told me that he had made his fortune first in hosiery, and then he
invested his money in stocks.

There were thirty people present, divided thus: distinguished party,
ten; millionaires, twenty.

Every conceivable bird, alive or mechanical, was heard during this
repast; besides, there were musical boxes at each end of the room,
which made a tremendous confusion. I know to a cent how much this house
cost--one million two hundred thousand dollars, my neighbor told me. It
is a great, white, wooden, square house with a veranda around it,
perched up on a sandy hill without any garden and without a view of any
kind, and certainly without the least beauty.

The picture-gallery, which really has some fine pictures, cost four
hundred thousand dollars.

They had had Italian workmen brought especially from Italy to put down
the mosaic pavement in the hall, which was huge. We wandered through
all the rooms, each one in a different style and epoch, and all in bad
taste. I looked about in the so-called ballroom for a piano, and was
surprised at not seeing one there; but I noticed several in the other
rooms, decorated in the style of the room. They were in every color of
wood and charged with brass ornaments. Evidently they were there _as
ornaments, not to be used_. Some one must have said to Mr. S., "You
must have a piano." And he must have answered: "Certainly. Of course we
must. Let us have one in each room, by all means."

The servants all had mustaches and hair curled with tongs. I saw the
eyebrows of my party go up at an angle when the servants offered them