The Merry Past 



venting the disruption of society. Formerly France 

 was filled with gastronomers because it numbered so 

 many corporations, the members of which have been 

 annihilated or dispersed. There are now no more 

 farmer-generals, no more abbes, no more monks." 



Louis XVIII could not foresee the coming of that 

 Napoleon of hotels, " M. Ritz," who, in addition to 

 the very finest cooking, introduced an altogether 

 higher standard at the various hostelries of which he 

 became the guiding spirit. To him and his lieutenants 

 is due the enormous improvement which has taken 

 place in the way of hotel accommodation in London 

 and Paris. The increase of comfortable flats has 

 also done much to enhance the amenities of town 

 life. 



The inefficient attendance, the dirt, neglect, and 

 wholesale fleecing to which an unwary bachelor 

 used to be exposed, can hardly be realised .in these 

 days of first-class hotels and luxurious flats. 



As late as the middle of the nineteenth century 

 bachelors' lodgings in the West End were of a kind 

 which to-day would scarcely be tolerated by anyone. 

 The paramount objection, as a rule, was the dirty, 

 dowdy maid-of-all-work, who often ruled the bachelors 

 who had rooms in her mistress's house with a rod of 

 iron. 



Most of these maids were superlatively bad servants, 

 and anything but remarkable for cleanliness. " Lawk, 

 sir," said one of these mop-squeezers to a lodger who 

 had made some remonstrance, " do you call these 

 hands dirty ? You should see my feet ! " Others 



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