation -of the club servants. There was, for a wonder, nobody in the club, no -one had ordered dinner, and as I do not like being a solitary diner -at a long table, with three guardian angels in white jackets hovering -round me, I made up my mind to go and have my chop elsewhere. My time -was short, for I was anxious not to miss a word of the first act. Any -of the dinners of the hotels in Northumberland Avenue would be too long -for my time; but I was within a stone's throw of Gatti's and thought -that I would revisit an old haunt and revive memories of my days of -subalternhood. - -When I had a large crop of curly hair on my head, and just enough down -to pull on my upper lip, when a small allowance and a sub-lieutenant's -5s. 3d. a day were all my wealth and I never entered the portals of -Cox's Bank without trembling, I used to go much to Gatti's. If I had -the felicity of entertaining a lady at a _tête-à-tête_ dinner my -ambition did not rise to the Café Royal--the Savoy and Princes' Hall, -and Willis's and the rest did not exist at that time--where I should -have fingered the money in my pocket and should have been desperately -nervous when the waiter appeared with the bill. I went instead to -Gatti's. One could get a large amount of good food at a very easy -tariff there, one knew exactly the price of everything from the card, -and there was no smiling head waiter with a nest of plovers' eggs at -7s. 6d. apiece, or a basket of strawberries for a guinea, to set one's -poverty against one's gallantry. _Asti spumante_, too, is much cheaper -than champagne, and I think most of the fair sex really like it better. -Be that as it may, the financial question was the prominent one, and -I sometimes found myself standing waiting at the Strand entrance -alongside a gigantic porter and a huge hound. I made great friends with -both the big man and the big dog, and, if after a quarter of an hour's -waiting, my fair guest did not appear the big man invariably consoled -me with, "Do not despaire, saire. Perhaps the lady 'as a dronken -cabman." - -Gatti's was not then as it is now. There was the straight run in -from Adelaide Street, where strange-looking foreigners sat at the -marble-topped little tables and made the most of one portion of some -dish piled high with macaroni, and there was the curving entrance-hall -leading in from the Strand, with its white-clothed tables, and its -steps up to the biggest room, and between the long gallery with its -clothless tables and the aristocratic end of the restaurant the Messrs. -Gatti sat at an oval desk to which each waiter brought every dish that -was to be served, and there was a mysterious interchange of what looked -like metal tokens. All the theatrical demigods of my subalternhood used -to be at the tables too. There I first (off the stage) saw Nelly Power, -whose photograph had adorned my room at Harrow, and a gay young fellow -called Toole, and another named Lionel Brough, and H. J. Byron, and -half a hundred more. The modern lights of the stage and the dramatists -go to Gatti's still, and no doubt are furtively stared at now by -youngsters such as I was then. There were many interesting people at -Gatti's in those days, as there are now, and most fascinating to me -was an old aide-de-camp of Garibaldi, a fine, white-moustached old man -in a slouch hat and voluminous cloak, with something of the look of -his great chief about him, who always ordered only one dish, and that -of the cheapest. The halfpenny he gave the waiter as a tip was always -received with as many thanks as a reckless young swell's half-sovereign -would be. - -The entrance from King William Street is new since those days, and so -is the room it leads into, making Gatti's, with its triple entrances, -rather like the crest of the Isle of Man. I went in by this new -entrance, noticing that the house next door had also been absorbed -into the restaurant, and found myself again in the familiar scene of -bustle. Every table was taken; here a single gentleman, pegging away at -his cut from the joint, there a family party, the father with a napkin -tucked under his chin, the child with one tied round its neck. There -was a party of girls in much-flowered hats who unmistakably belonged -to some theatre; two dramatists with a bundle of brown-paper-covered -manuscript on the table between them; a little costumier in blue -spectacles eating silently, while a light-bearded gentleman, who is -the best-known perruquier in London, was telling him volubly of the -wonderful wigs that Mdme. Sarah Bernhardt had ordered for her new -piece. The dramatists would have had me stay and eat at their table; -but I wanted to go if possible to my old seat, and so went on to the -largest room, the centre of the restaurant, where I used to retain a -corner table. Not a seat was to be had, everywhere were parties of -respectable citizens and their wives in broadcloth and stuff, and the -bustling waiters in dress clothes and black ties could only look round -helplessly when I asked them to find me a table. I was the one man -in dress clothes in the room, the waiters excepted, and I began to -think, as I stood rather desolately amid all the bustle and clatter, -that I should have done more wisely to dine in solitary dignity at -the club, when I looked towards the table where the two Messrs. Gatti -in old days, when they were not at the desk, used to sit, for they -were always together, and there was the survivor of the two sitting -in his accustomed seat. The author of _Captain Swift_, who had been -sitting opposite to him, talking, no doubt, about a coming play for -the Adelphi, rose at that moment, and Mr. Gatti, seeing my dilemma, -motioned me to the vacant seat. We none of us grow younger, and as -I shook Mr. Gatti's hand I thought that, though his hair, brushed -straight back from the forehead, and his moustache are hardly touched -with grey, he was looking very careworn. - -One of the managers, in frock-coat and black tie, was at my elbow with -the bill of fare. _Croûte au pot_, printed in bigger letters than the -rest of the dishes, first caught my eye, and I ordered that; and, -skipping the long list of fish and entrées, I was puzzling as to which -of the many joints to have a cut from, when the manager suggested -braised mutton, which I thought sounded well, and for drink I would -have a big glass of cold lager-beer. - -I looked round the rooms. Except for the new rooms and a new -serving-room, everything seemed very much the same as of past times. -The crowd at the marble-topped tables was not quite so picturesque as -that I remembered of old; but the great counter, with its backing of -dark wood and looking-glass, its lager-beer engine, and its army of -bottles, was there, the oval desk with its two occupants was there, the -carvers with the big dish-covers running up and down on chains were -there. The decorations of blue and gold were of the same colours that I -recall, the stained window I remembered, but a new portrait of the late -Mr. Terriss, the actor, in the well-known grey suit, looked down on me -from the wall. - -The soup, strong and hot, with its accompanying vegetables on -a separate plate, was brought, and, having disposed of it, I -thought that it was a good opportunity to interview Mr. Gatti as -to the transformations of the restaurant and as to his theatrical -speculations. I learned that the first state of the Adelaide Gallery -was a long entrance leading to one big room, that the floor of the -restaurant was where the cellars are now, and that two balconies at -that time ran round the room. Bit by bit the various changes were -explained to me, until the advent of the braised mutton, with white -beans and new potatoes, brought a pause. Capital mutton it was--a huge -helping too--and the lager-beer delightfully cold and light. "A concert -season at Covent Garden was your first theatrical speculation, was it -not?" I had begun, when my eye caught the clock over the arch. I wanted -to hear about Covent Garden and the Adelphi and the Vaudeville, and I -wanted to eat cheese and drink coffee and some of the excellent old -brandy the restaurant has; but the hands of the clock pointed to twenty -minutes to eight, and at a quarter to eight the curtain would rise at -the St. James's, so I called for my bill. Soup, 1s. 6d.; entrée, 1s. -4d.; vegetable, 4d.; bread, 1d.; beer, 6d.; total, 3s. 9d. - - 5_th April_. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE SAVOY UNDER MONS. RITZ (THAMES EMBANKMENT) - - -The first information that I received as to Mrs. "Charlie" Sphinx -having returned from Cannes was in a little note from the lady herself, -delivered on Sunday at lunch-time, to the effect that Charlie had been -asked to dine that evening with his official chief, and that if I was -not otherwise engaged I might take my choice between dining quietly -with the pretty lady at her home, or taking her out somewhere to dinner. - -I went to the telephone at once. - -"No. 35,466, if you please"; and being switched on to the Savoy, and -having asked for a table, I received the answer I expected, having -applied so late, that every one was taken, but that the management -would do what they could to find space for me in a supplementary room. -This meant dining in one of the smaller dining-rooms, and as at the -Savoy the view of one's neighbours and their wives is no unimportant -part of the Sunday dinner, I went to headquarters at once, and asked if -M. Echenard, the manager, was in the hotel, and if he was, would he -come to the telephone and speak to me. - -M. Echenard was in the hotel, and as soon as I had secured his ear I -made an appeal to him that would have melted the heart of any tyrant. -I wanted to take Mrs. Sphinx out to dinner, and he must be aware that -it would be quite impossible for her to dine anywhere except in the big -room of the restaurant. - -"If it is possible, it shall be done," said M. Echenard, and, telling -him that I would come down by cab at once and order dinner, I switched -off the telephone, wrote to Mrs. Sphinx that I should like to have -the felicity of taking her out, and would call for her a little after -eight, and then went down by cab to the Savoy. - -In the office on the ground-floor, an office crowded up with books and -papers, I found M. Echenard--who, with his little moustache with the -ends turned upwards and carefully trimmed beard, always has something -of the look of the Spanish senores that Velasquez used to paint--and -his spectacled secretary. - -I could have a table in the big room, I was told, and, having achieved -this, I wanted to be given one of the two tables on either side of the -door of entrance, tables from which one can see better than any others -the coming and going of the guests. This was impossible. There was, -however, a table for two which had been engaged, but the taker of which -had given up his claim at the last moment; and though dukes and scions -of Royalty would have to feed in the supplementary rooms, Mrs. Sphinx -should have that table. - -The ordering of the dinner came next, and to take on one's self the -responsibility of this with such a chef as Maître Escoffier in the -kitchen is no small matter. - -_Hors-d'œuvre_, of course, and then I suggested _Bortch_ as the soup, -for of all the restaurants where they make this excellent Russian dish -the Savoy takes the palm. - -_Timbales de filets de sole à la Savoy_, hinted M. Echenard, and though -I didn't quite know what that was, it sounded well, and went down on -the slip of paper. I wanted a _mousse_ for the entrée, for I know that -there are no such _mousses_ to be got elsewhere as the Maître can make; -and then M. Echenard suggested _Poulet de grain Polonaise_, and as he -described the method of cooking, and how the juices of the liver soaked -into the bird, and the essence of the chicken permeated the liver, I -gave up my first idea of the celebrated _canard en chemise_. That was -my idea of a little dinner, but M. Echenard insisted on the finishing -touches being administered by a _parfait de foie gras_, English -asparagus, and _pêches glacées vanille_. It was a dinner that had, -perhaps, an unusual amount of cold dishes in it; but it is one of the -customs of Savoy cookery to have, if possible, one cold dish at least -in the menu, for, the hot dishes being served scrupulously unadorned, -the cold ones give M. Escoffier and his staff a chance of showing what -they can do in the way of decoration. - -Mrs. "Charlie" Sphinx, being a soldier's wife, was ready to the second -when I called for her, and during the few moments that I had to wait -in the ante-room of the restaurant, with its two fireplaces, its -white-and-gold paper, great palms in pots, comfortable armchairs of -terra-cotta colour, and Satsuma china, I could look with a comfortable -superiority on the less lucky men who were sitting staring at the -door and looking disappointed each time that the African gentleman, -whose place is there, swung it back to admit some lady who was not the -much-expected guest. - -Mrs. Sphinx was in blue and white, and was wearing diamonds and -turquoises. She had on for the first time a new diamond crescent, and -looking round the room where everybody was smart I was pleased to be -aware that the lady I had the honour of squiring was quite the smartest -there. - -And the company in the restaurant, the great room with mahogany panels, -golden frieze and gold and red ceiling, of the Savoy on a Sunday night -is as fine a society salad as any capital in the world can show. There -was on this particular evening in our immediate vicinity, a lady who -once won celebrity on the stage, which she left to take a title, and -then become the chatelaine of one of the great historical houses of -England; there was a good-looking fellow who was one of the best-known -men about town and left fops-alley at the opera for the green-room of -a comedy theatre; there was an Indian prince, the first swallow of the -dusky, jewelled flight that comes each summer to our shores; there was -the manager of one of the best-known of our comedy theatres, with whom -was dining one of the most beautiful of our actresses and her husband; -there was a lady who has the notoriety of having nearly ruined the -heir to the throne of one of the kingdoms of Europe, and whose brown -diamonds are the envy of all the connoisseurs of the world; there was -a party of South African stockbrokers, who from their appearance did -not suggest wealth, but whose united incomes would make the revenues of -half a dozen Balkan principalities. And around the tables the waiters -in their white aprons and the _maîtres d'hôtel_ and the silver-chained -_sommeliers_ moved noiselessly, and the master-spirit of the whole, M. -Ritz, just back from Rome, with his hands clasped nervously, almost, -with his short whiskers and carefully-clipped moustache, a duplicate -of the present Secretary of State for War, went from table to table -with a carefully graduated scale of acknowledgment of the patrons. M. -Echenard was there also, and there is no restaurant in the world in -which the chain of responsibility from manager to waiter is carried -out with greater thoroughness. Mrs. "Charlie" Sphinx was doubtful as -to trying the caviar. I should have remembered that she did not care -for it; but the grey-green delicacy in its setting of ice tempted her, -and she owned to almost liking it. About the _Bortch_ soup there could -be no two questions, and the cream stirred into the hot, strong liquid -makes it, in my humble opinion, the best soup in the world. The fish, a -fish-pie, with its macaroni and shrimps, was delicious, and then came -the triumph of the dinner. Cased in its jelly covering, served on a -great block of ice, melting like snow in the mouth, Maître Escoffier's -_mousse_ was an absolute masterpiece. The _poulet_, too, was as good -to eat as it had sounded when M. Echenard had described it to me, and -the _parfait de foie gras_ was another delight. The asparagus and the -ice were but the trifles of the dinner; but the ice swan that bore the -little mock peaches was a very graceful piece of table decoration. - -Mrs. Sphinx through dinner, while sipping her glass of Clicquot, had -told me all the gossip of southern France; of the dance at the club at -Cannes at which she had arranged the cotillon and led it; of the races -of the big yachts for the various cups; of a magnificent scheme she -had evolved, by which, now that the Guards have been sent on foreign -service, Gibraltar was to become a second Monte Carlo or Nice, a scheme -which would involve a few batteries and casemates being removed to -make way for a casino, and when we had drunk our café Turc, brought -by the brightly clothed Asiatic, and when I had smoked my cigarette -and my guest had despoiled the great basket of roses on the table, the -band, which plays delightfully, softly, and unobtrusively, had come to -the end of its programme, and it was time to be moving. This was the -bill, a moderate one for such an admirable dinner:--Two couverts, 1s.; -bortch, 3s.; sole savoy, 6s.; mousse jambon, 6s.; poulet polonaise, -8s.; salade, 2s.; foie gras, 6s.; asperges verts, 7s. 6d.; pêches -glacées vanille, 7s.; one bottle champagne 133, 15s.; café, 2s.; -liqueurs, 2s.; total, £3: 5: 6. - -When I put Mrs. Sphinx down at her house-door, her last words were, -"That _mousse_ was an absolute dream." - - 12_th April_. - - * * * * * - -The following are the _recette_ of the _timbale de filets de sole -Savoy_, kindly written out for me by Maître Escoffier, and two menus -of typical Savoy dinners for a party that numbers six or eight, a -dinner-party in fact. - - -_Timbale de filets de sole Savoy_ - -_(Proportions pour six couverts)_ - -_Avec de la pâte à foncer, préparez et cuisez une croûte à timbale; -après l'avoir vidée glacez-la intérieurement et tenez à l'étuve. -Préparez une petite garniture de bon macaronis cuit tendre, lié avec de -la béchamelle et parmesan rapé, beurré et pincée de poivre rouge._ - -_Prenez huit filets de sole moyenne, tendre et bien blanche, -aplatissez-les légèrement, salez-les, masquez-les avec une mince couche -de farce de poisson aux truffes; roulez-les sur eux-mêmes en forme de -petit baril, entourez-les d'une bande de papier beurré. Rangez les -filets de sole dans une casserole ou plat à sauter, en ayant soin -que la casserole soit juste de grandeur pour les maintenir serrés; -mouillez-les avec un bon court bouillon au vin blanc, faites partir -le liquide en ébullition, couvrez la casserole, laissez pocher sans -bouillir douze à quinze minutes._ - -_Mettez dans une casserole dix-huit écrevisses moyennes avec beurre, un -demi verre de vin blanc, sel, et poivre; couvrez la casserole et cuisez -les écrevisses dix à douze minutes sur un feu vif; aussitôt vif retirez -la chair des queues; mettez-les dans une casserole avec deux bonnes -truffes coupées en lame, un morceau de beurre, tenez au chaud. Avec -les carapaces préparez un beurre d'écrevisses._ - -_Faites réduire quelques cuillerées de bonne béchamelle avec addition -de crème double, passez la sauce a l'étamine et ajoutez le beurre -d'écrevisses, tenir au chaud; au moment de servir garnisser le fonds de -la timbale avec le macaronis; dressez sur le macaronis les filets de -sole à la garniture de truffes et queues d'écrevisses, saucez le tout -avec la sauce préparée au beurre d'écrevisses; recouvrez la timbale et -servez bien chaud._ - -[Illustration] - -Make a crust (_pâte à foncer_) for the timbale. Bake it and scoop -out the inside, then glaze the inside, and keep it on the stove. Get -ready a little garnish of good macaroni, cooked until it is soft, add -Béchamel sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, butter and a pinch of red -pepper. Take eight fillets of medium-sized soles, tender and very -white. Bat them out lightly, salt them, and just cover with a thin -layer of fish stuffing made with truffles. Roll the fillets into the -shape of little barrels, and put a band of buttered paper round each. - -Arrange them in a saucepan, or a shallow pan (_à sauter_), taking care -that this saucepan is of such a size that the fillets are all packed -quite closely together, moisten them with a good strong stock, made -with white wine, and then let all the liquid boil away. Put a cover -on the saucepan, and let it simmer but not boil for twelve or fifteen -minutes. - -Put in another saucepan eighteen medium-sized crayfish, half a glass of -white wine, salt and pepper, cover the saucepan, and cook the crayfish, -from ten to twelve minutes, on a brisk fire. Then take the flesh of -the tails, put it in a saucepan with two nice truffles, cut in slices, -and a piece of butter, and keep warm. With the shells of the crayfish, -prepare a crayfish butter. - -Boil down a few teaspoonfuls of good Béchamel, with (double) cream, -pass the sauce through a tammy, add the crayfish butter and keep warm. -Just before serving, put the macaroni at the bottom of the timbale, -arrange the fillets of sole on the macaroni, a garnish of truffles and -tails of crayfish. Pour over it all, the sauce already prepared with -the crayfish butter. Cover the timbale again, and serve very hot. - - - Canapés Moscovites. - Pommes d'amour. - Consommé aux nids d'Hirondelles. - Filets de truite aux laitances. - Désirs de Mascotte. - Caneton de Rouen en chemise. - Petits pois aux laitues. - Suprêmes d'écrevisses au Château Yquem. - Ortolans Cocotte au suc d'ananas. - Cœurs de Romaine. - Asperges à l'huile vierge. - Belle de nuit aux violettes. - Friandises. - - Caviar. - Canapés aux crevettes rouges. - Consommé Nurette. - Paillettes au Parmesan. - Mousseline d'éperlans aux truffes. - Filets de poulet au beurre noisette. - Artichauts aux fines herbes. - Agneau de lait à la broche. - Petits pois frais. - Nymphes glacées au champagne. - Cailles aux feuilles de vigne. - Salade Mignonne. - Asperges d'Argenteuil. - Pêches de Vénus voilées de l'Orientale. - Mignardises. - - * * * * * - -JOSEPH AT THE SAVOY - - -"Drive to the Strand entrance of the Savoy, but don't go into the -courtyard," I told my cabman; but he insisted on driving down, and his -horse slid the last ten yards like a toboggan. - -It was in the afternoon and few people were about, and I looked into -the grill-room to find a _maître d'hôtel_, and to ask him if he could -tell me where M. Joseph was at the moment. Smiler, the curry cook, -appeared instantly. Because I talk a little bad Hindustani, Smiler has -taken me under his protection, and thinks that I should not go to the -Savoy for any other purpose than to eat his curries. - -It was not Smiler, however, whom I wanted to interview, but M. Joseph; -and messengers were sent to various parts of the hotel to find the -director of the restaurant. - -A little man, with rather long grey hair, bald on the top of his head, -with very dark brown eyes looking keenly out from under strong brows, -with a little grey moustache, Joseph arrests attention at once, and -his manner is just the right manner. In a short black coat, white -waistcoat, and dark trousers, he came to meet me, and put himself -entirely at my service. I very soon told him what I wanted. Since -the change of dynasty at the Savoy, Joseph, who temporarily left his -Parisian restaurant, the Marivaux, to come to the banks of the Thames, -has been the dominating personality among the Savoyards. That being -so, I wanted him to tell me something of his climb up the ladder of -culinary fame, I should be much obliged if he would take me through his -kitchen, and as I proposed dining in the restaurant that evening, I -should be glad if he would think me out a dinner of the cuisine Joseph. -I ended by saying that I had invited a lady to dine with me. - -"A lady!" said Joseph, in rather a startled tone; but I assured him -that the good angel who was to be my guest knew as much of good cooking -as any male gourmet, and was aware that there are some culinary works -of art in the presence of which conversation is an impertinence. - -"I will give you soup, fish, roast--nothing more," said Joseph; and -misinterpreting my silence, he went on: "In England you taste your -dinners, you do not eat them. An artist who is confident of his art -only puts a small dinner before his clients. It is a bad workman who -slurs over his failures by giving many dishes." This is exactly what I -have been preaching on the housetops for years, and, being thoroughly -in accord on that subject, we settled down on a sofa in the corridor -for a chat. - -I am the worst interviewer in the world. I had been told that Joseph -was born in Birmingham of French parents, that he is an adept at _la -savate_, and that the one amusement of his life is pigeon-flying; -and when I accused him of all this he pleaded guilty to each count. -Directly we began to talk cookery I had no cause to ask leading -questions. It is the absorbing passion of Joseph's life. "If I had -the choice," he said, with conviction, "between going to the theatre -to see Coquelin or Mme. Bernhardt and watching the faces of six -gourmets eating a well-cooked dinner, I should choose the latter." -When I referred to the dinner at which some of the great lights of the -theatrical world were present, and he cooked a considerable portion of -the dinner in their presence, Joseph replied that as it is the art of -actors and actresses to make an effect on the public, he wished to show -them that there could be something to strike the imagination in his art -also. - -Since '67, when Joseph entered the kitchen at Brébant's as a marmiton, -he has given all his mind to cookery. He has been in every position -that goes to the making of a real artist, and even when he walks -the streets "looking at my boots" he is waiting for some flash of -inspiration. "I cannot sit down in my office and create a new dish to -command. An idea comes to me, and when I am free I try it in my own -kitchen at home. I never experiment on the public." Many other things -he told me, of how as a schoolboy he used to peep into the kitchens of -the Anglais and other big restaurants in envy of the cooks, and of the -genesis of some of the dishes in the long list of the specialities of -his cuisine. With a sudden turn to the subject of literature, Joseph -wrote down for me his contribution, made the day before, to a young -lady's album. This is it:-- - -"C'est la première côtelette qui coûta le plus cher à l'homme--Dieu en -ayant fait une femme." - -Then, passing the table-d'hôte room, with its great marble -chimney-piece and walls with an Oriental pattern on them, on our way we -went to the kitchens, where M. Henri Thouraud, the chef, a tall, plump, -good-looking Parisian, with a light moustache, received us. - -First, I was shown the means of communication between the kitchen and -various parts of the hotel, and the close touch kept between M. Joseph -in the restaurant and the chef in the kitchen, each knowing the other's -methods, for they have worked together off and on for twenty years; and -then my attention was turned to the arrangement of the kitchen and the -battalion of cooks, every man having his duty assigned him, every man -having his place in that chain of responsibility which runs from chef -to marmiton. - -Every master of the culinary art has his own ideas as to the -arrangement of his kitchen, and M. Joseph has made some changes from -the arrangements of Maître Escoffier in the great white-tiled room in -which the roasting and boiling is done. - -Two plump fowls were spinning and dripping before the roasting fire, -there was a steamy heat in the air, and I was rather glad to move into -the cooler atmosphere of the rooms on a lower floor, where I was shown -all the good things ready to go to the fire or the buffet. - -It was explained to me that though the English beef is good for -roasting, the French beef only is used for _bouillon_, and looking -at the two I could understand the reason. The vegetables and all the -poultry for the Savoy come from France, and I was beginning to feel -quite ashamed of England as a food-producing country, when a handsome -compliment to the English mutton restored my confidence. The long array -of birds, from turkeys to snipe, resting on a bed of crushed ice with a -free current of air round them, looked appetising, and so did the fish -and the score of varieties of cold entrées, most of them embedded in -amber jelly, and the _petits fours_ and sweet-meats fresh drawn from -the oven. The carving of the harps, and birds, and Prince of Wales's -feathers out of a solid block of ice to form pedestals for ices is -artist's work, and so is the making of baskets and flowers from sugar. - -M. Joseph slightly went beyond his three dishes in the menu I found -awaiting the good angel and myself:-- - - - Petite marmite. - Sole Reichenberg. - Caneton à la presse. Salade de saison. - Fonds d'artichauts à la Reine. - Bombe pralinée. Petits fours. - Panier fleuri. - - -We were among the familiar surroundings, the walls of mahogany -panelling, the golden ceiling; but there was one novelty, and that was -that pushed up to our little table was another one, with on it a great -chafing-dish, some long slim knives, and a variety of little plates -containing lemons, grated cheese, and a number of other condiments, -and while we drank our soup, made with the famous _bouillon_, of which -I had been told the secret, Joseph mixed the delicate liquid in which -the slices of sole were later to be placed, soaked the croûte in the -savoury mixture, and, finally, on the white filets placed the oysters, -pouring over them also the foaming broth. - -The good angel was equal to the occasion. Not only was she radiantly -handsome, but she appreciated the special beauties of this most -excellent sole; and when Joseph came back to the table to carve -the duck, he knew that his audience of two were enthusiasts. In an -irreverent moment I was reminded of the Chinese torture of the Ling -Chi, in which the executioner slashes at his victim without hitting -a vital part in the first fifty cuts, as I watched Joseph calmly, -solemnly, with absolute exactitude, cutting a duck to pieces with a -long, thin knife; but irreverence faded when the rich sauce had been -mixed before our eyes and poured over the slices of the breast--the -wings and legs, plain devilled, coming afterwards as a sharp and -pleasant contrast. - -The Panier Fleuri, which ended our dinner, a tiny fruit-salad in a -basket cut by Joseph from an orange, was a special compliment to the -good angel. The bill was: Two couverts, 1s.; champagne, 18s.; marmite, -2s. 6d.; sole Reichenberg, 5s.; caneton à la presse, 18s.; salade, 1s. -6d.; fonds d'artichauts, 2s. 6d.; bombe, 3s.; café, 1s. 6d.; liqueurs, -4s.; total, £2: 17s. - -It was no empty compliment when on leaving I told M. Joseph that the -dinner was a perfect work of art. - - * * * * * - -The following are the _Créations de Joseph_:-- - -Sole de Breteuil--Sole à la Reichenberg--Filets de soles Aimée -Martial--Sole d'Yvonne--Pomme de terre Otero--Pommes de terre de -Georgette--(dédié à Mlle. Brandès)--Sole Dragomiroff--Pilaff aux -moules--Homard à la Cardinal--Homard Ld. Randolph Churchill--Queue -de homard Archiduchesse--Homard d'Yvette--Darne de saumon Marcel -Prévost--Filets de maquereau Marianne--Filets de sole Duparc--Côte -de bœuf Youssoupoff--Poularde Marivaux--Poularde Vladimir--Poulet -Gd. Maman--Poulet Archiduchesse--Caneton à la Presse--Caneton froid -Jubilé--Foie gras Souvaroff (chaud ou froid)--Bécasse au Fumet--Filet -de laperau à la Sorel--Cailles à la Sand--Aubergines "Tante -Pauline"--Crêpes du Diable--Crêpes Christiane--Pêches Cardinal--Pêches -Rosenfeld--Le Soufflé d'Eve--Fraises à la Marivaux--Ananas Master -Joe--Ananas de Daisy--Les paniers fleuris aux quartiers d'orange. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE ST. GEORGE'S CAFÉ (ST. MARTIN'S LANE) - - -Whenever I have come across a Philistine who has eaten a vegetarian -dinner, he always professes that he narrowly escaped with his life. -Now this I knew must be an invention, and I was anxious to try for -myself whether a dinner of herbs meant contentment or whether it did -not, so I approached one of the high priests of the order, and asked -which would be the restaurant in London at which it would be wisest -to try the experiment. The answer I received was not of the most -encouraging. The high priest had no very great faith in the cooking at -any of the restaurants, and very kindly suggested that, if I wanted to -try vegetarian diet, I should come and pay him a visit. If, however, -I preferred the restaurants, the two he would suggest were the Ideal -Café, 185 Tottenham Court Road, or the St. George's Café, St. Martin's -Lane. - -Before trying either I thought I would reconnoitre both. I passed the -Tottenham Court Road café early in the morning, when neither people -nor cafés look at their best. On the brown brick front was a gilt -device telling that it was a social club for gentlemen and ladies, and -I gathered from legends on the windows that there was a ladies' chess -club, and that the café was a restaurant as well; indeed, was all -things to all eating men and women; for on the bill of fare exposed -in the window there were the prices of fish and fowl, as well as such -entirely vegetarian dishes as haricot and potato pie and mushroom -omelette. There was something of the appearance of a pastrycook's -about the windows on the ground floor, and a damsel was "dressing" -one of them with yellow cloth, to act no doubt as a background to the -delicacies presently to be exposed. I caught sight through the window -of a counter with tea appurtenances on it. - -It was in the afternoon that I made my second reconnaissance, this time -in the direction of St. Martin's Lane, and I found the St. George's -Restaurant to be a red brick building of an Elizabethan type, with -leaded glass windows and with a sign, whereon was inscribed "The famous -house for coffee," swinging from a wrought-iron support. The windows on -the ground floor had palms in them, and the gaze of the vulgar was kept -from the inner _arcana_ by neat little curtains. From the bill of fare -I gathered that I could obtain such luxuries as grilled mushrooms and -seakale cream, which cost 10d., or mushroom omelette and young carrots -sauté, which were 1s., or Yorkshire pudding with sage and onions and -new potatoes for 7d. Before I moved on I ascertained that here also was -a ladies' chess club, and that on the first floor was a ladies' room. -I made up my mind that the St. George's should be my dining place, and -the next question was how to secure some one to dine with me. - -I had to be present that afternoon at a committee for a benefit -theatrical performance, and found half a dozen of my fellow -committee-men assembled. During a pause in the business one of them -remarked that the Savoy dinner about which I had written seemed to have -been an excellent feast. This gave me my opportunity, and mentioning -that I was going to do another dinner for publication that evening, -asked if any one would care to dine with me. A pleased look came to at -least four faces, but all were too polite to speak first. Then I said -what the dinner was to be. One man had to go to a Masonic banquet; -another was dining at a farewell feast to a coming Benedick; another -had promised his dear old aunt to spend that evening with her: the -guests bidden to the scriptural feast were not more prompt in excuses. - -I went on to my Service club and found there a subaltern who, in -old days, had been in my company, and who would have followed me, -or preceded me, into any danger of battle without the tremble of an -eyelid. Him I urged to come with me, telling him that a man can only -die once, and other such inspiriting phrases, and had nearly persuaded -him when old General Bundobust joined in the conversation and told -a story of how Joe Buggins, of the Madras Fusiliers, once ate a -vegetarian dinner and swelled up afterwards till he was as big as a -balloon. That finished the subaltern, and he refused to go. - -I had to go by myself. I opened the leaded glass door of the St. -George's and found myself in a long room with plenty of palms and -a general look of being cared for, with a counter and many long -white-clothed tables, with seats for about half a dozen at each. There -were little black-dressed waitresses flitting about, and at the tables -a fair sprinkling of men, neither obtrusively smart nor obtrusively -shabby, who were dining, and who nearly all kept their hats on. I -drifted down to the end of the room and sat at a table and told the -waitress in rather a feeble way that I should like the best vegetarian -dinner that the house could give me. The waitress suggested that I had -better go upstairs to the table-d'hôte room, and I gathered up my goods -and chattels and went like a lamb. - -The room on the first floor was a nice bright little room, with white -overmantels to the fireplaces, with one corner turned into a bamboo -arbour, with painted tambourines and little mandolines and pictures, -and an oaken clock on the light-papered walls, with red-shaded candles -on the tables set for four or six. Two pretty girls in black, one -with a white flower, one with a red, were in charge, and another girl -peered out from a little railed desk by the door. In the background -was a glimpse of a kitchen, behind a glass screen where some one was -whistling "Sister Mary Jane's Top Note," and the two little waitresses -were constantly hurrying to this screen with a "Hurry up with that -pigeon's egg," or a "Be quick, now, with those flageolets." My table -was beautifully clean, with a little bunch of flowers on it, with a -portentously large decanter and an array of glasses. - -The waitress with the red flower put down a little bill of fare before -me, and I learned that my dinner was to be-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre. - Mulligatawny soup or Carrot soup. - Flageolets with cream and spinach. - Fried duck's egg and green peas. - Lent pie or Stewed fruit. - Mixed salad. - Cheese. - Dessert. - - -Some olives in a small plate were put down before me, and through force -of habit I took up the black-covered wine list on the table. The first -items were orange wine, rich raisin wine, ginger wine, black currant -wine, red currant wine, raspberry wine, elderberry wine. I put it down -with a sigh, and ordered a bottle of ginger-beer. Then while I munched -at an olive I looked round at my fellow-guests. There was a sister of -mercy in her black and white, with her gold cross showing against her -sombre garment; there was a tall, thin gentleman who would not have -done for any advertisement of anybody's fattening food; there was a -young lady in a straw hat with a many-coloured ribbon to it, who was so -absorbed in an illustrated paper that she was neglecting her dinner; -there were two other ladies enjoying their stewed fruit immensely; and -there were two other gentlemen of the type I had seen below, but who -were not wearing their hats. - -The carrot soup, which was the soup I chose, was quite hot and was -satisfying. The spinach was not up to club form and the flageolets -topping it did not look inviting, but I made an attack on it and got -half through, not because I wanted to eat it, but because I did not -want to hurt the waitress's feelings. The duck's egg was well fried, -and I enjoyed it, though the peas were a trifle hard. Then I fell -into disgrace with the waitress, for I would have neither Lent pie -nor stewed fruit, pleading that I never ate sweets. "What, not stewed -fruit?" said the little girl with the red rose; and I knew that in her -opinion I had missed the crown of the feast. A little bowl of lettuce -and cucumber, with a bottle of salad dressing, was put in front of me, -and I mixed my own salad. Then I ate a slice of Gruyère cheese, and -finished with some almonds and raisins that were grouped on a platter -round an orange. It being, as the sign-board had told me, a noted -coffee-house, I ordered a small cup of the liquid, and said "Black," in -reply to the waitress's question. - -It was capital coffee undoubtedly, and, having finished it, I asked for -my bill. The waitress pulled out a little morocco-covered memorandum -book, and presented me with this:--Ginger-beer, 2d.; coffee, 2d.; -dinner, 1s. 6d.; total, 1s. 10d. I paid at the desk, and went forth -feeling rather empty. - -As I am writing, twenty-four hours after the event, I may conclude that -Joe Buggins's, of the Madras Fusiliers, fate will not be mine. - - 19_th April_. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -WILLIS'S ROOMS (KING STREET) - - -I was getting to the end of a tiring day in a dingy office in Fleet -Street, and the little printer's devil, who was sitting on a chair in -the corner by the fire playing cat's-cradle, had brought word that all -that was now wanted from me were a few short notes. - -It is not easy when one is brain-tired to be playfully humorous as to -the European Concert, and I had struggled through a few lines, only -to lay down my pen and take up a bundle of exchanges and a pair of -scissors, when one of the clerks in the outer office brought me in a -card and a letter. The card was that of Miss Madge Morgan, with below -in a feminine handwriting "George Swanston Clarke," and the letter -was from an old schoolfellow and friend, a banker in a country town, -asking me to put Miss Morgan in the way of seeing one or two places in -London which she wished to visit. Somehow the "George Swanston Clarke" -seemed familiar, so I told the clerk that I would be out in a moment, -the scissors went "click, click, click," the printer's devil was -dispatched with a silent malediction, my day's work was done, and I -went out to greet Miss Morgan and bring her into the office. - -She was a very neat and very tidy little person, of a neatness of dress -that was almost primness; but she had dark-brown hair parted in the -middle, with a shine of gold where it rippled, and dark-brown eyes -with a glint of fun in them that were a relief to her general sense of -earnestness. - -I gave her our best chair and asked what I could do for her. It had -been my bad luck, it seems, to have to send "George Swanston Clarke" -back a short story; but I had added a few words, which were not unkind, -to the usual formula and that had emboldened her to ask our mutual -friend for an introduction. She had come up from the country town where -she was one of the chief teachers at the ladies' college to get some -local colour for a novel she was going to write. - -I murmured that I should be delighted to do anything I could to help -her, and she explained: The novel is to be called "The Education of -an Angel." The principal characters in the book are to be two good -angels and two bad angels sent again to earth, and, as she wished to -be up-to-date, she particularly wanted to see behind the scenes of -a variety theatre, where the temptation was to take place, and the -Amphitryon Club, where the hero and heroine first meet at dinner. - -I promised her an introduction to Mr. Hitchens, of the Empire, and Mr. -Slater, of the Alhambra, smiling mentally at the disappointment in -store for her, for "behind the scenes" at the two big variety theatres -is ruled with an iron discipline, and told her I was sorry that, as the -Amphitryon had ceased to exist, I could not help her in that. - -Miss Morgan looked very blank; evidently the Amphitryon chapter was one -of her pet ones, and I told her, hoping to comfort her, that a number -of the former patrons of the Amphitryon now dine regularly at Willis's -rooms; that M. Edouard Fayat, who was once at the Amphitryon, is -manager; and that if she did not mind a very dull dog as host, and if -8.30 was not too late, I should be very glad if she would dine with me -there that evening, and Miss Morgan smiled again and said, "Thank you -very much." - -I called at Willis's on my way homeward to dress and saw M. Fayat, -clean-shaved and rotund, with a touch of the _P'tit Caporal_ about -him and tried to order dinner; but I found my tired brain had no more -imagination for a menu than it had for a paragraph, and when M. Fayat -asked whether I would leave the dinner to him I was glad to do so, -premising that it must not be an expensive one. All the tables in the -upstairs rooms were taken, but there was a comfortable one downstairs -for two which I could have, and to be sure of the celebrities who -usually dined I looked through the book where the names of the givers -of dinners are recorded. - -At half-past eight to the second my guest drove up in a hansom. I -was prepared for a primness of attire, but instead found the little -governess looking very nice in a low-necked black silk dress, with a -tiny diamond heart hung round her neck by a little gold chain. - -Our table had a cross of flowers on it and a two-branched silver -candlestick, the wax candles in which had red shades. We settled -ourselves in our places, the head-waiter placed a mossy nest of -plovers' eggs upon the table, Miss Morgan began to look rapidly round -her surroundings, while I took up the menu and glanced down it. This -was it:-- - - - Œufs de pluviers. - Soupe Henri IV. - Barbue au vin de Bourgogne. - Noisettes de pré-salé à la Dubarry. - Haricots verts nouveaux de Poissy. - Pommes nouvelles. - Poulet de grain polonaise. - Cœurs de romaine en salade. - Asperges d'Argenteuil. Sauce mousseline. - Fraises à l'orange. - - -Miss Morgan would have none of the plovers' eggs, nor would she be -tempted by the other delicacies offered her in their place. - -"Have you begun to absorb your local colouring?" I asked, and she was -anxious in return to know if it would seem _outré_ to take notes, and -being encouraged thereto produced a workmanlike note-book. "Did you -notice, as you came in, the window, six arched, with its 'Déjeuners, -dîners, soupers, pâtissier,' etc., on it? and the tall commissionaire -and the little page?" Miss Morgan nodded her head and jotted all these -down. Then the soup was brought. A simple soup enough, as its name -would promise, but excellently hot. "Now for the interior," and Miss -Morgan picked up her pencil again. "You might note that it is as close -a transcript of a Parisian restaurant as could be found in London, the -white walls with great mirrors let into the shining wood, the scarlet -couches by the wall, the chairs with their quaint backs and scarlet -seats all savour of Paris," and Miss Morgan jotted all this down. -Then the brill, reposing in its brown sauce, with little hillocks of -mushrooms around it, was shown to us, a bottle of old hock, carefully -decanted, was put on the table, and I, at least, cared for the time -nothing for local colour, for the sauce vin de Bourgogne was delicious, -and the hock was golden. - -But Miss Morgan was trifling with her pencil, and, looking over her -page, I found that she had noted the dumb-waiter in the centre of the -restaurant piled high with fruit and bundles of asparagus, with the -duck press of shining silver, the _dame de comptoir_ in black at her -little desk with a little clock above it, and the great clock of enamel -and ormolu, the principal ornament of the room. The _noisettes_ I -thought a little too dry; but I could get no opinion from Miss Morgan -except that she thought the little potato-filled open cases on which -they were served were pretty. - -I pointed out to her, as a purely French touch, the black apron -of the wine waiter, the distinguishing mark from the others, all -white-aproned: explained the position of the room upstairs, and where -the distant music of the band came from; gave her some reminiscences -of Willis's in past days, and then waxed eloquent over the _poulet -polonaise_, which, with its savoury accompaniment of rice and chicken -liver, was excellent. - -But Miss Morgan wanted now to know who all the guests at the tables -were. There were two _grandes dames_, Lady A. and Lady B., there were -a couple of Guardsmen I knew, there was Sir George Lewis, the British -Fouché--Miss Morgan noted that--there was a handsome lady in black with -many black sequins, there was an ex-soldier, now a power on the Stock -Exchange, and a number of other well-groomed men whom I did not know. -But this I was aware would not satisfy Miss Morgan, so my previous -glimpse at the book of the tables came in useful, and the unknown -men became minor members of the Ministry, lords, poets, editors, and -composers. Miss Morgan wrote them all down, and was happy. - -The asparagus and the strawberries were excellent, and over the latter, -served in a silver dish over a silver bowl of ice, Miss Morgan for the -first time became enthusiastic. The coffee, too, and the liqueurs were -good. - -I paid the bill--two dinners, £1: 5s.; one bottle 131, 6s.; café, 1s.; -liqueurs, 2s.