THE LATE KING LEOPOLD 



many places, however, and not spent so much 

 money. 



This reminds me of when I was once at the Grand 

 Union Hotel at Saratoga for the races. I had got 

 my apartment before the season began. Mr August 

 Belmont arrived and made a little fuss about paying 

 twenty-five dollars a day for his room or rooms, but 

 the manager, much to my disgust as I didn't want to 

 be too much in the limelight, said : " Oh no, sir, I assure 

 you I am not asking too much, especially to a gentle- 

 man of your position, for Mr Tod Sloan is paying more 

 than twenty-five dollars a day." 



It was at Trouville that I had the honour of being 

 spoken to several times by the late King Leopold of 

 the Belgians. He had the next table to ours and would 

 speak across to me about various topics. He never 

 said much, but it was all in a kindly way and he never 

 failed to recognise me, whoever he was with. There 

 was another stupid story put in circulation at Trouville 

 which found its way over to the American papers. It 

 was a pure invention but it told, unintentionally 

 perhaps, to my discredit. Beyond question I had 

 one of the best tables in the big restaurant at the 

 Hotel de Paris and some American journalist told a 

 yarn that King Leopold had gone to the hotel manager 

 requesting that a certain table, meaning mine, should 

 be reserved for him. The manager was made to reply : 

 " I am very sorry, your Majesty, and I hope you will in 

 your kindness accept my apology, but I let that table 

 that you want to Mr Tod Sloan and I cannot turn him 

 out." 



It was a stupid story to invent, but many people 

 who did not like me began to repeat it, making me 

 out what I really wasn't. I should like to see any 

 hotel manager refusing the request of such a guest as 



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