The Washington times., 1901-10-13

men in the dining room. a reunion
and less general conversation. perhaps
music, and all the guests in the chorus
brandy, whisky, and soda brought IN oy
the butler at IL, finally good nlght'
candles, and all to bed.
In the morning you are awakened at
s by the under butler, who brings you
early tea" without which no Briton
can get started on his day. When you
have partaken and are doing off, you
are walked again, and told that your
bath is ready. You may have come
without your valet, and if so, when you
return from your bath you find that the
under butler has laid out all your
clothes. arranged the studs in your
shirt. prepared everything for you, and
arranged everything so that you can
step into your garments with the least
trouble possible.
OF course, you need not arise until
you wish, and you have the choice of
breakfast in your own room or in the
morning room" You can get down to
breakfast almost any hour you wish,
within one or two hours of a stated
The things to eat stand on the side
board-bacon, cold meats. etc, and you
take what you desire, helping any of
the ladies who chance to be in the room
with you at the time. Breakfast over.
your time is your own, TO write to read,
to stroll to ride your hosts bicycle,
motor car, or horses, and you need only
return in time to brush up for luncheon,
the first real reunion of the day. Plans
for the afternoon are discussed during
the meal-drives, tennis, croquet, etc,
and every one does what he pleases.
AS the summer draws to a close the
week end party is replaced by
party with more definite purpose. The
middle of August ushers in the grouse
shooting in Scotland, and the gentry of
the Scotch country gather about them
the good shots of their acquaintance.
The ladies are also included for the
amusement of the menfolk when there
is no shooting, and also to participate,
for many Englishwomen can shoot well.
On days when the weather permits
the men ana women who are going out
finish their beakfast, gather about II
o'clock, and follow the gamekeepers to
the fields. The day in the fields is not
all killing" though many fatal heart
stab is delivered there. AS rule each
man is given a fair companion to keep
him company in his STATEN, and he
passes the time as much in conversa-
ton as in shooting
After midday the party gather at
some shady nook, where hot lunch
con is served, a good rest is taken, and
then a return to the cover for shooting.
The men usually spend the afternoon
by themselves. the ladies returning to
the house for afternoon maps and other
feminine frivolities.
BY 5, tired and smoke stained, the
shooters return for that typically Eng
lish functions o'clock tea-recount the
scores of the days killing, lounging
thereafter on the lawn until the hour to
dress for dinner. In the winter time the
riding to hounds in all its picturesque
ness of buff breeches and 'pinkings"
still persists. 1t is by far the most dis
tinctive and typical Of all the English
country life practices, because ii is in
dulged in almost exclusively by the
county squires and practically but few
city people. The meet, the hounds, the
registering dinners after the hunt, and
the hunt balls that follow the days
run, are known to every one, through
print and story. Perhaps there is
flavor Of modernness in the hunt of to-
day that robs ii of a portion of its ro-
nance, and takes the edge off its pic
turesqueness. Yet for all that, it is
even now an exhilarating and amusing
episode in a country visit, and he who
has ridden to anyone of the famous
packs, be they the stag hounds of Sus-
sex and the "shires, or merely fox
hounds after cubs" will not forget his
experience.
Visitors to a country house naturally
entail extra labor upon the servants,
under buffers, acting as Wallets, cham
bermaids as maids to the ladies; the
grooms and coachmen have more trips
to make, and more horses to attend to.
There are more people to be waited
upon in the dining room, and even the
scuIlery maid has more shoes to shine.
This extra labor is recompensed by a
natural free will offering from the
guests when they leave. In other
words. the servants are tipped" to re-
ward them foe their trouble. How
much? Enough to appear generous,
regulated chiefly by the length Of stay
and the services rendered. To anyone
who has specially attended to you, as
the under butler, some odd shillings
into his hand, and the same 10 the
groom who has attended to the horse
you brought All the miscellaneous ser
wants in the house have to be provided
for. and that is usually done through
the head butler A good. generous gol-
den tip is given him with the remark,
for the servants hall'-and there it is
taken and divided pro rata-a good slice
for the butler himself, a good slice for
the cook, and in smaller pieces distrib-
uted to the chamber and scullery
maids.
With all those things understood, life
slips by in an English country house in
a most delightfully."- comfortable, undis-
turbing, yet absolutely complete man
ner. There is time given for work, and
time given for play. Excursions are
made, which you join If you wish, and
don't if you feel disinclincd. There is
no worry no rush, and no trouble, and
whoever fails to be at peace with the
world under such conditions must have
been specially made by God to jar
with II