--total, £1: 14s.; and in explanation of the lack of -detail, told Miss Morgan that in the old days of the Amphitryon we who -were not over-wealthy used, when we gave a dinner, to go to Emile and -ask him to do the best he could for us at 12s. 6d. a head. But though -I told her this I was perfectly aware that I had been treated too -kindly by the management, and that the bill should have been of larger -proportions. - -I put Miss Morgan into a cab, amid thanks on her part and many messages -to our common friend on mine. - -I shall be interested to read the Amphitryon chapter in "The Education -of an Angel," by "George Swanston Clarke." - - 26_th April_. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -LE RESTAURANT DES GOURMETS (LISLE STREET) - - -The superior person and I were chatting in the club as to eating -generally, and he was holding forth on the impossibility of discovering -any dining place, as Kettner's was discovered by our fathers, where a -good meal could be had at a very small price. - -I turned on him and rent him figuratively, giving him a list that -commenced with Torino's and ended with the Hôtel Hanover, and asked him -if he had been to any of them. He had not. His system was to go to the -Savoy or Willis's, or the Princes' Hall, and then to grumble because he -could not get his meals at those places at grill-room prices. I finally -pinned him by asking him whether he would, as a man and a discoverer, -come with me that evening and dine at the Restaurant des Gourmets. The -name seemed to tickle him, and he said something about going home to -change into dress clothes, which I assured him was unnecessary, and he -then asked where this restaurant was. - -Did he know the stage door of the Empire? And the superior person -looked at me in answer to that question with a look that showed me -that he had a full-blown Nonconformist conscience. I explained that -the Restaurant des Gourmets was in Lisle Street, as was the stage door -of the Empire, that I was not trying to lure him to meet any fairy of -the ballet, but that if he came with me he would very probably find -some members of the Empire orchestra dining, and as likely as not M. -Wenzel, the conductor, himself. Six was the hour I proposed to dine, -changing afterwards into dress clothes, to go to a first night at the -Duke of York's, but the superior person sniffed, and said that that was -too early for any one to eat an evening meal. So I left him, and my -ideas having been turned towards the little Lisle Street restaurant, I -wandered down there. - -Lisle Street is not exactly an aristocratic locality. There is next -door to the Restaurant des Gourmets another restaurant which has been -newly painted, and which posts its bill of fare upon its front, and -there is the office of a musical publication; but most of the rest of -the houses are dingy private residences. The outside of the restaurant -is not too inviting either. It has a double window with a yellowish -curtain hiding the inside from view, and the woodwork is painted a -leaden gray. - -It is well to be early at the Restaurant des Gourmets, for by half-past -six there is rarely a seat to be had at any of the tables. - -At six to the stroke I pushed back the door with its whitened glass -panel, whereon is inscribed "Entrée," and was in the humble home of -the connoisseur. A burly Frenchman with a beard, another with his hair -combed over his forehead in a fringe, and a third with a slight beard -and wearing a little grey cap, were drinking vermouth at one of the -tables; otherwise the room was empty. - -I sat down at one of the tables, and a waiter in dress clothes and a -clean shirt put a bill of fare, written in cramped French handwriting -on blue paper, in front of me. The first item on the blue paper was -_hors-d'œuvre_--hareng, saucisson, sardines, radis, beurre, 2d., and I -ordered these delicacies and some _soupe, paté d'Italie,_ which also -cost 2d., and then proceeded to look round. - -The Frenchmen, talking volubly, had gone out. Another waiter with a -light moustache had joined the first one, and both were regarding me -with the interest the waiter always has in a chance customer whose tip -may be lordly or the reverse. Up against the window were piled little -bowls of salad, the green and white telling well against the yellow of -the curtain, and a great stack of long French loaves of bread cut into -sections which, with their white ends and brown crust, had something -of the appearance of a pile of little logs. In front of the window -was a counter covered with green baize, on which were some long uncut -loaves, an earthenware bowl, a kettle, and a bright metal machine that -had a lamp under it, and contained either coffee or soup. A comely -Frenchwoman in black, with an apron, was behind this counter, and as -the waiters gave her an order she shouted it down a little lift, and -the dish was presently hoisted up from the depths below. - -At the far end of the room is a sloping glass roof, with panes to lift -up for ventilation. The pink paper on the wall under this gives the -touch of colour to the picture. The other walls are of plain panelling -painted a greyish white with pegs all round to hang up hats and coats -upon, and an occasional mirror in a dark wood frame. Placards with -"Toutes les boissons doivent être payées à l'avance," and "La pipe est -interdite" are posted round the walls, and there were some flowers in -vases on the mantelpiece. The little tables to hold two or four were -round three sides of the room, with coarse but clean napery, glass -bowls for the pepper and salt, with little bone spoons, and thick -glasses, and decanters of water. The couches against the walls were -covered with black leather, the chairs were of Austrian bentwood. The -waiter had put _L'Eclair_, a French newspaper printed with the usual -abominable French type, in front of me. - -I nibbled at the bit of herring in a little saucer, and drank my -soup, which was just as good as if it had cost two shillings instead -of twopence, and then proceeded to order the rest of my dinner, -a proceeding which was regarded with mild interest by the little -Frenchman with a slight beard wearing the grey peaked cap, who had -returned. - -"C'est le patron," said one of the waiters, and I promptly introduced -myself to him, and began to cross-examine him as to the identity of -his clients, for the room was filling very quickly. M. Brice sat on a -chair by my table, which now had its full complement of diners, for the -burly, bearded Frenchman, the other with the hair combed down on to his -forehead, and a third with a carefully curled moustache, had taken the -three vacant places. - -"That," said M. Brice, indicating a dark gentleman with a curled -moustache, "is Chaudoir, the _chef d'orchestre_ at Sergeant Sole." - -"What?" I said, bluntly enough. - -"At Sergeant Sole, where they are blacked." - -A sudden inspiration that Sergeant Sole was St. James's Hall came to me. - -"And that," pointing to a gentleman with a red tie, "is the gentleman -who does the socialistic writing for the _Pall Mall_." - -Three clean-shaven gentlemen were vaguely described as "artists," and -after gazing at a lady in black with white hair for some time, M. Brice -said, "That is an old woman." The two gentlemen sitting opposite this -lady were the Messieurs Chose, of a firm in Old Broad Street, and the -three Frenchmen at my table were big men in the greengrocery line, who -come over two or three times a year to Covent Garden. - -A clean-shaven, prosperous-looking gentleman, with a young lady in -black, entered just then, and a note of admiration came into M. Brice's -voice as he told me that this was the coachman of the Baron Alfred de -Rothschild. - -The turbot and caper sauce, which was the most expensive part of my -dinner, costing as much as 8d., I did not care for very much; but, on -the other hand, the _gigot haricot_, which followed it, was excellent. -M. Brice, who kept up a running accompaniment of conversation to my -dinner, told me that all the meat cooked at his restaurant was English. - -There is no such thing as a wine list at the Restaurant des Gourmets, -and I had ordered at a venture a pint of _vin ordinaire_, which the -waiter told me would cost sixpence. It is a rough, strong wine, and I -suggested to M. Brice that it probably was of Corsican or Sardinian -growth. M. Brice shrugged his shoulders and from somewhere produced a -pint of claret, with the name of the late M. Nicol of the Café Royal, -on it, and told me that he was able to sell that at a very moderate -price. - -The omelette that I had ordered was as light as a French cook always -makes them, and the slice of _brie_ that closed my repast was as -_coulant_ as it should be. - -Then M. Brice, still talking, made me out my bill on the back of one of -the cards of his restaurant. Hors-d'œuvre, 2d.; pain, 1d.; potage, 2d.; -poisson, 8d.; entrée, 6d.; omelette, 4d.; fromage, 2d.; half ordinaire, -6d.; total, 2s. 7d. - - 1_st May_. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE TROCADERO (SHAFTESBURY AVENUE) - - -I dined one day early last week at the Trocadero, a little -specially-ordered _tête-à-tête_ dinner over which the chef had taken -much trouble--his _Suprêmes de sole Trocadéro_, and _Poulet de -printemps Rodisi_ are well worth remembering--and while I drank the -Moët '84, cuvée 1714, and luxuriated in some brandy dating back to -1815, the solution of a problem that had puzzled me mildly came to me. - -An old friend was sending his son, a boy at Harrow, up to London to -see a dentist before going back to school, and asked me if I would -mind giving him something to eat, and taking him to a performance of -some kind. I said "Yes," of course; but I felt it was something of -an undertaking. When I was at Harrow my ideas of luxury consisted of -ices at Fuller's and sausages and mashed potatoes carried home in a -paper bag. I had no idea as to what Jones minor's tastes might be; -but if he was anything like what I was then he would prefer plenty -of good food combined with music and gorgeousness and excitement to -the most delicate _mousse_ ever made, eaten in philosophic calm. The -Trocadero was the place; if he was not impressed by the dinner, by the -magnificence of the rooms, by the beautiful staircase, by the music, -then I did not know my Harrow boy. - -Jones minor arrived at my club at five minutes to the half-past seven, -and I saw at once that he was not a young gentleman to be easily -impressed. He had on a faultless black short jacket and trousers, a -white waistcoat, and a tuberose in his buttonhole. I asked him if he -knew the Trocadero, and he said that he had not dined there; but plenty -of boys in his house had, and had said that it was jolly good. - -When we came to the entrance of the Trocadero, an entrance that always -impresses me by its palatial splendour, I pointed out to him the veined -marble of the walls and the magnificent frieze in which Messrs. Moira -and Jenkins, two of the cleverest of our young artists, have struck -out a new line of decoration; and when I had paused a while to let him -take it in I told him that the _chef de réception_ had been a gallant -Australian Lancer. Then I asked him what he thought of it, and he said -he thought it was jolly good. - -Mr Alfred Salmon, in chief command, and the good-looking _maître -d'hôtel_, both saw us to our table, and a plump waiter whom I remember -of old at the Savoy was there with the various menu cards in his hand. -The table had been heaped with roses in our honour, and I felt that all -this attention must impress Jones minor; but he unfolded his napkin -with the calm of unconcern, and I regretted that I had not arranged -to have the band play "See the Conquering Hero Comes," and have a -triumphal arch erected in his honour. - -I had intended to give him the five-shilling _table-d'hôte_ meal; but -in face of this calm superiority I abandoned that, skipped the 7s. 6d. -_table d'hôte_ as well, and ordered the half-guinea one. I had thought -that three-and-sixpennyworth of wine should be ample for a growing boy, -but having rushed into reckless extravagance over the food I thought I -would let him try seven-and-sixpennyworth of wine. I personally ordered -a pint of 277, which is an excellent wine. I told Jones minor that the -doctor told me not to mix my wines, and he said something about having -to be careful when one got old that I did not think sounded at all nice. - -While we paused, waiting for the _hors-d'œuvre_, I drew his attention -to all the gorgeousness of the grand restaurant, the cream and gold, -the hand-painted ceiling-panels, on which the Cupids sport, the -brocades and silks of the wall panels, the broad band of gold of the -gallery running round the room, the crimson and gold draperies, the -glimpse of the blue and white and gold of the _salon_ seen through the -dark framing of the portières; I bade him note the morocco leather -chairs with gold initials on the back, and the same initials on the -collars of the servants. It is a blaze of gorgeousness that recalls -to me some dream of the Arabian Nights; but Jones minor said somewhat -coldly that he thought it jolly good. - -We drank our _potage vert-pré_ out of silver plates, but this had no -more effect on Jones minor than if they had been earthenware. I drew -his attention to the excellent band up above, in their gilded cage. I -pointed out to him amidst the crowd of diners two ex-Lord Mayors, an -A.D.C. to Royalty, the most popular low comedian of the day, a member -of the last Cabinet, our foremost dramatic critic and his wife, and one -of our leading lawyers. Jones minor had no objection to their presence, -but nothing more. The only interest he showed was in a table at which -an Irish M.P. was entertaining his family, among them two Eton boys, -and towards them his attitude was haughty but hostile. - -So I tried to thaw him while we ate our whitebait, which was capitally -cooked, by telling him tales of the criminal existence I led when I -was a boy at Harrow. I told him how I put my foot in the door of Mr. -Bull's class-room when it was being closed at early morning school -time. I told him how I took up alternate halves of one exercise of -rule of three through one whole term to "Old Teek." I told him how I -and another bad boy lay for two hours in a bed of nettles on Kingsbury -racecourse, because we thought a man watching the races with his back -to us was Mr. Middlemist. And I asked him if Dr. Welldon had habitually -worn a piece of light blue ribbon at Lord's. - -This for a moment thawed Jones minor into humanity. The story about Dr. -Welldon was jolly rot, and before the boy froze up again I learned -that Bowen's had licked some other house in the final of the Torpid -football matches, and that Eaton Faning had composed a jolly good song -about the Queen. - -The _filets mignons_, from his face, Jones minor seemed to like; but -he restrained all his emotions with Spartan severity. He did not -contradict me when I said that the _petites bouchées à la St-Hubert_ -were good; but he ate three _sorbets_, and looked as if he could tackle -three more, which showed me that the real spirit of the Harrow boy was -there somewhere under the glacial surface, if I could only get at it. - -Mr. Lyons, piercing of eye, his head-covering worn a little through by -the worries of the magnitude of his many undertakings, with little side -whiskers and a little moustache, passed by, and I introduced the boy -to him, and afterwards explained the number of strings pulled by this -Napoleon of supply, and at the mention of a "grub shop in every other -street" Jones minor's eyes brightened. - -When Jones minor had made a clean sweep of the plate of _petits fours_, -and had drained the last drops of his glass of Chartreuse, I thought I -might venture to ask him how he liked his dinner, as a whole. This was -what he had conscientiously eaten through:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Consommé Monte Carlo. Potage vert-pré. - Petites Soles à la Florentine. Blanchailles au citron. - Filets mignons à la Rachel. - Petites bouchées à la St-Hubert. - Sorbet. - Poularde de Surrey à la broche. - Salade saison. - Asperges nouvelles. Sauce mousseux. - Charlotte Russe. - Soufflé glacé Pompadour. - Petits fours. Dessert. - - -He had drunk a glass of Amontillado, a glass of '89 Liebfraumilch, -two glasses of Deutz and Gelderman, a glass of dessert claret, and a -glass of liqueur, and when pressed for a critical opinion, said that he -thought that it was jolly good. - -Impressed into using a new adjective Jones minor should be somehow. So, -with Mr. Isidore Salmon as escort, I took him over the big house from -top to bottom. He shook the chef's hand with the serenity of a prince -in the kitchen at the top of the house, and showed some interest in the -wonderful roasting arrangements worked by electricity and the clever -method of registering orders. He gazed at the mighty stores of meat and -vegetables, peeped into the cosy private dining-rooms, had the beauties -of the noble Empire ball-room explained to him, and finally, in the -grill-room, amid the surroundings of Cippolini marble and old copper, -the excellent string band played a gavotte, at my request, as being -likely to take his fancy. - -Then I asked Jones minor what he thought of it all, and he said that he -thought it jolly good. - -I paid my bill: Two dinners, £1: 1s.; table-d'hôte wine, 7s. 6d.; half -277, 7s.; liqueur, 2s. 6d.; total, £1: 18s.; and asked Jones minor -where he would like to go and be amused. He said he had heard that the -Empire was jolly good. - - 10_th May_. - - * * * * * - -I bearded Mr. J. Lyons in his den one fine spring day and told him that -"Dinners and Diners" was going to appear in book form. He showed no -visible sign of emotion. Next I asked him if he would tell me what the -_plats_ were that the Trocadero kitchen prided itself on, and if he -would give me the _recette_ of _suprême de sole Trocadéro_ of which I -had a pleasant memory. He kindly said that I should have a list of the -dishes, and not one but two _recettes_ if I wanted them. My remark was -"Thank you." - -_Caviar glacé, huîtres à la Orientale, potage Rodisi, soles à la -Glover, côtelettes de saumon à la Nantua, chapon de Bresse à la -Trocadéro, poularde à la Montique, selle d'agneau à la Lyon d'or, -salade d'Orsay, asperges nouvelles Milanaises_ form a little list from -which an admirable dinner could be designed. - -These are the _recettes_ of _suprême de sole Trocadéro_ and Saddle of -Lamb _à la Pera_-- - - -_Suprêmes de Sole Trocadéro_ - -Take two fillets of soles and stuff them with fish forced meat, put one -slice of smoked salmon on the top of each, roll them together, then -take a small sauté pan well buttered, and place the fillets in it, -with salt, pepper, half a wineglassful of white wine, and the juice of -half a lemon, cover it and let it simmer for from eighteen to twenty -minutes. Dress them on a silver dish, and cover one fillet with real -Dutch sauce mixed with some of the fish gravy, the second fillet you -cover with real lobster sauce. Place one slice of truffles on each -fillet and serve very hot. - - -_Saddle of Lamb à la Pera_ - -Take one saddle of lamb, and place it in an earthenware roasting-dish -and cook for about three-quarters of an hour. Prepare carrots, turnips, -and potatoes in fancy shape, and half cook them, place them in bouquets -round the saddle and put it back in the oven for twenty minutes. -Prepare some stuffed aubergines in rows on the top of the saddle, the -peas and French beans between each. To be served with a strong sherry -sauce. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE AMERICAN BAR, CRITERION (PICCADILLY CIRCUS) - - -It was half-past seven, or it may have been even a little later, when I -encountered the recorder of racing romances wandering along the eastern -half-mile of Piccadilly, and both he and I had been too indolent to get -into the conventional sables. To him it was a matter of no moment. Many -racing campaigns had so "taken the corners off" him that, like that -excellent warrior, but distinctly casual diner, Frederick the Great, he -could sit himself down in any garb and return grateful thanks to Heaven -for enough salt beef and cabbage for a meal--which may go to prove -either that Frederick should have been enshrined among the martyrs, or -that salt beef has monstrously degenerated. - -A very good place in the old days for an undress dinner, the romancer -declared when the subject was broached, was the American Bar at the -Criterion, and further than this he went by telling me of the men who -"knew their town," who swore by the succulent grilled pigs' feet to be -had there at supper-time; so there we went. - -Managers come and managers go at the big caravanserai at Piccadilly -Circus, but the American Bar remains the same. The ceiling had been -recently renovated, and the fine patriotic design of the national -eagle, with its talons full of forked lightning, had been embellished -with some extra gold-leaf; otherwise there is little change. There are -the little carved cupids on the outside portals, the marble-topped -tables which are deftly covered with table-cloths by the waiters in the -usual French garb of white aprons and short jackets when the meal-times -approach, the partitions of brass rail, the marble columns, the panels -of glazed tiles, and, at the end of the room, the grill with a clock -above it, where, shielded by a transparent screen, a stout cook all in -white stands and turns the chops and the steaks on the great gridiron -where the fat drips through and fizzles on the coals beneath. The great -janitors, both of mighty girth, who stand at the outer doors, look in -occasionally to give a message, for from about twelve in the morning -to midnight the American Bar is as busy as a beehive, and each edition -of the evening papers is anxiously bought and scanned by most of the -habitués, who have, as a rule, a tinge of the racing man about them. - -After ordering our soup, a _consommé Nevers_ that proved good, though -we waited an unconscionable time for it, my guest fell to pointing -out some of the many celebrities who were there, either sitting at -the tables or standing at the bar, where the many bottles on the -shelves make a fine show, where the lager-beer engine is surmounted by -a silvered statuette, and three white-coated tenders seem continually -employed in mixing drinks in tumblers half-filled with crushed ice; and -foremost amongst them was a Mr. Cockburn, a florid man of distinctly -sporting appearance, whose cheeks still bore the unsightly scars that -their wearer got in the now almost forgotten brawl with cutlasses -in a house in Munster Terrace, Regent's Park. Near him was a spare, -dark man, dressed in grey, wearing his bowler hat very much over one -ear. This was Saville, Cockburn's fellow-sufferer in the battle of -the blades, who, when the chief assailant, a Mexican card-cheat named -Tarbeaux (now in penal servitude), was about to return to the attack on -Cockburn, made the extraordinary appeal, "That's enough; don't _twice_ -him!" - -Then there was sitting at one of the tables a burly fellow, broad of -back and lavishly bestudded with diamonds, who the romancer informed me -was a redoubtable bookmaker. He it was, said my philosopher, who headed -the Birmingham contingent at most of the prize-fights of recent years, -and particularly in evidence were they at the Smith and Greenfield and -the Smith and Slavin encounters at Le Vesinet and Bruges respectively. -The names of the other prosperous-looking people who formed a group -round the hero of the diamonds have slipped my memory, but they all -seemed to have a nickname of some kind, and the racing romancer, when I -asked for information about any of them, invariably began, "What, not -know old--whatever the name might be?" - -For our second course we took _saumon, sauce Gervoise_, and very good -and well-cooked it was, though again we had some time to wait for it; -and here it was that many eyes noted the entrance of a well-known -Oriental banker, a gentleman of great wealth, and one of the last -personages one would have expected to see dining solus and in the -plainest manner possible. That it was a favourite resort of his seemed -apparent from the fact that he walked straight to a table at which a -chair had been turned up, and the manager of the room himself came -forward to proffer those few words of advice which relieve the diner -of so much hazardous speculation. Yet other newcomers were a stalwart -ex-major of the Royal Artillery, and a music-hall agent, who in the -halcyon past had half the proprietors of variety theatres in London -at his feet. To each and all of them "Charlie," the well-groomed head -bar-keeper with the accurately-parted and immaculately plastered hair, -had something of paramount interest to impart, and he seemed so bland -that one wondered how he ever survived the friendly raids of the -olden days when a certain festive youth and his companions were wont -to take the place by storm, and on one occasion escaladed the bar, -took possession of the tills, and scrambled the shillings among the -chronic needy. What wild extravagances were they not capable of! It -was here that the undefeated racing man who used to be known as the -best-looking youth in London, and was to be seen daily in Piccadilly -with a black poodle decorated with bows of yellow ribbon, once mixed, -for the entertainment of his friends, his fearful and wonderful -"fruit-salads"--generally a couple of sovereigns' worth of hothouse -fruit steeped in the oldest cognac of Justerini and Brooks, and -_liqueurs variées_, the effects of which the friends aforesaid found -the greatest possible difficulty in sleeping off by dinner-time. - -But our entrée arrives, a _filet sauté Béarnaise_, than which I -desire to eat no better. A new arrival of guests, most of them fresh -from Kempton, with their racing-glasses hung over their shoulders, -included a young man with a familiarly known nickname, who in the -first Jubilee years galloped through his money and earned his jubilant -title; another racing man, with the name of a philanthropist of a past -generation, who at one time owned a property with two racecourses on -it; and a gentleman who used to drive a yellow-bodied coach with four -piebald horses, which he alluded to humorously as his mustard-pot -and guinea-pigs, who having run through one fortune seems likely to -make another. A sporting baronet, who takes an interest in yachting; -a dramatist, who has written more than one racing play, and no doubt -finds the American Bar useful for his local colour; our cleverest -caricaturist, and a dozen or two less well-known people, formed a solid -mass before the bar, and occupied all the available tables. We had -finished our Burgundy, which for its price was exceptionally good, and -my guest had eaten some cheddar cheese, when the roving disposition of -the racing romancer asserted itself, and for our coffee and liqueurs -we must needs go to the hospitable Eccentric Club across the way, so -I called for the bill: Two consommé, 2s.; two salmon, 4s.; two filets -sautés, 6s.; cheese, 6d.; Burgundy, 5s.; total, 17s. 6d. - - 17_th May_. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE HOTEL CONTINENTAL (REGENT STREET) - - -"So you are the man who is writing those articles about 'Dinners and -Diners,'" said old Sir George, when I dined quietly last week with him -and Lady Carcanet. "Good Lord! Who'd have thought it!" - -This sounded rather a dubious compliment; but pretty Miss Carcanet, -"Brighteyes" as her family nickname is, began to take more interest in -me than she had ever shown before. - -Did I go alone, or did I really take the people I said I did? she -asked. And I told her that I really did take the people I described. -"Why don't you take Brighteyes to do one with you," said Sir George. -"It's her first season, and she is seeing everything that London has to -show. She has figured in print after the Drawing-Room, and one of the -ladies' papers has had a portrait of her as a débutante of the season. -Now you might lend your aid to immortalise her." - -Miss Brighteyes said she would like it immensely, and though Lady -Carcanet did not think it at all the thing for a young girl to dine -at a restaurant alone with a gentleman, Sir George said something -about there being no harm in being seen with an old buster, old enough -to be her father--which was a doubtful compliment to my grey hair. I, -of course, was delighted, and asked Miss Brighteyes to choose her day -and her restaurant. There was the Berkeley, which had then just been -reopened, the Avondale, which is going ahead with its new managers, -Dieudonné's, the Continental. I wanted to dine at all of these, and -would she take her choice. - -"Is the Continental the hotel with a ruddy face and red pillars to its -portico at the bottom of Regent Street?" Miss Brighteyes asked, and -when I said that it was, she made that her choice. - -"Dear me! Isn't that restaurant considered a little--well, a little -fast?" came from Lady Carcanet, who very evidently disapproved of -the whole of the proceedings; but I was able to reassure her on that -subject. The ladies who sup in the upstairs rooms may not all be -duchesses and countesses in their own right; but there is no more -respectable place to dine at, and there is no better _table d'hôte_ -than is served in the downstairs room. I told Miss Brighteyes that if -she wanted to see the restaurant at its best we should have to dine -early, for most of the guests were sure to be going on to the theatre -either as spectators or players. - -On Thursday Miss Brighteyes was going to the Opera to hear the -"Huguenots," and was to join her aunt there, so I was asked if Thursday -would suit, and said "Perfectly." Lady Carcanet looked discouragingly -on the whole matter; but said, very freezingly, that in that case we -had better have the brougham, which could wait and take Miss Brighteyes -to the Opera afterwards. - -"Why didn't you come to my Drawing-Room Tea?" was the beginning of -the cross-examination that I went through in the brougham, on our way -to the restaurant; and I explained that as a recorder of dinners I -considered myself exempt from teas, an answer which did not satisfy -Miss Brighteyes, who pouted, and said that I might have made an -exception in her favour. - -Miss Brighteyes' cloak was deposited in a side room, my coat and -hat were taken from me and put in a locker in the hall, and we -settled ourselves down at a corner table in the room, dimly lighted -by electric globes and by the red-shaded candles on the tables. It -is a most effective room, as I pointed out to Miss Brighteyes, with -its oil-paintings of figure-subjects framed in dark wood over the -mantelpieces, its line of muslin-draped windows down one side, and -on the other mirrors and the _comptoir_ of dark wood, where between -two palms one catches a glimpse, under the glow of a red-shaded lamp, -of the pretty face of the lady enthroned there. A screen of old gold -comes pleasantly into the scheme of colour. "Isn't it _delightfully_ -improper to be dining alone with a gentleman in a restaurant! I do wish -Madame Quelquechose could see me now," Miss Brighteyes remarked, as I -looked through the three menus, one at 10s. 6d., one at 7s. 6d., and -one at 6s. 6d. Madame Quelquechose was, I may state, the head of the -celebrated Parisian school at which Miss Brighteyes had finished her -education. - -As the young lady had to be at Covent Garden at eight, and it was now -seven, I thought the shortest of the menus--the 6s. 6d. one--would -suffice. Besides, I hold that the best dinners are always short ones. -Here it is:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Consommé Sévigné. - Paupiettes de merlans Héloïse. - Tournedos grillés Judic. - Poularde rôtie. - Salade. - Asperges au beurre fondu. - Soufflé glacé Victoria. - Petits fours. - - -As Miss Brighteyes ate her plovers' eggs she wanted to be told who the -different people dining at the tables might be. The bearded gentleman -was one of the best-known singers, and his name a household word. The -other man with the impress of the artist strong upon him was, I was -able to tell her, the well-known Wagnerian conductor, who at the time -was constantly travelling backwards and forwards between Bayreuth and -Covent Garden. A pleasant-faced gentleman with a dark moustache, who -had smiled at me as I came in, was a well-known comedian and manager; -the gentleman dining with two ladies was a cricketer of fame. There was -the London correspondent of the _Figaro_ dining with another French -gentleman. - -Our soup was excellent. There was in it a savour of the sea which -reminded me of the birds'-nest soup of China, and by that alone I -should have judged M. Baptiste Commaille, the chef, to be an artist. - -Before the fish arrived my cross-examination was continued. "Had I -been to a Levee?" I was asked; and when I said I had not, and that the -reason of the not having done so was that my practical study of the -art of dining had made my tunic too tight for me, and that I was not -sufficiently wealthy just at present to buy another to use for one -occasion only in the year, I was told that I should learn to bike, -and that if I did I might come sometimes and take Miss Brighteyes to -the Park in the morning. Was I going to the big charity fancy ball at -the Empress Rooms, and if so, as what? I was not, I regretted to say, -my tunic not suiting better for balls than for levees, and my figure -not being quite in keeping with a Romeo costume from Nathan's; but I -learned that Miss Brighteyes was, and that she was going in a copy of a -costume of one of her ancestresses, all light blue with the front laced -across with pearls. The ancestress had real pearls, but Miss Brighteyes -was only to have imitation ones. - -The fish I did not care for much, a _merlan_ being rather a tasteless -denizen of the sea, but Miss Brighteyes admired the cream and pink -of the _plat_ immensely, and thought that there was a suggestion for -a dress in it. Then I heard all about the recent balls, how charming -the pink peonies were at one house, and the lilies and palms at -another, and so on; and was given a disquisition on the dresses at the -Drawing-Room, of which all that I can recall is that one lady wore -muslin with roses painted on it, and ropes of wonderful pearls. - -The _tournedos_, with their accompanying quarters of artichokes in -batter and scarlet tomatoes, were excellent, very excellent indeed, -and so was the chicken, delightfully brown, and done to a turn. The -_soufflé glacé Victoria_, which was brought in triumph by M. Garin, the -_maître d'hôtel_, was encased in a little summer-house of sugar, with -the names of various papers blazoned on it--that of the _Pall Mall_ -being over the door, I had finished my pint of excellent champagne and -Miss Brighteyes had sipped her lemon squash, a sinful drink, even for -a girl in her first season. I was selfish enough to take my coffee -and liqueur before I told Miss Brighteyes that it was ten minutes to -eight, which put her in a flutter, for she was anxious not to lose the -overture. - -This was the bill;--Two dinners, 13s.; half 88, 7s.; one lemon squash, -1s.; half tasse, 6d.; one liqueur, 1s.; total, £1: 0: 6. - - * * * * * - -There have been changes at the Hôtel Continental since I dined there -with the intention of putting my experiences in print. There is a new -board of directors, and the dining-room has put off its rather sombre -livery of deep reds and browns, and has adopted instead a bright dress -of white and gold and delicate greys. The curtains to the windows are -pink, and the room is as bright now as a flower-garden. Mons. Laurent -has replaced Mons. Garin as _maître d'hôtel_. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE AVONDALE (PICCADILLY) - - -While I sat in the anteroom of the Hôtel Avondale and waited for the -Epicure, whom I had asked to come and dine with me, as a general -practitioner would call in a specialist in a delicate case, I pondered -over the vicissitudes which, during the past few years, have befallen -the hotel that has now come into the hands of the two young and -energetic men from the Savoy. - -It opened with a great flourish of trumpets, I remember, as the Cercle -de Luxe, just at the time that Society seemed inclined to take to -dining clubs, and the Amphitryon was always full, and the Maison Dorée -glittered scarcely a stone's-throw away. I was much impressed then -with the gorgeousness of the staircase, with the walls of reddish -marble, topped by white, veined with black, and above that a broad -painted frieze, red in tone, studded with portraits of Elizabethan -worthies, which marbles and frieze and portraits remain to this day. -There were gorgeous pictures then in the smoking-room, downstairs, of -Elizabeth, or her nobles, going in State on the Thames, and hawking -and setting out to war, which pictures, when I peeped into the room -before going upstairs, seem to have vanished. The room in which I was -waiting for the Epicure was in those days a drawing-room of excessive -gorgeousness, and I can recall that I thought that it was not for a -simple ordinary man like myself to sit on yellow satin sofas that shone -like looking-glasses. Now the room has nice panels of old-gold brocade -and the sofas and curtains are in deep blue velvet. An American flag, -draped over the principal piece of furniture in the room, shows of what -nationality most of the guests at the Avondale at present are. - -What was the cause of the non-success of the Cercle de Luxe, I do not -know, for the dining-room was charming, and the cookery was undeniable. -The next development of the house was as a cosy hotel, with the big -rooms broken up into little suites of apartments, the anteroom turned -into a dining-room, where a very good _table-d'hôte_ dinner was -served, and a bid made to attract well-to-do couples who liked hotel -life. I looked over the hotel at the time of this transformation, and -thought that if ever I married I would spend my honeymoon in No. 9, -which was a particularly charming suite of apartments. I am, however, -still in a state of single blessedness, and No. 9 has been converted -into the kitchen of the restaurant, for Messrs. Garin and Eugène have -broken down the partitions, restored the dining-room to its former -proportions, and are trying to make the Avondale a little Savoy in -Piccadilly. - -The Epicure arrived on the stroke of the hour, and we went into the -dining-room, where I had retained a table by the window. It is a -pleasant room now, and will be even better when the new decorations -have toned down under the influence of the London climate. There are -pillars of black and white marble with gilded capitals and marble -mantels, and the walls are frescoed by some modern artist. Opposite -to us on the broadest space of wall a Diana worked in high relief in -plaster was backed by a view of the falls of the Rhine, and on either -side in panels were a lady in an Empire dress and a gentleman of the -same period teaching a _merveilleuse_ how to look through a telescope. -There was an appetising show of fruit on the table in the centre, the -strawberries being on the summit of a great block of ice. A Moorish -gentleman, who I expect does nothing more ferocious than make coffee, -made a fine splash of colour in his crimson and gold. - -The Epicure having announced that he was not hungry, and that he could -not drink champagne, I felt that the menu which had been devised by the -management, and had met with my entire approval, might be too long for -him, and I thought regretfully of the bottle of Moët and Chandon which -I had ordered to be put in the ice-pail just long enough to get a chill -into the wine. This was our dinner:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre. - Bortsch. - Soles bonne femme. - Selle d'agneau de lait. - Petits pois française. - Pommes nouvelles. - Rouen Rouennaise. - Cœurs de Romaine. - Asperges de Paris. - Macédoine de fruits au Kirsch. - - -The Epicure looked at it, but said nothing; and I felt that so far -I, in company with Messrs. Garin and Eugène, had at least escaped -censure. The Epicure approved of the lights on the table, which were -like a bunch of three pink lilies, the cups all pointing inwards, but -thought that the globes suspended from the ceiling were too bright and -might dazzle the eyes, thereby interfering with the full enjoyment of -a dinner. M. Garin, who stood by in an immaculate frock coat, gave the -Epicure to understand that this should be put right at once. - -The _hors-d'œuvre_ the Epicure passed without any remarks, and I felt -that they at least were satisfactory. - -Bortsch is a soup of which I am very fond, and I like the softness that -the spoonful of cream mixed with it gives. The Epicure did not take -cream in his, and I wondered why, but thought it wiser not to ask. He -said that the soup was good, and I began to feel reassured as to my -dinner, while the good-looking _maître d'hôtel_, who was hovering round -our table, positively beamed on him. - -The _Soles bonne femme_, with their sliced mushrooms and excellent -sauce, I thought very good; but the Epicure felt that it was time to -assert himself, and said that though the dish was undeniably well -cooked, still it was not in sufficient contrast to the soup to be -exactly the right _plat_ for a perfect dinner. I did not exactly -understand what he meant; but I shook my head and said that no doubt -that was so. - -Meanwhile, the room had been filling up. A well-known newspaper -proprietor who is also a celebrity in the hunting-field, was giving a -dinner to two pretty ladies, one of whom wore a beautiful necklet of -diamonds and the other a three-fold rope of pearls, and to two other -men. A magnate of the Stock Exchange had brought another member of the -House to dine, two or three couples--Americans, I think--the ladies -mightily smart, had come in and taken their places, and a well-known -explorer, who was giving a dinner-party, but whose guests had not -arrived, looked in to see that his table was all in order. - -The saddle of lamb was excellent, and as the Epicure ate the delicate -white meat, cooked to a turn by the excellent M. Dutruz, the chef, he -launched out into anecdotes as to the great love that real epicures -have for these babes and sucklings, and of the personal inconvenience -to which they have even been known to put themselves to obtain their -flesh. The peas, with the suggestion of sugar and onion with them, -also met with high approval. But the Epicure would not pass the duck. -I should have eaten it and seen no harm in it; but not so the Epicure. -"C'est un peu faisandé," he said, and would not touch it. A cut was -brought from another duck; but he would have none of that either. Both -Messrs. Garin and Eugène were on the scene at once, and explained. All -their poultry came from Paris, a fresh stock each day, and they could -not imagine how such a thing could possibly be. The Epicure was stern. -He pointed out to them that it was a judgment on them for going to -Paris for their ducks instead of to London, and incidentally lectured -us on the method of preparation of the Rouen Rouennaise. I wanted to -eat my slice of duck, so I scraped off the luscious brown sauce, and -suggesting that it might be the sauce and not the duck that was at -fault, left a bare platter. The Epicure looked at me as a traveller -does at an Earthman, but said nothing. - -The asparagus, the Epicure said, was delicious, and the atmosphere -cleared again, and he also approved highly of the _macédoine_. His -claret, he said, was good, and I know that my champagne was excellent; -but just as a parting salute to Messrs. Garin and Eugène, he rubbed -some of the liqueur brandy on the palms of his hands, smelt it, and -used it as a text on which to discourse of the failure of the grape -vine in Cognac and the ravages of the phylloxera. - -When I asked for my bill I told Messrs. Garin and Eugène that I thought -they had given me an excellent dinner, and not to distress their -minds too much about the duck, as an epicure, if he was not severely -critical, would not be an epicure. This was the bill: Two dinners at -10s. 6d., £1: 1s.; one 127, 16s.; half 44, 3s. 6d.; one seltzer, 6d.; -two café double, 1s. 6d.; liqueurs, 3s.; cigar, 1s. 6d.; total, £2: 7s. - - 31_st May_. - - * * * * * - -Since writing the above the Avondale has firmly established itself as -one of the fashionable dining-places, and, following the example of -most of its elder competitors, has become a company with Hachett's, the -Whitehorse cellars, as a second asset of the company. Hachett's, of -which the dining-room, underground, has always had a good cheap _table -d'hôte_, is now managed by M. Eugène, while M. Garin is in command at -the Avondale. Amongst interesting dinners I have eaten at the Avondale, -one of the most interesting was a "Household Brigade Magazine" one, -a dinner which the staff of the Magazine, written by Guardsmen for -Guardsmen, hold from time to time. This was the menu of the feast, and -it is a good example of a dinner, not a very expensive one, for some -twenty guests-- - - - Canapés à la Russe. - Petite marmite. Bisque d'écrevisses. - Turbotin. Sauce mousseline. - Volaille Derby. - Selle d'agneau Richelieu. - Bécassines rôties. - Salade. - Asperges vertes. - Bombe Martinique. - Ananas glacés. - Petits fours. - Soufflé Viennois. - - -I asked M. Garin to give me the recipe of Bortsch Soup, which I always -think the best soup in the world, and here it is, as written out by M. -Dutruz, the chef-- - - -BORTSCH SOUP - -_Ayez un bon consommé avec lequel vous manquez un morcelle la marmite -comme il est l'usage pour le consommé extra, faites blanchir un morceau -de poitrine de bœuf que vous ajoutez et une caneton que vous faites -rôtir pendant quelques minutes, le tout étant cuit, coupez les filets -du canard et le maigre du bœuf en petit carré d'un dessin centimètre, -passez votre consommé à la serviette, ayez d'autre part une Julienne de -légumes, avec beaucoup de choux. Servez notre potage en ajoutant aux -légumes les morceaux de bœuf et canard plus un jus de betterave rouge -de façon de lui donner une couleur rougeâtre et un peu de poivre moulu -frais; envoyez une saucière de crème à part._ - -[Illustration] - -Take a good stock, and nearly fill the saucepan with it, as is usual -in the case of a rich soup. Blanch a piece of brisket of beef, add -this, with a duckling which has been roasted for a few minutes. When -all is cooked, cut some slices off the duck and cut them up into little -squares of less than a quarter of an inch, cutting up the lean part of -the beef in the same way. Pass your sauce through a linen strainer. -Have ready some Julienne made with vegetables, with plenty of cabbages. -Serve your soup, after adding the vegetables, the pieces of beef and -duck, and also the juice of a beetroot so as to give the soup a red -colour, and a pinch of freshly ground pepper. Send up a sauceboat of -cream separately. - -Not only did M. Garin give me the soup recipe, but he sent me the -_recette_ of _soufflé de filet de sole à la d'Orléans_, a dish invented -by the Duc d'Orléans, who is one of the best patrons of the Avondale. -It has a double interest, through being an interesting dish, and -showing Monseigneur le Duc as being an expert in the detail of the -_haute cuisine_. - - -SOUFFLÉ DE FILETS DE SOLE À LA D'ORLÉANS - -_Choisissez des filets de sole bien blancs, les parer et ciseler, -les farcir d'une farce de poisson aux truffes et rouler en forme de -paupiettes, faites pocher doucement avec du vin blanc, faire réduire -la cuisson, ajouter trois cuillères de béchamelle, le toute étant -bien réduit lier avec deux jaunes d'œufs et mélanger à votre appareil -en ajoutant de belles lames de truffes fraîches chauffées au beurre -assaisonné de sel et beaucoup de mignonette, placez vos paupiettes -sur un croûton très mince dans une timbale en argent et recouverte de -l'appareil à souffler, faites cuire pendant quinze minutes au four -en soupoudrant de parmesan (cheese) dessus de façon à prendre belle -couleur.