40 WITH MR. CHAMBERLAIN IN THE 



approved English fashion, with the inevitable eyeglass 

 in his right ocular. His black hair was polished like 

 a mirror, and he smiled and smiled, and bowed while 

 he smiled, at the same time making his way across 

 to the far side of the room, where a chair had been 

 reserved for him. The reporters rose to receive 

 him, and as he invited them, by example, to resume 

 their seats he said, " Gentlemen, I am very glad to 

 meet you. I hope you are all quite well.'' After 

 a short pause and a glance at the table he added, 

 " Perhaps some of you will smoke a cigar," pointing 

 to where they lay, and taking another puff at one he 

 had already lit. The visitors did not yet feel quite 

 at home, but in order to induce a more comfortable 

 feeling most of them took cigars. That done, Mr. 

 Chamberlain, smiling still, with his eyeglass in his 

 ocular, looked on one side of the company, then on 

 the other, and seeing no recognised leader whom he 

 could particularly address, he took another puff at 

 the cigar, and looking at the upward column of 

 smoke, as he lengthened it out, he said to the smoke : 

 " Well, gentlemen, what can I do to serve you ? " 



Then it was that the reporters felt most uneasy. 

 They didn't all want to speak at once. No spokes- 

 man for the party had been appointed, and as they 

 were all very modest, every man holding that his 

 neighbour had the best right to speak first, there was 

 quite a pause before Mr. Chamberlain was informed 

 how he could best make the company happy. 

 One questioned him, and then another questioned 

 him, and then another, until nearly every man 

 in the company had questioned him, some of 



