UNITED STATES AND CANADA 151 



House of Commons. To him chiefly is it attribu- 

 table that the present winter has been the greatest 

 season for dinner parties that Washington has ever 

 known. And they have been gay and enjoyable 

 feasts too, for the Honourable Joseph has his wits 

 about him, and does not ask any odds from the 

 keenest of Yankee combatants in a contest of wit 

 and persiflage, any more than he needs to do in 

 dealing with matters of State. The ladies especially 

 will miss him, for rarely have they had such a guest. 

 It may be mentioned, by the way, that Mr. Chamber- 

 lain has not been so exclusively devoted to the 

 daughter of a Cabinet officer as some of the corre- 

 spondents have reported, in evidence of which 

 statement I have only to refer to the fact that he 

 gave a box party at the opera on Wednesday evening 

 to Miss Gwynn, one of the most charming and 

 accomplished young ladies in Washington society ." 



On Monday and Tuesday, February 27 and 28 

 (the latter our last day in Washington), we were 

 busy packing up and paying farewell visits. It was 

 pleasant, of course, to feel we were going home, but 

 the pleasure was not unmixed with pain. I never 

 realised so vividly, before or since, the force of 

 Juliet's words, " Parting is such sweet sorrow,'* as 

 when the time came to say ** Good-bye " to so many 

 kind and valued friends on the other side. How- 

 ever, all things have an ending. Our last dinner, 