--Ce plat doit être servi de suite._ - -[Illustration] - -Choose very white fillets of sole, cut and shape them to the proper -size, stuff them with a fish stuffing made with truffles, and roll -them up _en paupiettes_ (in thin pieces, with the force-meat inside). -Well boil down the liquor, add three spoonfuls of Béchamel sauce, -and when the whole is well reduced add two yokes of eggs, and mix in -your soufflé pan, adding some nice slices of fresh truffles, warmed -in butter, seasoned with salt, and plenty of mignonette pepper. Place -your _paupiettes_ on a very thin crust in a silver timbale. Place in -the soufflé apparatus, cover over, and cook in the oven for fifteen -minutes, first having sprinkled it on the top with Parmesan cheese so -as to make it a good colour. This dish must be served immediately. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE MERCERS' HALL (CHEAPSIDE) - - -It is not the least pleasant part of writing of dinners and those who -eat them that it brings me some varied correspondence, and perhaps the -pleasantest letter I have received was one asking me if I would like -to dine with the Company of Mercers; for if I would, my correspondent -offered to send me an invitation. - -If there was one City Company that I was anxious to dine with it -was the Mercers, for most of my forebears had been of the guild. My -great-great-uncle, who was Lord Mayor and an M.P., and who fell into -unpopularity because he advocated paying the debts of George IV., was -a Mercer; my great-uncle was in his turn Master of the Company, and my -grandfather, who was a very peppery and litigious old gentleman, has -left many pamphlets in which he tried to make it warm for everybody -all round because he was not raised to the Court of Assistants when -he thought he should have been. I had looked out Mercers' Hall in the -Directory, and found its position put down as 4 Ironmonger Lane, -Cheapside; so a few minutes before seven o'clock, the hour at which -we were bidden to the feast, I found my way from Moorgate Street -Station to Ironmonger Lane, and there asked a policeman which was the -Mercers' Company Hall. He looked at me a little curiously and pointed -to some great gates, with a lamp above them, enshrined in a rather -dingy portal. I passed a fountain, of which two cherubs held the jet -and three stone cranes contemplated the water in the basin, and found -myself in a great pillared space. A servant in a brown livery, of whom -I asked my way, pointed to some steps and said something about hurrying -up. At the top of the steps a door led me into a passage, on either -side of which were sitting gentlemen in dress-clothes. I looked at them -and they looked at me, and I thought for a second that the Mercers' -guests were rather a queer lot; and then the true inwardness of the -situation burst on me. I had come in by the waiters' door. - -I was soon put right, my hat and coat taken from me, and my card of -invitation placed in the hands of a Master of the Ceremonies, who in -due time presented me to the Master, to the Senior Warden, and to the -House Warden, who stood in a line, arrayed in garments of purple velvet -and fur, and received their guests. - -The ceremony of introduction over, I was able to look around me and -found myself in a drawing-room that took one away from the roar of -Cheapside to some old Venetian palace. The painted ceilings, the -many-coloured marbles, the carved wood, the gilding and inlaying make -the Mercers' drawing-room as princely a chamber as I have ever seen. - -While the guests assembled my host's sons took me away into another -room, which, with its long table, might have been a council chamber of -some Doge, and here were hung portraits of the most distinguished of -the Mercers. Dick Whittington looked down from a gilt frame, and Sir -Thomas Gresham, and there was Sir Roundell Palmer in his judge's robes. -But, preceded by some one in robes carrying a staff of office, the -Master was going into the hall, and the guests streamed after him. "It -only dates from after the Fire," said my host as I gazed in admiration -at the magnificent proportions of this banqueting house, the oak almost -black with age, relieved by the colours of the banners that hang from -the walls, by the portraits of worthies, by some noble painted windows, -by the line of escutcheons which run round the room, bearing the arms -of the Past-Masters of the Company, and by the carved panels, into all -but two of which Grinling Gibbons threw his genius, while the two new -ones compare not unfavourably with the old. At the far end of the hall -is a musicians' gallery of carved oak. A bronze Laocoon wrestles with -his snakes in the centre of one side of the hall, and on the other, on -a mantel of red marble, a great clock is flanked by two bronzes. Three -long tables run up the room to the high table, at the centre of which -is the Master's chair, and behind this chair is piled on the sideboard -the Company's plate. And some of the plate is magnificent. There are -the old silver salt-cellars, there are great silver tankards, gold -salvers, and the gold cup given to the Mercers by the Bank of England -and the Lee cup and an ornamental tun and waggon, the first of which is -valued at £7000, and the second at £10,000. - -"Pray, silence for grace," comes in the deep bass tones of the -toastmaster from behind the Master's chair, and then all of us settle -down to a contemplation of the menu and to a view of our fellow-guests. - -This was the dinner that Messrs. Ring and Brymer, who cater for the -Mercers, put upon the table:-- - - - _Madeira_. Tortue. Tortue claire. - Consommé printanière. - - _Hock_. Salade de filets de soles à la Russe. - _Steinberg_, 1883. Saumon. Sauce homard. Blanchaille. - - - _Sauterne_. Ortolans en caisse. - _Château Yquem_, 1887. Mousse de foie gras aux truffes. - _Champagne_. Ponche à la Romaine. - _Pommery_, 1884. Hanches de venaison. - Selles de mouton. - - - _Burgundy_. Canetons. - _Chambertin_, 1881 Poulets de grain. - Langues de bœuf. - Jambons de Cumberland. - Crevettes en serviette. - _Claret._ Macédoines de fruits. - _Château Latour_, 1875 Gelées aux liqueurs. - Meringues à la crème. - - Bombe glacé. - - _Port_. 1863 Quenelles au parmesan. - - -I always rather dread the length of a City dinner, but in the case -of the Mercers the House Warden has just hit on a happy compromise, -the dinner being important enough to be styled a banquet, and not -so long as to be wearying. Messrs. Ring and Brymer's cook is to be -congratulated, too, for his _Mousse de foie gras_ was admirable. - -There were some distinguished guests at the high table. At the far end, -where Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, the Senior Warden, sat, there were -little splashes of colour from the ribbons of orders worn round the -neck, and the sparkle of stars under the lapels of dress-coats. - -The Master had on his right a well-known baronet, and on his left -Silomo. Next to the friend of the Turk was an ex-M.P., and next to him -again one of the humorists of the present House of Commons--an Irish -Q.C., with clean-shaven, powerful face. - -At the long tables sat as proper a set of gentlemen as ever gathered to -a feast; but with no special characteristics to distinguish them from -any other great assemblage. The snow-white hair of a clergyman told out -vividly against the background of old oak, and a miniature volunteer -officer's decoration caught my eye as I looked down the table. - -The dinner ended, the toastmaster's work began again, and first from -the gold loving-cup and from two copies of it, the stems of which are -said to have been candlesticks used when Queen Elizabeth visited the -Company, we drank to each other "across and across the table." The -taste of the liquor in the cup was not familiar to me, and when my host -told me how it was compounded I was not surprised. It is a mixture of -many wines, with a dash of strong beer. - -Grace was sung by a quartet in the musicians' gallery, and then the -company settled down to listen to speeches interspersed with song. By -each guest was placed a little cigar case, within it two cigars; but -these were not to be smoked yet awhile. While we sipped the '63 port, -we listened to Silomo gently chaffing himself as he responded for -"The Houses of Parliament." Later the Irish Q.C., who spoke for "The -Visitors," caught up the ball of fun, and tossed it to and fro, and -Madame Bertha Moore and Miss Marian Blinkhorn, and others sang songs -and quartets, and my host told me, in the intervals, of the great store -of the old clarets and ports that the Mercers had in their cellars, -which was enough to make a lover of good wine covet his neighbour's -goods. And still later, after the cigars had filled the drawing-room -with a light grey mist, I went forth, this time down the grand oaken -staircase, with its lions clasping escutcheons. I passed into Cheapside -with a very lively sense of gratitude to the Mercers in general, and my -hospitable host in particular. - - 7_th June_. - - - -CHAPTER XX - -IN ---- STREET - - -Yet another invitation to dine from an unknown friend, and this -time with a tinge of mystery to give it piquancy. My would-be host -offered to give me what he believed to be one of the cheapest -obtainable dinners in London, as well as one of the most amusing; but -as an introduction is required before any guest is able to use this -dining-place, I was asked, should I describe it, to give no clue as to -its whereabouts. - -As I waited for my host at a club which happened to be not far from -the district in which I was to dine, I had vague ideas that I might -be blindfolded and conveyed to our destination in a four-wheeled cab, -and that some blood-curdling oath as to secrecy might be demanded of -me. There was none of this. My host and I walked through a labyrinth -of streets, and in due time, in an unpretentious locality, came to a -wine-shop, the exterior of which somewhat resembled the good bottles -of wine to be found within, in that it was dusty and had a suggestion -of crust about it. Inside, the piles of bottles reaching up to the -ceiling, seen in a half-light, had something of a Rembrandtesque effect. - -No sooner had my companion opened the door than we were faced by a -lady in black, her hair parted in the centre, whom we had caught in a -moment of arrested motion, for she had a bottle in either hand and was -going towards the staircase at the corner of the shop. "Is the dinner -to-night at six o'clock or at seven?" my host asked in French; and he -was told that it was at six, and that he was in excellent time, for -as yet there were only three up above; and then I was introduced to -Madame, and we three climbed the narrow staircase in company. - -I had been warned that I would have to bring into use such French as I -was master of, for the guests at this dinner were cosmopolitan, and the -language of diplomacy was the currency for conversation; and so when -on entering the room I was presented to a French lady and her husband, -and to an Italian gentleman, and shook hands with them, I expressed my -gratification at being admitted into this friendly circle with my best -Parisian accent. - -I looked round the room. In the centre was a dining table with a clean -coarse tablecloth upon it, knives and forks and spoons and glass -salt-cellars--and my attention was called later on to the excellence -of the crystals of salt--and an array of black bottles, which those in -the hostess's hands went to join, and siphons. There were two windows, -with clean muslin curtains, looking out on the dingy street. Through an -open door could be seen an inner room, a bedroom, with a very large -bed showing as the principal object in it. The walls of the dining-room -were covered with a brown paper with a little pattern on it. By the -fireplace were hung some photographs, amongst them one of the little -French gentleman I had just been introduced to, who is a member of the -Covent Garden orchestra, and had been taken holding in his hand his -musical instrument; and on the wall opposite were some good portraits, -the work of the Italian gentleman, who is an artist. There were -lithographs and photographs of scenes in Paris, and a print of the head -of Napoleon III. Photographs and china figures were on the mantelpiece, -a cottage piano between the two windows; a chiffonnier with glasses on -it and a glazed cupboard completed the furniture of the room. - -The guests were punctual, each lady as she came in, after the -preliminary hand-shaking, going into the bedroom and putting her wraps -upon the big bed; and soon Madame cried, "À table!" - -We settled down into our places, leaving space for some late-comers who -were expected. At the head of the table was a dark lady with wavy hair, -an actress in a company of French comedians playing in London. Next -to her sat on one side the _monsieur d'orchestre_ and his wife--and -every newcomer made a point of inquiring after the musician's health, -for he had been, it seemed, ill, and was now convalescent--and on the -other side an English major, with a waxed moustache and a flower in -his button-hole, mighty fine, as old Pepys would have had it, and his -good-looking wife. Other guests at table were a lady with white hair, -who was the mother of a bright-eyed, good-looking young Frenchman with -a velvet collar to his coat, who was playing with a troupe of mimes at -one of the variety theatres, and who faced his mother at table; and the -Italian artist who, with carefully brushed white hair, waxed moustache, -and ample cravat, was as great a beau as the English major. - -Under Madame's superintendence a servant, bare of arm and in a print -dress, brought in through the bedroom a great soup-tureen, and we at -our end of the table, who had been drinking vermouth with my host, soon -found platters of excellent _croûte-au-pot_ before us. - -The evening was warm, and at the request of Madame la Majoresse, as -the Major's wife was called, one of the windows was opened. The little -bustle caused by this was subsiding when a good-looking French lady in -green made her entrance, kissed Mdme. la Majoresse, shook hands with -the rest of us, settled into a place next to the bright-eyed Frenchman, -and immediately felt a terrible _courant d'air_. This, of course, had -to be obviated; and after some discussion--and we all had our say--it -was thought that if the door giving on to the staircase was shut the -draught might vanish. The lady in green, who was a comédienne, had -brought some tickets for stalls for the Opera, which she gave to Madame -la Majoresse; and this turned the conversation to the Opera and the -artistes singing this year. The bright-eyed little Frenchman had an -anecdote to tell of how Noté, on the evening of the Derby Day, had -from the promenade of the Empire joined in the refrain of one of the -beautiful Cavalieri's songs, and how the house recognised his voice and -applauded. Both the Italian artist and myself had been at the Empire -that evening, and while we ate the boiled beef that succeeded the soup -we discussed the matter, the Italian gentleman not having noticed -the incident, I having an impression that something of the kind had -happened. - -Then the lady in green made the terrible discovery that we were -thirteen at table, and Madame, who had been hovering between the -bedroom and the dining-room, with one eye on the dinner table and the -other on the kitchen beyond, was prayed to sit down at table, which she -did till the arrival of the two other guests--a lady, who had forsaken -the operatic stage for matrimony, and her husband, who came in and so -broke the spell. - -A great bowl of macaroni succeeded the beef, and brought a volley -of light-shafted chaff upon the Italian artist in whose honour it -was supposed to be provided, and then we chinked glasses full of the -excellent red wine, and interchanged international courtesies. - -A third actress looked in for a moment or two just for a little chat -with her friends amongst the diners, and then, to Madame's great grief, -for there was a most excellent poulet to come, the Major and the -Majoresse had to depart to dress for the Opera, and the bright-eyed -young Frenchman had to be off to the variety theatre. To make up for -this deprivation, however, another guest made his appearance, and was -hailed with joy. A most merry little Frenchman, with a very pretty wit, -the wag of the party, was the newcomer, a _fumiste_ into whose hands -had been given the rearrangement of the Savoy kitchen, and who had also -seen to the kitchen of the Cecil. He was a person of much importance, -but he joked with the bare-armed serving-maid and made her blush, -and threw Madame into a fit of laughter, and chaffed all the rest of -us just as if he had been an ordinary individual and not a European -celebrity. - -The chicken was as admirable as Madame had said it would be, and a -great bowl of salad accompanied it; and then there came a sweet of -some kind and cheese and excellent coffee--"all this we get for two -shillings," the Italian artist told me--and eventually when, after much -hand-shaking, the greater portion of the guests had left, the _fumiste_ -came down to my end of the table and talked soldier's talk, for he had -been through the Great War, calling me "Mon vieux colon," while my host -played the piano softly, and the lady who had sacrificed fame for the -wedding-ring sang gently an old-fashioned French _berceuse_. - - - 14_th June_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -A REGIMENTAL DINNER (HOTEL VICTORIA, NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE) - - -The honorary secretary of the Regimental Dinner Club, who is the -gentleman who, in one of the little rooms, somewhat resembling loose -boxes, of Cox and Co., the military bankers, presides over the ledgers -containing the accounts of Ours, had sent six weeks ago to every member -of the club, and that means nearly every officer past and present, a -notice that the annual dinner of the regiment would take place at the -Hôtel Victoria, on a certain day in Ascot week, at 8 P.M. - -"Regimental dinner, sir? Yes, sir. Cloakroom third door to the right," -said the impressive porter who, in gold-banded hat and with gold -buttons to his blue coat, stands at the front door; and farther on, at -the corner where the long corridor joins the passage, a waiter with a -cherubic face waved a cotton-gloved hand in the direction one was to go. - -Hat and cloak left, an oval piece of pasteboard taken in exchange, and -a monetary transaction concluded with a gentleman at a little table, -another white-gloved hand was waved towards the drawing-rooms, and -there in the farthest room of the long suite was assembled a collection -of gentlemen in dress clothes, of all ages, most of them bronzed and -clean-shaved, though a beard here and there belonged to some one who -had left the colours. There was a glint of silver from miniature -medals and the sparkle of a couple of orders. It was not the ordinary -assemblage that waits patiently with legs apart and hands under the -coat-tails for dinner to be announced; it was an assemblage in which -much shaking of hands was going on, and intermingled with greetings -were such scraps of conversation as, "Haven't seen you for years"; -"Yes, a fortnight's leave from Ireland to do Ascot"; "Home on sick -leave, but feel fit enough now"; "A big dinner to-night: thirty-three -dining." - -There was so much talk that dinner was announced three times before any -one took any notice, and then there was a little block at the door, -for the Generals hung back for a moment from leading the way, and the -subalterns were not, before dinner, sufficiently assertive to take -precedence. - -The stream of black coats set at last down the corridor, and on our -way we caught a glimpse of the bright scene in the _table-d'hôte_ -room, where all the little tables were occupied, and where the -band was playing. We passed some pretty girls coming out of the -drawing-room--one subaltern audibly regretted that the presence of -the fair sex was tabooed at the feast--and we turned into the oak -banqueting-room. - -There was a long table down the middle of the room, and at the centre -of this the General who is the colonel-in-chief of the regiment seated -himself, with, on either hand, two Generals who have in their time held -the regimental command. The getting into their places of the other -guests at the banquet was rather like the game of musical chairs, -and three unfortunates were left seatless. This, however, was soon -rectified; there was a general squeezing up to make more room, and it -was found that there was plenty of space at either end of the table for -two places to be laid. Some one, beyond the original thirty-three, had -been able to run over at the last moment from Ireland, and somebody had -come up unexpectedly from the depot, and somebody else had thought that -he had sent in his name to the secretary when he really had not. - -It is an impressive room. There is a very broad frieze, on which -rosy cupids gambol against a gold background, above the panels and -carving in deep-toned oak. Across a large stained-glass window some -warm-coloured brown curtains were almost drawn-to; a tall chiffonnier, -bright with glass and napery, cut off the serving-room; clusters -of electric lights sparkled in the skylight which forms the roof. -A centre-piece and some great silver cups stood among the flowers, -banks of which ran the whole way down the table, and which were of the -colours of the regimental ribbon, with scarlet poppies to suggest the -tint of Her Majesty's uniform. There was a buttonhole of the same -coloured flowers by each guest's plate, and the cover of the menu -repeated again the familiar colours. This was the list of the feast:-- - - - _Vins. - Milk Punch_. - - _Fine old East India Madeira_. - - _Château Carbonnieux_. - - _Boll and Co._, 1884. - - _G.H. Mumm and Co. Ex. Qual., Ex. Dry, Cuvee_ '65, 1889. - - _Haut Bages_, 1875. - _Feuerheera's Zimbro_ 1884 _Port_. - - _Otard's Old Liqueur Brandy_. - - _Johannis Water_. - - * * * * * - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - - Tortue claire. - - Darne de saumon à la Mathilde. - Suprêmes de filets de sole glacés Danoise. - Blanchailles au Kari. - - Nageoires de tortue Washington. - Coquilles de foie gras Mireille. - Poularde à la Matignon. - - Selle d'agneau. Sauce menthe. - Haricots verts sautés au beurre. - Pommes nouvelles fondantes. - - Jambon de York à la Kalli. - Fèves de marais Maître d'Hôtel. - - Sorbet. - - Cailles de vignes et ortolans sur toast. - Salade Romaine. - Asperges en ranches. Sauce Argenteuil. - - Fruits à la Créole. - Bombe Japonaise. Petits fours. - - Dessert. Café noir. - - -As a privileged grumbler I began the dinner with finding fault, for -there were no finger-glasses as an accompaniment to the _crevettes_, -which were among the _hors-d'œuvre_, and the Boll, which was the -champagne I tried, had not been iced sufficiently--if, indeed, it had -seen the ice-pail at all. But the turtle-soup was soothing, and the -next supply of champagne that came round was of the right temperature. - -In the pause between the soup and the fish one could gather better than -in the crowded dining-room who were present. On the chairman's right -was a General who had been knighted by Her Majesty for his services -in an African campaign; on his left the commander of the forces in an -island fortress, who in his time had led a battalion of the regiment -on active service; opposite to him was the lieutenant-colonel, who -has added to the sheaf of the regiment's honours in the latest Indian -campaign. A couple of majors, home from India, sat together; a group -of retired officers, now most of them squires on their country -estates, had gathered at a corner to talk over old times, the Governor -of one of Her Majesty's gaols was being much chaffed as to his -present employment; and the rest were chiefly the bronzed, healthy, -light-moustached young Englishmen, cast in the mould that tells the -world at once that a man is a soldier, and fresh from manœuvring in -Ireland or guarding the marches at a great Indian frontier station. - -The turtle fins and the saddle of mutton were excellent, and the -ortolan I secured was as plump a little fellow as ever found the -shelter of a vine leaf; but when we came to the asparagus I was -constrained to ask the head waiter confidentially what the hard sticks -were with a little soft place at the end, tasting more like a Brussels -sprout than any vegetable that I knew of. The poor man, who wore a -worried look, said that they were the best procurable in France, and -turned for confirmation to a manager of many inches, who, his hair -brushed up to a point, and wearing a pointed beard, was leaning with -folded arms on the top of the chiffonnier, and contemplating the scene. -Our little difference of opinion as to the quality of the _asperges -d'Argenteuil_ concluded, the fruits and ice handed round, the General -in the chair rose, and in a few well-chosen words--for soldiers neither -care to make long speeches nor to listen to them--proposed the health -of the Queen, which was drunk standing; and as loyal subjects who wore, -or had worn, the scarlet, we applauded the suggestion of our Colonel -that a telegram should be sent to the proper quarter, and that Her -Majesty should know that the officers of one of her oldest regiments -had saluted her at their annual gathering. Then the diners broke up -into groups, for every one had much to say and much to hear, and there -were more speeches, and the healths of "officers past and present" -were drunk, and courtesies exchanged with another regiment dining in -the same hotel, and it was near the stroke of midnight when most of us -remembered that we had to be up betimes to go to Ascot on the morrow. - - 21_st June_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -DIEUDONNÉ'S (RYDER STREET) - - -"I thought your Galatea a superb creation, and flatter myself I gave -an entirely new reading of the part of Chrysos's slave," I said; and -our leading lady was kind enough to say in reply that through force of -genius I raised the part of Chrysos's slave into a principal character. - -I never inflict the fact upon my friends, but I am an amateur actor. I -do not play Hamlet or Othello, for owing to the jealousy of "casting" -committees, those parts are never offered me. I have some original -readings which the world will be startled by when I _do_ play Hamlet; -but I can, I believe, get more expression into such sentences as "My -lord, the carriage waits," than any other amateur who has ever trodden -the boards of St. George's Hall. - -The leading lady of a troupe of which erstwhile I was a member--a -little difficulty over the allotment of the part of Young Marlowe was -the cause of my ceasing to assist them--was anxious to see Réjane as -Gilberte in "Frou-Frou." Her husband, a worthy man, but with no taste -for the higher dramatic art, and in the habit of saying sarcastic -things as to amateurs and amateur acting, preferred the Empire to the -Lyric; hence I had the honour of escorting our leading lady to see -Réjane, and asked her to dine with me at Dieudonné's as a preliminary. - -It was while she trifled with a sardine at the commencement of dinner -that I remarked that her Galatea was a superb creation--it really was -not at all bad--and she complimented me very justly on my Chrysos's -slave. - -We had a table close to the window, and looked over a bank of flowers -across to the rather sombre houses on the opposite side of Ryder -Street. But if the look-out is not of the brightest, the inside of the -room on the first floor is charming--the perfection of a room to dine -in on a hot day. It is all in white. The two pillars in the centre -of the room are white, the great dumb-waiter is white, the walls are -white. There are delicately-painted panels, with gentlemen and ladies -in powder and silk and brocade limned upon them; the ceiling is the -work of an artist, and there is here and there a touch of gold in the -framing of a screen or the capital of a pillar. One little shade on -each of the bunches of three electric lights, that are held by brackets -from the wall, is pink, the others white. On the tables there were -flowers in vases of silver. The downstairs room, which is smaller, is -equally cool-looking and tastefully decorated. - -M. Guffanti, the proprietor, slim, and with a moustache that a -cavalryman might envy, had come to ask whether the table he had -reserved for us was to our liking, the bottle of Pol Roger was in -the ice-pail within reach of my hand, and I was just going to tell -our leading lady with what pleasure I recalled her Lady Teazle when -we played in the schoolroom at Tadley-on-the-Marsh, and to ask her -candidly what her opinion was of my rendering of the part of Joseph's -valet, when Giovanini, the _maître d'hôtel_, came up with a bunch of -flowers in his hand. Giovanini, bushy of eyebrows, and with whiskers -that are almost Piccadilly weepers, evidently regarded our leading lady -with much respectful admiration; for he presented her with the bunch of -roses. And indeed our leading lady might well compel admiration, for -she was looking superbly handsome, and was wearing all her diamonds. -Her appearance reminded me, as I told her later, of that evening -when she made such a hit as the heroine of "Plot and Passion," at -Slopperton, and I played, with some distinction, I trust, the part of -Grisbouille. - -What our leading lady's impressions were of my rendering of the valet -in "The School for Scandal" I shall never know, for the arrival of the -_consommé Nelson_ turned the conversation, and I was asked as to the -identity of all the people who were dining. There were two ladies at -a table by themselves--Dieudonné's is one of the places where ladies -can dine by themselves, without fear of any inconvenience--whom I put -down as country cousins who had come up for a fortnight's shopping -and sight-seeing in town. There was a family party: husband, wife--a -stern lady with spectacles, who took immense interest in the leading -lady when she overheard me call her the Ellen Terry of the amateur -stage--and two children. There were two colonels and an admiral, who -were going to escort two ladies to the theatre; there was a large party -of French people, a very pretty dark-eyed girl among them; there were -a handsome American lady and her husband; there was a Royal Engineer -just off to Malta, who had played hero's parts with the leading lady--I -should not wonder if he was the fellow who cut me out of the part of -Young Marlowe; and there were a dozen other people whose identity I -could not determine. This was the menu of the dinner, the customary -_table-d'hôte_ meal, a menu to which the leading lady seemed more -inclined to devote attention than to my remarks on my own rendering of -various characters:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Consommé Nelson. - Crème Brésilienne. - Saumon du Rhin bouilli. Sauce mousseline. - Caneton braisé Fermière. - Noisettes de Béhaques Romaine. - Poularde de Surrey à la broche. - Salade. - Haricots verts à l'Anglaise. - Bombe favourite. - Petits fours. - Laitances sur toast. - Salade de fraises. - - -When the creamy-pink salmon was put upon the table, M. Guffanti, going -the rounds of the tables, came and asked if everything was to our -satisfaction, and as I thought it might interest the leading lady, I -asked him what had become of Madame Dieudonné's little room and the -pretty things that were drawn and written on its walls. - -Before Dieudonné's became the handsome hotel and restaurant that it is -now, it was a boarding-house which stood in high favour with such of -the French artists and sculptors and singers and actors who crossed -the silver streak to perfidious Albion. The _table-d'hôte_ dinner, at -which Mdme. Dieudonné took the head of the long table, was a celebrated -institution. No one could come without being vouched for by some of the -habitués, and most of the people who might be found at the board were -of European celebrity. Madame had a little parlour, which was a kind -of holy of holies, and on the walls of this all the most celebrated of -the celebrities who were the _amis du maison_ either drew a sketch or -wrote a quatrain, or dotted down a bar or two of some favourite air, -and the names that were signed below the sketches and the scribblings -were some of those that stand highest on the roll of fame. M. Guffanti -told us that in spite of all precautions the walls were spoilt, and -that Madame's little parlour was now the ante-room downstairs with the -Watteau panels, where people sit after dinner and drink coffee. - -The duck was excellent, but to be absolutely critical I thought that -the vegetables had lingered a thought too long by the fire, and if the -weather had not been as muggy and stifling as it was I might have -suggested that the lamb from which the noisettes were cut would have -been better for a little longer hanging. For the rest of the dinner I -had nothing but praise, and the salad of strawberries, as cold as ice -could make it, was delicious. I ordered coffee and some chartreuse in -crushed ice for the leading lady, and some _fin champagne_ for myself -and asked for my bill. - -While disposing of the coffee I thought that my chance had come to get -the leading lady's real opinion of my conception of the character of -Joseph's valet, and began explaining at length my method of entry to -announce the arrival of Charles Surface; but the leading lady rather -brusquely asked for her cloak, and said we should miss part of the -first act of "Frou-Frou." - -I paid the bill--Two dinners, 15s.; one bottle 89, 13s.; two cafés -specials, 1s. 6d.; two liqueurs, 2s.; total, £1: 11: 6--and helped the -leading lady on with her cloak. I think she might have listened to my -ideas as to the valet's entrance. These amateurs--all but myself--are -so inordinately selfish. - - 5_th July_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -THE BERKELEY (PICCADILLY) - - -The white-faced house with gilded balconies that stands at the corner -of Berkeley Street and Piccadilly is an old friend with a new face, for -in the year of grace '97 the old hotel was much altered, the restaurant -almost doubled in size, and the Berkeley may now, in its latest -development, be said to be the blonde beauty among London hotels. - -The Editor invited me to dinner, a little dinner for three, the -Gracious Lady, himself, and myself--the handsome niece who completed -the _partie carrée_ on a previous occasion was at her cottage in the -country and was reported to be accomplishing wonderful feats of cookery -with her chafing-dish--and suggested that I should interview Jules as -to the menu. - -When I sent in word to Jules that I should like to see him, I had -plenty of employment, during the few moments I was kept waiting, in -looking at the new ante-room to the right of the entrance-hall, a very -handsome apartment, with old gold as the dominating colour everywhere. -First, there came to me Emile, the _maître d'hôtel_ whom I remember -of old at the Bristol. M. Jules would not keep me waiting a moment, -he said; and even as he spoke M. Jules, in frock-coat, with a little -sheaf of papers in his hand, came in. "The Editor is coming to dine -here to-morrow night, and wants a little dinner for three," I began, -and M. Jules selected one of the papers from his sheaf and handed it to -me. He had heard in some way of the Editorial advent, and had put his -suggestions as to a little dinner upon paper. They ran as follows:-- - - - Melon Cantaloup. - Crème d'or. - Truite froide au court bouillon. Sauce verte. - Caneton Nantais à la Drexel. - Selle de pré-salé rôtie aux légumes. - Petits pois à la Française. - Salade à la St-James. - Ananas glacé Sibérienne. - Corbeille de petits fours. - Croustade Victoria. - - -I read the menu down, and when I came to the _caneton à la Drexel_ I -paused, and looked interrogatively at M. Jules. "It is new," he said; -"it will be the second time that I have served it"; and I thought -how honours were reserved for editors which are not given to simple -correspondents. I should not wonder if some day Jules actually named a -dish after the Editor. - -The Gracious Lady and the Editor arrived on the stroke of -eight--punctuality is the preliminary courtesy to a good dinner--and -there was M. Jules waiting to show us to the very best table in the -dining-room, the table by the corner window which looks out to the -Green Park across the road. Emile was there also, smiling, and a -waiter, with a thin line of gold edging his collar, placed the slices -of iced melon before us as we sat down. - -M. Jules regretted that we had not dined at the Berkeley the night -before, for it had been an evening on which the restaurant had been -full of interesting people--so full, indeed, that a noble lord who -had given a dinner party in honour of a prima donna could only be -accommodated with a table in the ante-room. We did not altogether -share in Jules's regret, for we might have had to dine in the passage, -and looking round at the diners at the other tables we came to the -conclusion that though there were no lords, so far as we knew, nor -prima donnas among them, they were, on the whole, a very smart and -good-looking set. A pretty little grass widow was being entertained by -a young soldier--we invented quite a Kiplingesque story about the pair; -a rector up for the Oxford and Cambridge match was having his last -dinner in town before he went down to his country parsonage again; two -ladies going on to the opera were dining by themselves--the Berkeley -is a place where ladies can dine and lunch without an escort; two -gentlemen, who from their speech were Australian--Colonial Premiers -the Gracious Lady called them--were giving a dinner to two very smart -ladies; there was another lady with six men at her table, all of whom -she was keeping amused; there was a pretty girl, with hair of the -sheen of copper and a great spray of roses, dining _tête-à-tête_ with a -bored-looking man with a bald head (_un mariage de convenance_ was the -Gracious Lady's decision); and there was a family party commanded by a -stern lady with spectacles. - -"Very good soup indeed," said the Editor, as he laid down his spoon, -and Jules, who was within hearing, smiled as if the wish of his life -had been accomplished, while Emile beamed as if he had come in for a -fortune. - -And indeed it would have been difficult, if we had been in a -fault-finding mood, to have discovered the slightest matter to carp -at in either room or dinner. The room, with its light oaken boarding, -topped by a deep red frieze, its tall fireplaces with blue tiles, its -white ceiling ornamented with strange devices, somewhat resembling -Whistler's butterfly signature, its wooden pillars and beams, -its clusters of electric lights and revolving fans, is a perfect -banqueting-room. Our table, gay with orchids and with sweet peas strewn -in the shape of a heart, and lighted by electric globes held by a stand -of wrought iron, was the best in the room, as I have written above, and -nowhere in England or abroad could we have been given a better dinner. -Indeed, from my point of view, it was too good a dinner, for there was -no weak spot in it to fasten a criticism on. The trout, in a silver -boat cased in ice and ornamented with paper-paddles and a flag at bow -and stern, was delicious, and Jules, with enthusiasm, described its -cooking: the white wine, the pepper, the little drop of vinegar, the -method of cooling. - -But the dish of the evening was the _caneton à la Drexel_. No great -bird of Rouen, but a delicate little fellow from Nantes was this duck, -the breast cut into fillets and the inside full of a glorious mixture -in which _foie gras_ played a leading _rôle_. "It is the second time -only that I have served it," said Jules again, when we complimented -him; and we all fully appreciated the great honour that was being paid. - -The _salade St-James_, of hearts of lettuce, tomatoes, and French -beans, pleased the Gracious Lady much, and she told us to notice how -the beans absorbed the flavour of the tomatoes. The ice made its -appearance as a pineapple with something which looked like a bridal -veil over it, and with a base of transparent ice fashioned to represent -a snake among leaves. Inside the pineapple was the ice. The snake set -the Editor a-telling tales of the gorgeous East. "The biggest snake I -ever saw," he began, "was killed in my house at Allahabad under the -ice-box." I glanced across to the Gracious Lady, who sat unmoved, -apparently used to the Editor's snake stories. I glanced at the jug of -hock cup, but the Editor had only had his fair share. Then I clenched -my teeth and settled down to listen, for one has to stand anything, -even snake stories, from one's Editor. - -The dinner ended, the coffee and old brandy absorbed by the Editor -and myself, a long cigar, which he said was very good, placed in the -Editor's mouth, and one of Savory's cigarettes in mine, a passion -for exploring came upon us, and, with Jules as guide, we set off on -a tour of the basement, the Gracious Lady holding up her skirts out -of the way of the sawdust with which the floors were strewn. We went -through the beautifully clean kitchen, lustrous with white tiles, over -which M. Herpin holds sway, through the pantry with its glass-fronted -cupboards, through the cool rooms where the meat and fowls are stored, -and through the bakery where three batches of bread are baked each day. -We reascended, and then the Editor, who was going on to a theatre, paid -the bill:--Three dinners at 10s. 6d., £1: 11: 6; two hock cups, 16s.; -three cafés, 2s. 3d.; liqueurs, 2s.; cigars, 1s.; total, £2: 12: 9. - - 12_th July_. - - * * * * * - -I am bound to say that I think that the Editor was let off very lightly -in his bill; but then editors are always better treated than the -ordinary everyday man. M. Jules has been kindness itself in noting for -me the dishes that are specialities of the Berkeley, indicating their -construction in all cases, and in most giving complete _recettes_. If -in some cases the English of the lady who assisted me by translating -the _recettes_ has quailed before some of the technical terms, I trust -that she and I may be excused, for the French of the _haute cuisine_ -requires some equivalent in English which our barbarous tongue does not -possess. - -These are some of the specialities of the Berkeley--_Poule au pot -à la Française, Crème d'or, Petites marmites à la Russe, Truite en -gondole au court bouillon, sauce verte, suprême de sole Alice_--a very -dainty dish named after M. Jules's little daughter--_selle d'agneau -de Pauillac aux primeurs, homard à l'Américaine, noisette d'agneau -Berkeley, caneton à la Drexel, poularde Berkeley, salade St-James, -asperges vertes à la Milanaise, ananas glacés Sibériennes, soufflé -Mercédès (diablé), croustade Victoria, canapés Berkeley_. - -Herewith the _recettes_, commencing with - - -_Petite marmite à la Russe_ - -_Julienne de légumes composée de carottes, navets, poireaux, oignon, -céleri et choux (braisés selon le règle), mouillez avec un bon consommé -de canard clarifié, ajoutez des morceaux de canard fortement blanchis, -faites bouillir doucement pour dépouiller, cuire et amener la petite -marmite à un goût parfait. Servir de la crème aigrette en même temps._ - -A Julienne made with carrots, turnips, greens, leeks, onions, celery. -The vegetables should be braised as usual, then moisten them with stock -in which there is plenty of duck. Add the pieces of duck, and let it -boil gently, so that it can be well skimmed, and the delicious flavour -brought out carefully. Serve cream at the same time. - - -_Crème d'Or_ - -_D'un fond de sole et volaille faites un velouté bien dépouillé, et -le tenir leger; lier avec un beurre de homard, le passer crème et -beurre extra fin pour finir, le goûter (il doit être de haut goût -comme le bisqué), garnissez d'une Royal au beurre de homard et huîtres -fraîchement pochées, et leur cuisson._ - -Stock made with sole and poultry, rich and smooth to the taste. Skim -very lightly, and mix with lobster butter, cream, and a little fresh -butter. Pass it through a silk sieve, taste it, and garnish it with a -_royale_ made with lobster butter, oysters freshly stewed and their own -liquor. - - -_Truite en gondolier à la Monseigneur_ - -_Pocher au vin du Rhin avec légumes et aromates, dresser dans un -gondolier assez large pour contenir la garniture suivante: œufs -pochés glacés, petites truffes, pommes au naturel, grosses quenelles, -crevettes piquées sur la truite même, bouquet de queues de crevettes, -champignons tournés, écrevisses dressées; tenir le tout très chaud, -glacez la truite et la garniture, saucez à part une sauce genevoise -faite avec le fond du poisson._ - -Stew the fish in Rhine wine, with vegetables and spices, arrange in -a _gondolier_ large enough to hold the following garnish: poached -eggs glazed, little truffles, boiled apples, large quenelles, prawns -(_piquées sur la truite même_). Flavour with shrimps' tails and -mushrooms, and arrange crayfish on it. Keep it all very hot. Glaze the -trout and the garnish. Serve separately a Genevoise sauce, made with -the liquor in which the trout were cooked. - - -_Selle d'agneau de Pauillac aux primeurs_ - -_Selle d'agneau de lait rôtie et garnie de légumes nouveaux._ - -Saddle of lamb (young), roasted and garnished with young vegetables. - - -_Homard à l'Américaine_ - -_Homard vivant, découpé; les pattes cassées, sautées au beurre -clarifié flambé au cognac, éteint au vin blanc (très sec), réduire et -ajoutez échalotte, civette, un verre de vin blanc, tomates concassées, -persil, sel, poivre frais moulu, piment haché très fin, une pointe de -cayenne, trois cuillerées de sauce tomate, demi litre de fond (thim et -lauriers), moitié poissons et moitié veau. Cuire pendant vingt-et-cinq -minutes, sortez les morceaux de homard en les dressant, et rendez le -plat aussi élégant que possible. Réduisez la sauce, liez au dernier -moment, avec le corail gardé à cru, et manier avec beurre de homard, -civette hachée, un petit morceau de glace de viande. Goûtez avant de -servir._ - -A live lobster, cut up; the claws cracked and fried (_sauté_) in -clarified butter. Boil down, and add shallot, chives, a glass of -white wine, crushed tomatoes, parsley, salt, pepper (freshly ground), -allspice chopped very fine, a pinch of cayenne, three teaspoonfuls of -tomato sauce, a little less than a pint of stock, thyme and laurel -leaves, the stock to be made partly with fish and partly with veal. -Cook for twenty-five minutes, take out the pieces of lobster, arrange -them and make the dish look as elegant as possible. Boil down the -sauce, and add at the last minute, with the uncooked coral of the -lobster, mixed with lobster butter, chopped chives and a little piece -of meat glaze. Taste before serving. - - -_Poularde à la Berkeley_ - -_(Pour une jolie poularde)_ - -_Deux cents grammes de riz Caroline revenu au beurre mouillé au fond -blanc, assaisonnez de bon goût (bouquet garni); cuire dix-huit minutes, -alors le riz doit se trouver à sec; le lier avec un velouté réduit -et legèrement monté à la crème, un peu de glace de viande; ajoutez -gros dés de truffe et foie gras. Vider la poularde par le haut, -l'assaisonner et la farcir du riz déjà préparé, brider soigneusement -pour éviter que la poularde garde une jolie forme, la citroner, la -barder et la rouler dans une petite serviette. Cuisez à grand fond -blanc quarante-cinq à cinquante minutes, finissez de cuire en la -laissant pocher dans le cuisson. Débarrassez de la serviette, la barde, -dressez sur un plat rond orné d'une bordure en pain du Argent du -Nouilly, saucez suprême et envoyez une saucière de sauce a part._ - -A young fowl, drawn, well-seasoned, garnished with Carolina rice; -place the rice in butter, with a little water, so that it is covered -to twice its height. Cook seventeen or eighteen minutes, add some -glaze and cream, and let it cool. Add _foie gras_ and truffles cut in -large dice, or in quarters, mix well with the rice, and season with -salt and pepper freshly ground. It should be well seasoned. Stuff the -fowls with this preparation, tying them up very securely. Cover the -birds with thin strips of bacon, and flavour with lemon. Wrap them in -little serviettes. Cook in good white stock for forty-five minutes, -and let them finish stewing in their own liquor. Take off the cloths -and the bacon, and arrange the birds on a round dish, _avec couronne_, -pour over them a good "sauce suprême," and serve the rest of the sauce -separately. - - -_Caneton à la Drexel_ - -_Bridé en entrée, le passer de cinq à huit minutes à four vif pour -rafermir les chairs, enlever la poitrine, et bien parer la carcasse, -l'assaisonner, la remplir d'un appareil à soufflé de canard à cru, -garni en abondance de gros quartiers de truffes et foie gras de façon à -reformer le canard en y ajoutant la poitrine enlevée; cuire vingt-cinq -minutes, découpez les aiguillettes du caneton; et servez avec le propre -fond, dégraissé et réduit au madère et porto; legèrement lié avec un -peu de demi-glace garnissez, de tranches de citron._ - -Place the duckling in a quick oven for from five to eight minutes, to -make the flesh firm. Take off the breast, clean the inside well, season -it, fill it with a soufflé preparation garnished with truffles cut in -quarters and _foie gras_. In order to give the duckling its original -form put back the breast. Cook for twenty-five minutes. Cut the -duckling in slices, and serve with its own stock and a little Madeira -and port. - - -_Ananas glacé Sibérienne_ - -_Ananas frais, enlevez la tête, videz l'ananas à l'aide d'une cuillère, -mettez au rafraîchissoir, d'autre part avec les chairs de l'ananas -faites une glace ananas kirsch et marasquin, remplissez l'ananas, -ajoutez la tête comme couvert, servez sur un rocher de glace, et garni -de fleurs naturels._ - -Take a fresh pineapple, remove the crown. Clear out the fruit with the -help of a spoon, and put it in the refrigerator; then with the flesh of -the pineapple make a pineapple ice with kirsch and maraschino. Fill up -the pineapple again, replace the head as a cover, serve it on a block -of ice, and ornament it with natural flowers. - - -_Rocher de mandarines glacées_ - -_Dressez sur un socle en glace, videz les mandarines, faites une glace -avec l'intérieur, regarnissez les mandarines et bien dressez sur le -socle._ - -Arrange on a block of ice. Take out the insides of the mandarin -oranges, make them into an ice-cream. Put back the insides again into -the oranges, and arrange upon the block of ice. - - -_Soufflé diablé à la Mercédès_ - -_Un soufflé glacé au parmesan avec laitance d'harengs à l'intérieur -garnie de petites lames de truffes, passer au four._ - -A soufflé glazed with Parmesan cheese, with the soft roes of herrings -in the inside, garnished with little slices of truffle, baked in the -oven. - - -_Timbale Parisienne_ - -_Pâté à brioches levé dans des moules à Charlotte cuite, regarnir de -la pâté intérieur, en réservant le couvercle, que l'on glace à la -glace Royale, et décore aux fruits de clemont (ou confis); d'un autre -côté vous cassonez vos timbales au sucre coloré de couleurs ardentes. -Coupez des fruits frais tel que ananas, poires, bananes, abricots, -muscat, cerises, mettez ces fruits dans une sauce abricots au kirsch et -marasquin, chauffez bien et remplissez vos timbales, servez sans faire -attendre la timbale._ - -[Illustration] - -_Pâté à brioches_ (puff pastry?), baked in Charlotte moulds. Remove -the paste from the inside, leaving a lid, which must be glazed with -"Royale" jelly, and decorated _aux fruits de clemont_, or preserved -fruits. Sugar over your timbales on the other side with coloured sugar, -choosing very brilliant colours. Cut up some fresh fruits, such as -pineapples, pears, bananas, apricots, cherries, and grapes. Put these -fruits into an apricot sauce, with kirsch and maraschino. Heat well, -and fill your timbales. Serve without any delay. