That the wives of famous men invariably feel curious to see the models of their husbands goes without saying, and very many instances might be cited of their having done so. Among those who visited the Exhibition during the war were Lady Jellicoe, Lady Beatty, and Mrs. Asquith. Lady Beatty made a very intelligent criticism of the Admiral’s portrait, and as the result of her suggestions certain alterations were made. Lady Jellicoe’s criticism was quite favourable. “You have been extremely fortunate in catching my husband’s expression,” she said. Mrs. Asquith did not make any comments, but her young son, who came with her, derived not a little amusement from his distinguished father’s presentment, and showed his appreciation by coming again and bringing a boy friend to see it the very next day. CHAPTER XXXIV Tussaud’s as educator--Queer questions--Wanted, a “model” wife--Quaint extract from an Indian’s diary. An American visitor to the Exhibition once said to me, “You know, this show is a liberal education, a history of Europe in kind. I never learned so much history in any one afternoon. Why don’t you write your reminiscences?” I told him that I probably should do so one day, and he replied characteristically: “There is no time like the present. Get on with it, and put me down as a subscriber.” A French Ambassador is reported to have said: “A day in Tussaud’s is worth a year at Oxford; it fixes history as no tutor could.” On more than one occasion schoolmasters have made a similar remark with reference to the value of the figures and exhibits in Madame Tussaud’s as a means of impressing the minds of their boys with the episodes of history. Teachers often bring their pupils, and I am constantly receiving appreciative letters after a visit. Schoolboys themselves, I have always noticed, take the keenest possible interest in all they see, and I frequently overhear them eagerly challenging one another concerning the identity and lives of historical personages as they confront their models. The Exhibition has been frequently consulted as an authority upon innumerable historical subjects, especially with regard to matters dealing with portraiture, biography, and costume, and many of the questions submitted might well have puzzled even the compiler of an encyclopædia. Queries are almost always coupled with an urgent request for immediate reply. Peculiarities of well-known people are fruitful topics for inquiry. The following are a few of the questions put: “On which side of Cromwell’s face did his warts grow?” “Which was the arm that Nelson lost, and which was his blind eye?” “Was Byron’s club-foot the right or the left?” “Did Mary, Queen of Scots, have brown eyes or blue?” Again: “What was the height of Napoleon?”--the most frequent question of all. Other popular problems relate to costume: “Did the Black Prince really wear black armour? Or to what was his cognomen due?”