6o WITH MR. CHAMBERLAIN IN THE 



entertaining women I ever met on either side of the 

 Atlantic, and we became great friends. She was 

 deservedly popular, and greatly admired in Washing- 

 ton in those days. I suppose it was my asking 

 more than once for a light for my cigarettes that 

 prompted her to present me with a pretty little silver 

 light-box, inside of which was written on a slip of 

 paper, '' For my matchless friend." Quite a pretty 

 compliment, was it not ? I still retain that little box, 

 and value it as a souvenir of a very agreeable friend- 

 ship. But I once nearly lost it. About two years 

 after our return the Judge and Mrs. Davis came over 

 to England, and were staying at Maidenhead in rooms 

 close to the Guards' Club. I was staying at Bray at 

 the time, and went up in a launch belonging to some 

 friends to Maidenhead to pay my respects to them. 

 Disembarking from the launch opposite Skindles, I 

 thought I heard something drop into the water, and 

 felt for my watch, but that was there all right. Later 

 on I felt for my matchbox, but in vain. It was that 

 which had fallen out of my flannel jacket. I asked a 

 boatman to try and recover it, promising him a fairly 

 liberal reward, but I heard no more, and looked upon 

 it as lost. A month or six weeks later, I was down at 

 Maidenhead again, and saw my friend the boatman. 

 He told me he had tried in vain to find my lost match- 