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -THE SHIP (GREENWICH) - - -It was pleasant to see Miss Dainty's (of all the principal London -theatres) handwriting again. She had read all the "Dinners and -Diners," she told me, and did not think that any of them were as good -as the one when I had the inspiration or her presence. She had been -very ill--at the point of death, indeed--owing to a sprained ankle, -which prevented her going to Ascot, for which race-meeting she had -ordered three dresses, each of which was a dream. Why did I take out -to dinner nobody but Editors and Society ladies now? The parrot was -very well, but was pecking the feathers out of his tail. She had some -new pets--two goldfish, whose glass bowl had been broken and who now -lived in a big yellow vase. The cat had eaten one of the love-birds, -and was ill for two days afterwards. The pug had been exchanged for a -fox-terrier--Jack, the dearest dog in the world. Jack had gone up the -river on the electric launch and had fought two dogs, and had been -bitten over the eye, and had covered all his mistress's white piqué -skirt with blood; but for all that he was a duck and his mother's own -darling. - -This, much summarised, was the pretty little lady's letter, and I wrote -back at once to say that the pleasure of entertaining a princess of -the blood-royal was as nothing to the honour of her company, and if -the foot was well enough, would she honour me with her presence at -dinner anywhere she liked? And, as the weather had turned tropical, -I suggested either Richmond or Greenwich or the restaurant at Earl's -Court. - -Greenwich the fair lady gave her decision for, and then I made a -further suggestion: that, if she did not mind unaristocratic company, -the pleasantest way was to go by boat. - -This suggestion was accepted, and Miss Dainty in the late afternoon -called for me at a dingy Fleet Street office. I was delighted to see -the little lady, looking very fresh and nice as she sat back in her -cab, and I trust that my face showed nothing except pleasure when I -perceived a small fox-terrier with a large muzzle and a long leash -sitting by her side. Miss Dainty explained that as she had allowed her -maid to go out for the afternoon she had to bring Jack, and of course I -said that I was delighted. - -We embarked at the Temple pier on a boat, which was as most river boats -are. There were gentlemen who had neglected to shave smoking strong -pipes; there were affable ladies of a conversational tendency, and -there were a violin and harp; but there were as a compensation all the -beautiful sights of the river to be seen, the cathedral-like Tower -Bridge, the forest of shipping, the red-sailed boats fighting their -way up against the tide, the line of barges in picturesque zig-gag -following the puffing tugs; and all these things Miss Dainty saw and -appreciated. There was much to tell, too, that Miss Dainty had not -written in her letter, and Jack was a never-failing source of interest. -Jack wound his leash round the legs of the pipe-smoking gentlemen, -was not quite sure that the babies of the conversational ladies were -not somethings that he ought to eat, and at intervals wanted to go -overboard and fight imaginary dogs in the Thames. - -Arrived at Greenwich, at the Ship (the tavern with a rather dingy -front, with two tiers of bow windows, with its little garden gay with -white and green lamps, and with its fountain and rockery which had bits -of paper and straws floating in the basin), I asked for the proprietor. -Mr. Bale, thickset, and with a little moustache, came out of his room, -and whether it was that Fleet Street and the Thames had given me a -tramp-like appearance, or whether it was that he did not at once take -a fancy to Jack, I could not say, but he did not seem overjoyed to see -us. Yet presently he thawed, told me that he had kept a table by the -window for us, and that our dinner would be ready at 6.30, as I had -telegraphed. - -In the meantime I suggested that we should see the rest of the house. -"Would it not be better to leave the dog downstairs?" suggested Mr. -Bale, and Jack was tied up somewhere below, while we went round the -upper two stories of dining-rooms--for the Ship is a house of nothing -but dining-rooms. It is a tavern, not a hotel, and there are no -bedrooms for guests. We went into the pleasant bow-windowed rooms on -the first floor, in one of which a table was laid ready, with a very -beautiful decoration of pink and white flowers, and in the other of -which stand the busts of Fox and Pitt. We looked at the two curious -wooden images in the passage, at the chairs with the picture of a ship -let into their backs, and at the flags of all nations which hang in the -long banqueting-room; and all the time Jack, tied up below, lifted up -his voice and wept. - -I asked if Jack might be allowed to come into the dining-room and sit -beside his mistress while we had dinner, giving the dog a character -for peacefulness and quiet for which I might have been prosecuted -for perjury; but it was against the rules of the house, and Mr. Bale -suggested that if Jack was tied up to a pole of the awning just outside -the window he would be able to gaze through the glass at his mistress -and be happy. - -A fine old Britannic waiter, who looked like a very much reduced copy -of Sir William Vernon-Harcourt, put down two round silver dishes, -lifted up the covers, and there were two souchés, one of salmon and one -of flounder. I helped Miss Dainty to some of the salmon and filled her -glass with the '84 Pommery, which, after much thought, I had selected -from the wine list. But she touched neither; her eyes were on Jack -outside, for that accomplished dog, after doing a maypole dance round -the pole, had now arrived at the end of his leash--and incipient -strangulation. Miss Dainty went outside to rescue her pet from instant -death, and I, having eaten my souché, followed. Jack wanted water, and -a sympathetic hall porter who appeared on the scene volunteered to get -him a soup-plateful, and tie him somewhere where he could not strangle -himself. - -The souchés had been removed, and some lobster rissoles and fried slips -had taken their place. Miss Dainty took a rissole and ate it while she -watched the hall porter put Jack's plate of water down, and I made -short work of a slip and was going to try the rissoles when Jack, in -a plaintive tone of voice, informed the world that something was the -matter. His mistress understood him at once. The poor dear would not -drink his water unless she stood by; and this having been proved by -actual fact, Miss Dainty, with myself in attendance, came back to find -that whiting puddings and stewed eels had taken the place of the former -dishes. - -Miss Dainty took a small helping of the eels, looked at it, and then -turned her eyes again to Jack, who was going through a series of -gymnastics. I ate my whiting pudding, which I love, in fevered haste, -and had got halfway through my helping of eels, when Miss Dainty -discovered what was the matter with Jack. The boys on the steps below -were annoying him, and the only way to keep him quiet would be to give -him some bones. The sympathetic hall porter again came to the rescue, -and Jack, under his mistress's eye, made fine trencher play with two -bones. - -There was a look of reproach in the veteran waiter's eye when we came -back and found the crab omelette and salmon cutlets _à l'Indienne_ were -cooling. I tried to draw Miss Dainty's attention away from Jack. I told -her how Mr. _Punch_ had called her Faustine, and had written a page -about her; but when she found there was nothing to quote in her book of -press notices she lost all interest in the hump-backed gentleman. - -With the advent of the plain whitebait a new danger to Jack arose. -A turtle was brought by three men on to the lawn and turned loose, -and Miss Dainty had to go out and assure herself that Jack was not -frightened, and that the turtle was not meditating an attack upon him. - -The turtle was found to be a harmless and interesting insect, and -having been shown, with practical illustrations, how the beast was -captured by savages, Miss Dainty took great pity on it, collected water -in the soup-plate from the fountain, poured it over its head, and tried -to induce it to drink, which the turtle steadfastly refused to do. - -The veteran waiter was stern when we returned and found the devilled -whitebait on the table. I told him to bring the coffee and liqueurs and -bill out into the garden, because Miss Dainty, having been separated -from her dog so long, wanted to nurse and pet him. - -This was the bill:--Two dinners, 14s.; one Pommery '84, 18s.; two -liqueurs, 1s. 6d.; coffee, 1s.; attendance, 1s.; total, £1: 15: 6. - -We sat and watched St. Paul's stand clear against the sunset, and Miss -Dainty, her dog happy in her lap, suddenly said, "If you give this -place a good notice, I'll never speak to you again." - -"Why?" I replied. "The whitebait was delicious, the whiting pudding -capital, the omelette good. I liked the fried slips and the rissoles." - -"Yes, perhaps," said Miss Dainty, with a pout. "But they wouldn't let -me have my dog in the dining-room!" - - 19_th July_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -THE HOUSE OF COMMONS - - -I have a vague remembrance of having as a small boy been taken round -the Houses of Lords and Commons as a holiday treat. The Houses cannot -have been sitting at the time, and the only thing that I remembered was -the fact that the Lords sat on red seats, the Commons on green. - -I did once, in later years, make an attempt to gain admission to hear -a debate; but, after some waiting, the legislator to whom I had sent -in my card came out with rather a long face. He had moved heaven and -earth, he said, to find a place for me, but it was impossible. However, -he suggested, brightening up, there was nothing to prevent our going -together to the Aquarium over the way, which we should find much more -amusing. - -The House of Commons was, therefore, quite new ground to me, and I was -very pleased when the Rising Legislator asked me if I would not dine -some night with him in the House and hear a debate afterwards. - -The House of Commons is a nice comforting address to give a cabman, -and as I drove down Westminster wards I felt that in the eyes of one -individual I was that glorious person, an M.P. - -But, if my cabman thought I was the member for somewhere or another, -he was soon undeceived. We bowled into Palace Yard as if the place -belonged to me, and pulled up at an arched door, where a policeman was -on guard. I mentioned the Rising Legislator's name, but the policeman, -who, though hard-hearted, had excellent manners, could not admit me -except on the personal appearance of my host. - -"Then where am I to go?" I said, appealing to the better side of that -policeman's nature, and he told me to go out of the yard and turn to -the right, and I would be admitted at the first door. The cabman, who -had been listening, must have been satisfied with the fare I gave him, -for he invited me to get into the cab again, and said he would take -me round to the right place in a jiffy. Though friendly, there was a -distinct familiarity now in the cabman's manner. I had ceased to be an -M.P. in his eyes. - -The policeman at this other door was not hard-hearted, and directed -me up a long lobby, on either side of which were gentlemen of various -periods, in very white marble. Every policeman I passed I mentioned -the Rising Legislator's name to, just as a guarantee of good faith, -and I was passed on to a central lobby, where a small selection of the -public, looking very melancholy, were sitting patiently on a stone -bench, and where gentlemen of noble appearance--I do not wish to be -brought up at the bar of the House for saying anything disrespectful -of any member of the House--were in converse with others, whom I took -to be influential constituents. Some ladies in evening dress were -being shown about by smart gentlemen. There were policemen guarding an -entrance, and whenever anybody of the outside crowd approached it they -were warned away with a kind of "stand out of the draught" motion. It -is, no doubt, some deadly crime to get in the way of an M.P. in his own -House. - -A policeman directed me to write the Rising Legislator's name on the -back of my card, and, having scrutinised it to see whether I had -spelled the name correctly, handed it over to a gentleman in dress -clothes with what looked like a gilt plate with the Royal arms on it -at the V of his waistcoat. I waited some little time and inspected the -statues, some of which were rather comic, in the Lobby. - -Presently the Rising Legislator appeared, and apologised for being -somewhat late. A chat with a Cabinet Minister was the cause. I felt a -sort of reflected glory in this. We passed the sacred portals, and, as -we did so, I gave the policeman a glance as much as to say. "You see, I -didn't deceive you; I really do know him!" And I set my hat on the side -of my head with more of a cock. "It is the custom for no one except -the members of the House to wear their hats here," said the Rising -Legislator; and I relapsed again into humility. - -We peeped through a door and I was shown the Speaker in the chair, -whom I looked at with due awe; and then we went down a long, panelled -passage, the panels being the lockers, of which each member has one, -and presently we were in a lofty room with three great windows, and the -Rising Legislator was asking for the table that had been reserved for -him. - -It is a fine room, this Strangers' Dining-Room. The ceiling is nobly -ornamented, and the clusters of electric lights dropping from it -illumine the room cheerfully. On the walls is a paper with a pattern -in which heraldic roses and fleurs-de-lys play the principal part; the -curtains to the windows are of a soft green, and at about the height -of a man's head, topping the oak panelling, is a fine work of art, a -broad border of carvings of such things as furnish the good fare of the -table. The great windows, looking out on the Terrace and the river, -have massive stone frames, and inside they have as well a second wooden -framing, with all the modern appliances for letting in fresh air. There -is a little desk, with an accountant sitting at it. Beyond him, through -an open door, there is a glimpse of the Members' Dining-Room. The -chairs are covered with green leather, and have stamped on their backs -a gilt portcullis. It is in most things just like the dining-room of -some big club. - -I had asked to be given the ordinary dinner; but the Rising Legislator -insisted on our having either a duck or a chicken in our menu. He -ordered _consommé Brunoise_, which, looking at the bill of fare with -him, I saw would cost him 5d. a portion; whitebait; _noisettes de -mouton aux haricots verts_, two portions of which would cost him half -a crown. From the price list I gathered, too, that hon. members can -have a dinner, at fixed price, of two courses for 1s. 9d., three for -2s. 3d., four for 3s. - -There was a difficulty about the duck, or chicken, and the waiter -had to go from the table to the desk a couple of times before it was -discovered that the Rising Legislator could have a duck; and a fine -fat duck it was when it appeared. "I have got to speak to-night," said -the Rising Legislator, "and therefore we must have champagne," and he -ordered some '89 Clicquot to be put on ice. While the _pourparlers_ as -to the duck were in progress I had time to look round at the little -tables and the people dining at them. There were but few diners yet; -but two of the faces at the table next to ours caught my eye at once as -being familiar. The hair, with a streak of grey in it, the long face, -the spectacles, the straight beard, belonged to Mr. Dillon, and the -man opposite to him with the penthouse brows and the sleeve pinned up -on to his coat was Michael Davitt. The little stout gentleman with a -moustache, fingering his pince-nez, who came up presently to speak to -them, was Dr. Tanner. - -Just as the duck difficulty was settled and our soup put before -us, somebody entered the room and mumbled something in a loud -voice. "Speaker has left the chair," said the Rising Legislator in -explanation, and immediately the tables began to fill. Mr. Walter -Long and two friends were the first to enter; then, in succession, -baldish of head, bearded, and in a very long frock-coat, Sir William -Wedderburn; Mr. Morrell, broad of face; Mr. Yoxall, champion of the -N.U.T., thin and lightly bearded; Mr. Sam Smith, with a big white -beard; and burly Mr. Henniker-Heaton, the Imperial Postmaster-General -of time to come--all familiar public figures easy to recognise. Mr. -Austen Chamberlain, in a grey Ascot suit and a blue-and-white shirt, -hovered about the desk by the entrance, as if waiting for some one who -did not appear. - -The whitebait was excellent, the duck in life must have been a bird -of aldermanic figure, the _noisettes_ in size would have satisfied a -hungry man and in tenderness have pleased a gourmet, and we had come to -the strawberry-ice stage when again there was a loud mumble, and the -Rising Legislator told me that the Speaker was in the chair. - -From strawberry ice we had progressed to coffee and old brandy, when -behind the wainscotting there was a ringing as of many bicycle bells, -and about half of the diners rose, grasped their hats, and ran as -swiftly as if they were going to a fire. - -"It is a count," said the Rising Legislator. "_We_ will go down on to -the Terrace and smoke a cigar before I find you a place to listen to -the debate." Down a staircase with beautiful dark old panelling of the -napkin pattern we went until we came to the dimness of the Terrace, -where a policeman stood at ease to mark the spot sacred to members -only, and where the ladies who had dined in the House formed the -centres of groups. We watched the lights twinkle in the great hospital -across the dark flood, and the red and green eyes of a launch that came -slipping down the river. Presently, with a sigh, the Rising Legislator -threw away his cigar. "I suppose we must go in and hear what they are -talking of," he said. - - 26_th July_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -EARL'S COURT - - -In the morning, with my shaving water, was brought a note in a dashing -feminine handwriting. It was from the little American prima donna to -say she was sorry that she had forgotten, but she was engaged to dine -with some friends who were leaving England, and would I take her out -some other night instead; and she considerately suggested two evenings -on which she should have known that I would be out of town for Goodwood. - -I felt inclined to reply, like Uncle Gregory, that I knew those -friends--"they cum fr' Sheffield"; but I did nothing worse than to -write that of course I would take her out with pleasure on the first -evening she had vacant when I came back to town. - -I had arranged to drive her down to Earl's Court to give her dinner -at the Quadrant, to take her on to the lawn of the Welcome Club for -coffee and liqueurs, and then to go the round of the side shows. It -is not easy in August to find a lady to take out to dinner at twelve -hours' notice. Mrs. Charlie Sphinx was at Carlsbad, and Miss Dainty -was taking a holiday from the wear and tear of "resting" at some French -watering-place. I sent a note round by a cab to Sir George to ask if I -might take Miss Brighteyes out to dinner; but the man came back saying -that the house was all shut up, and that he could make no one hear. - -At the worst, I thought, I could pick up a man at the club; but the -few men in the smoking-room had either to go back to their wives or -had some dinner engagement. So it came that I started alone for Earl's -Court. - -I had written for a table to be kept for me at eight o'clock, and -a few minutes before the hour I disembarked at the entrance by the -lake. It was between the lights, and the great white globes aglow with -electricity looked garish against the delicate opal of the sky, and -cast strange reflections on the water. I paused for a moment to listen -to the blue-coated musicians on their island bandstand commencing the -march from "Aïda," and then went past the bronze Gordon on his camel, -past a buffet where a little crowd were dining frugally off sandwiches -and pale ale, over the long bridge, through the gardens, and at last -to the restaurant. In front of the broad awning which stretches before -the restaurant, standing by a red rope, which keeps the public from -coming too near, are two janitors, who, in their dark blue and peaked -caps, look rather like warders: a clerk at a desk, with a big open book -before him, sits opposite to the entrance. - -Had I booked a table? the clerk asked me as I came up. Certainly I had. -I had written that I wanted a particularly good table at eight o'clock. -The clerk looked up at a tall gentleman with a reddish beard and -moustache who stood behind him, M. Gerard, Messrs. Spiers and Pond's -manager, and the gentleman with the beard looked at his watch. It was a -quarter-past eight. M. Gerard explained that no tables were kept after -eight, and drew a vivid picture of a well-dressed but famished crowd -standing outside at the red ropes and threatening to tear down the -place if they were not admitted to the vacant places. My table had been -given to an eminently respectable couple who did not look as if they -would tear down anything, and I was about to go over the way to the -Welcome, in wrath, when it was found that there was a table for four, -right up against the barrier, vacant; and I settled down in solitary -dignity at one of the best tables in the place. A smart young waiter, -in white apron and brown coat with pink facings, put the menu in front -of me. I ordered a pint of Deutz and Gelderman to be put in ice, and -then looked round me. - -Immediately behind me a party were being entertained by two young -barristers. I could hear but not see them. They were telling legal -stories, and there was one as to Inderwick and the House of Lords -that set their table in a roar. Opposite to me was a little family -of father, mother, and son, and a pretty girl came bustling in to -complete the party, with, from her manner, a tale of misadventure and -delay to be told. A bald-headed, smart-looking soldier, a cavalryman -from his bearing, was giving dinner to a youngster who might be at a -crammer's--they were among the few men wearing evening dress; there -was an engaged couple who gazed into each other's eyes across the -table, and there was a fat gentleman, who I should think was a Jewish -financier, who was giving dinner to a girl with many rows of pearls -round her throat and a glint of diamonds on her dress. The financier -was drinking the girl's health, and as he held back his head to drain -his glass she made, lightning quick, a face at him, which said more -than pages of history. - -I had eaten my _hors-d'œuvre_, and the waiter brought me the clear -soup I had chosen. It was not as hot as it should have been; but the -kitchen is some way off from the tables at the far edge of the awning, -and, with one of the most wonderful outlooks in the world, one is not -prepared to be over particular as to cookery. - -The opal tints in the sky had died out and had left it a sheet of -steel. On the right the tall white building in which is the panorama -was already shining with electric light; the canvas buttresses and -towers, looking solid enough now, stood black against the grey. In -the bandstand in the centre of the promenade Dan Godfrey and his -crimson-coated musicians were playing a waltz air, and a crowd, dimly -seen, was moving round and round this centre of attraction. The Welcome -Club, with its lighted windows, was away to the left, and, above all, -the Great Wheel, starred with lights, moved its circle very gently and -silently. Men in the half light were running hither and thither with -long sticks with a flame at the end, and lights green, white, and rose -began to twinkle on all sides. - -The choice had been given me between _saumon, sauce Rubens_ and _filet -de merlan frit, sauce Ravigote_. I chose the whiting, and had the cook -only been more careful in boning his fish I should have called it -excellent. - -The engaged couple had left their table, and a merry party, two -nice-looking girls, a young, clean-shaven man, and a grey-haired _bon -vivant_, had taken their places. The girls, who had evidently come out -to enjoy themselves thoroughly, were laughing already. - -The financier had ordered another bottle of champagne; the girl with -the pearls opposite to him, her chin on her fist, was gazing out -at the sky from which the light had faded. A big party, the men in -evening dress, passed through under the awning to the big room of the -restaurant, a room decorated with paintings of Indian gods and heroes -and rajahs, and the red shades of the candles on their table made a -pleasant note of warm colour. - -My waiter brought the _pigeon braisé Démidoff_. I looked at it and it -appeared nice; but I sent it away, for I was not hungry, and there were -other dishes still to come. - -The sky now was all light indigo, with the clouds deeper patches of the -same colour. All the little lamps in the garden were alight, twinkling -in great curves against the black of the battlements. The bandstand was -outlined with rose: the Welcome Club was ablaze with green: the trees -under all this light had a strange metallic shine. The rays from the -searchlight came sweeping overhead: the Wheel with its circle of stars -still turned solemnly. Amidst all the lights one inscription in green -and white lamps, "Infant Incubator," fixed itself on my attention, and -I found myself wondering what an infant incubator could be like. - -The crowd outside had increased in number. There seemed to be many -ladies in white with white hats amongst it; there was occasionally -a gleam of white shirt fronts; little boys in straw hats and Eton -collars dived into the thick, and then reappeared; the programme boys, -in grey Early Victorian dress, came and went. The band was hammering -away at the "Mikado." Two pretty girls in black dresses with wide -white collars, one with a white sailor hat, one with a black one, -paused outside to watch us dining. I should have liked to ask them -in to dine, for I was feeling very lonely, but I remembered British -conventionality, and forbore. The _côtelette d'agneau à la Bellevue_ -which the waiter brought me was hot and well cooked, but I do not think -that the chicken, a wing of which succeeded the cutlet, could have -lived a very happy life. I think it must have been consumptive. - -The restaurant was beginning to empty now, the guests filing out in -twos and threes, and vanishing into the parti-coloured crowd; and -still the Wheel, with its silent power, turned, and still the "Infant -Incubator" danced before my eyes. - -The beans, the ice, and the peach with which I finished my dinner were -all good--I refused the _pouding Victoria_ which was on the menu; and -after sipping my coffee and paying my bill--one dinner, 7s. 6d.; one -pint 239, 6s. 6d.; liqueur, 2s.; total, 16s.--I obeyed an irresistible -impulse and went over to see what an infant incubator was like. - - 3_rd August_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -THE STAR AND GARTER, RICHMOND - - -The little American prima donna was not so faithless as I thought, for -when, Goodwood being over, I wrote to her and asked her if she would -not take pity on a poor bachelor stranded in a deserted town, and drive -down to Richmond and dine, she telegraphed back a "Yes," and told me -that I might come and pick her up at the Hôtel Cecil. - -The covered-in space before the big caravanserai in the Strand in June -and July, is almost as representative of English life as is church -parade in the Park. In August it is more like the hall of an hotel -at some big American watering-place, for our cousins from across the -herring-pond take possession of all the seats, and sit all day long -drinking iced drinks through straws, and listening to the band. - -I found the little prima donna, looking very fresh and cool in pink, -rocking herself in a chair, and was immediately denounced for being in -dress clothes when I had wired to her not to change into evening dress. -I explained that dress clothes with a man are a very different thing -from evening dress with a lady, and also that it was the custom. "Some -of your English customs do tire me," was the remark with which the -prima donna closed the discussion, and then told me that I might have -a cocktail if I thought that it would make me feel good. This libation -in honour of the great republic performed, we started. The little prima -donna, the dress clothes forgiven, was prepared to be pleased. She had -a remark to make as to everything that we passed, and reconstructed -for me the Fulham Road as it would be in an American city. In time she -thought we might learn how to build a town. The groups of ponies coming -back from Ranelagh, where the last match of the season had been played -between the Butterflies and a home team, interested her immensely, as -also did some of the players driving back in their neat little carts -at a great pace, and later on a glimpse of the club grounds with the -great elms, the glint of water through a thicket, and the smooth green -of the polo ground, set her talking of American polo grounds, Myopia, -and other names which were strange to me; and though she was quite sure -that the boys over in America could whip our British players every -time, still she allowed that they had nothing there quite like the grey -old house with its elms and its water. The conversion of the little -prima donna was commencing. - -The sun set, a red ball dipping into the brown heat mist, as we passed -over Barnes Common, and when the little prima donna said that we had -nothing in England like the sunsets over the Hudson, I felt that on -this day, at least, the sun was not behaving well in his manner of -setting. - -We came to Richmond Park in the afterglow, and going in through the -Sheen gate, drove through the Park, which was glorified by the rosy -dimness which lingers so long at the close of a hot August day. The -mysterious light was on the great trees and the stretches of bracken -and the rolling distances of sward. The deer were moving through the -fern, and there was a drowsy silence, broken only by the calling of -the birds and the faint hum of the outside world shut away beyond -this fairy paradise. The little prima donna sat with parted lips and -wide-open eyes, drinking in all the scene and whispering at intervals, -"Beautiful! beautiful!" I had no need to ask her whether there was -anything like this in her country across the ocean. - -Presently the bicyclists came drifting down the road in shoals. These -swift, silent travellers put a modern note into the picture of old-time -woodland, and suddenly we came to the iron gates, and the tall, grey -house, and the little prima donna said that her drive through fairyland -had given her an appetite. - -The Star and Garter has as many appearances and moods as a pretty -woman. On a Sunday afternoon, when the bicycles are piled in tens of -scores outside the building, when the gravel is crunched continuously -by carriages coming and going, when every table in both dining-rooms -has its full complement of guests, and little groups stand outside -the glass panelling watching for their turn to come, when the -coffee-drinkers sit at the round tables in the passage, and the terrace -is bright with girls' dresses, and rings with laughter, when far below, -the face of the river is crowded with boats, and a crowd streams along -the towing-path, then the Star and Garter is frankly, merrily Cockney. -But on a summer night when the moon is at the full, when the windows of -the ball-room are alight, and the whisper of a waltz tune comes down to -the terrace, when the river runs a ribbon of silver through the misty -landscape, then the Star and Garter becomes an enchanted palace. - -It was a quiet evening on the day that I drove down with the little -prima donna, but had I not telegraphed early in the day we should not -have got the table for two by the open window that looked out on to the -terrace and to the Thames in the valley below. - -The little prima donna stood by the window and gazed out. She felt -the charm of the scene, but fought against it, for she was a little -piqued that she had never seen anything quite like it before, that the -United States did not hold its exact parallel. "I guess it is that your -landscapes are so small and so easily filled up that makes them so -different from ours," was her explanation; but that was not what she -meant. - -The manager of the restaurant had told me that he had ordered a little -dinner for me, some _hors-d'œuvre, petite marmite,_ red mullet, -_tournedos, pommes sautées,_ a duckling, salad, and some ices; and I -told him that that would do very nicely. The _hors-d'œuvre_ were on the -table, but it was difficult, hungry as she was, to induce the little -prima donna to leave her first view of the river, a river now grown -steel-colour in the growing darkness, and to turn to the prosaic side -of life, and dinner. - -It is a comfortable dining-room, with its green curtains to the big -bow-window, its paper with a flower pattern, its mirrors and its great -panes of glass through which the arched looking-glasses of the hall -can be seen. Of our fellow-diners there was no one whose face is well -known to the world. There was a young man with gold buttons to his coat -and a suggestion of the Georgian period in his full head of hair, who -was dining _tête-à-tête_ with a pretty dark-haired lady; there was a -bald-headed gentleman entertaining a family party; there were three -young gentlemen dining by themselves very merrily; the rest were the -people one sees at any good hotel. - -The soup was excellent--though why managers of restaurants always -seem to think that _petite marmite_ is the only soup in existence I -do not know; but the prima donna was glad to put down her spoon and -look out of the window again. She had read that morning, she told me, -all the descriptions she could find of Richmond, in prose and verse; -but the real thing was more beautiful than any description of it had -prepared her for. I felt that the conversion of the little American was -progressing. - -The fish was not a success. The weather was very hot, and, as the -prima donna put it, "this mullet, I guess, has not been scientifically -embalmed." The waiter, deeply grieved, spirited the fish away, and put -the tournedos, which were excellently cooked, in their place. - -The pine outside the window was black now against the sky, and a chilly -breeze came up from the river. The little prima donna felt the chill, -and drew her cloak over her shoulders. - -The duck was plump and tender, and when she had trifled with a wing, -the prima donna, hoping that nobody would be horrified, asked for a -cigarette. The ice and coffee and liqueurs finished, I called for the -bill--hors-d'œuvre, 2s.; marmite, 1s. 6d.; tournedos, 4s.; pommes, -1s.; caneton, 8s. 6d.; salade, 1s.; ices, 2s.; coffee, 1s.; one bottle -Deutz and Gelderman, 12s. 6d.; cigarettes, 1s.; liqueurs, 2s. 6d.; -couverts, 1s.; total, £1: 18s.--and then suggested that we should go -down on to the terrace. The prima donna leant over the balustrade, her -cigarette making a point of light, and gazed in silence at the darkened -landscape. The river, visible still amidst the darkness, had caught -and held in its bosom the reflections of the summer stars and of a -newborn moon. Presently she threw away the little roll of paper and -tobacco, and began quoting in a low voice--a speaking voice as musical -as singing--the lines of poor Mortimer Collins's swan song:-- - - Stern hours have the merciless fates - Plotted for all who die; - But looking down upon Richmond aits, - Where the merles sing low to their amorous mates, - Who cares to ask them why? - -The conversion of the little American was complete. - - 9_th August_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -THE CAVOUR (LEICESTER SQUARE) - - -I first met Arthur Roberts in the buffet of the Cavour, and first heard -there the tale of "The Old Iron Pot." On that occasion I was taken -by a friend into the buffet, a long room with a bar decorated with -many-coloured glasses, a broad divan running along the wall, and many -small tables by it. Seated on the divan was a thin, clean-shaven little -man, talking to a very tall man, also clean-shaven. So immersed in -their conversation were the two that they hardly acknowledged me when I -was introduced to them; "they" being Messrs. Arthur Roberts and "Long -Jack" Jervis, both of them then playing in "Black-eyed Susan" at the -Alhambra, almost next door. As far as I could make out, the entrancing -story that Mr. Arthur Roberts was telling, had as its central figure -an old iron pot. He was in deadly earnest in his recital. Mr. Jervis -and my friend were thoroughly, almost painfully, interested, and -accompanied the story with little exclamations of surprise and -sympathy, but for the life of me I could not follow the narrative. -All sorts and conditions of people suddenly were introduced into the -tale by name, and as suddenly disappeared out of it. Arthur Roberts -finished, and the other two broke into speeches of congratulation, -saying how thoroughly interested and affected they had been. I, in a -bewildered way, commenced to ask questions, when the mouth of the merry -comedian began to twitch up on one side, and his eyelids to blink. Then -I understood. I was another victim to the tale of "The Old Iron Pot." - -It was in this buffet, which remains now as it was then, that Arthur -Roberts invented the game of "spoof,"--but that is a very long story. - -There has always been a savour of Bohemianism around the Cavour, -and therefore it was only right and proper that the six of us who -sat down to dinner there one August evening, should all in our -time have wandered through the pleasant paths of the country of -free-and-easiness. With grey hairs has come ballast, and one of the -party is now a great landowner, doing his duty as high sheriff of -his county; two of the others are chairmen of boards controlling -great theatrical enterprises; a fourth, who won renown originally as -a Jehu, now coins money in successful speculation; and the fifth is -the trusted adviser of a well-known plutocrat. One of the chairmen, -who can claim the title of successful dramatic author as well, and is -not unknown on the Stock Exchange, was the giver of the feast. Our -gathering came about through an argument on the relative merits of -cheap and expensive restaurants, and whether there was value received -for the difference in the price of the dinners. The chairman was a -warm upholder of the cheap dinner, and concluded the argument by -saying, "When I go to the Savoy or Princes' I am prepared to pay for my -surroundings and company; when I want food only I go to Philippe of the -Cavour, and ask him to add something to his three-shilling dinner, and -to give me five-shillings-worth, and if you fellows will come and dine -with me there you shall try for yourselves." And "we fellows" said like -one man that we would. - -The Cavour, which shows its clean white face, adorned with golden -letters, to Leicester Square, has grown immensely since I first made -its and M. Philippe's acquaintance. There comes first a narrow little -room, with a big counter on which fruit and flowers and cold meats are -displayed, and behind which a lady in black stands. Here M. Philippe, -shortish, grey-haired, with a little close-clipped moustache, black -coat, and turned-down collar, with a black tie, generally waits to -usher his patrons in, and find them seats. Then comes the big room, -the walls in light colour, brass rails all round to hold hats, on the -many mirrors a notice pasted, "Our table d'hôte Sundays, 6 to 9"; in -the centre a big square table with a palm in the middle of it, the -table at which, when the room is crowded, lone gentlemen are set to -take their dinner, and around the big table a cohort of smaller tables. -The ceiling mostly consists of a skylight, the windows in which always -keep the room cool. Beyond this room is another one, newly built, also -light in colour, and with many mirrors. - -As soon as we were seated, M. Philippe came bustling up. He is a very -busy man, for he believes in the adage as to doing things well; and, -therefore, he is up at five every morning, and goes the round of the -markets, and in his own restaurant is his own _maître d'hôtel_. Yet, -busy as he is, he finds time to devote much attention to Freemasonry, -and his list of subscriptions to the various Masonic charities has -generally the biggest total of any sent in. He was supposed in this -charitable competition to have been, on one occasion, outstripped by -another worker in the cause, and we immediately began to chaff him on -the subject. M. Philippe acknowledged that a march had been stolen on -him; but to make up for it he had been eminently successful in securing -the admission of a little girl to one of the masonic institutions. "She -got in on top of our poll," was his way of putting it. The feast he had -prepared for us was as follows:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre. - La petite marmite. - Filets de soles Mornay. - Whitebait. - Poulet sauté Portugaise. - Côtes de mouton en Bellevue. - Canetons d'Aylesbury. - Petits pois Française. Salade. Haricots verts. - Fromages. - Dessert. - - -I noted that the _petite marmite_--I seem doomed always to be given -_petite marmite_--was good, and was more enthusiastic than that over -the fillets of sole, for those, I thought, were "very good." The -whitebait, erring on the right side, were a trifle too soft. The -_poulet sauté Portugaise_ was a triumph of _bourgeois_ cookery, but so -rich that I was glad that the good doctor who takes an interest in the -state of my liver was not one of our party. The Aylesbury ducklings -were fine, plump young fellows, who must have lived a youth of peace -and contentment. We drank with this substantial dinner some '89 Pommery. - -There is always a bustle at the Cavour, and a coming and going of -guests. Directly a table is vacated plates and glasses are whisked -away, fresh napkins spread, and in a few seconds M. Philippe has -personally conducted some incoming guests to their seats. The _table -d'hôte_ is served from five to nine. First to the feast comes a -sprinkling of actors and actresses, making an early meal before -going to the theatre. Then comes an incursion of white-shirt-fronted -gentlemen and ladies in evening dress, dining before going to the play. -Lastly comes the steady stream of ordinary diners, good _bourgeois_ -most of them, who choose to dine as they have come from their City -offices, in frock-coats or other unostentatious garb. - -As we settled down to our meal, a theatrical manager, who had been -giving one of the prettiest ladies of his company dinner, was leaving. -A well-known amateur coachman, just up from the country, had time -to give his wife something to eat before going off to catch another -train; a white-bearded gentleman was entertaining two pretty daughters -in evening dresses, and was desperately afraid that they would not get -to the theatre in time to see the curtain rise. A very pretty lady, -with a hat of peacocks' feathers and a great bow rising from it, was -an actress "resting." The rest of the diners who filled the room were -all good, respectable citizens and citizenesses, in fine broadcloth and -silk, but none of their faces was familiar to us through the pages of -the illustrated papers. - -This was the bill paid by the chairman:--Six dinners at 5s., £1: 10s.; -three bottles Pommery, '89, £2: 2s.; one seltzer, 6d.; five cafés, 2s. -6d.; six liqueurs, 4s. 6d.; total, £3: 19: 6. - -M. Philippe has a little pleasure-ground attached to the restaurant, -a plot of kitchen garden and an orangery, the vegetables and herbs -and fruit from which must cost him about a thousand times their value -at Covent Garden. But it is Philippe's hobby, and he likes to be able -to give any favoured customer a bunch of mignonette grown in a garden -within thirty yards of Leicester Square. At night the blazing cressets -of the Alhambra and the gas decorations of Daly's light this strange -little bit of _rus in urbe_, and when one wonders at a practical man -keeping such desirable building land for such a purpose, M. Philippe -shrugs his shoulders and says, "The earth he grow every day more -valuable." - - 16_th August_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -THE CAFÉ ROYAL (REGENT STREET) - - -My sister-in-law is the daughter of a dean. I do not make this -statement through family pride, but because it is pertinent to what -follows. - -Man and boy, these six years or so, I have known little Oddenino, -who now rules the destinies of the Café Royal. The little man, with -his quiet, rather nervous manner and big serious eyes, went from the -management of the East Room at the Criterion to the Washington in -Oxford Street, then to the big hotel at Cimiez, and has now put the -Café Royal into shape. - -During the summer of 1897, I was one day, towards lunch-time, pacing -up and down the passage which leads from the pillared door in Regent -Street to the café and grill-room portion of the big establishment, a -passage which has on one side the bookstall where the French papers are -on sale, and on the other the manager's offices, when a door opened and -Oddenino appeared. I asked him what he was doing in the Café Royal, and -he told me that he had come as manager. Then he put his head on one -side and considered me. With the utmost politeness he suggested that I -was waiting for a lady, a soft impeachment which I admitted, and that -I was not in the best of tempers, which was also true. He was deeply -grieved, but tried to console me by saying that when I came back to -town in the autumn I should find a comfortable room upstairs to wait -in, and went on to tell me of the other improvements he intended to -make. One great grief he had, and that was that some people thought -that the company that frequented the restaurant was rather Bohemian. -How anybody could think so, I told him, I could not understand, and -as a triumphant proof of this I told Oddenino that the first lady -whom I would bring to dine in the redecorated restaurant should be my -sister-in-law, the daughter of a dean. - -In the autumn the opportunity arrived for carrying out my promise. My -brother was away slaughtering many driven partridges in Wiltshire, -and my sister-in-law--did I mention that she is the daughter of a -dean?