, W.'s chef de cabinet: "Can't you arrange to have
business over a little earlier? It is awful to dine so late and to wait
so long," to which he replied: "Ah, madame, no one can be more desirous
than I to change that order of things, for when the minister dines at
nine-thirty, the chef de cabinet gets his dinner at ten-thirty." We did
manage to get rather more satisfactory hours after a little while, but
it was always difficult to extract W. from his work if it were anything
important. He became absorbed, and absolutely unconscious of time.
The new President, Grevy, installed himself at once at the Elysee with
his wife and daughter. There was much speculation about Madame Grevy--no
one had ever seen her--she was absolutely unknown. When Grevy was
president of the National Assembly, he gave very pleasant men's
dinners, where Madame Grevy never appeared. Every one (of all opinions)
was delighted to go to him, and the talk was most brilliant and
interesting. Grevy was a perfect host, very cultivated, with a
marvellous memory--quoting pages of the classics, French, and Latin.
Madame Grevy was always spoken of as a quiet, unpretending
person--occupied with domestic duties, who hated society and never went
anywhere--in fact, no one ever heard her name mentioned.
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