A PEIXCELY IXVITATIOX. 57 



elusion that our appearance savoured more of 

 the railway carriage than was becoming for 

 the occasion, we were obliged, faute de mieiu, 

 to be content with ourselves, and took our- 

 selves off at once to the august presence. 



After five minutes spent in vainly endea- 

 vourino; to cross the best street in Kutais 

 without gettmg over our ankles in mud, we 

 found ourselves in the presence of our hostess, 

 a charming lady devoted, as she herself as- 

 sured us, to horses and Englishmen, in that 

 order. AVe soon found that we owed our 

 reception to the tongue we spoke, which the 

 Princess had overheard whilst riding past our 

 hotel that evenino;. After two or three hours 

 spent m j^leasant chat we acceded to her 

 suggestion that we should dine with her on 

 the morrow, and then join the shooting party 



of her nephew. Prince A , which was to 



leave Kutais for a. drive some thirty versts 

 from the town on the followino; eveninof. 