--was left in solitary dignity in town. I went in the afternoon -of the day we were going to dine to apprise Oddenino of our impending -visitation--that word has a comforting clerical sound--and to order -dinner. - -My sister-in-law is not partial to shellfish, so the oysters with which -I should have begun the feast were not to be thought of, nor were -most of the most delicate ways of cooking a sole to be considered. -My sister-in-law has always said that my idea of a perfect dinner is -semi-starvation, so I included two entrées instead of one in the menu. -This was the dinner which I, in consultation with Oddenino, settled -upon:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre Russe. - Pot au feu. - Sole Waleska. - Noisette d'agneau Lavallière. - Haricots verts à l'Anglaise. - Parfait de foie gras. - Caille en cocotte. - Salade. - Pole nord. - - -When I suggested an ice, and Oddenino wrote down _pole nord_, I asked -him what particular ice that meant. It was only a cream ice served on a -pedestal of clear ice, he said; but he thought that _pole nord_ to end -a menu sounded grand and mysterious. - -I should, out of compliment to my sister-in-law, have liked to have -driven up to the Café Royal in an equipage such as dignitaries of the -Church use, with a hammer-cloth and a white-wigged coachman; but a -humble coupé had to suffice. - -We went up the staircase, which has been regilt and refurbished, -and has more flowers and plants than of yore, and into the little -waiting-room at the top of the stairs, which Oddenino had promised to -have built for me to save wear and tear of my temper. It is not a very -large waiting-room, a promise only of better things to come, a slice of -the first of the big rooms partitioned off by a screen of mirrors. Some -easy-chairs look comforting even to a hungry man, and, no doubt, not -only my temper, but that of others, will profit by it in the future. A -table had been kept for us in the first room, and when my sister-in-law -had settled down she began looking carefully at the diners at the other -tables. I asked if there was any one whom she expected to see, and was -told that she was looking for the actresses I had promised to point out -to her. Our table commanded a fine view of the room we were in and the -big room, the windows of which look on to Glasshouse Street. There was -scarcely a vacant table, but nowhere could I see an actress to point -out to my sister-in-law. There was a celebrated doctor, clean-shaven -and with white hair, dining _tête-à-tête_ with his wife; there was a -well-known barrister, invincible in licensing cases, who was giving a -dinner to his wife and daughter; there was a big dinner-party of men -all hailing from the Stock Exchange; there was a smart little lady -talking hunting to three entranced youths; but nowhere could I see a -face that I recognised as belonging to an actress. - -My sister-in-law thought that she had been defrauded, but luckily the -fat waiter, an old ally of mine, appeared at the right moment with the -caviar, and the _sommelier_ was anxious to know whether I would have -the Clicquot vin rosée, which poor M. Nicol used to say was the best -champagne in the cellar, iced. My sister-in-law approved highly of the -soup, and indeed it was excellent, simple and strong. Then came the -_sole Waleska_, and I was anxious to see whether my sister-in-law--who, -I have omitted to state, is the daughter of a dean--appreciated the -delicacy of the sauce and the almost imperceptible flavouring of -cheese. She did, and I forgave her on the spot for not liking oysters. -The _noisette d'agneau_ was not quite on a par with the glory of the -remainder of the dinner, for the tiny morsels of lamb, the foundation -of the _plat_, might have been more tender; but I am sure that if the -dear departed geese of Strassburg could have looked upon their livers, -placed snugly in a great _terrine_, to which the blocks of truffle -gave a half-mourning effect, and covered decently with a fair coating -of transparent jelly, they would have been consoled for all their -over-eating and subsequent demise. - -At this period of our dinner little Oddenino came up, and I asked him -to point out some of the alterations to my sister-in-law. He showed her -the new lamps, which cast a pleasant rosy light on the tables; the new -carpet; sent the _maître d'hôtel_ to fetch samples of the new china and -glass and silver which by now have been taken into use; explained how -the kitchen, which is under the rule of M. Charles, has been doubled -in size; and how the serving arrangements, which of old were _coram -populo_, and carried out with an accompaniment of shrill female voices -and much clashing of plates, were now safely concealed behind a wall of -mirrors. I told Oddenino that I thought that even now too much noise -came through the open door which leads to the serving-room; for I -hold a really good dinner to be so sublime a thing that the homage of -absolutely silent attendance is due to it; and the little man, looking -suddenly as sorrowful as if he had lost a near relation, promised to -have swing doors put up, so that not a whisper should penetrate to the -dining-rooms. - -The quails were delicious. Their flesh almost melted in one's mouth, -as my sister-in-law remarked. When the _pole nord_ came the ice proved -not to be an ordinary one, but a semi-fluid delicacy cased in harder -cream ice. The ice pedestal was in the shape of a bird resting on -rocks, and when I made a feeble little jest about Andrée's pigeons -my sister-in-law laughed. I reproved her austerely, telling her that -if she laughed thus she would be taken for an actress. Whereon she -retorted that she did not want to be taken for an actress, but that -she wanted to be one. I opened my eyes in a query, and she said that -if actresses were given every night such a dinner as she had eaten she -wanted to be an actress. - -I paid my bill while my sister-in-law admired the beautiful -flower-decked Minton china, a trayful of which was brought to her, the -glasses with a golden N and a crown on them and the heavy silver. The -bill was: two couverts, 1s.; hors-d'œuvre, 2s.; pot au feu, 2s.; sole -Waleska, 3s. 6d.; suprême d'agneau, 3s. 6d.; haricots verts, 1s. 6d.; -parfait de foie gras, 4s.; caille cocotte, 5s.; salade, 1s.; pole nord, -2s. 6d.; café, 1s. 6d.; one bottle '67, 15s.; liqueurs, 2s.; total, £2: -4: 6. - -I told my sister-in-law that if we were not to miss the first act of -the play we were going to see, we had better be going, so she laid down -the straw through which she had been sucking her _crème de menthe_, and -with a sigh, a tribute of remembrance to the quails, put on her gloves. - -I have now a sister-in-law who is the daughter of a dean, but who wants -to become an actress. - - 1_st November_. - - * * * * * - -Since writing the above the Café Royal has definitely taken its place -once again as one of the first-class restaurants of London. Little -Oddenino has continued making improvements, putting in a lift, making a -cloak-room, and adding generally to the comfort of the place. - -I asked the little man to send me the menu of a dinner given to the -late Mr. "Barney" Barnato before he started on his ill-starred journey -to the Cape, and also to ask M. Charles to give me the _recette_ of the -_soles Waleska_. M. Oddenino sent me a menu, which is a good specimen -of a Café Royal dinner for a large party; but which I do not recognise -as the Barnato menu, and also the _recette_ for _filets de sole -St-Augustin_--named after him, for his "front name" is August--the very -latest delicacy in fish. - -Here are menu and _recette_-- - - Solera 1852 Hors-d'œuvre Russe - Huîtres natives - Consommé Prince de Galles - Turbotin à la Polignac - Veuve Clicquot 1889 Suprême de volaille à la Montpensier - Côtelette d'agneau de lait à la Régence - Corbeille de pommes soufflée - Giesler 1884 Parfait de foie gras - Extra dry Bécassine rôtie sur canapé - Salade de cœur de laitue - Château Lafite 1875 Nageoires de tortue à l'Américaine - Martinez 1863 Asperges nouvelles Anglaise. Sauce mousseline. - Ananas glacé - Soufflé au fromage - Grande Fin Champagne, Corbeilles de fruits - Waterloo 1815 Café - -Here is the _recette_ of the _filets de sole St-Augustin_, to which -both M. Charles, the _chef_, and M. Oddenino, its godfather, have set -their signature-- - - -_Recettes de filets de sole St-Augustin_ - -_Prenez une belle sole bien fraîche, enlevez-en les filets, pliez-les -en deux, mettez-les dans une casserole avec un morceau de beurre, sel, -poivre et un bon verre de champagne._ - -_Faites cuire les filets de sole, aussitôt prêts retirez-les et faites -réduire la cuisson aux trois-quarts, ensuite ajoutez-y une demie-pinte -de crème et laissez réduire un moment le tout ensemble._ - -_Mettez à part dans une casserole vingt-quatre queues d'écrevisses avec -une truffe fraîche emmincie, un peu de beurre, sel et poivre, faites -chauffer le tout doucement et mélangez ensuite votre sauce avec la -garniture._ - -_Dressez les filets de sole sur un plat rond, saucez par dessus, ajoutez -un peu de fromage rapé pardessus, faites glacer au four et servez très -chaud._ - -[Illustration] - -Take a large, perfectly fresh sole. Fillet it. Fold the fillets in two, -and put them in a saucepan, with a piece of butter, salt, pepper, and a -glassful of champagne. Let the fillets cook until they are done, then -take them out, and boil down the stock to three-quarters, then add to -it half a pint of cream, and boil it all down together, for a moment. -In another saucepan (a silver one), put the tails of twenty-four -crayfish, with a truffle, freshly cut up, a little butter, and a little -salt and pepper. Let this get hot very slowly, and mix your sauce with -the garnish. Arrange the fillets of sole on a round dish and glaze them -over. Serve very hot. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -FRASCATI'S (OXFORD STREET) - - -I am beginning to flatter myself that I am a success in clerical -circles. One week I took out to dinner my sister-in-law--who, I omitted -to state, is the daughter of a dean; and the next week I successfully -entertained a dear, simple-minded, white-haired old clergyman who had -come from his parish in the North to London on business. - -Two little boys home from Harrow are sitting at a table by an open -window, looking through the frame of rose sprays and streamers of -virginia-creeper to the turn of the road in the foreground, where -the black wood of the sun-dial, put up to commemorate the battle of -Waterloo, stands out against the rose red of the old brick wall behind -it, where one of the posts of the village stocks still exists as a -warning to evildoers, with beyond, in the middle distance, the great -horse-chestnuts and the village cricketing ground, which serves as a -promenade for the postmaster's geese. The whole landscape is closed in -by a great forest of firs, on the outskirts of which red roofs and the -tarnished gold of thatch chequer the dark green. Behind the two little -boys stands a curate fresh from Oxford, who is trying to hammer into -their thick little heads the translation of - - ----cur apricum - oderit campum---- - -his own thoughts all the time, like theirs, being on the -cricket-ground, and not with Quintus Horatius Flaccus. That is the -picture that always comes to me when I think of my old clerical friend. - -He was a keen cricketer, and bowled underhand with a cunning break from -the off which was too much for the yokels of the teams that our village -eleven annually held battle with; and those daily two tiresome hours -over, our holiday task done, he would bowl, at the net put up in the -neighbouring field, as long as we chose to bat. His one dissipation -now is a visit to London annually to see the Oxford and Cambridge -cricket-match, and he always stays when he comes to London at my -mother's house. Unexpected business had brought him south last week, -and one evening he would have been alone had I not offered to take him -out somewhere. - -Where to take him was a puzzle. I did not think that he would -appreciate the delicacy of Savoy, or Cecil, or Prince's, or Verrey's -cookery; the refinements of the Berkeley and the Avondale, and the -light touch of M. Charles's hand would be as naught to him. Luckily I -remembered that last July he had been taken to dine at Frascati's, by -a friend and old parishioner of his, and that the place and the dinner -had made so great an impression on him that his conversation for the -next day consisted chiefly of praise of the gorgeous palace in which -he had been entertained. If Frascati's had proved such a success once, -I saw no reason why it should not be so again, and suggested that we -should dine there, a suggestion which met with decided approval; so I -telegraphed to ask that a table might be reserved for me upstairs. - -My previous experiences of Frascati's had been chiefly confined to the -grill-room, a gorgeous hall of white marble, veined with black, with -a golden frieze and a golden ceiling, where I often eat a humble chop -or take a cut from the joint before going to listen to Dan Leno or -some other mirth-provoker at the Oxford next door; but looking at the -great restaurant after we had settled down into our seats I could quite -understand that the building would appear as gorgeous as a pantomime -transformation-scene to the eyes of any one not _blasé_ by our modern -_nil admirari_ London. There are gold and silver everywhere. The -pillars which support the balcony, and from that spring up again to the -roof, are gilt, and have silver angels at their capitals. There are -gilt rails to the balcony, which runs, as in a circus, round the great -octagonal building; the alcoves that stretch back seem to be all gold -and mirrors and electric light. What is not gold or shining glass is -either light buff or delicate grey, and electric globes in profusion, -palms, bronze statuettes, and a great dome of green glass and gilding -all go to make a gorgeous setting. The waiters in black, with a silver -number in their button-holes, hover round the tables; somewhere below -a string band, which does not impede conversation, plays. My old tutor -rubbed his hands gently and smiled genially round at the gorgeousness, -while I told the light-bearded manager that what I required was the -ordinary _table-d'hôte_ dinner, and picked out a Château Margaux from -the long lists of clarets. - -This was the menu of the _table-d'hôte_ dinner: - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Consommé Brunoise. - Crème Fontange. - Escalope de barbue Chauchat. - Blanchaille. - Filet mignon Victoria. - Pommes sautées. - Riz de veau Toulouse. - Faisan rôti au cresson. - Salade. - Pouding Singapore. - Glacé vanille. - Fromage. Fruits. - - -A platter divided into radiating sections held a great variety of -_hors-d'œuvre_, the rosy shade of the lamp threw its light upon a -magnificent bunch of grapes on the summit of a pile of other fruits, -and the manager in the background kept a watchful eye upon the waiter -who was putting the _consommé Brunoise_ on the table. I could not help -wondering whether my telegram had not in some way divulged the fact -that I carried a fork under the banner of the Press, and that I was -getting in consequence a little better treatment than the ordinary. -Certainly my bunch of grapes looked like the one that the Israelitish -spies brought back from Canaan, in comparison with the ones on the -other tables, and the _chef_ had no niggard hand when he apportioned -the truffles and little buttons of mushrooms to our dishes of the -_escalope de barbue_ and the _riz de veau Toulouse_. - -My old tutor was considering the diners at the other tables -benignantly, and having quite an unjustifiable belief that I know -the face or everybody in London, asked me who they were. Whether we -had come to dine on an exceptional night I do not know, but all our -fellow-guests were in couples: the men, I should fancy, principally -gentlemen who spend their days in offices in the City, or in banks, -fine specimens, most of them, of young England; and the ladies with -them, either their wives or ladies who will eventually honour them -by becoming so, as handsome representatives of British womanhood as -I have ever seen collected under one roof. Out of all this gathering -of stalwart men and pretty ladies there was not a single face that -I recognised, and I am afraid I went down in the good old man's -estimation as being a walking dictionary of London celebrities. My -old tutor said that the _escalope de barbue_ was excellent, and it -certainly looked good. I tried the whitebait, and found it too dry. -The fillet was good. The _chef_ had surrounded the _riz de veau_ with -truffles and tiny mushrooms and many other good things, and my old -tutor, who ate it, said that it was excellent. - -The little tables on the ground floor had all filled by now, and the -lady behind the long bar, with piles of plates on it, and with a long -line of looking-glasses behind it reflecting many bottles, was very -busy. A subdued hum of talking and the faint rattle of knives and forks -against crockery mixed with the music of the band. - -The pheasant was a fine plump bird; the ice was excellent. I insisted -on my old tutor having a glass of port to end his dinner, and after -much pressing--for one glass of wine is all he allows himself as a rule -at a meal--he was over-persuaded. Then he rubbed his hands and beamed, -and told me stories of his own schoolboyhood: how he once fought -another boy, now a Colonial Governor, and smote him so severely on -the nose that it bled; and of a dreadful escapade, which still weighs -on his mind--nothing less than going to see a race-meeting, and being -subsequently soundly birched. - -This was the bill I paid:--Two dinners at 5s., 10s.; one bottle 6A, -7s.; half-bottle 61, 5s. 6d.; total, £1: 2: 6. - -My old tutor went away with his enthusiasm of the summer still -unimpaired; and when next I have a country cousin to take out to dinner -I shall go to Frascati's. - - 8_th November_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -THE FREEMASONS' TAVERN (GREAT QUEEN STREET) - - -The Victory Chapter of the Knights of the Pelican and the Eagle, -perfect and puissant princes of Rose Croix, has been closed, and -gentlemen in evening clothes are being helped into their great-coats -in the entrance corridor of Mark Masons' Hall by the rotund sergeant -who keeps guard there in a glazed box. Most of these gentlemen have -mysterious flat tin cases, which they hand over to the sergeant or -another official to be taken care of for them until spring brings round -again another meeting of the Chapter. - -There is no unnecessary waiting in the Mark Masons' Hall, for it is now -a quarter-past seven, and dinner has been ordered next door, at the -Freemasons' Tavern, at seven. A few yards of pavement only lie between -the lamps of Mark Masons' Hall and the glass shelter before the doors -of the Tavern, and in twos and threes the gentlemen in evening dress -hurry from one door to the other. - -Great Queen Street is quite a Masonic quarter, for opposite to the -Tavern are two shops in which there is a brave show of Masonic -jewellery, great candelabra, pillars, swords, highly-coloured pictures, -and other adjuncts of Masonry. A humble house of refreshment, which -also appeals to Freemasons for custom, faces the Tavern. The Tavern -is not what the name implies. It is a restaurant, with a public -dining-room, with a fine ballroom, and with many private dining-rooms. -Its outside is imposing. Two houses stand side by side. One is of -red brick, with windows set in white stone, and is Elizabethan in -appearance. The other, of grey stone, is of a style of architecture -which might be called "Masonic." From the pillars of the second story -there rises an arch on which are carved the figures of the zodiac. -In front of this are stone statues representing four of the Masonic -virtues, of which Silence, with her finger on her lip, is the most -easily identified. In all the details of the building there is some -reference to Freemasonry and its attributes. - -At the entrance to the Tavern stand two great janitors. Facing the -doorway, at the end of a wide hall, is a long flight of stairs broken -by a broad landing and decorated with statues. Up and down this ladies -and gentlemen are passing, and I ask one of the janitors what is -going on in the ballroom. "German Liederkranz. Private entertainment. -What dinner, sir? Victory Chapter. Drawing-room," is the condensed -information given by the big man, and he points a white-gloved hand to -a passage branching off to the right. On one side of the passage is -a door leading into a bar where three ladies in black are kept very -busy in attending to the wants of thirsty Freemasons. On the other side -is a wide shallow alcove in the wall fitted with shelves and glazed -over, and in this is a curious collection of plate, great salvers, -candelabra, and centrepieces. Beside the alcove is a glass door, and -outside it is hung a placard with "Gavel Club. Private" upon it. At the -end of the passage a little staircase leads up to higher regions, and -on the wall is an old-fashioned clock with a round face and very plain -figures, and some oil paintings dark with age. - -On the first landing there is a placard outside a door with "Victory -Chapter" on it, and higher up outside another door another placard with -"Perfection Chapter" on it. From the stream of guests and waiters which -is setting up the stairs it is evident that there are many banquets to -be held to-night. - -The drawing-room is white-and-gold in colour. Four Corinthian pillars, -the lower halves of which are painted old-gold colour, with gold -outlining the curves of their capitals, support a highly-ornamented -ceiling, the central panel of which is painted to represent clouds, -with some little birds flitting before them. The paper is old-gold in -colour with large flowers upon it. There is some handsome furniture in -the room--a fine cabinet, a clock of elaborate workmanship, and some -good china vases. The curtains to the windows are of red velvet. At -the end of the room farthest from the door is a horseshoe table with -red and white shaded candles on it, ferns, chrysanthemums, and heather -in china pots, pines, and hothouse fruits, and at close intervals -bottles of champagne and Apollinaris. At the other end of the room, -where stands a piano, with a screen in front of it, the gentlemen in -evening clothes are chatting, having put their coats and hats on chairs -and piano wherever room can be found. The waiters, in black with white -gloves, are putting the last touches to the decorations. - -Dinner is announced; a move is made to the table, and each man finds -his place marked for him. There is a precedence in Freemasonry, as at -Court, and this is adhered to in arranging the places at table. - -The Victory is a Chapter which is very much in touch with the army and -navy, and looking round the table, the company, but for the sombreness -of their attire--for one or two Orders at the buttonhole, and here and -there a decoration at the throat, are the only spots of colour--might -be hosts and guests at some military mess dinner. The "Most Wise," -who sits at the head of the table, does not belong to either of the -services, but on one side of him is the heir to a dukedom, who led at -one time a troop of the Household Cavalry, and on the other one of the -most popular of our citizen soldiers, equally at home on parade as in -his civic chair when Master of one of the City Companies. These are -flanked again by a well-known brigade-surgeon and a cheery Admiralty -official. The gentleman who has just said grace, in two Latin words, -left very pleasant recollections behind him when as ex-Lord Mayor he -left the Mansion-House. All round the table are faces with the sharp -soldierly cut or naval bluffness. - -The "Grand Secretary" has ordered the dinner, and in the whole length -and breadth of the world that hospitable Freemasonry covers, no man -knows better how to construct a menu than he does:-- - - - Crevettes. - Tortue clair. - Filets de sole Meunière. - Vol-au-vent aux huîtres natives. - Faisan Souvaroff. - Selle de mouton. - Céleri braisé Bordelaise. - Laver. Pommes Parisienne. - Poularde rôtie. - Lard grillé. Salade. - Bombe glacée Duchesse. - Os à la moëlle. - Dessert. Café. - - -I have eaten some good dinners at the Freemasons' Tavern, and others -not so good. To-night the cook is not up to his best form, and has not -responded to the inspiration of the menu. The turtle soup is not like -that of the excellent Messrs. Ring and Brymer, or that of Mr. Painter; -the _faisan Souvaroff_ is dry, and the cook's nerve has failed him -when the truffles had to be added; but, on the other hand, the _sole -Meunière_ and the _vol-au-vent_ are admirable, and the marrow-bones are -large and scalding-hot. - -The genial old custom of taking wine is part of all Masonic dinners, -and after the "Most Wise" has drunk to the other guests, much friendly -challenging takes place. The marrow-bones having been disposed of, the -ex-Lord Mayor, the Chaplain of the Chapter, says a grace as short as -that before meat, and then follow the loyal toasts. It is the custom -of the Chapter that speeches should be short, and the toasts of Her -Majesty and the Prince of Wales, and the few Masonic toasts that -follow, occupy very little time. Then the cigars are lit, and the -formal order at table is broken up and little knots are formed. - -One by one the guests who have an appointment elsewhere, or who are -going to the theatre, say good-night and go off; but a remnant still -remain, and these make an adjournment to a cosy little clubroom on -the top story of Freemasons' Hall, where good stories are told, and -soda-water-bottle corks pop until long after midnight. - - 15_th November_. - - * * * * * - -There is a small Masonic dining-club, called the Sphinx Club, which -dines at the Freemasons' Tavern, and which I mention because the dinner -I last ate in company with my brother Sphinxes was one of the best -efforts of the chef and of the manager Mons. Blanchette--which means -that it was very good indeed. The club was founded as an antidote -to the large amount of soft soap that Freemasons habitually plaster -each other with in after-dinner speeches. No Sphinx is allowed to say -anything good of any brother Sphinx, and when a candidate is put up -for the club his proposer says all the ill he knows or can invent about -his past life. A candidate can only become a member of the club by -being unanimously blackballed. It is needless to say that the best of -temper and good fellowship is the rule amongst the Sphinxes, and the -Freemasons' Tavern seems to always have a very good dinner for them. -This was the menu of their last banquet-- - - - Huîtres. - Tortue clair. - Rouget à la Grenobloise. - Caille à la Souvaroff. - Agneau rôti. Sauce menthe. - Choux de mer. Pommes noisettes. - Bécasse sur canapé. - Pommes paille. Salade de laitues. - Os à la moëlle. - Petit soufflé glacé rosette. - Fondu au fromage. - Dessert. - Café. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -SCOTT'S (PICCADILLY CIRCUS) - - -He was the junior subaltern when I commanded H company in the old -regiment, and a very good subaltern he was. It was only the other day -that I read how in one of the first skirmishes in an Indian trouble he -had distinguished himself by standing over a wounded man and keeping -off the hillmen till assistance came; and it seemed strange to meet him -now in crumpled, sun-scorched clothes, with a soft handkerchief round -his neck, and with a very thin white face, walking up the Haymarket. - -"They hit me, you know," he said, in answer to a question. "The wound -in my shoulder healed directly, but the wound in the neck gave a lot of -trouble, and the doctors packed me home as soon as they could." - -I particularly wanted to hear of the deed that the boy had done, and -asked him to come and dine at a club; but his dress clothes were stored -away somewhere in the Punjab--where, he did not know--with the heavy -baggage of the regiment, and his London tailor had not made him new -ones yet. Besides, he would not be able to put on a collar for weeks, -perhaps months, and though he would be glad to dine quietly with me, he -asked that it might be somewhere where he would not feel uncomfortable -at not being in dress clothes. We were standing at the top of the -Haymarket, my eye caught the two great smoked salmon hung up in Scott's -window, and I asked the junior subaltern if oysters and a lobster _à -l'Américaine_ were to his taste. - -He had not eaten any oysters, except the Karachi ones, which are -brought in ice to the towns of the Punjab, since he left England six -years ago; and though he did not know what his surgeon and doctor -would say to his eating lobster, he was prepared to risk their wrath. -Half-past seven was the hour I appointed to meet him, and then I went -into Scott's to secure a table and to order dinner. - -Scott's, springing from its ashes, has become a gorgeous place, with -pillars of some material which looks like black marble inlaid with -mother-of-pearl, with stained glass and much ornamentation in worked -brass, and with a great plate-glass window which displays a show of -ice and fish and lobsters and crabs and salad-stuff that looks most -appetising. - -Inside, it may be said to be divided into four parts. There is the wide -entrance hall, at either side of which are marble counters with many -plates and little bottles upon them, and piles of sandwiches made with -fish delicacies, and piles of slices of brown bread and butter. Behind -the counters stand men in white samite, who are constantly opening -oysters, and behind them are mirrors with, on shelves above the glass, -piles of little kegs which suggest how suitable a small barrel of -oysters is as a Christmas present. In the midst of this entrance hall -sacred to the oysters a staircase leads down to the lower regions, "The -Dive," as it is labelled, where there are comfortable curved divans -with a little table as the pearl in the midst of these brown leather -shells, and on the walls a Japanese fantasy in tiles where strange fish -swim in and out of weeds. Upstairs on the first floor are the regular -dining-rooms with red blinds, red shades to the electric lamps, and -a warm red paper; and behind the hall, with its oyster bars, is the -grill-room, shut off from draughts by a great screen of glass and brown -wood which reaches from floor to ceiling. - -I ordered our dinner in the grill-room. A dozen of oysters, some -mock-turtle soup, _homard à l'Américaine_, and a steak. - -At 7.30 to the second the junior subaltern was there, and I smiled -inwardly as I recognised the cut of the Calcutta tailor in his black -coat, well creased by having been jumped on to make it fit into a -bullock trunk. - -I took him into the grill-room, where the manager had kept a corner -table for us, and after a look round at the neat little room, with -its mirrors framed in white marble veined with black; its red marble -pilasters with gilt capitals; its grill, at which the white-clothed -cook, with a table of chops and steaks at his elbow, stands; its little -glass case in the corner, in which a lady in black keeps accounts in -big books; its stained glass skylight; its yellowish-brown cornice -with many figures upon it; its many little tables at which stolid and -respectable citizens were giving their wives dinners, or, if alone, -were reading the evening papers: he turned his attention to his oysters. - -The first time that a man tastes a native oyster after six years of -exile is a solemn moment, and I would not disturb him while he ate -them; but when there were only empty shells on his plate, and he had -drunk his glass of Chablis, I began to ask questions. - -"Tell me all about that day on the spur I have read of, and how you -came to be recommended for the V.C.," I said. - -The junior subaltern took a great gulp of the mock turtle and began. -"You remember J. Smith--he was a lance-corporal when you commanded the -company." "Corporal," I amended. "Well, corporal. He did ripping well -that day. He's colour-sergeant of the company now, and there was one -time when, as we were retiring, some of the devils got right on our -flank and enfiladed us. Well, Colour-Sergeant Smith just gave one yell -and went for them, and old Kelly, who used to be your bat-man, and Pat -Grady went with him, and they killed six of the Mamunds." - -"My boy," I said, "I want to know what _you_ did, and not what -Colour-Sergeant Smith did." - -"This is ripping good soup," said the subaltern. - -It was very good soup. The cook, divining that I had an invalid as a -guest, had put a liberal mixture of real turtle with the mock turtle, -and it was practically turtle soup. I had sipped the Beaune, and found -it a little tart, and the manager brought us a fresh bottle before I -opened my second parallel with the advent of a really splendid dish of -lobster. - -"I want to know now," I said, with a touch of the manner with which -I used to ask him if all the entries in the small books of his -half-company were brought up to date, "what happened when you stood -over that wounded man, and three big hairy hillmen all made a rush at -you at once, and got to close quarters before the men could get back to -bayonet them." - -The junior subaltern was very much occupied with his steak. "Old Major -So-and-So was just senior to you in the regiment?" he asked at last, -and I said that that was so. "Well, he was ripping cool that day, and -he made a joke that the men talked about afterwards. We had destroyed -the mud huts that they called a village, and we were waiting till -the wounded had got well to the rear before retiring. The Major was -in command of our companies that day, for the Colonel was with the -companies in reserve. Well, the Major was sitting on a great rock, -looking at the country----" "What sort of country is it?" I interposed. -"Oh, just mountains and ravines and nullahs, and that sort of thing--a -beastly sort of a place," the subaltern said, believing that he was -conveying the fullest information, and then went on. "Well, the Major -was sitting on the rock smoking that old meerschaum of a nigger's head -which he'd had for years. A bullet came and smashed the pipe to atoms. -He spat out the pipe-stem and then shook his fist at the place where -the shot had come from. 'You blackguards,' he said, 'you're not fit -company for a gentleman to smoke a meerschaum with; I'll only treat you -to clays in future.' Well, the men were amused by this, and----" - -"Young man," I said severely, "I knew that pipe, and it is a good -thing it is gone. That steak you have disposed of was good, and these -herring-roes I have ordered for you while you were blathering are -excellent. Eat them, and then get to business at once." - -The junior subaltern ate the roes, which were perfect; and when the -coffee and the brandy were brought, he looked at me to see if I was -really in earnest, and began again, "Do you remember James Pilch, who -was the company's cook?" - -"No, my boy," I said, "I do not remember James Pilch, nor do I want to. -Waiter, my bill." - -The bill was brought. Oysters, 3s.; lobster, 8s.; soup, 2s.; grill, -3s.; vegetables, 6d.; wine, 7s.; bread and butter, 4d.; coffee, 1s.; -liqueurs, 5s.; roes, 2s.; total, £1: 11: 10. - -This paid I turned to the subaltern. "Young man," I said, "I am now -going to personally conduct you to the club smoking-room, and if I have -to sit up with you all night with a stick I intend to be told how you -came to be recommended for the V.C." - -The junior subaltern groaned. - - 22_nd November_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -THE EAST ROOM (CRITERION, PICCADILLY CIRCUS) - - -"I want father to take me to see 'The Liars,'" said pretty Miss -Carcanet ("Brighteyes" to her friends), "but he says that he sees too -many of them as it is in his club smoking-room, and won't go with me." - -There was naturally only one thing to do, and that was to offer to take -Lady Carcanet and Miss Brighteyes to the play at the Criterion. - -Sir George was evidently relieved at not having to go to the theatre, -and thanked me. "It is just the play that ought to suit you," he added, -"for I hear it's all about menus and sauces." - -Lady Carcanet, however, could not go to the play. She was retiring to -Brighton to escape the fogs, and did not know when she would come back. -Sir George settled it all, however, over the walnuts and the port. He -had to preside at a political dinner one day in the coming week, and if -I would take Miss Brighteyes out to dinner and to the play that night -it would take a responsibility off his shoulders. "Let the old woman -get away to Brighton, and don't say anything till she's out of the way. -I am all for letting the girl enjoy herself freely; but Maria thinks -that no unmarried girl should stir without two chaperons and a maid to -guard her." I nodded assent to Sir George's opinions, but I knew that -he would never have dared to call Lady Carcanet "the old woman" to her -face. - -I bought the tickets for "The Liars," and on the morning of the day I -was to have the responsibility of chaperoning Miss Brighteyes I went to -the Criterion, to the East Room, to order my dinner and choose my table. - -M. Lefèvre, the manager, is an old acquaintance of mine, for once -before the East Room was under his direction, and now, with M. Node and -Alfred as his adjutant and sergeant-major, he still keeps a watchful -eye over all that takes place there. He is an enthusiast on cookery, -and should one day write a book on the introduction of good foreign -cookery into England, for he talks of M. Coste and Maître Escoffier, -and the other great pioneers of culinary progress, with real enthusiasm. - -There are three tables, one of which I always take, if possible, when -I dine in the East Room. One is the little table in the corner by the -entrance from the ante-room, another a table sheltered by a glass -screen, and the third a table in the corner at the far end of the room. -I told Alfred to keep me the table at the far end of the room; and then -M. Lefèvre--tall, with a thin beard, with strong, nervous hands, that -he clasps and unclasps as he talks--arrived, and we talked over our -menu. Caviar I preferred to oysters, for I did not know whether Miss -Brighteyes cared for shellfish, and then we passed to the consideration -of the soup. - -I suggested that it should be a consommé, as I did not want a heavy -dinner, and M. Lefèvre hit on exactly the right thing, a _consommé de -gibier_. Next came the fish, and as the details of the fillet of sole -with soft herring-roe, and the sharp taste of prawn and crayfish to -make the necessary contrast were unfolded, I nodded my head. _Cailles à -la Sainte Alliance_ we settled on at once, and then came the difficulty -of the _entrée_. I wanted a perfectly plain dish, and in a grilled -chicken wing and breast we found our way out of our difficulty. There -was a novelty, a method of cooking bananas that M. Lefèvre, who -believes that bananas are not sufficiently appreciated, wanted us to -try. - -The menu completed read thus:-- - - - Caviar. - Potage consommé à la Diane. - Filets de sole aux délices. - Suprêmes de volaille grillés. - Carottes nouvelles à la crème. - Laitues braisées en cocotte. - Cailles à la Sainte Alliance. - Salade de chicorée frisée. - Croûtes à la Caume. - Soufflé glacé à la mandarine. - - -Then, having nothing in particular to do for a quarter of an hour, I -walked round the building with M. Lefèvre, looked in at the Great -Hall where the statue of Shakespeare gazes contemplatively down upon -the chairman's head at big public dinners; the hall next to it, -which is only one degree smaller in size; the Masonic temple and the -Chapter-room; and the prettiest room of all, the room in which the -French dinner is served, on the walls of which is an Oriental design -of roses which would not have been out of place in one of the pleasure -chambers of Akbar at Agra. - -In the evening, before Miss Brighteyes, who was to be escorted as far -as the ante-room to the East Room by Sir George, arrived, I had a few -minutes in which to go and see that all was ready at my table, and to -look round to see whether there was anybody whom I knew dining. It was, -I should think, the first occasion on which I have dined in the East -Room and have not recognised a single face; but all the ladies appeared -very smart, all the men were well groomed, the usual type of diners at -a good restaurant. If I had looked at the book in which the names of -people ordering dinners are noted, I should no doubt have found that -there were a dozen people among the well-dressed diners whose names are -familiar in our mouths as household words. - -The little ante-room, with its green and cream walls, its mirrors, -its big fireplace, and its comfortable chairs, is cosy enough to -have a soothing effect on a worse-tempered man than myself; and my -patience was not much tried, for Sir George formally handed over Miss -Brighteyes to me not five minutes after the time at which I had -ordered dinner. - -Miss Brighteyes looked very delightful in a dress of some white -gossamer material with spangly adornments, which resembled diamonds, -scattered over it. She wore a diamond brooch and a necklet of pearls -with a diamond clasp, which had been her birthday presents from her -father on her seventeenth and eighteenth birthdays. - -When Miss Brighteyes gets up on her society high horse she reduces me -to comparative silence. While I was being given some details as to -beautiful decorations at St. George's on the occasion of her cousin's -wedding, I tried in vain to make Miss Brighteyes understand that the -caviar she was eating deserved some attention, but she was not to be -turned from her account of an aisle decorated with chrysanthemums and -palms. - -Had a man dared to talk to me about the Grafton Supper Club while -he was drinking the delicious consommé I should have reproved him, -and asked him to reserve conversation for the interludes of the -repast; but Miss Brighteyes, not thinking in the least of the serious -responsibility of eating a good dinner, chattered gaily of Miss Mary -Moore's black and white dress at the supper a week gone by, and reeled -off a catalogue of names from the Peerage of the men who had been her -partners at the little informal dance that followed the supper. - -While I ate with appreciation the _délices de sole_, I was told why -Miss Brighteyes preferred Princes' to Niagara as a skating-rink, or -_vice versa_, I forget which. - -With the _suprême de volaille_ I was given a short account of a party -at the Bachelors' Club to see a magic-lantern entertainment, and when -the _cailles à la Sainte Alliance_ were brought up Miss Brighteyes -was beginning to tell me of some charades, at her aunt's house, acted -by children. But the quails were a dish in the presence of which I -felt that small talk must cease. "Miss Brighteyes," I said gravely, -"cast your eyes around this room. You see dainty panels of dark green -traced over with gold, you see red and gold cornices, a ceiling of -cream and gold studded with lights innumerable, bronze velvet curtains, -yellow-shaded lamps, fine napery, glass, and silver. All this is but -the framing to what is contained in this little earthen _terrine_. -Into the interior of a little ortolan M. Gastaud himself, the _chef -cuisinier_, has introduced a little block of truffle and other -delicacies. That little ortolan has been imbedded in a quail, and this -sacred alliance, over which M. Jeannin, _chef des cuisiniers_, has -smiled, has been served up cooked to the instant for your delectation. -Is this a moment, then, young lady, to talk of children's charades? Is -not thankful silence better?" - -Miss Brighteyes appreciated the solemnity of the moment, and also ate -the bananas--which she said were very good--in silence. It was not -until she had begun her soufflé that she found voice to tell me about -a new and very smart cycling club of which she had been asked to be an -original member. - -I paid the bill: couverts, 2s.; caviar, 4s.; potage, 2s.; filets de -sole, 3s.; suprêmes de volaille et légumes, 8s.; cailles, 10s.; -salade, 1s.; croûtes à la Caume, 2s.; soufflé glacé, 2s.; vin, "'62" (a -capital bottle of claret), 5s.; eau minérale, 6d.; liqueurs, 3s.; café, -6d.; total, £2: 3s. - -"Now," I said to Miss Brighteyes, "we will go down to the theatre and -listen in comfort to a discussion as to _sauce Arcadienne_ and _sauce -Marguérite_." - - 29_th November_. - - * * * * * - -Since I wrote the above Mons. Lefèvre has had, through temporary -ill-health and overwork, to resign his position as manager at the -Criterion, being succeeded by Mons. Gerard. Mons. Cassignol has -succeeded Mons. Jeannin as the king of the kitchen. - -The decorations of the East Room have been altered, and it is now -resplendent in white, gold, and moss-green. The West Room is now all -pink, and a gilt musicians' gallery has been put up in the redecorated -entrance-hall. - -Mons. Lefèvre being an enthusiast on the subject of bananas in cookery, -I asked him if he would give the _recette_ of the _croûtes à la Caume_, -and as he said "certainly," and seemed pleased to do it, I put in a -request for the _recette_ of the _filets de sole aux délices_, and that -was given me as well. - -I also asked Mons. Lefèvre to draw out for me two menus of what he -would consider distinctive east-room dinners for four people and for -ten. They were sent to me and admirably thought out dinners they are. -This is the feast for four-- - - - Caviar. - Consommé Prince de Galles. Crème de santé. - Truites de rivière à la Cléopâtre. - Epaule d'agneau de lait à la Boulangère. - Petits pois nouveaux à la crème. - Caneton Nantais farci à la Rouennaise. - Salade Victoria. - Soufflé glacé à l'orange. - Friandises. - - -And this for ten-- - - - Huîtres natives. - Potage clair à la tortue. Crème Raphaël. - Darne de saumon au court-bouillon. - Cassolettes de laitances à l'Américaine. - Cailles à la Mascotte. - Noisettes de chevreuil à la Cumberland. - Haricots verts nouveaux. - Purée de champignons. - Chapons du Mans à la truffe. - Salade à la crème. - Asperges d'Argenteuil. Sauce mousseline. - Glacé Alaska. - Diablotins à la Joinville. - Dessert. - - -_Suprêmes de soles aux délices_ - -_Rangez vos filets de soles dans un plat beurré; arrosez-les -de vin blanc et faites-les pocher pendant dix minutes. Egoutez -ensuite vos filets et dressez-les sur un plat oval. Faites réduire -rapidement la cuisson avec un peu de bon velouté et un morceau -de beurre d'écrevisses. Quand votre sauce est prête, jetez-y des -queues d'écrevisses et recouvrez en vos filets de soles. Dressez aux -extrémités du plat des quenelles d'écrevisses décorées à la truffe, et -servez._ - -Arrange your filleted soles on a buttered dish, sprinkle them with -white wine, and cook them for ten minutes. Then drain the fillets, and -arrange them on an oval dish. Boil down the liquor rapidly, with a -little good _velouté_ sauce and a piece of crayfish butter. When your -sauce is ready, throw into it the tails of the crayfish, and cover the -fillets of sole with it. Round the edge of the dish place quenelles of -crayfish decorated with truffles, and serve. - - -_Croûtes à la Caume_ - -_Vous préparez vos croûtes avec de la brioche en tranches d'un -centimètre d'épaisseur, que vous faites rôtir légèrement au four -après les avoir saupoudrées au sucre. Vous les dressez en couronne -sur un plat rond, au milieu, mais avec quelques losanges d'ananas au -centre. Vous prenez des bananas pas trop mûres, mais surtout bien -saines. Vous les jetez avec leur peau dans de l'eau froide que vous -mettez a bouillir. Après deux minutes d'ébullition, les bananes sont -cuites. Vous les retirez, vous les épluchez, et les rangez sur votre -plat autour des croûtons. Vous arrosez l'ananas et les bananes d'une -sauce abricot parfumée au Kirsch, et vous servez bien chaud, après -avoir décoré de quelques fruits confits. C'est très simple. Toutes les -ménagères peuvent faire ça. C'est cependant la façon la plus exquise de -manger la banane._ - -[Illustration] - -You prepare your pieces of bread, or brioche, in slices about half an -inch in thickness, and bake (or toast) them lightly in the oven, after -having sprinkled them with sugar. Arrange them in the form of a crown -upon a round dish, placing them in the middle, but with some pieces of -pineapple in the centre. Take some bananas, not too ripe, but perfectly -sound and good, throw them into cold water with their skins on, and let -them boil. After boiling for two minutes the bananas will be done. Take -them out of the water, peel them, and arrange them on the dish, round -the croûtons. Sprinkle the pineapple and the bananas with apricot sauce -flavoured with kirsch, and serve very hot, after having ornamented the -dish with preserved fruits. