iss
Lydia Inglis, were presiding social spirits in Washington for many
years. The latter married a Mr. McLeod, and, becoming financially
embarrassed, established on Staten Island a school for girls which was
ably conducted. These sisters were members of a Scotch family of
distinguished lineage. One of Mrs. McLeod's pupils was Mary E. Croghan,
a prominent heiress from Pittsburgh. She was still attending school on
Staten Island when Captain Edward W. H. Schenley of the Royal Navy, a
Scotch relative of Mrs. McLeod, came to America to visit her. In
inviting him to be her guest she felt that, as he was an elderly man,
he would prove to be quite immune to the attractions of mere school
girls. I met Captain Schenley about this same time in New York, and his
"make up" was of such a remarkable character that it was a favorite _on
dit_ that, when he was dressed for standing, a sitting posture was quite
an impossibility. Young Miss Croghan must have discovered fascinations
in this Scotchman as she eloped with him from Mrs. McLeod's school and
after a brief period accompanied him to England, where she spent the
remainder of her life. Mrs. McLeod was severely criticised by her
patrons for carelessness, and her school was somewhat injured by Miss
Croghan's matrimonial adventure.

Don Leopoldo Augusto De Cueto was another Spanish Minister, whom I
regarded as an agreeable acquaintance. During his _regime_ filibustering
against Spanish possessions, and especially Cuba, was a favorite pastime
of American citizens and rendered the position of the Spanish Minister
in Washington one of delicacy and difficulty. Residing in Washington
during De Cueto's tenure of office was a Cuban named Ambrosio Jose
Gonzales, who, in the Civil War, became Inspector General of Artillery
in the Confederate Army, under General Beauregard. As he was well versed
in music and had a remarkable voice, he frequently, upon request, sang
selections from the popular operas then in vogue. Among the songs
frequently heard in drawing-rooms was "Suoni la Tromba," from Bellini's
opera "I Puritani di Scozia," which had been interdicted by the Spanish
Government. One evening when De Cueto was spending an informal evening
with my sisters and myself at our G Street home, Mr. Gonzales happened
to call and was asked to sing. He seated himself at the piano and for
sometime sang various airs for us. Finally, not knowing that "Suoni la
Tromba" was under the Spanish ban, I asked him t