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16 March 1884 — 3 Savile Row | |
Sunday. 16th March [1884]. I went to church at St Margarets Westr with Henry. We walked across St James’ Park. It was very hot & there were quantities of crocus & hyacinth out. Lady May gave us places in her pew. Canon Farrar preached a good sermon. Sir Thomas Erskins May was not at church & Lady May asked us to go in & see him. The House had sat all night till 6 this morning & there had been a great piece of work. Ld Randolph Churchill & Labouchere had hatched a plan in the smoking room to upset the Govt & had a division taken place an hour sooner the Govt would have been in a minority & would have resigned. As it was they only scraped together a majority of 17. We were out of church at 1 so the Mays & Miss Laughton took us to walk on the terrace & then into the House of Commons. Everything after the night sitting had just been shut up & left as it was. The dining rooms smelled of cooking, the smoking rooms of stale smoke. The library was strewed with paper– We went into the House itself & there the same scene of litter & confusion. Henry began to point out the places he occupied & his friends in the House in bygone years & Lady May told him he must come in again at the next elections. We went in & lunched with the Mays & then went home at 2.30. Mr Hallan Murray came to call. At 3 Henry & I drove out in the brougham. We went to call on Lady Stanhope. Lord Kenman & Lord Ashburton were there & there was a great deal of talk over last night events in the house– We went on to call on the Dicksons but they being out we went on to Constance’s & found her at home & we stayed tea with her. Ivor came there also with his 2 oldest girls– Henry took them home in the brougham & I walked back with Ivor. I went to call on Lady Cowley & had a nice chat with her. She told me funny stories abt fine maids– Her daughter was visiting at Knowsley and had with her a young French maid. One evening Lady Hardwicke went up to her room just after dinner & found her maid looking disconsolate. She asked her why she was not at supper & the girl told her that she had met the housekeeper who said to her—“the bell will ring directly make haste.” The girl answered “I am quite ready.” “Pardon me” answered the housekeeper—“but you must dress, I make it a rule not to allow anything but square cut dress at supper & if you have not one I can’t let you come down”! Another story Lady Cowley told me was her own maid at the Duke of – There was a servant’s ball in the house & Lady Cowley said to her maid “I am glad we happen to be here for you to dance.” The maid said she was not going to the dance as she had no gown. Lady C. said “what can you wear nicer than the black silk you have on & I will lend you a lace fichu” to which she objected that Lady Laura Russell’s maid was going to wear “green gauze & silver.” I got home at 7. We dined alone. | |
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