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -THE MONICO (SHAFTESBURY AVENUE) - - -He, a gentleman on the Stock Exchange, who has generally a stock of -good stories, mentioned in the course of a letter to me that he had -heard a really good tale of the last bye-election, and would tell it -to me the next time that we met, as it was too long to write. Now, -that particular election is fast becoming ancient history, and if that -story had to be retailed to my circle of country friends, it would have -to be done quickly. Therefore I wrote to my stockbroker, who lives in -Shaftesbury Avenue, and asked him to name a day to come across the way, -and dine at the Monico. - -The day settled, I went to the Monico and interviewed the manager, -Signor Giulio C. Nobile, a gentleman of stalwart figure, with a -pleasant smile, and a small but carefully-tended moustache. I wanted to -kill two birds at a stone--to hear the story and to see what the Monico -and its cooking were like, for it is a restaurant which somehow or -other has not fallen within the circle of my usual dining-places. - -I asked Signor Nobile what he considered the speciality of the great -restaurant over which he presides; and though he was anxious to give me -a specially ordered dinner, I came to the conclusion that I could best -test what the establishment could do by trying the 5s. _table d'hôte_ -in the Renaissance room on the first floor. - -"Dinner at 7.30 for two, if you please, and pray remember that I want -exactly the _table d'hôte_ dinner that all your customers get," was my -last request to Signor Nobile, and he smiled and said that that should -be so. - -At 7.30 my facetious stockbroker friend, ruddy of face, his moustache -carefully curled, and his expansive white waistcoat garnished with -gold-and-coral buttons, appeared on the scene. As the lift, engineered -by a smart page, took us up to the first floor he began: "It's the -funniest story you ever heard, and will make you die of laughter. There -was a doubtful elector and----" But the lift stopped, and there was -Signor Nobile bowing and smiling on the landing. - -"We have five minutes to spare, Signor Nobile," I said, "and while they -are putting the _hors-d'œuvre_ on the table, will you take us round the -house and show us the different rooms?" - -The Signor led, I followed, and my friend the stockbroker brought up -the rear. First we went into a great hall on the first floor, where a -smoking-concert was in progress, and thunders of applause were greeting -a gentleman in evening dress who had just concluded a song. "It is -some one going abroad, and they are giving him a send-off," was Mr. -Nobile's explanation. Next we went down to the ground-floor through a -hall, where people were sitting at little round-topped tables drinking -various beverages, and down some steps into a German beer saloon, with -pigmies and other strange creatures painted on the walls. Up again to -the first floor, through a long grill-room with little white-clothed -tables in four rows, then a peep into a restaurant, and a flight in -the lift up to the second floor, where solemn gentlemen in black were -eating a dinner of ceremony in a very pretty saloon with an Egyptian -room as a reception-room next door. Our five minutes were over, we had -seen most of the big rooms of the house, and, descending, we took our -places at a table by one of the windows in the Renaissance Saloon. - -"Now for that story," I said; but my stockbroker was puffing and -blowing. "Give a fellow a few minutes to get his breath, after -rushing him up and down stairs at racing pace," he said; so I turned -my attention to the room, the menu, and the company. The room is a -symphony in old gold and grey. The paper has a gold pattern on a grey -ground, the long line of windows have soft grey curtains. At one end of -the room is a great clock above a large mirror. The ceiling is a series -of square frames enclosing circular painted panels. The orchestra is in -a balustraded balcony, with an arch above it, held high by two pillars. -In the centre of the room, among the little tables, a palm grows out -of a great vase. There are blue glass shades to the electric globes -that drop from the ceiling, and the silver lamps that stand on the -table are curtained with crimson. Waiters in white waistcoats and black -coats, and white-aproned sommeliers, with great silvered badges, come -and go past the clerks' desk, which stands below the orchestra. - -The diners, mostly in pairs, were fitting occupants of the handsome -room. There was a very beautiful lady with a big diamond where the -centre parting of her hair left her forehead; and another lady in a -mantilla, who would have many gallants with guitars below her windows -had she lived in Seville. Most of the couples were evidently going to -the theatre, and left soon after we arrived. This was the menu:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Consommé Bortsch. - Crème à la Reine. - Soles à la Nantua. - Poularde Valencienne. - Tournedos Princesse. - Canards sauvages. Sauce Port wine. - Salade. - Biscuits Monico. - Petits fours. - Dessert. - - -When my stockbroker had drunk his Bortsch, which was well made, -he began: "It is rather a long story, but it will make you die of -laughing. There was a----" but at that moment Signor Nobile, who -had been smiling in the distance, came up with a leaflet on which -was inscribed the names of the Royalties who have from time to time -honoured the Monico with their presence. There are evidently some -regiments with Royal colonels who always go to the Monico for their -annual dinner. - -"Go on with your story," I said, when Signor Nobile had once more -smiled himself into the background; but a waiter had just then shown -us a tempting dish of _filets de sole à la Nantua_, a _plat_ really -admirably cooked, and as my stockbroker took up his fork he said, "Yes, -and be pilloried by you in print for talking to you while you are -eating. Not me." - -The poularde, a fine fat bird reposing in a bed of rice, satisfactorily -disposed of, I told the waiter not to bring the tournedos for a few -minutes, and settled back in my seat to hear the story of the doubtful -elector. - -"It's a long story; but you'll die with laughing when you hear it," -my stockbroker began again. "There was a voter, and he would tell -nobody----" Just then the band commenced the overture to "Guillaume -Tell." Now, it is an excellent band, and M. Paul Bosc, the conductor, -is an admirable soloist on the violin; but when it gets to work at a -Rossini overture the music takes the place of conversation, and my -stockbroker stopped abruptly and waited for a better opportunity. -Before the band had concluded the waiter had given us our tournedos. - -The wild duck we were given _à la presse_, and when we had eaten our -slices of the breast I said, like Demetrius, "I wonder"; for I was -wondering whether all the pretty ladies and good-looking gentlemen had -been treated as well as we had been. Five shillings is not a very large -sum. Chickens and wild-duck cost money, even when bought wholesale, -and we had been given a whole chicken and a whole wild-duck. "If I were -you," said the stockbroker, philosophically, "I shouldn't trouble to -wonder. I should either eat my dinner--and it has been a good one so -far--or else I should listen to an interesting story as to the doubtful -elector." - -I took his advice, in so far as eating my dinner was concerned, for the -_biscuit_ was capital. - -Signor Nobile came up to ask if the dinner had been satisfactory, and -I had only pleasant words to say to him. Then my stockbroker drew a -long breath, and was about to begin, when once more I interrupted -him. "Pardon me," I said, "let me order coffee and liqueurs, and pay -my bill. The orchestra is enjoying ten minutes' interval, and there -will be, once the bill is paid, nothing to interrupt the flow of your -discourse, nothing to mar my enjoyment of it." - -This was the bill:--Two dinners, 10s.; one bottle 210, 16s. 6d.; -liqueurs, 5s.; coffee, 1s.; total, £1: 12: 6. This paid, I prepared to -enjoy a really good story. "There was a voter who would tell no one -on which side he was going to vote," I commenced, to gently lead my -stockbroker up to his story. But he looked at his watch. "Very sorry, -my dear boy," he said, "but I have an appointment in two minutes' time -I daren't break. I must tell you the story another day. It's a bit -long, but you'll die with laughter when you hear it." - -I have not as yet heard that voter story, and am still alive. - - 6_th December_. - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -GOLDSTEIN'S (BLOOMFIELD STREET) - - - HORS-D'ŒUVRE. - Smoked Salmon. Solomon Gundy. - Olives. - - SOUPS. - Frimsell. Matsoklese. - Pease and beans. - - FISH. - Brown stewed carp. White stewed gurnet. - Fried soles. Fried plaice. - - ENTRÉES. - Roast veal (white stew). - Filleted steak (brown stew). - - POULTRY. - Roast capon. Roast chicken. - Smoked beef. Tongue. - - VEGETABLES. - Spinach. Sauerkraut. - Potatoes. Cucumbers. - Green salad. - - SWEETS. - Kugel. Stewed prunes. - Almond pudding. - Apple staffen. - - -When I looked at the above I groaned aloud. Was it possible, I thought, -that any human being could eat a meal of such a length and yet live? I -looked at my two companions, but they showed no signs of terror, so I -took up knife and fork and bade the waiter do his duty. - -The _raison d'être_ of the dinner was this: Thinking of untried -culinary experiences, I told one of the great lights of the Jewish -community that I should like some day to eat a "kosher" dinner at a -typical restaurant, and he said that the matter was easily enough -arranged; and by telegram informed me one day last week that dinner -was ordered for that evening at Goldstein's restaurant in Bloomfield -Street, London Wall, and that I was to call for him in the City at six. - -When I and a gallant soul, who had sworn to accompany me through thick -and thin, arrived at the office of the orderer of the dinner, we found -a note of apology from him. The dinner would be ready for us, and his -best friend would do the honours as master of the ceremonies, but he -himself was seedy and had gone home. - -On, in the pouring rain, we three devoted soldiers of the fork went, in -a four-wheeler cab, to our fate. - -The cab pulled up at a narrow doorway, and we were at Goldstein's. -Through a short passage we went towards a little staircase, and our -master of the ceremonies pointed out on the post of a door that -led into the public room of the restaurant a triangular piece of -zinc, a Mazuza, the little case in which is placed a copy of the Ten -Commandments. Upstairs we climbed into a small room with no distinctive -features about it. A table was laid for six. There were roses in a tall -glass vase in the middle of the table, and a buttonhole bouquet in -each napkin. A piano, chairs covered with black leather, low cupboards -with painted tea-trays and well-worn books on the top of them, an -old-fashioned bell-rope, a mantelpiece with painted glass vases on it -and a little clock, framed prints on the walls, two gas globes--these -were the fittings of an everyday kind of apartment. - -We took our places, and the waiter, in dress clothes, after a surprised -inquiry as to whether we were the only guests at the feast, put the -menu before us. It was then that, encouraged by the bold front shown by -my two comrades, I, after a moment of tremor, told the waiter to do his -duty. - -I had asked to have everything explained to me, and before the -_hors-d'œuvre_ were brought in the master of the ceremonies, taking a -book from the top of one of the dwarf cupboards, showed me the Grace -before meat, a solemn little prayer which is really beautiful in its -simplicity. With the Grace comes the ceremony of the host breaking -bread, dipping the broken pieces in salt, and handing them round to his -guests, who sit with covered heads. - -Of the _hors-d'œuvre_, Solomon Gundy, which had a strange sound to me, -was a form of pickled herring, excellently appetising. - -Before the soup was brought up, the master of the ceremonies explained -that the Frimsell was made from stock, and a paste of eggs and flour -rolled into tiny threads like vermicelli, while the Matsoklese had in -it balls of unleavened flour. When the soup was brought the two were -combined, and the tiny threads and the balls of dough both swam in a -liquid which had somewhat the taste of vermicelli soup. The master of -the ceremonies told me I must taste the pease and beans soup which -followed, as it is a very old-fashioned Jewish dish. It is very like a -rich pease-soup, and is cooked in carefully-skimmed fat. In the great -earthenware jar which holds the soup is cooked the "kugel," a kind of -pease-pudding, which was to appear much later at the feast. - -Goldstein's is the restaurant patronised by the "froom," the strictest -observers of religious observances, of the Jewish community, and we -should by right only have drunk unfermented Muscat wine with our -repast, but some capital hock took its place, and when the master -of the ceremonies and the faithful soul touched glasses, one said -"Lekhaim," and the other answered the greeting with "Tavim." Then, -before the fish was put on the table, the master of the ceremonies told -me of the elaborate care that was taken in the selection of animals -to be killed, of the inspection of the butcher's knives, of the tests -applied to the dead animals to see that the flesh is good, of the -soaking and salting of the meat, and the drawing-out of the veins from -it. The many restrictions, originally imposed during the wandering in -the desert, which make shellfish, and wild game, and scaleless fish -unlawful food--these and many other interesting items of information -were imparted to me. - -The white-stewed gurnet, with chopped parsley and a sauce of egg and -lemon-juice, tempered by onion flavouring, was excellent. In the brown -sauce served with the carp were such curious ingredients as treacle, -gingerbread and onions, but the result, a strong rich sauce, is very -pleasant to the taste. The great cold fried soles standing on their -heads and touching tails, and the two big sections of plaice flanking -them, I knew must be good; but I explained to the master of the -ceremonies that I had already nearly eaten a full-sized man's dinner, -and that I must be left a little appetite to cope with what was to come. - -Very tender veal, with a sauce of egg and lemon, which had a thin sharp -taste, and a steak, tender also, stewed with walnuts, an excellent dish -to make a dinner of, were the next items on the menu, and I tasted -each; but I protested against the capon and the chicken as being an -overplus of good things, and the master of the ceremonies--who I think -had a latent fear that I might burst before the feast came to an -end--told the waiter not to bring them up. - -The smoked beef was a delicious firm brisket, and the tongue, salted, -was also exceptionally good. I felt that the last feeble rag of an -appetite had gone, but the cucumber, a noble Dutch fellow, pickled -in salt and water in Holland, came to my aid, and a slice of this, -better than any _sorbet_ that I know of, gave me the necessary power to -attempt, in a last despairing effort, the kugel and apple staffen and -almond pudding. - -The staffen is a rich mixture of many fruits and candies with a thin -crust. The kugel is a pease-pudding cooked, as I have written above, -in the pease and beans soup. The almond pudding is one of those moist -delicacies that I thought only the French had the secret of making. - -Coffee--no milk, even if we had wanted it, for milk and butter are not -allowed on the same table as flesh--and a liqueur of brandy, and then, -going downstairs, we looked into the two simple rooms, running into -each other, which form the public restaurant, rooms empty at 9 P.M., -but crowded at the mid-day meal. - -Mr. Goldstein, who was there, told us that his patrons had become -so numerous that he would soon have to move to larger premises, and -certainly the cooking at the restaurant is excellent, and I do not -wonder at its obtaining much patronage. - -What this Gargantuan repast cost I do not know, for the designer of the -feast said that the bill was to be sent to him. - -I think that a "kosher" dinner, if this is a fair specimen, is a -succession of admirably cooked dishes. But an ordinary man should be -allowed a week in which to eat it. - - 13_th December_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - -THE TIVOLI (THE STRAND) - - -La Princesse Lointaine was passing through town on her way to Rome, to -her husband's palazzo--to the great grim building where the big suisse -stands on guard by the entrance, and soft-footed servants in black move -noiselessly about the high tapestried rooms. Her note with the tiny -monogram and the coronet on it said that she was at the Savoy for a few -days, and would I come and dine, on her last evening in England, and -talk of old days? - -I always call the pretty lady who has the honour of bearing the name -of one of the oldest families of Italian nobility, "la Princesse -Lointaine," for the glint of sunlight her presence brings comes so -rarely and vanishes so quickly. It was at the old Delmonico's, at -one of the assemblies, that I first met her, an American heiress in -her second season, light-haired, large-eyed, with that perfect tact -that comes naturally to American and French women. I had letters of -introduction to her father, and she, taking entire charge of me as the -stranger in the land, made me feel at home, and stamped that ball in -my memory as one of my pleasantest recollections. She was married a -year later in Rome, and I thought never to see her again; but one day -at Fort William, in Calcutta, I got a note with a little monogram and -coronet, brought by a peon from the Great Eastern Hotel, and I found -that my Princesse Lointaine and her husband, travelling round the -world, were making a fortnight's stay in the city by the Hugli, before -going on to China and Japan. I showed her and her husband the forlorn -grandeur of the empty palaces of the dead King of Oude, the spot where -the Black Hole was, the church by the river where the first sturdy -British traders left their bones, and all the other sights of Calcutta. -They sailed away, and the next time that I saw her was at Venice one -summer when Queen Marguerite had gone there for the bathing, and the -grave husband, in some office about the court, had gone there also. -Once again I saw her in her Roman home. And now, passing through from -New York to the grim palazzo in Rome, she had written me a couple of -lines to tell me to come and talk to her. - -I would not let her give me dinner at her hotel; for in London she was -the stranger and my foot was on my native flagstones, and I suggested -that if she would not mind a very quiet dinner she should do me the -honour of dining with me almost next door at the Tivoli, where I knew -we should be quiet, where the dining-room is a very charming one, where -the music is not loud enough to interfere with conversation, and -where, with M. Aubanel in supreme command, I felt sure that the cooking -would be good. If she cared to go on to a theatre, I would take a box -somewhere. A line in reply told me that I might pick her up at the -Savoy and take her on to dinner, but that after dinner she would sooner -sit and talk than go to a theatre, for there was much packing to be -superintended before bedtime. - -I could not, as I was taking la Princesse Lointaine away from the -Savoy and Maître Escoffier's masterpieces of cookery, leave my dinner -to chance, so in the afternoon I went and interviewed M. Aubanel, the -manager, who, mustachioed, with a full head of black hair brushed off -from his forehead, is as well known on the Riviera, where he has an -hotel, as he is in town. - -As one of the cooks under M. Racoussot, the chef, is a Russian, and -was one of the great Cubat's assistants, I knew I was safe in ordering -Russian _hors-d'œuvre_. A very plain soup, sole (cooked in any fashion -that did not include _moules_, of which shellfish I remembered that the -Princesse was afraid), a very plain entrée of meat, snipe, asparagus, -and an ice, were my requirements, and the menu, as M. Aubanel sketched -it out, ran thus:-- - - - Zakouski. - Poule au pot. - Filets de sole Florentine. - Côte de bœuf aux légumes printaniers. - Bécassines rôties. - Salade Romaine. - Asperges vertes. Sauce mousseline. - Bombe Princesse. - Dessert. - - -The Princesse was waiting for me when I drove up to the Savoy. She was -wearing a magnificent cloak lined with ermine, and I could catch the -glint at her throat of the diamonds and pearls which had been heirlooms -in her husband's family for many generations. I felt at the sight of -so much grandeur almost ashamed at the simplicity of the dinner I had -ordered. - -The Palm Room at the Tivoli has been decorated so as to form an -excellent background to a pretty and well-dressed woman. The walls are -panelled with some soft material of two shades of dark green which -looks like stamped velvet. There is a breast-high decoration of soft -coloured marbles. The pillars are chiefly of gold, and the ceiling, the -pattern of which is formed by palm leaves, is white and gold. There are -soft dark green portières and curtains, and the chairs are upholstered -in dark green velvet. Orange shades to the electric globes which hang -from the ceiling diffuse a soft warm light over everything. And no -prettier subject for a handsome background to show up could be found -than the Princesse when she had shed her furs. Two little light curls -came down upon her forehead, the pearls and diamonds were her throat -ornaments, and her dress was all white and silver. The lace of the -bodice looked to me as if it were one of the wonders of Benares make, -and round her white arms were three broad bands of silver lace. - -The _hors-d'œuvre_, on a second small table, were placed alongside the -round table, prettily decorated with flowers, which had been arranged -for us in one corner of the room, and one of these delicacies, a soft, -creamy pâté, in which the taste of anchovies dominated the other -ingredients, was excellent. - -The Princesse was in high spirits and brimming over with gossip about -New York. I heard all about the glories of the latest mammoth hotel, -and was told of the lovely decorations of the new Delmonico's, and of -the dinner-party the Princesse gave there on its opening night. I was -given a description of most of this year's débutantes in the city of -Gotham, and was entrusted with the whole truth as to the anonymous -letter scandal. Many other things also I was told, most of which I have -forgotten. - -The soup was plain and good. The _filets de sole_, with the taste of -parmesan, the thin slices of truffle, the thick green sauce and fried -soft roe were excellent, though, to be severely critical, the taste of -the cheese in the _plat_ was just a little too pronounced. - -From New York the Princesse jumped to Rome. She dilated on all the -pleasures of the coming season in the City of the Seven Hills, trying -to induce me to make holiday after Christmas and exchange Bond Street -for the Corso. Rome, it seems, is to be exceptionally gay this winter, -and I assured the Princesse that it was not the will that was wanting -to change the sight of fog-blurred streets for the view of the swell of -snow-topped Soracte through the sparkle of the Roman air. - -The _côte de bœuf_, served like a gigantic cutlet with a paper frill on -the bone, was very tender, and the snipe were succulent morsels. The -asparagus was rather hard, but asparagus in December is not a dish to -be captious about. The _bombe_ was a magnificent erection, looking like -a wedding-cake, and the Princesse, accepting its name as a compliment -to herself, insisted on taking the sugar flowers it was decorated with -back to her hotel with her as a trophy. - -We sat and sipped our coffee and Curaçao Marnier and chatted, while the -band, behind a gilt grille, played pianissimo music, and the diners at -the other tables gradually went off to theatres and music-halls. Our -fellow-diners were not very smart. Indeed, the _monde qui dine_ does -not seem yet to have taken to the Tivoli, which deserves a trial, for -the cook is first class and the dining-room a beautiful one. - -At last the Princesse Lointaine said that she must go home and pack, so -I asked for my bill. I am afraid that M. Aubanel treated me too kindly -in the matter of prices, but I could hardly argue that matter out while -the Princesse waited to be taken back to her hotel. One Moët, cuvée -'36, 13s.; hors-d'œuvre, 1s.; poule au pot, 2s.; filets de sole, 2s. -6d.; côte de bœuf, 4s.; bécassines, 4s.; salade, 1s.; asperges, 5s.; -bombe, 2s.; café, 1s.; liqueurs, 2s.; total, £1: 17: 6. - -"You won't come to Rome, then, this winter?" said la Princesse -Lointaine as she bade me good-bye, and I sorrowfully answered that I -only wished I could. - - 20_th December_. - - * * * * * - -Mr. A.A. Tate is now manager and proprietor of the Tivoli restaurant, -and a 3s. _table-d'hôte_ dinner in the palm-room and good plain cooking -in the grill-room seem now to be the specialities of a restaurant which -at one time entered into competition with the Savoy, the Princes', the -Cecil, and the other restaurants of _la haute volée_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII - -THE GORDON HOTELS (NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE) - - -MY DEAR AUNT TABITHA--First, let me thank you for the tracts entitled -"The Converted Clown" and "The Journalist Reclaimed"; they will have my -attention. It was no doubt your nephew John's conscience which impelled -him to place my devotion to Shakespeare, and other dramatic authors of -like calibre, and my efforts to improve humanity through the press, -before you in the light he has done. When I have an opportunity of a -personal interview with him I shall attempt to change his opinions. - -That I shall have the pleasure of seeing you in London soon after the -New Year is indeed good news. My cousin Judith I shall have the honour -and privilege of meeting for the first time. It must, indeed, be a -pleasure for a young lady, the curriculum of her studies in Switzerland -at an end, to be returning _via_ Paris; and your notion of meeting -her in London, receiving her from her escort, conveying her to an -hotel near the station of arrival, and affording her the delight of -witnessing such entertainments in London as may be edifying, is, I -think, an admirable one. - -There are, as you rightly suppose, hotels in the Northumberland Avenue, -which is within a stone's-throw of Charing Cross, and in answer to your -request I will give you, to the best of my power, a short description -of each. I am not aware of Miss Judith's disposition, whether it be -lively or of a serious complexion; but if I write to the utmost of -my ability the characteristics of the three hotels--the Grand, the -Victoria, and the Métropole--you should be the best judge as to which -would most thoroughly suit your needs. - -I regret that I cannot inform you as to whether the new-fashioned or -the old-fashioned doctrines are favoured by the three managers. As to -the distribution of tracts, I would very dutifully suggest that you -should mark out the persons in the hotel whom you think should be so -benefited, and allow me, after your departure, to see that the tracts -reach a suitable destination. - -The Grand Hotel, with which I will begin, as it lies nearest to -Charing Cross, presents a curved face both to Trafalgar Square and -Northumberland Avenue, and from its windows a fine view can be seen -of the pillar erected to the hero Nelson, whose deeds you have been -good enough to admire while reprobating the frailties of his life. I -inspected the sitting-rooms on the first floor, and saw some, notably -a room decorated in white colour, with a fine view over the Square, -and well within hearing of the bells of the neighbouring church, -which would suit you admirably. But Miss Judith might prefer the stir -and gaiety of the public rooms to a private apartment, and the great -dining-room with its white marble pillars with gold capitals, its -mirrors set in a frame of deep-coloured velvets, its roof of stained -glass, its many tables covered with white napery, is a most chaste yet -withal cheerful apartment. A smaller dining-room in which alabaster -pillars support the roof, is also a delightful room. The hall, which -has pillars of white and black marble, is handsome, and has absorbed -what was once the reading-room. Should you desire to give a family -dinner during your stay--for which I am not anxious, as I can hardly -imagine how I could meet at present my cousin John with those feelings -I should like to entertain towards him--there is a very delightful -suite of rooms, known as the Walnut Rooms, where the head cook of -the hotel--who previously cooked for the members of that politically -misguided, but excellently appointed club, the Reform--has had the -honour of serving meals to princes of the Royal blood. As for the -company at the Grand, I should take it that it is chiefly of old -country families, or the heads of great firms in the North. - -Somewhat farther down the Avenue towards the river, and on the side -opposite to the Grand, is the Victoria Hotel, and should Miss Judith -be of a lively disposition, the coming and going of well-dressed and -polite folk in this hotel would please her mightily. - -Most of the road coaches--the continuance of the mode of travelling -by which does much to sustain the high perfection of that noble animal -the horse--start from the Victoria Hotel, and it is a stirring scene -at eleven in the morning to view the passengers depart. The hall is -gorgeous with brown and yellow and green marbles, and many of the -guests of the hotel sit there to watch the coming and going of the -ladies of fashion and their cavaliers. Many Americans and Australians, -liking the brightness of the place, give it their custom. - -The long line of drawing-rooms is on the ground floor, and is profusely -decorated with that tint known as old gold. But if Miss Judith is an -amateur of music, the dining-room will please her most, for here, in -a great and really splendid apartment, which has pillars of white and -gold with fine foundations of brass, a band of stringed instruments -plays most excellent music during the dinner, and many people of -distinction come here--as indeed also to the other two hotels--from -great distances in London to partake of the dinner of the _table -d'hôte_. There is a very cosy little sanctum for serious conversation -on the first landing of the great staircase, and the private -sitting-rooms on the first floor, decorated in a variety of styles, are -very comfortable. - -The Métropole Hotel, which is built in the form of a triangle, one of -the points of the angle touching the Thames Embankment, is the largest -of the three hotels, accommodating as many as 800 guests. It is an -hotel the solid comfort of which attracts many of those fortunate -people who have acquired large sums of money in business; and indeed -it is no rare news to be told of some family who have made this hotel -their home for years. The especially delightful nooks and corners, -filled by lounges, with which this hotel abounds, have always pleased -me much; and there is, on the ground-floor, a drawing-room with a most -dignified decoration of painted silk panels, a very noble room, with a -fine view over the Thames, where ladies who are pleased to do so make -their own dishes of tea. - -The great dining-room may be thought by some to be a whit gloomy; but -the saloon, in which the dinners are served, to use a French term, -_à la carte_, is a bright and withal handsome apartment, panelled to -the ceiling with oak, and with tapestry spread on the walls. I fear -that you do not approve of the game of billiards; but there is a very -delightful room for the pursuit of that game in this hotel, and an -ante-room of much comfort, from whence ladies watch the strokes and -cannons. The private rooms are most excellently appointed. - -After your strictures as to excessive addiction to writing of, and -partaking of, rich and delicate food--strictures prompted, I fear, by -my cousin John--I feel some diffidence in writing of the dinners served -at these hotels. Yet I must say that from experience I have found that -at all three hotels the tables are well served; the dinner of the -_table d'hôte_ being in each case five shillings in price. - -For an instance, at the Grand Hotel on the day of my inquiry, among -other delicacies, whitebait, and the curry of Madras, pheasants, and -the toothsome pigeon were served; while at the Métropole _dominos de -foie gras_ would have tempted your appetite, and you would have ended -a capital dinner with partridges and various sweets. This is how you -would have fared at the Hotel Victoria:-- - - - Canapés de caviar Moscovite. - Consommé Marquise. Crème Chantilly. - Sole Montreuil. - Blanchailles à la Diable. - Zéphires de faisan Princesse. - Tournedos Ventadour. - Selle de mouton au laver. - Dindonneau Baltimore. - Haricots verts sautés au beurre. - Pommes fondantes. - Pluviers dorés bardés sur croûtes. - Salades panachées. - Mince pies. - Biscuits glacés vanille. Langue de chat. - Dessert. - - -I need scarcely say, my dear aunt, how pleased I shall be to be of any -service to you and my cousin Judith during your stay in the Metropolis, -and remain, your very dutiful and obliged NEPHEW. - - 30_th December_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII - -THE QUEEN'S GUARD (ST. JAMES'S PALACE) - - -"The best dinner in London, sir!" was what our fathers always added -when, with a touch of gratification, they used to tell of having been -asked to dine on the Queen's Guard at St. James's; and nowadays, when -the art of dinner-giving has come to be very generally understood, the -man who likes good cooking and good company still feels very pleased -to be asked to dinner by one of the officers of the guard, for the -old renown is still justified, and there is a fascination in the -surroundings that is not to be obtained by unlimited money spent in any -restaurant. - -Past the illuminated clock of the Palace, the hands of which mark -five minutes to eight, in through an arched gate, across one of the -courts, and in a narrow passage where a window gives a glimpse of -long rows of burnished pots and pans, is a black-painted door with, -on the door-jamb, a legend of black on white telling that this is the -officers' guard. - -Up some wooden stairs with leaden edges to them, stairs built for -use and not for ornament; and, the guests' coats being taken by a -clean-shaved butler in evening clothes, we are at once in the officers' -room. - -It is a long room, lighted on one side by a great bow-window, flanked -by two other windows. At the farthest end of the room from the door is -a mantel of grey and white marble. The walls are painted a comfortable -green colour, and there are warm crimson curtains to the windows. There -are many pictures upon the walls; and a large sofa, leather-covered -armchairs, and a writing-table in the bow of the window give an air -of comfort to the room. A great screen, which, in its way, is a work -of art, being covered with cuttings of all periods, from Rowlandson's -caricatures to the modern style of military prints, is drawn out -from the wall so as to divide the room into two portions. On the -door side of the screen stands in one corner the regimental colour -of the battalion finding the guard, and here, too, are the bearskin -head-dresses of the officers. - -On the fireplace side of the screen is a table ready set for dinner, -the clear glass decanters at the corners being filled with champagne, -a silver-gilt vase forming the centre-piece, and candles in silver -candelabra giving the necessary light. By the fireplace the officers of -the guard, in scarlet and gold and black, are waiting to receive their -guests. - -In addition to the officers of the St. James's guard, the adjutant and -colonel of the battalion that finds the guard, the two officers of -the Household cavalry on guard at the Horse Guards, and some of the -military officials of the Court have a right to dine. But it is rarely -that all entitled to this privilege avail themselves of it, and the -captain and officers of the guard generally are able to ask some guests. - -As, on the stroke of eight, on the evening I am writing of, we sat down -to dinner my host told me that he had ordered a typical meal for me. -This was the menu:-- - - - Potage croûte au pot. - Eperlans à l'Anglaise. - Bouchées à la moëlle. - Côtelettes de mouton. Purée de marrons. - Poularde à la Turque. - Hure truffée. Sauce Cumberland. - Pluviers dorés. - Pommes de terre Anna. - Champignons grillés. - Omelette soufflée. - Huîtres à la Diable. - - -The hand of M. Gautier, the messman, was to be recognised throughout; -and the spatchcocked smelts, the boar's head, with its sharp-tasting -sauce, and the _soufflée_, I recognised as being favourite dishes on -the Queen's Guard. - -On this evening the wearers of the black coats, as well as the red, -had served Her Majesty, at one time or another, in various parts -of the world, and our talk drifted to the subject of the various -officers' guards all over the British world. In hospitality the Castle -Guard at Dublin probably comes next to the guard at St. James's, for -the officers of the guard fare excellently there at the Viceregal -expense. The Bank guards, both in the City and at College Green, have -compensating advantages, and the officer's guard at Fort William, -Calcutta, has helped many an impoverished subaltern to buy a polo pony. -The story goes that some rich native falling ill close to the gate of -Fort William, the subaltern on guard took him up to the guard-room -and treated him kindly, and in consequence, in his will, the native -left provision for a daily sum of rupees to be given to the subaltern -on guard. These rupees are paid every day minus one, retained by the -_babus_ as a charge for "stationery," and though all the little tin -gods both at Calcutta and Simla have exerted themselves to recover for -the subaltern that rupee, the power of the _babu_ has been too strong, -and the stationery item still represents the missing rupee. We chatted -of the Malta guard, with its collection of pictures on the wall; of -dreary hours at Gibraltar, with nothing to do except to construct -sugar-covered fougasses to blow up flies; and of exciting moments at -Peshawar, when the chance of being shot by one's own sentries made -going the rounds a real affair of outposts. - -Then I asked questions about the gilt centre-piece, which is in the -shape of an Egyptian vase with sphinxes on the base, and was told -that the holding capacities of it were beyond the guessing of any one -who had not seen the experiment tried. Some of the other plate which -is put upon the table at the close of dinner is of great interest. -There is a cigar-lighter in the shape of a grenade given by His Royal -Highness the Prince of Wales, a silver cigar-cutter, a memento of an -inter-regimental friendship made at manœuvres, and a snuff-box made -from one of the hoofs of Napoleon's charger Marengo. Which hoof it -was is not stated on the box, but the collective wisdom of the table -decided that it must have been the near hind one. Excepting on days -when the Scots Guards are on guard, Her Majesty's health is not, I -believe, drunk after dinner--though I fancy that H.R.H. the Prince -of Wales, dining on guard, broke through this custom. The regiment -from across the Border was at one time suspected of a leaning towards -Jacobitism, and while the officers were ordered to drink His Majesty's -health they were not allowed to use finger-glasses after dinner, lest -they should drink to the King over the water. - -Dinner over, the big sofa is pulled round in front of the fire, and -a whist-table and a game of drawing-room cricket each claims its -devotees. I asked my host to be allowed to inspect the pictures which -pretty well cover the walls. The most important is an excellent -portrait of Her Majesty in the early part of her reign. It is the work -of "Lieut.