The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-30
MELBA AT HOME.

In Melba's town house the drawing
room and music room which constitute
together with the boudoir one suite, are
always cheerful, with flowers and PAINS.
lenty of light is let in through an un.
usually liberal supply of window space,
and the glow is heightened by yellow
MORE hangings and the cream white OF
the walls that are reproductions of those
in the palace at Versailles. Madame
Media has searched through antiquity
shops to some purpose, for the flood OF
light is neutralized by the tones of Old
brocades that cover the Louis XIV chairs
and couches; imagine the drawing room
and music room banked with flowers, the
gilt sconces and crystal chandeliers alight
on the occasion of an evening party when
the musical programme is given by the
hostess and a group Of celebrities whose
presence at one time behind the foot
lights would mean a struggle for life at
the box Office.
1.-THE grand piano of a great singer
is generally the shrine that holds her
most treasured possessions. Here Madame
Malba has placed the decorations given
to her by the King of Belgium, the King
of Sweden, the medals from the Donizeti
festival at Bergamo, from Brussels, from
the Paris conservatory and from Austria
liza. Back of these are autograph por-
traits of Gounod who wrote, TO the
charming Juliette of my hope;' Of Verdi
of Madame Marchesi, and of Puccini, the
composer of La Boheme. Other auto
graph portraits, including that of King
Edward VII, of Queen Alexandra. of the
Duke of Clarence of the Duke of Corn
wall and York of the Duke of Cambridge.
of the King of Sweden and of the King
of Saxony. They are souvenirs of occa-
sions when Madame Melba has sung for
these great personages. Her own por-
trait and bust are evidences of interest
in two of her countrymen. The bust IN
the music room was made by Bertram
MackennaI, and the portrait was painted
by Rupert Bonney, whose two pictures
in the Paris salon this year have re-
ceived favorable mention.
For painters, Nine Media has much
admiration and for writer's a kind of
reverence. One somehow never asso-
ciates books with great singers, in their
journeyings the costumes leave so little
space for works of literature in their
trunks. Nine. Melba's favorite books
may be seen at her home on little
table by the fireplace. There is an easy
chair rear it, and the pages of Rosetti,
Shelley, Keats and Fitzgerald Omar show
that they have been read.
Give O'Clock is an institution at Great
Cumberland place that generally sees
gathered group of people whose names
are as familiar on one side of the ocean
as the other Lord Kitchener is a
stanch admirer of Nine. Media, for all
his reputed apathy toward the civilizing
sex; Lord Charles Beresford is a visitor;
Lord and Lady Cadogan, when they are
home from Ireland; Mr.. Alfred de Roths-
child, the Duchess of Wellington, the
Duchess of Sutherland, Lady De Grey,
regarded as the closest friend Of Queen
Alexandra, and the mainstay of the
Covent Garden opera; Joachim, the vio-
sinist-these and many others-call to
drink cup of tea at the hour when all
London likes to remind itself of the
happy fact that it has friends to be
looked upon.
Lying neglected in cabinet IN the
library is a visitors book that Nine.
Media once kept. 1t is a register of in
ternationai celebrities. No longer in no
tice, the volume hints to one that at
some past day collecting the autographs
OF the great of the earth became a bore. >
-Ainslee's Magazine.