it will be
enough for him to be merely seen; and, with very few exceptions"--this
was her concluding counsel--"you should never be seen at a ball in a
two-roomed house--a house, for example, like the houses in Eaton Place."

Another sort of social philosopher, in his own way equally typical, was
Hamilton Aide, who united to the life of society the cultivation of art,
and was equally serious in his combined devotion to both. He was a
musician, a poet, a singer of his own songs in a voice perfectly
modulated. He was also as a painter in water colors one of the most
distinguished amateurs of his time. His landscapes, indeed, and his
sketches of old houses and gardens, Scotch castles, and the seclusions
of Italian villas, were in themselves poems; and when he entertained the
world--a world very carefully chosen--the attention of his guests was
divided between his music and his great portfolios. His bachelor's
quarters provided him with an appropriate background. His writing table
was dominated by something resembling an altarpiece--namely, a large and
ingenious rack, on which was arranged a battalion of invitations to
balls and dinner parties; and his blotting book was flanked by two
delicate volumes, one being a _libro d'oro_ in the shape of a bulky
visiting list, the other being a list of his engagements from day to
day. He and his accomplishments were a finished work of art between
them. But in a larger world his development would have been no more
possible than the development of an orchid in the middle of a crowded
street.

And the same is the case with regard to society generally. There are
certain accomplishments which a small society tends to develop, and
which a larger society does not. Among these the art of conversation is
prominent, especially when it takes the form of wit, or becomes the
vehicle of certain kinds of humor. I may further illustrate this general
observation by mentioning a few individuals, of whom three at least are
still well known by name, not to society only, but also to the world at
large. These are Constance, Duchess of Westminster; Caroline, Duchess of
Montrose, and the Duchess of Somerset, who, as Lady Seymour, was the
heroine of the Eglinton Tournament. These ladies were all remarkable for
the peculiar magic of their voices and for a peculiar sense of humor
which their voices managed to indicate, and which gave its quality to
their general views of life. They none of them laughed audibly