UNITED STATES AND CANADA 245 



few high officials will be present. Miss Endicott 

 will wear a travelling gown. It is to be a house 

 wedding. It is barely possible that Mr. Chamber- 

 lain and his charming bride may remain in the 

 United States a short time, paying a series of 

 family visits, and arrive in England shortly before 

 Christmas. 



The Hon. Joseph Chamberlain was not the only 

 person on the Aurania who came over with a desire 

 to conceal their identity. Mrs. Paran Stevens 

 registered simply as Mrs. Stevens. 



" I thought I could avoid identification in that 

 way," she said, with a laugh. " The New York 

 papers have been publishing severe things about 

 me — cruel, malicious things. It was dreadful. 

 Why, in Paris the police and the people sympathised 

 with me in my trouble and did all they could for me, 

 and my own papers assailed me." 



Mrs. Stevens was gently led away from the con- 

 templation of her troubles by inquiry touching the 

 coming Chamberlain-Endicott wedding. 



" No one in England or Paris seems to know 

 anything about it. Society is in a great state of 

 curiosity for particulars. You know Mr. Chamber- 

 lain, who, by the way, is a good friend of mine, has 

 kept everything extremely quiet. I know Miss 

 Endicott quite well. She is a charming lady, 

 refined and brilliant, and I prophesy for her a great 

 social career, if she cares for it. There is a mania 

 among Englishmen of wealth and title for marrying 

 American girls now, you know. From what I have 

 seen abroad these matches seem to be happy ones. 



