UNITED STATES AND CANADA 141 



fully anticipated, was immediately ablaze. In a 

 moment there was a panic and a cry of ** Fire ! " Half 

 the stalls were on their feet. It was then that I 

 recalled the advice of my old friend, Sir Eyre Massey 

 Shaw, to be sure and sit still if ever I was in a fire at 

 a theatre ; but it requires a lot of presence of mind 

 to do so, and Mrs. Hooker was terrified. Even the 

 defunct Juliet became alarmed and sat up. All 

 this happened in much less time than it takes to 

 describe it. However, just at the critical moment, 

 on came a fireman with a hose, and speedily extin- 

 guished the flames, much to the relief of everyone 

 in the house. Order was restored, Juliet died once 

 more, and the performance ended without further 

 incident. 



I have already mentioned some of the large 

 banquets given by Mr. Chamberlain, and also those 

 given by his American colleagues in his honour at 

 the Arlington Hotel. He gave four or five others, 

 with the details of which it is unnecessary to weary 

 the reader. With one single exception, not a jarring 

 note marred any of these festivities. Nothing could 

 have exceeded the cordiality of the relations which 

 subsisted between my Chief and the many promi- 

 nent American statesmen of all shades of politics 



