Evening star., 1926-11-18
ON MY BIRTHDAY.

The Ottawa Government House is
full of family associations. When
was quite a little child. Queen VIC
| toria's daughter, and my aunt. Prin-
cess Louise, Marchioness Of Lornc.
had inhabited that house, and just be-
| fore the war, my uncle, the Duke of
Connaught, had been Governor Cen
eral of Canada and the name of my
cousin, Princess Patricia, had been
given to one Of the Canadian regi.
ments. Princess Pats regiment was
the first, think, of the Canadian regi-
ments to go over to France and It's
| losses were terrible.
l mentioned this fact in the speech
l made at a big luncheon given me in
J a magnificent hotel, the Chateau
Laurier, by the Woman's Club Of OF
tawa, to which Lady Willingdon took
me and my daughter, whilst my son
lunched at Government House. AS
everywhere, both in America and
Canada. I was immensely struck by
the beauty and size of the Ottawa
public buildings; for instance, the
Chateau Laurier, where this lunch
was given. did not look at all like a
hotel, but like some superb private
castle in England or France. 1t was
built all in graystone and the Parlia-
)
style
| After a short, but very comforting.
rest at Government House, kindly
looked after in every way by Lady
Willingdon, l had to set out again at
about o'clock to a colossal reception
at the Parliament building. I was re-
ceived by the speaker, Mr.. r. Le-
| mieux, with whom I spoke French.
There was long presentation of all
the important people Of Ottawa, but
as there were about 700 we did not
shake hands.
Children Behaved Beautifully.
My children behaved very we'll on
these long and very formal occasions,
seconding me bravely in my official
work which cannot, after all. be so
very amusing for young people of
their age. They, as I, have a keen
interest in both people and things, so
that when We come home, we can
live over again all we have seen and
heard, which doubles the joy of every
thing.
The dinner at Government House
was beautifully done, with real Eng
llsh order and precision; from the
walls the pictures of my family looked
down approvingly, / hope, especially,
l trust, of my dear old grandmama.
Lord Willingdon sat between Ileana
and myself and we allowed ourselves
to be funny that evening, a sort of
moral relaxation between our good
behavior.
Ileana can keep up a conversation
as well as I can. There is a de.
lightful freshness about her, strange
ly mixed with a ripe Judgment of
things about her that is far beyond
her age. She always sticks to her
point of view and is passionately
patriotic. ever happy If she can re-
late something about her beloved
Rumania
Lord Willingdon is not an insular
Englishman-he has travelled too
much-so he likes to hear the other
mans side of the question and has
an unbiased ear. M. Dandurand, my
friend of yesterday. was also there,
, and we smiled at each other across
the table. pleased to meet again for
the second time.
Constant Change Confusing.
Here, as everywhere, mist pleasa mt
people were presented to me, but, as
1 am moving always from place to
place, l get a bit confused about
whom I meet where.
Lady Willingdon has a fine collec-
ton of Chinese things brought back
from China. / remarked that she,
too, like every one who had been to
China, had become tremendously at
tached to that Far Eastern country