-Col. Cadogan," and was begun on the wall of a guard-room--at -Windsor, I fancy. The surface of the wall was cut off, the picture -finished, and it now hangs, a fine work of art but a tremendous weight, -in the place of honour. There is an admirable oil-colour of the old -Duke of Wellington, showing a kindly old face looking down, a pleasant -difference from the alert aquiline profile which most of his portraits -show. There are prints of other celebrated generals, mostly Guardsmen, -and an amusing caricature of three kings dining on guard. It is a very -unfurnished guard-room, with a bare floor, in which their Majesties -are being entertained, but the enthusiasm with which the officers are -drinking their health makes up for the surroundings. A key to the print -hangs hard by, but the names attached to the various figures are said -to have been written in joke. Many of the pictures are sporting prints -and hunting caricatures; but the original of _Vanity Fair's_ sketch of -Dan Godfrey is in one corner; and a strange old picture of a battle, -painted on a tea-tray, hangs over the door. - -On either side of the looking-glass, above the mantelpiece, are the -list of officers on duties and the orders for the guard, the latter -with a glass over them, which is supposed to have been cracked in -Marlborough's time. Some very admirably arranged caricatures, with -explanatory notes, are bound into a series of red volumes and kept in a -glazed set of shelves, and these, with a number of blue-bound volumes -of the _Pall Mall Magazine_, form all the library available for the -officers on guard. - -As the hands of the clock near eleven, the butler, who has been handing -round "pegs" in long tumblers, takes up his position by the door. -Military discipline is inexorable, and we (the guests) know that we -must be out of the precincts of the guard by eleven o'clock. We say -good-night to our hosts, and as we go downstairs we hear the clank of -swords being buckled on. - -Outside in the courtyard a sergeant and a drummer and a man with a -lantern are waiting for the officer to go the rounds. - - 3_rd January_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX - -THE COBURG (CARLOS PLACE) - - -There were some portions of my aunt Tabitha's letter from the North -which were distinctly satisfactory. She was kind enough to say that -both she and my cousin Judith, the most delightfully demure little lady -possible, had enjoyed their short stay in London, and had appreciated -the oratorio, the museums, and the picture galleries I had escorted -them to. She animadverted on the strange conduct of my cousin John, -who went to call on the old lady after being up all night at a Covent -Garden ball, where I detected him clothed as a monk, with a false -nose and spectacles. She sent me half a dozen works of the fiercest -fire-and-brimstone type, asking me to forward them to him--which I -shall be delighted to do, and also sent a bundle of miscellaneous -tracts for the servants of the Northumberland Avenue Hotel, at -which hostel she stayed, and some specially selected ones for some -of the guests staying at the hotel--these, I fear, may be mislaid. -The principal item of news in her letter, however, was that Simon -Treadwell, her solicitor, was coming to London on business for her, -and that she wished him to consult me as to certain investments she -intended to make. - -There was a decidedly comforting sound in this, and I was only too -ready to do all honour to Mr. Treadwell. I had memories of him as a -very grave gentleman, clean-shaved, with a wealth of long white hair, -and with gold-rimmed pince-nez attached to a broad black ribbon. He -came of Quaker stock, and though I wished to entertain him, for it is -so much easier to talk business over the dinner-table than anywhere -else, I felt perplexed as to where to ask him to dine with me. The -bustle and the music of the fashionable restaurants would not be in -keeping with the staidness of this grave old gentleman. - -The Coburg occurred to me. The name in itself commands respect, and -there is dignity in the appearance of the red brick Elizabethan -building that shows a curved front to Carlos Place. From previous -experience I knew that I might expect good cooking, and that we should -dine with unhurried calm in the panelled dining-room. So in writing to -my aunt Tabitha to say that I should be delighted to meet Mr. Treadwell -again, I suggested that he should dine with me at the Coburg, and named -the date and time. - -Mr. Simon Treadwell, my aunt wrote, would be delighted to dine on the -date named. Thinking of our after-dinner entertainment, I looked out -in my morning paper the most classical concert I could find advertised -for that date, and took tickets for it. Then I went to the Coburg, -and in consultation with the manager ordered a dinner which I thought -should suit my guest, accepting the item of _petite marmite_ with -resignation:-- - - - Caviar. - Petite marmite. - Filets de soles Waleska. - Tournedos Niçoise. - Pommes Anna. - Perdreau Périgourdine. - Salade Victoria. - Bombe Patricienne. - Friandises. - - -On the appointed evening I waited in the lounge which leads off -from the entrance-hall, rather wondering as to whether my stock of -conversation would last out a dinner with the very grave person I -had to entertain. The lounge is a very comfortable room, painted -oak-colour, with warm red curtains and a warm red carpet. From it one -looks through a white arch into the white panelled hall, with its dead -gold roof and the oak staircase, which, through its white arch, with a -plentiful supply of palms to break the straight lines, would appeal to -any artist's eye. - -I heard my name spoken in the hall, and went out to receive my -venerable guest. I was astonished, however, to find a young gentleman, -black of hair, clean-shaven, with an eyeglass, and in the most modern -cut of dress clothes. I am afraid that my face showed my astonishment, -for my guest said, "I am Mr. Simon Treadwell, junior. Did you expect to -see my father?" - -I wondered how the classical concert would suit my new acquaintance, -as I piloted him down the white-panelled passage, where a little -fountain in a recess lets fall a tinkling stream of water, and into -the dining-room. We were quiet, as I expected to be. The room, with -its panelling of deep red wood, with a frieze of tapestry, its -pillared overmantel, its recess curtained in, its soft red carpet, its -high-backed chairs of dark-green leather with a golden C on them, its -clusters of electric globes filling the room with a soft, luminous -glow, is all in keeping with a certain sensation of stateliness, and -the perfect silence of the service, a very good point, adds to this -feeling. - -The diners at the other tables were, I should say, all guests staying -at the hotel. I had not the curiosity to ask who they were, but I -should have expected to be told that their names were all to be found -in "Debrett." - -Mr. Treadwell was taking stock of me, as I was doing of him, and when -the _caviar_ in its bowl of ice and the _petite marmite_, strong -and hot, had been served, he told me of the very simple business as -to which he had been instructed to ask my advice, and that matter -satisfactorily disposed of, we, with the _sole Waleska_, which, with -its accompanying slices of truffle, is always a favourite dish of mine, -fell on to general subjects, and I tentatively asked Mr. Treadwell -whether he had a taste for classical music. - -"Not so much for classical music as for a good song," said Mr. -Treadwell, urbanely; and after a short pause he mentioned that he had -heard that Arthur Roberts was very amusing. I mentally tore up the -tickets for the classical concert. - -With the _tournedos_ Mr. Treadwell told me that he had wired down to -the Palace for two seats for the next night in order to hear Marie -Lloyd's new songs, and asked my advice as to where he had better dine -_à deux_, and whether Romano's, or Princes', or the Savoy was the most -_chic_ place to take a lady to supper at. I filled up Mr. Treadwell's -glass from the nicely chilled bottle of Perrier-Jouët, and he almost -winked at me as he told me of my cousin John's delinquencies: how, -after he, John, had hypocritically warned my aunt Tabitha that I took -a delight in theatrical performances and attempted to raise the ready -smile in journalism, he had been so indiscreet as to appear before my -aunt on an occasion when he had evidently come home with the milk. Mr. -Treadwell went so far as to call him a "garden jackass"; and, my heart -warming to the young solicitor, I told him of the Covent Garden ball -and how I had discovered my cousin there, and of the tracts that had -been sent to me by my aunt to give him. - -With the partridge, excellently cooked, I gave Mr. Treadwell my -opinions as to the merits of the various pantomimes, and asked him to -lunch with me next day, and to go and see a matinée at a music-hall. -After the ice came coffee and old brandy, and Mr. Treadwell said that -he would like to smoke a cigar. - -The other diners had all finished their dinners, and we were the only -occupiers of the big room, in luxurious quiet. Mr. Treadwell lay back -in his chair and pulled at his cigar with the air of a man enjoying -life. - -I paid my bill: two dinners, £1: 1s.; one bottle '83, 15s.; two -coffees, 1s.; two fine champagne, 3s.; cigar, 6d.; total, £2: O: 6. -This done, I asked Mr. Treadwell where he would like to go and finish -the evening; and he, waking from a day-dream, said, "Anywhere where -they have a ballet." - -"Heads the Empire, tails the Alhambra," I said as I tossed the coin, -and it fell heads. - -I wish I had not been so hasty in buying those classical concert -tickets. - - 10_th January_. - - - - -CHAPTER XL - -THE MIDLAND HOTEL (ST. PANCRAS) - - -The dramatic moment of the evening came when Juliette, the new French -maid, with despair painted on her face, out of breath, and with her -bonnet on one side of her head, came running into the dining-room at -the Midland Hotel, and told Miss Dainty that the dog had escaped. Miss -Dainty for one moment was overwhelmed, for she pictured Jack in fierce -combat with every big dog in London; but, recovering herself, said that -she wanted boy messengers. The wild duck was getting cold, the manager -was beginning to look unhappy, the waiter was sympathetic but helpless, -the French maid was weeping. If messenger boys could straighten out the -difficulties Miss Dainty should have had a dozen; but she said that she -only wanted three. So three little boys stood in a row and received -their instructions. One was to go, in a cab, to Miss Dainty's flat to -see whether Jack had returned there; another, in a cab, was to go round -to all the places that Jack had been taken to during the day, chiefly -milliners' and dress-makers' and bonnet-makers' shops, to see whether -he had wandered away to any of those localities; the third was, in a -cab, to go to all the places where Jack had special canine enemies to -see whether he had gone to fight a parting fight with any of them. The -three small boys were sent on their way, the weeping maid dismissed to -mount guard over the pile of baggage, and then I told the manager to -serve us our duck and he smiled again, while the waiter allowed the -look of sympathy to die out in his face and woke to sudden activity. - -Miss Dainty was going out to America to play what she called "a -thinking part," with an English company on tour there. She was to have -gone to Liverpool by a morning train, and a little crowd, male and -female, assembled to see her off, to give her the customary bouquets, -and to wish her the customary good voyage. But no Miss Dainty arrived. -In her place appeared an agitated French maid, who explained that -her mistress could not possibly go by this train, because one of her -new hats had not been sent home. The lady section of the crowd was -sympathetic, the male section gave their bouquets to the maid to take -back to Miss Dainty, and we all went our separate ways. - -In the afternoon I got this telegram: "Alone in London and starving. -Going night train. Will you give me dinner?--DAINTY." I was of course -delighted to give the little lady dinner; telegraphed to her that I -would meet her at the station and give her dinner at the Midland Grand -Hotel, and sent a note to the manager of the French restaurant at the -hotel asking him to keep a table for me, and to order a small dinner -for two. - -A cab with a pile of boxes on the top brought Miss Dainty with her -bouquets, and her maid, and Jack, the fighting dog, to the station. - -"Are you going to take the dog?" I asked; and Miss Dainty said, -"Certainly. I am going to take him to bite the Custom-house officers -if they interfere with my sealskin cloak." Of course, such a reason as -this was unanswerable. - -The maid and the baggage and the dog were left on the platform, the -former being given strict injunctions to keep a watchful eye on the two -latter, and I took Miss Dainty off to the hotel. - -Through the long curving corridor, with its brightly-painted walls -and blaze of electric light, we went to the lift, and were quickly -deposited on the first floor, where the restaurant is. - -As a rule one does not expect to get a good dinner at a railway hotel; -but I knew that the Midland was one of the exceptions which prove the -rule, and that I had not done wrong in asking Miss Dainty to dine with -me there. The room, a fine large saloon, has a comfortable red paper -with handsomely framed mirrors to break the monotony of its surface, -and what painting there is on pillars and cornice has something of an -Egyptian brilliancy of colour. At one end a semicircular screen of -curtains shuts off the serving-room. At the other end great doors lead -into a drawing-room. The chairs, of red velvet, have a comfortable -look. The lights on the tables are electric globes with yellow shades. - -This was the dinner that the manager had ordered for us. When I saw -_petite marmite_ on the menu I groaned. I am beginning to believe that -it is a sort of fetish that restaurant managers worship:-- - - - Natives. - Petite marmite. - Sole Portugaise. - Filet Rossini. - Pomme soufflée. - Canard sauvage à la presse. - Salade de laitue. - Pouding à la reine. - Bombe Midland. - Petits fours. - Fruits. - - -With the soup, which was strong and hot, Miss Dainty told me how she -had boarded out her pets for the time of her absence, and it seemed -to me that the gold-fish, the parrot, the cat, and the love-birds -had, with Miss Dainty's usual perverseness, been sent to people who -would loathe the sight of them. Jack was to go with his mistress to -protect her from all perils in an unknown land and to bite Custom-house -officers. - -When the sole and its rubicund surrounding of tomatoes appeared, I -inquired whether Miss Dainty contemplated matrimony during her travels, -and was politely snubbed by being told that that was a matter in which -she would not think of moving without first asking my consent. - -As Miss Dainty toyed with the truffles of the excellently-cooked -fillet, she informed me that America is a country which understands -and admires art, and I gathered that she looks forward to returning -to England as a second Bernhardt or Duse, and that the bags of dollars -which, with their hands and hearts, endless swains are sure to offer -her, are but a secondary consideration. - -Then came the wild duck; and as the manager was squeezing the rich -brown fluid from the silver press the frightened maid came bustling -into the room, and we heard the awful news that Jack was lost. - -By the time that Miss Dainty had sent off her little army of -boy-messengers and had ordered the maid back to her post on baggage -guard, our table was the centre of attraction to the room. The old -Anglo-Indian colonel, whose pretty daughter was sitting opposite -to him, the family party of mother and son and daughter, the young -honeymoon couple, the half a dozen old gentlemen dining in solitary -state, all were taking an interest in the hunt for Jack. "I shall not -leave London until Jack is found," said Miss Dainty, as her slice -of the duck's breast was put in front of her. "But your boat starts -to-morrow," I protested. "The boat must wait," said Miss Dainty -decisively. "I don't go without Jack." - -We ate our pudding in silence. "I expect the poor dear is fighting half -a dozen dogs now," was the only remark that Miss Dainty made with the -ice. - -I called for my bill: Two dinners, 12s.; one bottle 343, 15s.; two cups -of coffee, 1s.; total £1: 8s. - -"I am going now," said Miss Dainty, as she drew on her gloves, "to -send Juliette and the boxes back to the flat, and then you shall drive -me round to all the police-stations in London to see if Jack is at any -of them." - -As we walked down the long corridor I was thinking of the pleasant -evening I was going to spend, when there was a patter of little feet -behind us, and the next moment Miss Dainty was hugging Jack, an -unrepentant, muzzleless dog, with a great cut over one eye, and an ear -bitten through. - -When the train containing Miss Dainty and the bouquets and the boxes -and the maid and the dog steamed out of the station I sighed a great -sigh, which had something of relief in it. - - 17_th January_. - - - - -CHAPTER XLI - -KETTNER'S (CHURCH STREET) - - -"I have no amusement at all now," said little Mrs. Tota--we always -called her Mrs. Tota up at Simla, for she was as bright and perky as -her little namesake, the Indian parrot. "George says that the night air -brings on his fever, and refuses to go out after dinner." - -George looked up from behind his paper and grunted; but there was a -quiver of his left eyelid which looked very like a wink. - -"I never go to a dance now, and you know I _love_ dancing. I never -have any fun like we used to have at the Black Hearts' masked balls at -Simla; the only _kala jugga_ I ever go into is the coalhole. I never -eat a nice little dinner like you used to give us at the Chalet. I -never do anything, or see anything, and all because George thinks he -might suffer from imaginary fever." - -George from behind the paper moaned a mocking moan. "If George wouldn't -mind," I said, "I should be delighted to take you out some evening, -give you a little dinner, take you to a box at some theatre, and to a -Covent Garden masked ball afterwards." - -"Mind!" said George, reappearing from his paper with great suddenness. -"_Mind!_ Why, my dear fellow, if you will only be so kind as to do that -I shall not be abused for a week. Take her out, and give her dinner and -supper, a box at a theatre and a dance, and my blessing shall be with -you all the days of my life." - -Mrs. Tota clapped her hands. "George, for once in your life, you're -nice," she said. - -"We'll have a regular Simla evening," I suggested. "The nearest thing I -can think of to the dining-room in the little U.S. Club chalet would be -a private room at one of the restaurants." - -Mrs. Tota looked to George for approval, and then nodded in -acquiescence. - -"The Savoy private rooms would be too big for our little party of two. -Romano's has some charming Japanese private dining-rooms. There is -the turret-room at Scott's, which looks down on to Piccadilly and the -Haymarket. There are two sweet little corner rooms at the Trocadero, -the bow windows of which command Shaftesbury Avenue. There are----" - -"You seem to know a good deal about the private rooms of all the -restaurants," said Mrs. Tota. - -"I have an elderly relative who dislikes noise, so when I take him out -to dine----" - -"Oh, _him!_" interrupted Mrs. Tota. "Go on with your list." - -"There are some very handsome little rooms at the Café Royal, and -Kettner's, and a lot more." - -"What's Kettner's, anyway?" queried Mrs. Tota; and I told her of the -snug little restaurant buried away in Church Street, which was first -discovered by two well-known journalists, a restaurant of comfortable -nooks and corners, a restaurant of such individuality that when it was -necessary to rebuild it a few years ago it was rebuilt as nearly as -possible on the old lines, with its three or four public dining-rooms -below, and its network of passages and warren of little rooms above. -I told her of Louis, now in supreme charge, who has been part of -Kettner's since Kettner's first became known to London; and of Henri, -who has charge of the upstairs dining-rooms, and who, with his peaked -beard and clean-shaven upper lip, is the type of _maître d'hôtel_ that -all the French artists who record the life of the boulevards love to -draw. - -Mrs. Tota said that it sounded nice. She liked the name; Kettner's -sounded a little unusual, and she liked the description of the -old-fashioned place. - -Then I summed up: "You will very kindly pick me up at the club; we will -dine at Kettner's, then go across the way to the Palace Theatre, where -I will have a box; after that back to Kettner's to put on your domino, -which we will leave there; and then on to the Covent Garden ball, where -we will sup in our box and stay until after the procession." - -Mrs. Tota declared that I was a dear, and George grunted a few words of -genuine thankfulness. - -I went down to Kettner's and interviewed Henri. The nicest possible -little dining-room and a very simple little dinner were what I wanted. - -Henri put his head on one side, like a wise magpie, and suggested -oysters as _hors-d'œuvre_. I said that the idea was novel, but that -I preferred caviar. Then Henri relapsed into deep thought. _Petite -marmite_ was his next suggestion, and on this I turned on him and -rent him, figuratively, for every _maître d'hôtel_ in the world -seems to think that _petite marmite_ or _croûte au pot_ is the only -possible beginning to a small plain dinner. Friendly relations were -re-established, and this was our final effort so far as the menu was -concerned-- - - - Caviar. - Consommé à la Colbert. - Filets de sole à la Joinville. - Langue de bœuf aux champignons. - Epinards. Pommes Anna. - Poulet à la Parmentier. - Salade. - Asperges. Sauce mousseline. - Biscuits glacées. - Dessert. - - -and a bottle of Moët '89, just chilled, to drink with it. - -Room A was the dining-room that Henri thought would suit us. So A was -the room selected. - -Mrs. Tota, in a very charming black dress with a pattern of tiny steel -sequins on it, with a gorgeous ermine cloak and a mysterious bundle -that I knew must contain the domino, picked me up at the club and -drove me down to Church Street. She was delighted at the appearance -of the cosy little houses and the narrow entrance. Before we went to -our dining-room above I asked Louis to take us through the kitchen, -which, with its walls of white tiles and perfect cleanliness, is well -worth seeing, and we peeped into all the public dining-rooms on the -ground-floor. - -"Isn't this quite wrong?" said little Mrs. Tota, who was evidently -enjoying herself. "Oughtn't we to have slipped up the stairs like a -couple of guilty things? Do you take your elderly relative round the -kitchen?" - -At that moment Henri appeared and said that our dinner was ready, and -we went up the narrow stairs. - -A little room, with a paper in which old gold and soft browns and -green mingled, three windows with warm-coloured curtains to match the -paper, bronze ornaments on the mantelpiece, oil paintings of Italian -scenery on the walls, a tiny sideboard, a square table lighted by gilt -candelabra holding electric lights--Room A is a very snug place to dine -in. - -"H'm, yes," said Mrs. Tota. "Not quite like the room in the dear old -Chalet; but quite near enough." - -Henri had taken us under his special protection, and had added half -a dozen _hors-d'œuvre_ to the menu besides the caviar, and when the -time came for our slices of tongue he appeared bearing a whole tongue -lavishly garnished. - -It was a capital dinner, well cooked throughout, and as Mrs. Tota -praised each dish Henri beamed more and more upon us. And Mrs. Tota -chattered like her namesake. We talked about the famous masked ball -at Simla, at which Field-Marshal Lord Roberts, disguised in mask and -domino, went up to a humorous Irish lady, and, in a feigned voice, -asked her for a dance, receiving a reply that she "hadn't time to be -dancing with boys to-night." We talked of gymkhanas at Annandale, and -picnics at Mashobra, of A.D.C. theatricals and town-hall balls, and we -effectually brought the scent of the deodars into Soho. - -Mrs. Tota finished her coffee and Curaçoa Marnier, and sighed as she -drew on her gloves. "Those were good days," she said, and I nodded -assent. - -I told Henri to bring me the bill. Two dinners, £1: 1s.; one Moët, -15s.; two cafés, 1s.; two liqueurs, 2s.; total, £1: 19s. - -"Henri," I said, "you have let me off too lightly. It should be more -than this"; whereat Henri went through an expressive pantomime which -meant that to undercharge me was the last thing the management would -think of doing. - -We left the domino in Henri's charge, and Mrs. Tota thought she would -walk the few yards to the Palace. "If all dinners in private rooms -are as pleasant as that, I rather think that I envy your elderly male -relative," said Mrs. Tota as we emerged into Church Street. - - 24_th January_. - - - - -CHAPTER XLII - -PAGANI'S (GREAT PORTLAND STREET) - - -"If you will dine with me on Sunday night I will give you dinner in the -most interesting private dining-room that any restaurant in London can -show," I said to little Mrs. Tota. - -"She'll do nothing of the sort," said George, her husband, from behind -his paper. - -"George!" said little Mrs. Tota, and there was a mixture of -astonishment, query, and reproof in the way she spoke her husband's -name. - -George laid down his newspaper. "Since you took her to dine in that -private room at Kettner's nothing has been good enough for her. She -would like a _maître d'hôtel_ and a head waiter dancing round her at -every meal, and she can't go out of the front door without looking -round to see if there is a manager there to bow her out." - -"You are perfectly horrid, George," said little Mrs. Tota with some -asperity. "You won't take me out yourself, and when other people are -kind enough to offer to do so you are as cross and sarcastic as you can -be." - -George looked at me with the corners of his mouth drawn up by a -suppressed smile, and his left eyebrow twitched as if he felt inclined -to wink. I poured oil on the troubled waters. If Mrs. Tota, with her -husband's permission, would dine with me at Pagani's on Sunday we would -dine in the public dining-room on the first floor, and look afterwards -at the drawings and signatures in the celebrated little room on the -second floor. - -"It is real good of you to take the wife out," said George, as he saw -me off the premises. "I hate going out at night, as you know, but she -enjoys it all thoroughly. She chattered about that last dinner for a -good month." - -On the Saturday I went to Pagani's, secured a table for the next -evening in the room on the first floor, a very pretty dining-room with -soft blue curtains to the windows, a blue paper on the walls, shaded -electric lights, and a little bow-window at the back, which makes the -snuggest of nooks. Then M. Giuseppe Pagani, one of the two proprietors, -having appeared, we talked over the important matter of the menu. The -difficulty that vexed our minds was whether _filets de sole Pagani_ or -_turbot à la Pellegrini_ would best suit a lady's appetite. Finally the -sole won the day. I hesitated a moment over the _Bortsch_ soup, for it -has become almost as much a standing dish as _croûte au pot_ in most -restaurants; but _Bortsch_ is the customary Sunday soup at Pagani's, so -it had to be included in the menu. - -This was our list completed:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Potage Bortsch. - Filets de sole Pagani. - Tournedos aux truffes. - Haricots verts sautés. Pommes croquettes. - Perdreau Voisin. Salade. - Soufflé au curaçoa. - - -At eight o'clock on Sunday I was waiting for Mrs. Tota in the arched -entrance which is one of the distinctive features of the modern -Pagani's. Glazed grey tiles front the whole of the ground floor, the -rest of the building being red brick, and the deep entrance arches are -supported by squat little blue pillars. The curve of the arches are -set with rows of electric light, which give the little restaurant the -appearance of having been illuminated for a fête every night. - -"Now mind, I want to see everything, and be told who everybody is," -said Mrs. Tota as she got out of the cab, and I promised to do my best -to carry out her wishes, and suggested that we should peep into the -room on the ground floor before we went upstairs. - -The long room, with its golden paper, its mirrors painted with flowers -and trellis-work, its little counter piled with fruit, was crowded with -diners, not one of the many little tables being vacant. A great hum of -talk fell on our ears, and many of the gentlemen at the tables were -gesticulating as only foreigners can. I told Mrs. Tota that at least -half the guests were musicians or singers, and immediately she was all -attention. One gentleman, with long hair and a close-clipped beard, -she recognised as a well-known violinist; and a gentleman with a black -moustache and a great bush of rebellious hair, she identified as a -celebrated baritone, though he looked strange, she thought, without a -frock-coat, lavender kid gloves, and a roll of music in his hands. - -In the blue room on the first floor the tables were mostly occupied by -couples, and Mrs. Tota wished to know if this was where the married -musicians came. The gentleman with the clean-shaven face at the next -table to ours, deep in conversation with a very pretty lady in a -fur toque, was certainly a doctor, and the gentleman with a white -moustache, who had secured the table in the little bow-window, was -evidently a soldier; the two ladies dining _tête-à-tête_ did not look -musical, but on the first floor, as on the ground floor, the majority -of the guests were evidently of the artistic temperament. - -The _Bortsch_ was excellent, and when the _sole Pagani_ made its -appearance M. Meschini, the partner of M. Pagani, came to our table to -ask whether the dish was approved of. "It is beautiful," said little -Mrs. Tota. "What are the wonderful little pink things with such a -delicious taste?" M. Meschini, without moving a muscle of his face, -told her that they were shrimps, which, with fresh mushrooms and -_moules_, help to give a distinctiveness to this excellent dish. "How -was I to know a shrimp without his head and tail and scales?" said Mrs. -Tota, when M. Meschini had moved on. - -Mrs. Tota ate some of the _tournedos truffés_, and gave her opinion -that the truffles were perfectly heavenly; but I preferred to wait for -the partridge and its casserole, with all its savoury surroundings. M. -Notari, the chef, is an artist in his kitchen, and nowhere in London -could we have found a better-cooked bird. - -To establish my claim to be critical, I said that I had tasted better -_soufflés_, but Mrs. Tota, telling me that I was a pampered Sybarite, -ate her helping with perfect content. The two pints of Veuve Clicquot -we drank were excellent, and with a Biscuit Pagani, two cups of Café -Pagani and liqueurs, we ended a very good dinner. - -I paid my bill: bread and butter, 4d.; hors-d'œuvre, 6d.; soup, 1s. -6d.; fish, 2s.; joint, 2s.; game, 5s.; vegetables, 1s.; sweets, 1s. -6d.; ices, 1s.; salad, 10d.; wine, 14s.; coffee, 1s.; liqueurs, 2s. -6d.; total, £1: 13: 2, and then asked M. Meschini to take us upstairs -and show us the private dining-room, which is known as the artists' -room. - -When we came to the little room with its ruby velvet curtains and -mantel drapings, its squares of what looks like brown paper, at about -the height of a man's head, covered with drawings and writings, and -protected by glass, its framed drawings and paintings, Mrs. Tota turned -to me and asked me if I often brought my invalid maiden aunt to dine -here. - -"Invalid maiden aunt?" I said with astonishment, but remembered in a -second that I had mentioned some such relative (or was it an uncle?) -when we dined in the private room at Kettner's. Mrs. Tota laughed and -turned to M. Meschini, who was beginning to explain the various works -of art. - -The name of Julia Neilson, written in bold characters, catches the eye -as soon as any other inscription on these sections of a wall of days -gone by; but it is well worth while to take the panels one by one, and -to go over these sections of brown plaster inch by inch. Mascagni has -written the first bars of one of the airs from "Cavalleria Rusticana," -Denza has scribbled the opening bars of "Funiculi, Funicula," Lamoureux -has written a tiny hymn of praise to the cook, Ysaye has lamented -that he is always tied to "notes," which, with a waiter and a bill -at his elbow, might have a double meaning. Phil May has dashed some -caricatures upon the wall, a well-meant attempt on the part of a German -waiter to wash one of these out having resulted in the "sack" of the -said waiter and the glazing of the wall. Mario has drawn a picture -of a fashionable lady, and Val Prinsep and a dozen artists of like -calibre have, in pencil, or sepia, or pastel, noted brilliant trifles -on the wall. Paderewski, Pucchini, Chaminade, Calvé, Piatti, Plançon, -De Lucia, Melba, Menpes, Tosti, are some of the signatures; and as -little Mrs. Tota read the names she became as serious as if she were in -church, for this little chamber is in its way a temple dedicated to the -artistic great who have dined. - - 17_th December_. - - * * * * * - -I asked M. Meschini if he would be so kind as to give me the _recette_ -for the _filets de sole Pagani_, and here it is just as he wrote it -down for me. - - -_Filets sole Pagani_ - -The sole is first of all filleted, and with the bones, some mussels, -and a little white wine, a _fumée de poisson_ is made in which the -fillets of the sole are then cooked. - -The cook takes this _cuisson_, and by adding some well-chopped fresh -mushrooms, makes with that what he calls a _réduction_; to this he adds -some _velouté_, little cream, fresh butter, some lemon juice, pepper -and salt, and cooks the whole together till well mixed, then passes -it _à l'étamine_. With this the sauce is made. The cooked fillets of -sole and eight or ten mussels are then placed ready on a silver dish, -and the above made sauce poured over them. The top is well sprinkled -with fresh Parmesan cheese, and after allowing them to _gratiner_ for a -minute or two, are ready to be put on the customer's table. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIII - -CLARIDGE'S (BROOK STREET) - - -The Princess was passing through town, and wrote that she would -graciously deign to dine with me. - -The responsibility of giving dinner to a Princess, even though she be -not a British Princess, but the bearer of an Italian title, is no light -one. Claridge's, "the home of kings," occurred to me at once as the -right restaurant at which to entertain Her Highness, for the new and -stately hotel that has sprung up in Brook Street has a quiet grandeur -that is in keeping with its old nickname. - -The Claridge's of the past was a comfortable hotel with convenient -suites, but its outside was as philistine as any doctor's house in the -street. Now the towering red-brick structure, with its granite columns, -looks like a veritable palace. The proprietor in old days was very much -in evidence. He felt the responsibility of having Royalty under his -roof, and was always waiting in the hall to make his bow. So keenly -did he appreciate his proud position that once, when an enterprising -artist took a room at Claridge's, so as to be able to observe a Royal -personage who was going to be gently caricatured in a weekly paper, he -being made aware that the crime of _lèse-majesté_ was being committed, -politely but firmly insisted on the artist taking his portmanteau and -paint-brushes elsewhere. Royalty might be caricatured, but it should -never be said that the crime was committed at Claridge's. Nowadays -Claridge's is in the hands of a company, and though, no doubt, M. -Mengay, the manager, is present to make his bow when Royalty arrives, -he would not dream of expelling an inquisitive artist; indeed, all the -caricaturists in Europe would be welcome if they had the wherewithal to -pay their bills, for Royalty in the new Claridge's is given a separate -house, and so is effectually shielded from prying eyes. - -The right touch of grandeur is given in the _porte-cochère_, where the -roadway is paved with indiarubber, so that even the horses shall go -softly, and where the pavement is of marble. It takes a great number -of men--six, I think--to open the doors of Claridge's, and to show the -visitor into the hall; and as a great number of servants to do very -little is one of the characteristics of Royal residences, the home of -kings in this way asserts itself at its gates. - -I went in the afternoon to order dinner and secure a table. The six men -let me in, and two higher officials were at my service to direct me -to the restaurant; but I did not need any guidance, for when the new -Claridge's was opened I had wandered at will through all the rooms, -had admired the great stone fireplace in the smoking-room, had passed -through the many suites on the higher floors; Louis Quinze suites, -Louis Seize suites, Empire suites, Sheraton and Adams suites, and had -peeped into the Royal suite with its blue and green and crimson rooms, -and mahogany furniture. - -In the restaurant I found an old acquaintance in the shape of M. -Deminger, the _maître d'hôtel_. All the small side-tables for the -evening were taken, he said; but a table for four should be converted -into a table for two in order that I might be accommodated. The dinner -I left to M. Nignon, the _chef de cuisine_, whose handiwork I knew well -when he was at Paillard's, and M. Nobile, the manager, asking only that -the dinner should be short, and saying that though I wanted a good -dinner I did not, as I am not a crowned head or a very wealthy man, -want an inordinately expensive one. - -At eight punctually the Princess arrived, and was received with -ceremony by the six at the doors. She was wearing her sable cloak, -which always seems to me to be longer and handsomer than the furs worn -by other women, and a dress of delicate black lace over some soft white -material. The pearls and diamonds that are one of the heirlooms of her -husband's family, were round her throat, and there was a sparkle of -diamonds amidst the lace of her dress. - -The restaurant at Claridge's is a dignified room. The windows are -draped with deep red curtains and purple portières; the carpet carries -on the scheme of quiet reds, and the chairs have morocco backs of -vermilion, with the arms of the hotel stamped on them in gold. The -white plaster ceiling is supported by great arches, the bases of which -and the walls of which are panelled with darkish oak, into which -patterns in olive wood are set. The quiet-footed waiters in evening -clothes, with the arms of the hotel as a badge on the lapels of their -coats, are in keeping with the room. It is a restaurant that is -essentially quiet, a restaurant where hurry on the part of the diners -would be out of place, a restaurant where good digestion should be -inseparable from appetite. The music of the band under Meyer van Praag -lends itself to the benevolent atmosphere of the place. It is soft -enough and far away enough not to interfere with conversation. One of -the lessons that most restaurant managers refuse to learn is that an -aggressive band spoils a good dinner. - -This was the menu that M. Rouget, the second _maître d'hôtel_, laid -down by my plate as we took our seats:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Crème Princesse. - Sole d'Aumale. - Poulet de grain à la Carifnon. - Délice de jambon frappé au champagne. - Bécassine flambée Empire. - Salade d'endive. - Asperges Anglaises à la d'Yvette. - Bombe Claridge. - Petits fours. - - -While I was reading this through with appreciation the Princess was -looking round the room and at the people dining. The wide spaces left -between the tables met with her thorough approval, for the fact that -one's neighbours hear every word that one says at many of the London -restaurants is not an incentive to conversation. A lady in white at the -next table to ours also met with approval, and the Princess, serenely -secure in the consciousness of being perfectly dressed, could afford -to praise another woman's gown. Four men dining together at the tables -drew from the Princess what sounded to me like a long extract from -"Debrett," and I added an item of information as to the owner of a -handsome face that was to be seen at one time on the stage, and which -marriage withdrew from the gaze of the public. - -While we trifled with the _hors-d'œuvre_ the manager came to our -table, and in the course of conversation told us that the Portuguese -Ambassador had entertained H.R.H. the Prince of Wales in one of the -private dining-rooms the evening before. I felt inclined to say that -I, too, entertained the great ones of the earth at Claridge's, but I -reflected that humility was becoming in me, even though a Princess had -been kind enough to dine with me. - -The thick soup was good; but in no way remarkable. I do not care for -thick soups, and the Princess only took a few spoonfuls from her plate. -The sole, with its oysters and truffles, was very well cooked, and so -was the chicken, with its savoury stuffing of macaroni and truffles. -The _délice de jambon_ was a triumph, light and dainty, with a delicate -blending of flavours, a dish which marked the man who made it as an -artist in his calling. The _bécassine_ was a toothsome mouthful, the -asparagus was good, and the _bombe Claridge_ was as admirable in its -way as the _délice_ had been. An excellent dinner, as a whole, with two -dishes that were supreme works of culinary art. We drank the wine of -the good widow Clicquot. - -I paid my bill. Two couverts, 2s.; hors-d'œuvre, 2s.; crème Princesse, -4s.; sole, 4s. 6d.; poulet de grain, 12s.; mousse jambon, 4s. 6d.; -bécassine, 10s.; salade, 1s. 6d.; asperges, 8s.; bombe, 3s.; café, 2s.; -liqueurs, 3s. 6d.; wines, 15s.; total, £3: 12s. - -Dinner over, we sat in the comfortable reading-room, where the chairs -of blue silk striped velvet match the cerulean tint of the walls, until -the brougham was announced, and the Princess was duly ushered out by -the faithful six. - - 24_th December_. - - * * * * * - -M. Nignon, the chef of Claridge's, was in days past the chef at -Paillard's in Paris, the best-known perhaps of all the restaurants -there. He has brought with him to Claridge's many specialities in -cooking. This is a list of the dishes which he has given me as -specialities of the Claridge's cuisine. - - -_Potages_ - -Bortsch à la Russe--Consommé Madrileine--Consommé à la Parme--Consommé -Czarmina--Consommé veloutine à l'Impérial--Crème Comtesse--Crème -Waleska--Crème de chapon Virien--Crème ambassadrice. - - -_Poissons_ - -Truite saumonnée à la d'Artois--Truite saumonnée à la Villard--Turbotin -soufflé à la Maréchale--Turbotin au vin du Rhin à l'Allemande--Sole -à la d'Aubigny--Sole au madère à la Valois--Suprême de sole à la -Valiéra--Suprême de sole en épigramme à la Mondaine--Suprême de sole à -la d'Orléans--D'Artois de sole à la Polignac--Huîtres à la Kotchoubey. - - -_Entrées_ - -Noisettes de filet de bœuf à la Ropan--Noisettes de filet -de bœuf à la Colbert--Tournedos à la Valencia--Tournedos à -la Chancellière--Tournedos à la Cambacères--Tournedos à la -Valence--Médaillon de pré-salé Chanford--Médaillon de pré-salé à -la Cléo de Mérode--Noisettes d'agneau Ainélie--Noisettes d'agneau -Beaumanoir--Côte de bœuf flambée Empire--Filet de bœuf flambé à la -Brechlair--Cœur de filet de bœuf Cancléan--Poularde Rozollie--Poularde -soufflé à la Royale--Poularde à la bière à la Russe--Poularde -St-Cloud--Poulet reine au fumet à la Carignon--Poulet reine à la -Florentine. - -_Chaudes et Froides_.--Mousseline de jambon chaude au champagne--Mousse -de poularde au porto doré--Mousseline d'épinards à la Maintenon--Mousse -de langue chaude à l'Ecarlatée--Mousse de foie gras chaude à la -Parisienne. - -_Froides_.--Jeannette de poularde--Délices de pois--Ballotine de -volaille sur socle. - - -_Entrées Froides_ - -Ris de veau à la Norvégienne--Aspic de volaille à la Ducale--Caneton -de Rouen à la Claridge--Caneton de Rouen en surprise--Ramequin -au nid--Poularde cendrillon--Terrine de foie gras au porto à la -Savaraff--Croustade de blanc de volaille Châtelaine. - - -_Poissons Froids_ - -Darne de saumon à la Pickla--Truite saumonnée à la Suédoise--Truite -saumonnée Ratelière--Langouste à la Césarine--Homarde à la -Parisienne--Escalopes de turbot Bagration--Turban de suprême de -sole Victoria--Turbotin à la Moscovite--Queues d'écrevisses en -chartreuse--Mousse de homard Le Run--Salade de poisson à la Russe. - - -_Entremets_ - -Ponchardrin à la Bourdalouse--Soufflé Palfit--Soufflé Vizir--Soufflé -Metternich--Mignon soufflé à l'Orange. - - -_Glaces_ - -Bombe Claridge--Bombe Suzette--Bombe Prince de Galles--Biscuit -Tortone--Cremolata--Pain d'Espagne Comtesse Marie--Pièces -Vénitiennes--Tutti frutti--Trauch Canelli--Orange crémeuse--Fraises -Archiduchesse. