spring in South Audley Street--Climbing chimney-sweeps--The story
of Mrs. Montagu's son--The sweeps' carnival--Disraeli--Lord John
Russell--A child's ideas about the Whigs--The Earl of Aberdeen--
"Old Brown Bread"--Sir Edwin Landseer, a great family friend--A
live lion at a tea-party--Landseer as an artist--Some of his
vagaries--His frescoes at Ardverikie--His latter days--A devoted
friend--His last Academy picture

CHAPTER II

The "swells" of the "sixties"--Old Lord Claud Hamilton--My first
presentation to Queen Victoria--Scandalous behaviour of a
brother--Queen Victoria's letters--Her character and strong common
sense--My mother's recollections of George III. and George IV.--
Carlton House, and the Brighton Pavilion--Queen Alexandra--The
Fairchild Family--Dr. Cumming and his church--A clerical Jazz--
First visit to Paris--General de Flahault's account of Napoleon's
campaign of 1812--Another curious link with the past--"Something
French"--Attraction of Paris--Cinderella's glass slipper--A
glimpse of Napoleon III.--The Rue de Rivoli--The Riviera in 1865--
A novel Tricolour flag--Jenny Lind--The championship of the
Mediterranean--My father's boat and crew--The race--The Abercorn
wins the championship

CHAPTER III

A new departure--A Dublin hotel in the "sixties"--The Irish mail
service--The wonderful old paddle mail-boats--The convivial
waiters of the Munster--The Viceregal Lodge--Indians and pirates--
The imagination of youth--A modest personal ambition--Death-