In 1893-4 my wife had a most serious illness, and was confined to the house for some months. I can truly say that scarcely a day passed without Lady Dufferin coming in to see her, and often to sit with her for a considerable time. Even when His Majesty the King (then Prince of Wales) was in Paris, and lunching at the Embassy, she did not omit this kind office, but apologized for being late. Such kindness can never be rewarded or forgotten. Our relations with the French were not at this time of the most cordial character, and I often feared that His Excellency had a good deal of anxiety that we knew nothing of—as, of course, we never spoke of “politics” at the Embassy. I once, however, ventured to say that I feared he had been passing through a troublous time, and he took and held my hand in his kind way and said: “My dear Noyes, when one has been through the anxieties of Canada and India, it is not so difficult to support the trouble here.” [Illustration: THE MARCHIONESS OF DUFFERIN AND AVA.] But if the Embassy had its grave moments it had its gay ones too. One morning, quite early, I received a visit from apparently an old lady (really a very young one), who told me she was in great trouble. She seemed, however, very reluctant to explain, and said she would like to see my wife. As she was not down I proposed she could come later, or, if she preferred, see me in the Vestry, where I usually received such visits. After some demur she promised she would. I learned later in the day that it was one of the ladies from the Embassy—disguised. She went from me to the Chancery, and equally deceived one of the Attachés. The “make up” was very clever, and I was quite deceived. We were dining at the Embassy the same evening, and His Excellency said, “I wish she had got a franc from you, I should have put it on my watch-chain.” We had a very enjoyable Christmas party at the Embassy in (I think) 1894. Lady Dufferin had arranged for a sort of magnified charade, in which the family and most of the Attachés took part, and in which they “took off” one another. The scene representing the writing of a dispatch in the Chancery was most amusing, the peculiarities of the different secretaries were cleverly caricatured. I was brought into the play, with some other members of the Colony.