The San Francisco call., 1905-08-13
Meets Ba1four
atOmcial "At
Home. .
Finds the Other
Guests Inter
esting.
Overhears and
Repeats Con
versatlOnS.
Special Gable to The Call.


LONDON, Aug. 12.-At 1920 I left
my club in Piccadilly and walked across
/ the Green Park toward the steps that
| lead to Downing street. No 10, the
Premier's official house, is of plain
brick, in appearance not unlike a
| Bloomsbury lodging house; a quiet,
grave, middle class house Lights illu-
mine the open doorway; strip of red
carpet spreads across the narrow pave
| ment and down toward the steps that
! lead to the Green Park. Carriages
| and motor cars gather about the walls
| of the Government Offices. Official Eng
gland quietly and, apparently, very
| bored, steps on the strip of red car
pet and enters AT homes" that begin
J at 1890 p. m. do not induce flow of
soul or beget cheerful expectation.
The guest enters a long passage. Ser
wants, in evening dress, motion with
deprecating hands the way to the Wis
! itor. By the staircase runs a long
counter; behind it numbered pigeon
holes. 1 surrender my hat and coat and
receive numbered ticket. A gentle
man beside me tells me. in a mysterious
| whisper, that my coat collar is turned
up; the Christian kindness is gratefully
acknowledged though l cannot help the
ungracious thought flashing through
my mind that in England, more than
any other country In the world, the
the book.
In the well Of the staircase a band in
green uniforms Is playing-plays all
the evening music that Is light or
tamely operatic. -
The green uniforms give the per-
formers the appearance OF animated
pot plants. At the top of the stairs a
servant bows. another servant comes
forward. smiling, and asks your name
That is quietly announced to a lady
standing at the entrance to a room al
ready peopled. Miss Balfour, middle
aged and sweet-faced, shakes hands
with you without speaking; Mr.. Bal
four, standing inside the room, smiles
and shakes hands with some cordiality.
and you pass on.
THE REAL BALFOUR,
Mr.. Balfour is not like his portraits.
His face is not SO well modelled, nor SO
pretty as the artists have conspired to
draw it, His face is manIier: the
cheeks have jowled; 1t is not so refined.
Looking at the head en- profile there is
something disconcerting, frog-like,
about the eye. His head is the Cecil
mead, long, narrow, mallet-s shaped, ball
anced yet perky; the crown far back.
TO go through the rooms is a matter
or time and difficult steering People
stand up, in the London fashion.
wedged, solid mass all over the floor
space, talking, talking, talking. Not
loudly, yet the noise Is bewilderinp
Dukes. Earls, Government officials. Em-
bassadors, all sorts of great people stand
and talk. The effect they produce, when
generalized. is one of dowdiness It is
not so much the clothes, though some of
last years frocks suggest a belated In
dian summer season, some coats do not
agree with the wearer's shoulders, and
waistcoats creep over collars, and some
int
that disdain any fashion that ever was
with a comfortable turbulence very
characteristic of the English dowager.
But what chiefly producess this effect of
dowdiness is the faces. Though the
frocks may be June all the faces are
late autumnal: the fabrics are gay
enough, but the faces are unsuitably
glum and dull. They are non-conductive.
apathetic faces. Whatever emotion stirs
the spirit behind those faces, 1t leaves
the mask Cf mask 1t be) of facial dow
diness unrelieved.
There are three reception rooms Be
yond them, to the right, the supper
room. The middle room is blocked A
little woman. so short-backed that you
realize, with a shiver, how narrowly she
has escaped hunchback's fate, stands |
talking volubly to diplomat. A long
line of patient guests stand waiting be-
hind her. Every other second the lady |
nervouSly shakes her cloSe-cropped, IRON |
gray head, or kicks at her yellow silk
train When she turns, her close brown /
eyes, narrow pinched nose, and palud |
skin mark her one Of the valiant neu- |
rotics There is danger in long descent. |
The founder of this lady's family was |
one Of the most powerful, most martial !
figures In English history his descend |
ant turns the mind involuntarily to the |
theories of Max Nordau.
The next block is created by a dow
a gown that is a compromise between the
early SOS and late eighteenth century,
at the door of the White salon. She
stands quietly pointing out various per-
sonages to her young son. The son is a |
pink and white youth. very young, ap-
parently about sixteen who looks round
the room with a smile Of foolish ap- |
prevail The foolishness is partly caused |
by, and eliminates in, an incongruous
monocle. The block continues.
I'm my opinion" says a confident
voice behind me, "the secret of efici-
ency in the navy is-Favoritism"
Another voice murmurs a guarded
protest
"Of course" continues the confident
voice. mo man would be such a fool
as to promote idiots But promote a
young man who deserves promotion. a
good man, and he will shed the last
drop Of his blood for you
Another guarded murmur.
why" resumes the confident voice,
"I have promoted three hundred and
forty men in this way. Three hundred
and forty
The dowager moves aside and the
A