RECOLLECTIONS OF FULL YEARS
one thing which I could not very well overlook, and that is—that Mr. Taft has not yet called on Mr. Justice Grey.”
I think I have rarely seen anything more satisfactorily amusing than the expression on my husband’s face when I told him this.
But, in spite of the friendliness of the Justices and others, we really went out very little. On one occasion when my sister Maria had been visiting us for several weeks we went for a Sunday night supper to the house of a lady whom Maria had known very well in Cincinnati. She was living that winter in Washington and seemed to be rather well pleased with her social success. She talked loftily throughout supper, and during a good part of the evening, about the dinner parties she had attended and the grand people she had met. Then just as we were about to start home she turned to my sister and said:
“And have you been much entertained, my dear Maria?”
“Oh, I've been enjoying myself tremendously,” was the answer.
“Well, with whom have you dined, dear?” persisted our hostess.
“Why, we've dined with the Andersons, with the German Ambassador, with the Chief Justice, and with the Maurys, and with the French Ambassador,—and with, oh, a number of other people.”
Our hostess was visibly impressed.
“Why! you really have been very gay, haven't you, dear!” she exclaimed.
When we got into our cab to go home Maria turned to my husband and said:
“I had my eye on you all the time I was talking, Will Taft. I was perfectly certain that your terrible sense of fact would overcome you and that you would blurt out that I dined with all those people on the same evening at the same dinner party!”
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