70 REMINISCENCES OF 



CHAPTER VI. 



HAMPTON COURT AND DORCHESTER. 



In 1840, when I was quartered at Kensington 

 Gate, in the 9th Lancers, my uncle, Sir Charles 

 Adam, was one of the Lords of the Admiralty. My 

 sister Mary lived with them all that season. Lord 

 Minto was First Lord. Lady Adam and Lady 

 Minto were sisters, and my cousin Mary Adam 

 (afterwards Mrs. Lindsay Antrobus) was about the 

 same age as my sister. 



I had lots of opportunities of attending parties 

 and balls, as I was often included in their invitations. 

 At that time Almack's was all the fashion, and Lady 

 Willoughby d'Eresby was one of the lady patron- 

 esses. She was my mother's cousin, and was very 

 kind in giving me tickets. There was a good deal 

 more formality in those days. You asked a lady to 

 " do you the honour of dancing with you ". Qua- 

 drilles were the mainstay ; no lancers, no gallops, no 

 polkas, no flying about with deux temps. Waltzing 

 was a solemn proceeding : a pirouette — one, two, 

 three ; one, two, three. Charles Mathews (the 

 famous actor) in a play about that date, in a song, 

 describes a ball : "You look down at your shoes, and 

 glide about like melancholy kangaroos." No sitting 