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIV - -HÔTEL DE PARIS (LEICESTER PLACE) - - -He is a rising young artist with an idea, an idea which is, or was, -to make him and me rich beyond dreams of avarice; all that is wanted -now being a publisher who will see matters in the same light that the -rising young artist does, and who will spend a hundred thousand pounds -to back his belief. - -Gentlemen, do not all speak at once. - -The rising young artist wanted to talk to me quietly for an hour, to -unfold his brilliant idea, and it seemed to me that it would be an -economy of time to eat dinner and learn how a fortune can be made at -one and the same time. - -"Let us go to some very quiet place, then," said the rising artist, -"for if any one were to overhear he might forestall us, and then----" -The rising artist shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands; -and I saw the possibilities of a steam yacht, and a shooting-box in -Scotland, and a couple of horses in training at Newmarket all vanishing -into air. - -Such a calamity as being forestalled should not occur if I could help -it, I said: and appointed a meeting at a club whence we would walk to -a dining-place; and the particular dining-place I had in my mind's -eye was the Hôtel de Paris, in Leicester Place, which is quiet, has -no disturbing element in the form of a band, and is almost entirely -patronised by French people, who probably would not have understood the -rising artist's idea, even if they had overheard it. - -The Hôtel de Paris does not thrust itself upon the public gaze. -You pass between the two great restaurants that are springing into -existence in Leicester Square. To the right is the modest façade of the -French Embassy chapel. To the left a lamp, with "Hôtel de Paris" on -it, marks the hotel, and a large framed bill of fare shows that here -also is the restaurant. Passing through a little hall, where a page and -hall-porter bow with exceeding politeness, you turn to the right and -find a glass door, with the word "Restaurant" on it, facing you. - -The rising artist was punctual to his appointment, and by a quarter -to eight we were settled down at a table for two in the restaurant, a -T-shaped room, with two arches where the upright of the T joins the -cross-line; and M. Conrarie, the manager, his moustaches turned upwards -and his frock-coat of the neatest, was standing by, while a waiter, in -plain evening clothes, submitted to us the menu of the _table-d'hôte_ -dinner for the day. This was it:-- - - - Printanier Royal. Crème de céleri. - Cabillaud. Sauce Hollandaise. Blanchille. - Poulet au riz. Tête de veau en tortue. - Filet de bœuf. Tomates farcies. - Epinards à la crème. - Panier Chantilly. - Dessert. - - -We made our selection of dishes, and I ordered a bottle of 1889 -Perrier-Jouët; for the building up of a fortune could not be talked -over with the accompaniment of any meaner wine than champagne. - -The rising artist looked carefully round the rooms. It is a pretty -restaurant, with a paper of gold sprays of foliage on a blue -background, with many mirrors, with the green of palm-leaves by the two -arches, with painted-glass windows, with electric lights dependent from -the papered ceiling and in red and yellow shaded lamps on the tables. -The tables are dotted about the room at convenient distances, and it -was at the diners sitting at these tables that the rising artist was -looking curiously to assure himself that what he was going to say would -not be overheard. The diners, with the exception of ourselves, were all -foreigners. An old Frenchman, with a white moustache and black silk -cravat tied in a great bow, was giving dinner to a smooth-faced youth -who probably was his son. Next to them was a gentleman with a peaked -beard who looked like a musician; then three young men with down on -their chins talking eagerly and gesticulating vehemently. A gentleman -with a very long beard who talked English with a foreign accent to the -waiter, and who possibly was a Russian, was at the table next to us, -and through the arches we could see a hat with black feathers and a -dainty little profile of a face with a tip-tilted nose, as well as more -Frenchmen, fat and thin, bearded and clean-shaven. - -The rising artist was apparently satisfied with his scrutiny; and, as -I dallied with a sardine and he with some other _hors-d'œuvre_, he -opened the proceedings by asking me what I intended to do with my half -of the fortune we were going to make. Being a practical and prudent -man, I said that that depended upon the number of tens of thousands a -year that we should realise, but that I had already decided on buying a -large steam yacht and hiring a moor in Scotland and having a few horses -in training. - -The soup then made its appearance, and did not meet with our -approval, for the chef had remedied a lack of strength by a liberal -sprinkling from the sauce-bottle. It was not in keeping with the -excellently-cooked dishes that followed. - -The rising artist was going to spend his thousands in a different -manner. He thought of building such a house and studio as London -had never seen before. His collection of modern pictures was going -to be small but very good, while a few _chefs-d'œuvre_ of the old -masters--Velasquez, Van Dyck, and Rembrandt for choice--would satisfy -him. He did not care about racing or shooting, but his carriage horses -would be the best obtainable, and he thought of building a tennis-court -when he bought a little house in the country. - -The whitebait was excellently cooked, and led us into conversation as -to the cooks we should presently require. A Frenchman who had at some -time served under the great Cubat and understood Russian dishes was my -idea of what would be my requirements, while the rising artist simply -thought of going to Maître Escoffier and asking him for the best cook -he had under him at the time. - -The rising artist said that the _poulet au riz_ was well cooked, and -my _tête de veau_ was succulent and beautifully hot. I began to think -that it was about time that my young friend propounded his idea; but he -lingered lovingly over the details of his studio and tennis-court, and -seemed more inclined to tell me how to spend the money than how to make -it. - -The _filet de bœuf_ was cooked exactly to a Frenchman's taste, a trifle -too much for an Englishman's; the tomatoes and spinach were all that -could be wished. - -"Now," I said, "let's hear all about your wonderful idea." - -The rising artist looked round again to be sure that nobody, not even -a waiter, was within hearing, and then whispered across the table the -broad lines of the plan he had conceived for making our joint fortune. -When he had finished he leaned back in his chair with the triumphant -air of a man who has laid the ace, king, queen, and knave of trumps on -the table. I was thinking that the champagne was far too good for the -idea. - -The cream in its bread casing was put before us and I ordered coffee -and liqueurs. "Where do you expect to find a publisher who'll risk -tens or hundreds of thousands to do this?" I asked. - -"Oh, _any_ publisher with _any_ pluck will jump at it," said the rising -artist airily. "It will be part of your share of the work to find our -man." - -I paid the bill: two dinners, 6s.; two cafés spéciaux, 1s.; champagne, -14s.; two fine champagnes, 1s. 6d.; total, £1: 2: 6; shook hands with -the rising artist, and told him I was going out to try and find that -publisher. If any one knows of a publisher who would be likely to risk, -say, £100,000 in carrying out an artistic idea, I should be glad of his -name and address. - - 28_th January_. - - - - -CHAPTER XLV - -THE WALSINGHAM HOUSE (PICCADILLY) - - -"Oh, yes," said my maiden aunt. "I read of your going out to dinners -and taking actresses and grass-widows and other pretty ladies to dine. -I wonder you are not tired of so much frivolity." - -I answered meekly that the worthlessness of my life was often felt -seriously by me, and that I took actresses and grass-widows out to -dinner because they were kind enough to say that they enjoyed such -little outings; but that I would really prefer much more serious -company. - -My aunt drew down the corners of her mouth and looked at me through her -spectacles with supreme disapproval. - -"If I could only," I went on, revelling in my wickedness, "secure a -missionary lady, or a captain in the Salvation Army, or a shining -light of the Pioneer Club, or even one of my maiden aunts, as a dining -companion, do you think for a moment that I would dally with the -butterflies of the pasture or the stage?" - -My maiden aunt was so angry that she sniffed. "As if you would think -of asking us!" she said with a snap. "I have noticed you have been -facetious at the expense of an imaginary invalid aunt; but you would be -very sorry to ask me out really." - -"But I do ask you. It would be one of the greatest honours of my life -to entertain you at dinner." - -My aunt sat silent for a moment or two, her lips so tightly shut that -they were almost white. Then there came a tiny twinkle in her eyes. -"Very well," she said, "when you name an evening I'll come--just to -punish you." - -I felt afterwards that I had done a bold thing, and while I was about -it I rather regretted that I had not asked my grave and spectacled -relative to sup at a Bohemian restaurant--the contrast would have been -as delicious as a _soufflé en surprise_; but dinner it had to be, and -as the good lady told all the rest of the family that I had asked her -to dinner, but was meanly trying to get out of the offer, I wrote -a formal invitation requesting the pleasure of her company at the -Walsingham House at 8 P.M., and to this I received a formal answer of -acceptance. - -The Walsingham House restaurant is in the house which the Isthmian -Club occupied so long, and it forms part of the block of chambers and -hotels that stretches from the Green Park to Arlington Street. Its name -in great gilt letters stands out boldly on the red-brick face; and the -twin entrances, with glass shelters, one to the dwelling-house, the -other to the restaurant, have become well-known features of Piccadilly. -A flight of steps leads up from the door to the restaurant, and at the -top of these stairs there is a comfortable ante-room; but I preferred -to wait by the fireplace in the hall, so as to be on the spot when my -aunt arrived. - -She came in a four-wheeler, the driver of which is a special retainer -of hers. He is sober and he goes to church, and as the possessor of -these two cardinal virtues, he is retained to drive my aunt on all -special occasions. I saw the glint of her spectacles through the cab -window, and went out to welcome her. - -"Well, I've come, you see," she said with a certain amount of grimness; -and when I said that that was the proudest moment of my life, she -bridled and tossed her head to show how much faith she put in speeches -of that kind. I told the faithful cabman that he had better be in -evidence at half-past nine, and then I waited on the landing while my -aunt went up to the region of the second floor to leave her cloak. - -When she reappeared, I found that she was in her raiment of ceremony, -and felt duly honoured. She was wearing her best black silk dress, a -dress of such richness of silk that--so the family tradition goes--it -will stand up of itself, and her most highly ornamented lace cap. She -had her thick gold chain on, her brooch of rose diamonds, and her long -enamel earrings. I ushered her in to the table for two, which I had -reserved, and she settled down with a rustle, and then looked round -somewhat defiantly. - -"Are you well known here?" she asked, and I said that I occasionally -lunched or dined in the restaurant. "I only hope that they won't take -me for one of your actress friends--that's all," she said, and, do what -I could, I could not prevent the corners of my mouth from twitching. I -was told severely that it was no laughing matter; and, putting her fan -down by her plate, my aunt took up the menu and read it through:-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre. - Croûte au pot. Mock turtle. - Filets de sole Dutru. - Tournedos Walsingham. - Pommes soufflées. - Suprême de volaille Jeannette. - Canard sauvage. - Salade. - Artichauts Hollandaises. - Glaces Napolitaines. - Patisserie. - - -My respected relative knows what constitutes a good dinner as well as -anybody does; and though she would have dearly loved to be able to -pick a hole in the menu, she put it down with a satisfied expression, -and, indeed, except for the _croûte au pot_, which is to me what King -Charles's head was to poor Mr. Dick, it was a very well-considered -dinner. - -I ate the mock turtle, very good soup, but still a foreigner's idea of -what is a thoroughly Britannic dish, and while I did so my aunt, who -had refused soup, sat and watched me. "You have been getting terribly -stout of late years," she said, as I put down my spoon, "and for a man -with a neck like yours that is dangerous. There is apoplexy in the -family; one of your poor dear great-uncles died in an apoplectic fit. -He always ate and drank too much, poor fellow." - -The _filets de sole_, with their slight flavouring of cheese and -accompanying shrimps and _moules_, were excellent. My aunt supped her -champagne, and the corners of her mouth relaxed. But she still had some -ammunition to fire away. "You were not at church last Sunday," she -said with severity; but that was a matter I declined to discuss while -eating dinner, and, to change the subject, I drew her attention to the -beauties of the room, the deep frieze admirably painted with subjects -of the chase, showing how our skin-clad ancestors collected their -venison and game birds, the cunningly concealed lights, the panelling -of inlaid woods, the white pillars and cornices just touched with gold, -the comfortable brown-red carpet and chairs to match it, the curtains -of deep crimson velvet, the ceiling with its little cupids floating -on roseate clouds; and the old lady nodded her head in approval. M. -Renato, the spick-and-span little manager; the waiters with white -waistcoats, gold buttons to their coats, and a thin piping of gold on -their collars; the band playing subdued music, the brass candelabra on -the table with red shades, the fine napery and glass, were all noted by -her. I told my aunt that the coat-of-arms on the china, supported by -two griffins scratching their backs with their noses, were the arms of -the De Greys, and with a "Hoity-toity!" I was requested not to give her -lectures in heraldry. - -The _tournedos Walsingham_, with truffles, _fonds d'artichauts_ and -a pink sauce so cunningly mixed that one could not tell what the -ingredients were, showed the artistic hand of M. Dutru; and the cold -entrée, the _suprême de volaille_ served on a rock of glass, was -excellent. My aunt by now was in an inquiring mood, and wanted to know -if there were any of my actress friends among the many diners--for by -half-past eight nearly every table was occupied. I was sorry that I -could not show her any lights of the stage, but I could tell her of the -Irish lord who was giving a family dinner-party, of the old general -dining _tête-à-tête_ with his son, and of the three foreign attachés -who were inventing fables as to the Dreyfus case for each other's -benefit. - -The duck, the artichokes, and the ice were all that they should be, and -my aunt was thoroughly pleased, for she told me, smilingly, that she -had always considered me the scapegrace of the family. - -I paid my bill. Two dinners, 15s.; two cafés doubles, 1s. 6d.; -champagne, 15s.; liqueurs, 2s.; total, £1: 13: 6. - -The faithful cabman was waiting outside, and as my aunt got into the -cab she tapped me on the arm with her fan, and said that she had -enjoyed herself. - -Perhaps, after all, the old lady will remember me in her will. - - 21_st January_. - - * * * * * - -I asked Mons. Gelardi, the manager of the Walsingham House, if he would -be so kind as to give me the _recette_ for the _tournedos Walsingham_, -and M. Dutru very kindly wrote it out for me. - - -Tournedos Walsingham - -_Faire sauter les tournedos à feu vif: dresser sur fonds d'artichauts -et saucer d'une sauce madère avec lames de truffes; envoyer à part une -saucière de Béarnaise à la tomate et pommes._ - -[Illustration] - -Cook your tournedos over a quick fire, place them on _fonds -d'artichauts_ and add Madeira sauce and sliced truffles. Serve -separately Béarnaise sauce _à la tomate_ and potatoes. - -M. Gelardi also told me of a dinner for fifty people that was to be -served at the Walsingham the next night, and showed me the menu. - - - Hors-d'œuvre. - Caviar. Saumon fumé. - Tortue claire. Velouté printanier Royal. - Truite saumonée glacée au champagne. - Sole à la Meunière. - Filets de poulet aux truffes. Petits pois à l'anglaise. - Selle d'agneau de Galles. Artichauts aux frais herbes. - Suprême de cailles Valsingham. - Timbale d'écrevisses Américaine. - Sorbet au Clicquot Rosé. - Caneton de Rouen Rouennaise. - Salade Rachel. - Asperges d'Argenteuil hollandaise. - Cerise Jubilé. Bombe Alaska. - Friandises. - Soufflé au Paprica. Dessert. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVI - -CHALLIS'S (RUPERT STREET) - - -I felt like an extract from a Christmas story after the manner of -Charles Dickens. I was the unfortunate, desponding individual driven -at Christmas time to eat a solitary dinner in a deserted club, and as -I sat down to the little table, with three waiters regarding me with -placid curiosity, I felt a savage discontent that no spirit of a dead -sweetheart of days gone by, no child-angel, would appear to me as they -always do to the morose heroes of Christmas stories. - -I had been reduced to solitude, moroseness, and a club dinner by -the possession of two tickets for Barnum and Bailey's great show at -Olympia. It was the day after Boxing Day, and I felt sure in the -afternoon that I should find a companion eager to see the performance -and previously to dine quietly at some little restaurant where -dress-clothes would not be _en règle_. Somehow or other I found it very -difficult to secure my man. It was the dream of the life of every man I -met to go to Olympia; but not to go there on Tuesday night. If I could -change the tickets for others for Wednesday, or Thursday, or Friday -night I could have had a choice of fifty companions, but on Tuesday all -the married men said they had to dine at home with their wives; all -the unmarried ones had some other engagement. I began to feel that I -was shunned by mankind, and instead of thinking that I was conferring -a great favour by an offer of the spare ticket, I adopted an almost -imploring tone, begging for companionship. - -I wandered from club to club, taking a gloomy pleasure in the sloppy -streets and the vestiges of the gale of the night before. They fitted -well with my growing melancholy. It was too late to send the tickets -back and to go home and dine. I had to dree my weird, and, like the -Wandering Jew, I moved on from place to place, seeking a companion and -finding none. - -At the last club I went to--a little Bohemian club--I found my man. -He was playing dominoes. When I interrupted the game to ask him if he -would dine with me and come to Olympia, instead of making an excuse, -as the others had done, he said that nothing in the world would please -him better. He had to go home for a minute or to, but would be back, he -said, at the club at a quarter to seven. We would stroll over to some -bright, cheap restaurant and have a mouthful of food, and then take cab -and see the horses and gymnasts, freaks and miniature warships. I felt -I had at all events one friend in the world. - -A quarter to seven came and the club was deserted by everybody except a -member asleep in an armchair and myself. I sat and watched the clock, -and three waiters stood by the little tables at the end of the room -and looked at me and talked in whispers to each other. The minute-hand -drew gradually up to the hour, and as it did so I sank down into the -depths of despondency. My friend had deserted me, basely deserted -me, or else he was killed, run over perhaps, or struck by a falling -chimney. The minute-hand went on to five minutes past, the member in -the armchair snored gently and regularly, the waiters seemed to look -at me pityingly. Pity from a waiter I could not endure. I got up and -went over to one of the little tables and sat down. The waiters looked -placidly pleased. I was relieving the monotony of their lives. I said I -would take the club dinner and a whisky-and-soda, and when two of the -waiters faded away, the other remained on guard. I put my elbows on the -table, and my head in my hands, and felt that I was indeed the morose -hero of pathetic Christmas magazine literature. - -My soup was brought, and a whisky-and-soda deposited tenderly by the -side of the plate, when the door was flung open, and in came my missing -friend clothed in evening dress and radiant. There was an engagement he -had forgotten: he was taking a lady to dine at Challis's--new little -place of Baker's--a thousand apologies--I must cancel club dinner and -come over--couldn't keep the lady waiting--see me again in two minutes. -And he was out of the room again like a well-dressed whirlwind. - -I did cancel the rest of my club dinner, to the suppressed grief -of the three waiters, who saw thus the only relief to their boredom -vanish. I put on hat and coat and walked through the darkness and slush -to Rupert Street, where two great ornamental lamps made a brave splash -of light in the gloom, and where a tablet of opal glass with ruby -lettering on it, dependent from a highly-ornamental glass and metal -door-shelter, set forth that here was the restaurant of Challis's Hotel. - -To go from the darkness of the street by the direct door into the -restaurant is like the transition in the pantomime from the Realms -of the Demon Gloom to the Glittering Palace of the Good Fairy; and, -in my splashed boots and morning attire, I felt like the solitary -scene-shifter who is generally "discovered" in the midst of the -glittering scene when the front cloth rises. - -Challis's Restaurant consists of two rooms, opening one into the other, -one decorated after the manner of the Louis XIV. period, and the other -after the manner of the Louis XV. period. Both are as pretty as a -bride-cake or a silk Watteau fan. White and gold and soft colour are -everywhere. The ceilings are painted with clouds and little roseate -deities, and echoes of Fragonard, and the other courtly painters of -dainty sylvan dreams are in the panels of the wall. The place blazes -with electric light, a starry constellation in the ceiling, lights -shaded with blue and pink and old-gold shades in brackets on the wall, -and on the table candle-lamps crowned with deep red shades. A palm -topping a little chiffonnier of white wood, a fireplace with pillars -of white-and-gold, and little bronzes on the mantelpiece; chairs of -dark wood, in keeping with the period; a carpet of deep red, and in one -corner a little counter of white wood, with a pretty little lady behind -it. Such was as much as I can remember of the setting of a scene in -which I should not have been the least surprised to have seen little -_abbés_ and _marquises_ feasting on syllabub and various dainties, and -dancing pavanes and minuets and gavottes between the courses. - -A waiter in white waistcoat and with gold buttons to his coat, was -waiting to take my coat and hat, and my friend was beckoning me to a -table where he was sitting with a pretty lady in evening dress. - -I was introduced, but did not catch the pretty lady's name. She -seemed to look upon it as being the most natural thing in the world -that I should have been brought away half-way through one dinner to -eat another, and so did my friend; and as it all seemed to be part -of a Christmas story, it all became natural to me. If Santa Claus -and St. George and the Dragon had come in and taken seats at one of -the neighbouring tables I do not think that on that particular night -I should have thought the matter called for any particular remark. -Every man but myself was in dress clothes, and I felt very like the -Ugly Duckling; but the unknown pretty lady did not allow me to be ill -at ease. She talked, and talked admirably, on subject after subject, -gliding from pictures to theatres, from books to music, with perfect -ease and knowledge. My friend sat in silent contentment, and I in a -dazed state of wonder as to who this clever pretty lady might be, and -how it was my friend could have forgotten his appointment with her, -and I felt very thankful to her for being at the trouble to talk to a -mud-splashed outcast like myself. This was the menu-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Consommé aux Profiterolles. Crème Jackson. - Blanchailles. - Civet de lièvre à la Française. - Aloyau à la moderne. - Poulet rôti au cresson. Salade. - Choux à la crème. - Glace aux apricots. - Petits fours. - Dessert. - - -The whitebait, which was the first dish I tasted, was good. The beef -and the chicken were both as good as the market affords. We drank a -light hock which was eminently drinkable, and when M. Coccioletti, -in explanation, as he presented the bill, said to my friend, "Three -dinners at 3s. 6d.," it struck me that I had eaten a very good dinner -for that price. - -"Good-bye, old fellow--explain next time we meet--hope you'll have a -good time at Olympia," was what my friend said as he helped the fair -unknown into a brougham, and got in after her. She smiled at me. I was -left on the doorstep with the awful responsibility of those two tickets -for Barnum and Bailey's show. - - 31_st December_. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVII - -EPITAUX'S (THE HAYMARKET) - - -The handwriting on the letter was familiar. The letter bore a U.S.A. -stamp. I wondered why Miss Dainty, of all the principal London -theatres, whom I had seen off one day last summer from St. Pancras, -whence she started for the land of Dollars, and from whom I had not -heard since, should have suddenly found reason to correspond with me. - -Miss Dainty informed me that she was having a high old time in the -States, that she was drawing a princely salary, that Jack, the fighting -fox-terrier, was very well and as pugnacious as ever, and that she had -not yet made up her mind which of the many wealthy men who had laid -their money-bags at her feet she was going to marry. The real reason of -the letter lay in the last sentence, in which she told me that a real -nice girl who had been her room-mate on tour, was coming to England, to -join a theatrical company, by the steamer that would carry her letter, -and would I, she wrote, be of any service to the fair stranger I could, -for her sake. - -I wrote to the theatre introducing myself, at Miss Dainty's desire, -asking if I could be of any service, and suggesting to Miss Belle that -if she would be kind enough to let me talk to her for half an hour, I -should like to do so on Sunday across a dinner-table, and proposing -Epitaux's in the Haymarket as being quiet and bright. - -Miss Belle, in a little letter ending, "Yours cordially," wrote that -she would be pleased to dine, and added that Miss Dainty had often -spoken of me. - -In one matter Epitaux's is deficient--there is no entrance lounge -or waiting-room. A very smart little buffet, with ornamental glass -windows, faces the street, and alongside this a narrow entrance -passage, gorgeous in white and gold, leads to a short flight of steps -and the glass doors which shield the restaurant. I had asked Miss Belle -to dine at eight, and I waited at the street entrance, hoping that -instinct would point her out to me when she arrived. - -Two men drove up in a hansom. A brougham disgorged a married couple. -Then a hansom came with a clatter down the Haymarket, pulled up, and a -lady, good-looking and very becomingly attired, opened the doors and -prepared to get out. The commissionaire put the guard over the wheel, -and Miss Belle, for there could be no doubt that it was she, jumped -down before I had time to introduce myself and offer a hand. - -Miss Belle said a pretty word or two as to the invitation to dinner, -and hoped she was not late; and as we went up the entrance passage she -told me that she considered Miss Dainty the sweetest girl upon earth, -and that she would have recognised me from the picture that Miss Dainty -had shown her. - -Miss Belle allowed me to help her off with her coat, while I explained -that I had chosen Epitaux's for our dining-place because it is -comparatively small, and that I was not likely to miss her arrival, as -might have happened at Princes' or the Savoy. The pretty lady, looking -round the dainty _bonbonnière_ of a restaurant--with its walls of the -lightest cream colour, its pilasters and cornices picked out with gold, -its panels of deep blue-green stamped velvet, its musicians' gallery -filled with palms, under which in a glass-enclosed room a young lady in -black serves out the wines and liqueurs, its blaze of electric lights -on the walls and its shaded lights on the tables--approved thoroughly -of my choice. She had been at parties at Princes' and the Savoy, the -Cecil and Romano's, since she arrived a fortnight ago; but she thought -Epitaux's, which was new to her, very snug and nice. - -I hoped that Miss Belle had had a good passage, but she had not; -and I trusted that to make up for bad weather she had had pleasant -fellow-passengers; but the passengers seemed to have been as -indifferent as the weather. - -Messrs. Costa and Rizzi, the two proprietors--one tall, with a -moustache that a cavalryman might envy; the other short, with -a grizzled beard--had been hovering by the table, and the head -waiter, with the _carte de jour_ in one hand, and the menu of the -_table-d'hôte_ dinner in the other, was waiting for orders. - -I chose the _table-d'hôte_ dinner-- - - - Hors-d'œuvre variés. - Croûte au pot. Crème Dubarry. - Filets de sole Portugaise. Whitebait. - Côtelettes d'agneau aux pointes d'asperges. - Canard sauvage. Salade. - Céleri à la moëlle. - Biscuit glacé au chocolat. - Canapé de laitances à la Diable. - Dessert. - - ---and ordered a bottle of G.H. Mumm, 1889. Miss Belle, having settled -down into conversational mood, told me that she had rooms in a house -in Bloomsbury in which some of the other ladies of the company lived. -"We girls go about together. We go everywhere, and nobody ever -says anything to us. Yes, sir. That is one thing I will say about -Englishmen, as a rule they are not fresh." She was quite surprised that -English girls did not do the same. In the security of this sisterhood -there was nowhere she and the other girls could not go. The night -before, five of them had taken a private room at the Trocadéro, and had -supped by themselves with great content, rejoicing in the absence of -man. The London policemen were the institutions that "in your dirty old -town" met with thorough approval from Miss Belle. She warranted them -polite and ready to answer questions. "If you ask anything of a New -York policeman you get a hard look back and that's all." - -The _croûte au pot_ was strong, but too salt. I am, perhaps, -prejudiced against the eternal _croûte au pot_ and _petite marmite_. -Miss Belle, who took the thick soup, approved of it highly. The _filets -de sole Portugaise_ were admirable. - -We had a table at the far end of the room from the kitchen, which -accounted for the whitebait, excellently cooked as it was, not being as -hot as whitebait should be. - -I felt that I had cross-examined Miss Belle as much as politeness -allowed, so I told her something of the history of Epitaux's; how the -site was originally that of Foote's Theatre in the Haymarket--Foote the -witty buffoon, who was a big enough man in his day to pose as a rival -to Garrick--and how at a later period it became the Café de l'Europe. -Here, in the ante-early-closing days, after the midnight farce at the -Haymarket Theatre next door, the stern critics of the pit would come -to eat their chop, or Welsh-rabbit, or tripe and onions, and talk -learnedly of plays and players till two in the morning. And I told Miss -Belle of the old Epitaux's in the Opera colonnade, the name of which -has been transferred to the new establishment in the Haymarket; how in -the early Victorian days it was one of the very few restaurants where -good French cookery could be found, and how the Iron Duke, and other -famous men used to give little dinner-parties there. - -Then Miss Belle took up the running, and told me of the restaurants of -modern New York, of the up-town Delmonico's, which has been built since -I crossed the herring-pond, and of Sherry's, Martin's, Burns's, and -Shandley's, the three latter Bohemian, but not the less comfortable for -that. - -The cutlets were excellent, and the asparagus the best I have tasted -this winter, while the duck was cooked to an absolute nicety. The -_biscuit glacé au chocolat_ was as delightful and evanescent as a good -dream. Altogether it was a very good dinner, though the cook _did_ have -a little accident with the salt-cellar in preparing the _croûte au pot_. - -Miss Belle told me of her tour in the same company with Miss Dainty, of -adventures at "one-night stands," of cowboys who brought their bronchos -for the ladies of the company to ride, and other tales that amused -me much while we drank our coffee and liqueurs. "Guess I've talked a -streak," she said, when in a pause I asked for my bill. - -Two dinners, 15s.; two cafés, 1s.; champagne, 14s.; liqueurs, 2s.; -total £1: 12s., was what I paid. - - 4_th January_. - - -THE END - - -_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_ - - - - - * * * * * - - ALL DOCTORS - AGREE that - Max Greger's - Hungarian Wines - are REJUVENATING - and INVIGORATING - - BARON LIEBIG, in a letter which excited much attention at the - time, announced boldly the reason of his belief in the use of - Hungarian Wines. - - Recommended, alike for the Anæmic and the Robust, by the highest - Medical Authorities for over 35 years. - - _See that every cork bears the brand_ - "MAX GREGER," - _without it the Wine is not genuine. - In Bottles and Screw-Stoppered Flagons. - From 15s. to 60s. per doz._ - OF ALL WINE MERCHANTS. - - Sole Proprietors: SEPTIMUS PARSONAGE & Co., Ltd., - 45, St. Thomas Street, LONDON, S.E. - - * * * * * - - Mustard Manufacturers by Special Warrant - to the Queen - - Colman's - D. S. F. Mustard - SEE THAT THE NAME IS ON THE TIN - - Colman's - Corn Flour - FOR BLANC MANGES, CUSTARDS, &c. - - Colman's - Self=Rising Flour - FOR MAKING BREAD, PASTRY, CAKES, - PUDDINGS, SCONES, &c, &c. - - * * * * * - - SCOTT'S - - Telegraphic Address--"SCOTT'S, LONDON." - Telephone No. 2513 Gerrard. - - Rebuilt 1893. - - OYSTERS - AND - LOBSTERS. - - _Cuisine of the - Highest Quality._ - - 18, 19, & 20 - Coventry St. - - AND - - 1 & 2 Gt. Windmill St. - Top of the Haymarket. - - _Suppers after the Theatres a Speciality._ - - * * * * * - - HOTEL CECIL - & RESTAURANT, - STRAND, W.C. - - Largest and Most Magnificent Hotel in Europe. - - BEDROOMS FROM 6/- PER DAY INCLUDING - LIGHT AND ATTENDANCE. - - _The Dinner of London_--"THE CECELIA" at 10/6. - - Telegraphic Address--"CECELIA," LONDON. - - A. JUDAH, _Manager_. - - * * * * * - - The Walsingham House Hotel & Restaurant - Piccadilly, W. - - Overlooking the Green Park, and occupying the finest - position in London. - - TARIFF - Single Bedroom from 7/6 - Bed Sitting-Room from 12/6 - Sitting-Room and Bedroom, Self-contained from 25/- - Extra Bed from 2/6 - Children's Cot from 1/6 - - SPECIAL TERMS FOR A PROLONGED STAY. - - Plain Breakfast 2/- - Plain Breakfast with Eggs 2/6 - Breakfast with Fish or Meat 3/6 - Cup of Tea, Bread and Butter 1/- - Cup of Coffee (demi Tasse) 6d. - Day Fire 2/- - Evening Fire 1/- - - _TABLE D'HÔTE DINNER is served in the Salle à Manger, from - 6 to 8, as per daily Bill of Fare, at 7/6 per Head._ - - AMERICAN and CONTINENTAL Visitors will find "The - Walsingham" with its Private Rooms, Restaurant, Terrace, - and Garden, overlooking the Park, one of the most - comfortable and _recherché_ resorts in London. - - * * * * * - - [Illustration] - - Charing Cross - Turkish Baths - (Nevill's.) - - Gentlemen's Entrance, - NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE. - - SEPARATE BATHS FOR LADIES. - ENTRANCE--Northumberland Avenue, Craven Street, Strand. - - PRONOUNCED TO BE THE FINEST IN LONDON. - Admission: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., 3s. 6d.; after 7 p.m., 2s. - - These Baths stand on what was formerly part of the grounds of - Northumberland House, occupied nearly three years in building, - and involved an expenditure of £30,000. They comprise a suite of Bath - Rooms, having a floor space of about twelve thousand feet for gentlemen, - with a smaller set in a separate contiguous building for the exclusive use - of ladies. The cooling rooms, which are surmounted by a lofty dome - designed to permit the free circulation of air and to ensure perfect - ventilation, are fitted in a most luxurious manner; the whole of the - decorations of both cooling and hot rooms have been designed by most - eminent authorities; while the heating and ventilation of the hot chambers - are brought to a state of perfection by the use of the system first - introduced by the Proprietors. - - And at LONDON BRIDGE, NEW BROAD STREET, - ALDGATE, AND EDGWARE ROAD. - - PROSPECTUS POST FREE. - - * * * * * - - Princes' Restaurant, Piccadilly, - Admittedly the Most Fashionable in London. - - TABLE D'HÔTE LUNCHEON, 4s. 6d.; DINNERS À LA CARTE; - SUPPERS, 5s. - - _Finest Wines and Cuisine only._ - - Bocchi's Famous Orchestra Performs Daily. - - A large Banqueting Hall, seating 150 People, is now - open for Regimental and City Dinners, Wedding and other - Receptions; also smaller Dining Rooms for Parties, and - Institute Picture Galleries for Balls. - - Managing Director--GUSTAVE FOURAULT. - - Also a Nice and Comfortable Hotel, the Entrance of which is - in Jermyn Street. - - * * * * * - - RESTAURANT DIEUDONNÉ, - RYDER STREET, ST. JAMES'S. - - HANDSOMELY DECORATED IN THE LOUIS XV. STYLE, - CELEBRATED FOR ITS EXCELLENT AND - DELICATE CUISINE - AND ITS LARGE STOCK OF FINE WINES. - - LUNCHEON, 3/- } - THE THEATRE DINNER, 5/6 }Couvert, 6d. - SPECIAL DINNER, 7/6 } - THEATRE SUPPER, 4/6. - - Dinners, Luncheons, and Suppers à la Carte. - Special Menu on Sunday. - - Great attention paid to the 3/- Luncheon, which is pronounced - to be the best in London. - - Telegraphic Address, "Guffanti, London." - Telephone No. 5265 Gerrard. - - * * * * * - - Highest Honours at all Exhibitions. - - CHOCOLAT-MENIER - - [Illustration] - - FOR - Breakfast - Luncheon - AND - Supper - - AVERAGE DAILY SALES, - _50 TONS._ - - The Largest Factory in the World. - - WORKS: NOISIEL-SUR-MARNE, PARIS. - - SOLD RETAIL EVERYWHERE. - - * * * * * - - ROMANO'S RESTAURANT, - - 399--STRAND--400. - - LUNCHEONS, DINNERS, SUPPERS. - - Table d'Hôte or à la Carte. Service at separate Tables. - - This palatial restaurant has been entirely rebuilt, and lighted - throughout by electricity. The decorations, lighting, and ventilation - have rendered Romano's one of the sights of London. - - Veritable cuisine Parisienne. Choicest wines. Elite orchestra. - Quietude, comfort, personal supervision of - A. ROMANO, Proprietor, - C. A. ANTONELLI, Manager. - - Telephone No. 5428. Telegrams: "Romano, Strand, London." - - 399--STRAND--400. - - ROMANO'S RESTAURANT. - - * * * * * - - "VERREY'S" - RESTAURANT, - 229 REGENT STREET - (Corner of Hanover Street). - - The New Persian Room - is the Most Beautiful Dining-Room in London. - - DINING À LA CARTE. - LA HAUTE CUISINE FRANÇAISE. - - OPEN SUNDAY EVENINGS ALSO. - - _To Reserve Tables apply to Manager. Telephone No. 1742 Gerrard._ - - * * * * * - - [Illustration] - - AUG. MICHEL, - STRASBOURG - - PÂTÉS DE FOIE GRAS and - STRASBOURG SPECIALITIES - - Purveyor to several Royal Households. - - 40 Gold Medals and Diplomas of Honour. - - PÂTÉS DE FOIE GRAS - _aux truffes du Périgord_ - - PÂTÉS DE GIBIER - _au foie gras truffé_ - - PURÉES DE FOIE GRAS et GIBIER ETC., - - _To be Found - Everywhere._ - - LONDON AGENCY: 18, CULLUM ST., FENCHURCH ST., E.C. - - * * * * * - - The Queen's Hotel - and Restaurant, - LEICESTER SQUARE. - (BAKER AND CO., PROPRIETORS.) - - _Manager,_ - MONS. G. GUILLOT. - - _Chef de Cuisine,_ - MAÎTRE CHARPENTIER. - - This magnificent Hotel and Restaurant is - NOW OPEN for the reception of guests. - The building is planned and decorated upon the - most approved modern principles, and has been - furnished throughout by Messrs. MAPLE & CO. - - A TABLE D'HÔTE LUNCHEON - Served at 3s. 6d. per head in the Grand Hall from - 1 to 2.30 p.m. - - TABLE D'HÔTE DINNER - At 5s. per head from 6 to 9 p.m. - - SUPPERS - After the Theatre (à la carte) served in Grand Hall. - - _Tables may be reserved by Telephone No. 2088 Gerrard._ - - THE GRILL ROOM is open from 12 a.m. to 12.30 midnight. - - THE QUEEN'S ORCHESTRA, under the direction of Mr. Meyer Van - Praag, will play DAILY in the Grand Hall and Grill Room. - - * * * * * - - RESTAURANT. - THE OLD BLUE POSTS - No. 13 CORK STREET - (Close to Burlington House, between Bond Street and Regent Street.) - - _DINNERS AND LUNCHEONS À LA CARTE. - Coffee-Room, Private Dining-Rooms for Large and Small Parties._ - - Special Hot English Dishes from 1 to 3 1/6 - Dinner from the Joint 2/6 - - _Genuine First-Class Cuisine. The very best Vintage Wines and the - Choicest Brands of Cigars._ - - * * * * * - - SCHLETTE'S HOTEL, - 14 Cork Street, Burlington Gardens, W. - - SINGLE BEDROOMS from 4/- per day. - SMALL SUITES OF ROOMS from 2½ Guineas per week. - - * * * * * - - OF ALL HIGH-CLASS PROVISION DEALERS. - - [Illustration] - - Denny's - Star Brand - Bacon and Hams - - To guard against the substitution of other bacon, and especially Foreign - and Colonial, see the brand as here shown. - - HENRY DENNY & SONS, Ltd. - (_Established considerably over half a century_), - ARE THE LARGEST CURERS IN THE KINGDOM. - - * * * * * - - SAVOY HOTEL, LONDON. - - Overlooking River and Embankment Gardens. - - By Day the most beautiful Garden and River View in Europe. - By Night a Fairy Scene. - - SAVOY RESTAURANT of Gastronomic Fame. - _Under the direction of the famous Maître d'Hôtel "Joseph."_ - DINNERS À LA CARTE. PRIVATE ROOMS FOR PARTIES. - THE SAVOY DÉJEUNER, 5s. THE OPERA SUPPER, 5s. - PRIX FIXE DINNER (7s. 6d.) SERVED IN THE NEW SALLE À MANGER. - The Orchestra plays during Dinner and Supper. - - The GRAND HOTEL, ROME, is under the same direction. - - * * * * * - - CLARIDGE'S HOTEL, LONDON, - BROOK STREET, GROSVENOR SQUARE, W. - - In the centre of fashionable London. The old Royal Hostelry resuscitated. - THE ORCHESTRA PLAYS IN THE RESTAURANT DURING DINNER. - - SUITES OF ROOMS OF ALL SIZES. - Over 300 Rooms. Nearly 100 Bathrooms. - - _General Manager_-- MR. H. MENGAY. - - * * * * * - - THE SHIP, GREENWICH. - - Telephone 201 Deptford. - - HIGH-CLASS DINNERS - and - RARE VINTAGE WINES. - - _Public and Private Rooms facing the River_. - - Al-fresco dining in the very hot weather. - - Telegrams and Letters, Address BALE. - - * * * * * - - [Illustration] - - LERINA - "THE" - LIQUEUR. - - LIQUEUR made by the Monks of the - ABBEY OF OUR LADY OF LERINS - On the Island of St. Honorat, CANNES (Alpes Maritimes). - - Well known to all Visitors to the Riviera. - - ESSENTIALLY DIGESTIVE. - - LERINA - "THE" - LIQUEUR. - - CAN BE OBTAINED FROM ALL STORES AND - WINE MERCHANTS. - - * * * * * - - Adjoining the Haymarket Theatre and opposite - Her Majesty's Theatre. - - EPITAUX'S RESTAURANT, - LATE CAFÉ DE L'EUROPE, - 9 & 10 HAYMARKET, S.W. - - This famous Restaurant has been reconstructed and appointed in - the most recherché style, and is now open for Luncheons at 2/6, - Dinners à la Carte or at fixed prices, and Suppers at 3/-, after the - theatres (speciality). Also on Sundays, from 6 till 11 p.m. The High-class - Cuisine is under the personal superintendence of the proprietor, - and the well-known cellars of M. COSTA, late of the Washington, - Oxford Street, have been carefully removed to this establishment. - - Telephone No. 1486 Gerrard. - - EPITAUX'S RESTAURANT, - 9 & 10 HAYMARKET, S.W. - - * * * * * - - PAGANI'S RESTAURANT, - 44 & 48 GREAT PORTLAND STREET - _Haute Cuisine at Moderate Prices._ - - Telephone--2710 Gerrard. Telegrams--Soufflé, London. - - RENOWNED FRENCH & ITALIAN CUISINE. - Luncheons, Dinners and Suppers - à la Carte. - - Open from 8 a.m. - till 12.30 p.m. - - The Famous - ARTIST ROOM - can be - Reserved for Private Parties, - etc. - - Best Vintage Wines. - - M. & G. PAGANI, Proprietors. - - * * * * * - - THE EQUITABLE - Life Assurance Society - OF THE UNITED STATES. - - ASSETS exceed 53¾ MILLIONS STERLING. - SURPLUS over all LIABILITIES exceeds 11¾ MILLIONS STERLING. - - Paid to Policyholders during 1898-- - Over £4,980,000 Sterling. - Paid to Policyholders in less than 40 years-- - Over £62,270,000 Sterling. - - The Policies of the Equitable of the United - States secure:-- - - 1. A Lucrative Investment. - 2. Protection for a Wife. - 3. Endowment for Children. - 4. Education for Children. - 5. Provision for Old Age. - - _Amounts of Cash Surrenders, Loans, Paid-up Assurance are - written in the_ EQUITABLE'S _Policies and Guaranteed._ - - Head Office for Great Britain and Ireland: - 6 PRINCES STREET, BANK, LONDON. - A. MUNKITTRICK and W. TRIGGS, _General Managers_. - - * * * * * - - The Criterion Restaurant, - PICCADILLY, LONDON. - - THE EAST ROOM, - Entirely remodelled and charmingly redecorated in Louis XV. - style, is now one of the most elegant Restaurant Salons in the - world, and overlooks Piccadilly. Cuisine Véritablement fine. - Déjeuners, Dîners et Soupers à la Carte, or at fixed prices. - - THE WEST ROOM - Has also been remodelled and redecorated in Louis XVI. style, - and can be strongly recommended for its comfort and elegant - service. Academy Luncheon at 2/6. Dîner parisienne at 5/-. - - GRAND HALL. - A most excellent dinner is served at the very moderate price of 3/6. - - RESTAURANT. - On the ground floor for the service à la Carte, or at fixed popular - prices. - - The Magyar Honved Band plays in the Central Minstrels' Gallery a - selection of high-class music during Luncheon, Dinner, - and Supper. - - BUFFET AND AMERICAN BAR. - - LARGE AND SMALL BANQUETING ROOMS. - - THE GRILL ROOM - On the lower ground floor, with two special entrances in Jermyn - Street, can be strongly recommended for its quick service and very - moderate prices. - - Attention is called to the New Private Entrance in Jermyn Street, - affording most convenient access to all floors. - - Quick travelling Lifts at both Entrances. - - The Criterion Restaurant, - PICCADILLY, LONDON. - - SPIERS & POND, LTD., - _Proprietors_. - - * * * * * - - The Flowing Bowl: - A Treatise on Drinks of all Kinds and of all Periods, - interspersed with sundry Anecdotes and Reminiscences - - By EDWARD SPENCER - WITH COVER DESIGNED BY PHIL MAY - - [Illustration: _The Cover-drawing of_ "THE FLOWING BOWL."] - - Small 4to. Cloth, 5s. - - GRANT RICHARDS - 9 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. - - * * * * * - - "_Most useful companions to the traveller_."--PUNCH. - - GRANT ALLEN'S - HISTORICAL GUIDES - Fcap. 8vo (Pocket Size), Limp Cloth, Round Corners, - 3s. 6d. net each. - - _VOLUMES NOW READY._ - PARIS. - FLORENCE. - CITIES OF BELGIUM (Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp). - VENICE. - - _VOLUMES IN PREPARATION._ - MUNICH - CITIES OF NORTH ITALY (Milan, Verona, Padua, Bologna, Ravenna). - DRESDEN (with Nuremberg, etc.). - ROME, Pagan and Christian - CITIES OF NORTHERN FRANCE (Rouen, Amiens, Blois, Tours, Orleans). - - Some Opinions of the Press. - - _THE TIMES_.--"Such good work in the way of showing students the right - manner of approaching the history of a great city.... The execution of the - little volumes is, on the whole admirable.... These useful little - volumes." - - _THE GUARDIAN_.--"From the point of view of really intelligent - sight-seeing, the two little volumes that have already appeared are better - than anything that we yet have; and if the holiday-maker will only take - them with him to Paris or Florence, he will probably feel that he has - learnt more of the real city than in all his former visits." - - _THE SPECTATOR_.--"A visitor to Florence could hardly, we imagine, do - better than provide himself with this volume. A great amount of - matter--and good matter, too--is compressed into a small space, for the - book is light, and such as can go into a pocket of moderate capacity. Mr - Grant Allen not only guides his reader's judgment, but disposes of his - time for him; he must not only not do much at once, but must arrange his - sight-seeing in an economical and intelligent way." - - GRANT RICHARDS, 9 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. - - * * * * * - - The Pall Mall Magazine. - _The Finest Illustrated Magazine of the Day._ - EDITED BY LORD FREDERIC HAMILTON. - - The _PALL MALL MAGAZINE_ is published on the 18th - of each month. It numbers among its contributors all the leading - writers and artists of the day. - - The exquisite illustrations form a special feature of this beautiful - Magazine. - - During the next few months Stories and Article will be written by-- - H.G. Wells. - Gilbert Parker. - W.E. Henley. - H.B. Marriott Watson. - E. Nesbit. - Louis Becke. - F.C. Burnand. - Mrs. F.A. Steel. - William Archer. - G.S. Street. - The late Chas. Yriarte. - Edgar Jepson, etc., etc. - - Illustrations in Half-tone and in Colour will be supplied by-- - L. Raven Hill. - A.S. Hartrick. - G. Denholm Armour. - E.J. Sullivan. - Grenville Manton. - Frank Craig. - S.H. Sime. - Max Cowper. - A.H. Buckland. - H. Granville Fell. - Abbey Altson. - Maurice Greiffenhagen. - Edgar Willson. - Claude Shepperson, etc., etc. - - PHOTOGRAVURE FRONTISPIECES. - - With each number is included a fine Frontispiece, printed on plate-paper. - During the next few months PHOTOGRAVURES will be - published by GAINSBOROUGH, REYNOLDS, REMBRANDT, BURNE-JONES, - ALBERT MOORE, etc., etc. - - Other features of the _Pall Mall Magazine_ will include papers on - the "HISTORIC HOUSES OF GREAT BRITAIN"; "CAPITALS OF THE - EMPIRE"; Articles on SPORT AND TRAVEL; and many finely Illustrated - POEMS. REPRODUCTIONS of fine Pictures in the NATIONAL - COLLECTIONS both in England and Abroad will also be published. - These will be reproduced by the newest and best PROCESSES. - - PRICE ONE SHILLING. - - Offices: 18 CHARING CROSS ROAD, LONDON, W.C. - - * * * * * - - The Magazine de Luxe. - - The _Pall Mall Magazine._ - - Illustrated by the best Black-and-White Work of the Day. - - EDITED BY LORD FREDERIC HAMILTON. - - In its Pages will shortly appear:-- - Stories of the Year 2090. Six Stories. By H.G. WELLS, - Author of _The Time Machine_, etc. - - Anglo-Egyptian Tales. Six Stories. By GILBERT - PARKER, Author of _The Seats of the Mighty_, etc. - - The American Stage. Three Articles. By F.C. BURNAND, - Editor of _Punch_. - - American Architecture-- - Chicago. PETER B. WIGHT. - Boston. MONTGOMERY SCHUYLER. - - Readers are respectfully requested to order the _PALL - MALL MAGAZINE_ to be supplied to them regularly - through a Bookseller or Newsagent, or from a Railway Bookstall, - rather than to rely upon a chance purchase, with the risk - of disappointment, recent numbers having been sold out within - a short time of issue. - - Offices: 18 Charing Cross Road, London, W.C., - and Astor Court Building, New York. - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Dinners and Diners, by Nathaniel Newnham-Davis - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DINNERS AND DINERS *** - -***** This file should be named 53079-0.txt or 53079-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/0/7/53079/ - -Produced by Clare Graham and Marc D'Hooghe at Free -Literature (online soon in an extended version, also linking -to free sources for education worldwide ... MOOC's, -educational materials,...) 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