Year: 1878

thrown away. The force of spite and envy on the part of certain people-people who pro- bounced theIr p's like Us but who had influ- ence with the barbers' s'-could not further go as the little party all agreed. Still, sas the Judge observed in the famous murder case,

 the testimony of ten witnesses called to prove

 that they did not see the crime committed was

 small thing when weighed against the testi-

 mony of one who did see it. And not only

 had eight hundred persons of fashion seen the

 Shah at Evelyn Lodge, but the representatives

 of dozen newspapers

 This latter fact became afterward of great

 importance, for, incredible as it may seem, no

 sooner had his Imperial Majesty left England

 -. C., that very afternoOn-and been thereby

 prevented from eontradicting the ridiculous

 statement in person, than rumor got afOat

 that he had neOer been Gt the PGtte,7ni bal ct

 at!

 '. The conflict of evidence was very curious

 Eight hundred persons of fashion plLs twelve

 newspaper reporters on one side, and all the

 people of fashion who had not been able to ob-

 tain invitations and all the newspapers msinus

 twelve upon the other. Immense in1uence-I

 am sorry to say, even that of the Lord Cham

 berlain himsef-was thrown into the latter

 scale but people who had met the Shah of

 Persia at supper were not likely to be brow

 beaten out of dtGt fact, and the twelve news papers, of course, stuck to their guns No body ever heard of newspaper acknowledg ing itself in the wrong except under pressure of an action for libel, and the action land the idea of bringing one was at one time seriously debated at Evelyn Lodge) would have been instituted in this case, if at all by the other side. Cyril persuaded the Baroness, with difficulty, to treat the scandal with the con- tempt it deserved, and so the matter rested.

 uy ~1r Ina Shah 111I aof Sxr solitary state-the Persian Lone, as Jack had called him-and the ehibouk which he would have smoked had he not taken so much brandy with his sherbet, were preserved, with reverent care, and shown to particular friends as spe- cial favor for long afterward.

 Only two things, as it seems to me, gave any color to the ridiculous and malicious runner to which have alluded. The one was Jack Delayn's sudden retirement from the Foreign OHce Tn consequence, it was stated, of some transgression ia connection with his Imperial Majesty's visit, but which might, of course, have been for any other reason, for there were plenty. The other was even a still slighter ground for the scandal it was only the fact that among the numerous members of the household of Cyril Clarke, Esq, was to be seen an Easterpretainer> said to have been the Persian crossing sweeper in Regent-street, who disappeared at the very date of the great event have been describing-the ball at the Patterinis. This was, in all probability, mere coincidence and what it could possibly have to do with the Shah of Persia's visit to Evelyn Lodge leave the reader to judge Cyril proved an excellent son-in-law and again and again I have heard the Baron Pat terini remark that he was "a duced sight," &c ; in fact, he had the very highest opinion of his sagacity. He used to have rows with his mother -in-law-who has not? But with regard to the Shah of Persia, not word ever passed between them. As to Myra, if any thing was wrong about that Imperial visit and far be it from me to hint there was, it is certain that she knew all about it from the that telegram came for Cyril, when he assured her that ''the man" would come, and offered to lay his life that her dear mother should not be disappointed. ."-Belgra- min