35 2 Sport and Life. 



bell ; I thoughtlessly went out with my apron on. On the doorstep 

 was the Flag Lieutenant, and in the carriage at the door was the 

 newly arrived Admiral and his Post-Captain, in all the grandeur of 

 uniform and white kids, come to return my husband's call. 



" Is Mrs. Grohman at home?" 



" No, she has just gone out ; she will be very sorry to have 

 missed you.'' 



I received the cards, and felt that under the circumstances my 

 presence of mind had saved both the visitors and myself a 

 bad quarter of an hour. How could one entertain formal 

 visitors when one would be expecting to hear a howl every minute 

 from the neglected son and heir in the next room. 



Some tales can be told about the disadvantages, or rather 

 dangers, in having Chinese domestics, which, if ihey were the rule, 

 and not rare exceptions, would certainly soon prevent any of their 

 race being employed in any household. One of these incidents 

 happened during the time I was out west. A lady had a few 

 friends to lunch. Her Chinaman was a trusted servant, who had 

 been in her employ two years as cook and parlourmaid. Between 

 the serving of two of the courses there was a long pause. The bell 

 was rung, but still John did not appear ; at last, wondering and 

 impatient, the hostess went to the top of the kitchen stairs, and 

 called to know why he did not come. He looked out of the kitchen, 

 and asked her to wait a minute. He seemed to be cleaning up 

 something. She told him not to do that now, but to bring the 

 luncheon quickly ; a few minutes more delay and he appeared with 

 the rest of the meal, when everything went on all right. A few 

 days later a policeman came to search the premises for a Chinaman, 

 whose friends said, when he was last seen in China town he had 

 announced his intention of calling on this lady's cook to collect a 

 debt that he owed him, and he 'had never been seen since. 

 The premises were searched, and to the mistress's horror the 

 missing Chinaman was found, with his throat cut, crammed 

 into an old tub or dust-box in a small outhouse close to the 

 kitchen. It had appeared that the man had called repeatedly 



