in the habit of stretching a blue ribbon across his parlors to separate the titled foreigners from the untitled guests.

At the Russian Embassy the Russian New Year is always celebrated by appropriate ceremonies of the Greek Church.

Questions of precedence are always bothering those who entertain the members of the Diplomatic Corps, their wives and daughters. At the official entertainments frequently a large volume of correspondence has to be exchanged before all the guests can be seated in accordance with their own ideas. of what is due them and their official position.

A Senator's wife was once giving what she meant to be an informal dinner, and among her guests were a number of minor diplomatic representatives. She found that a teapot tempest was brewing over their prospective seating at the table. She solved the trouble quickly by announcing to all her guests that she

knew nothing about matters of precedence, and if they wanted anything to eat they would have to "scoot" for the table.

The President Does Not Visit Foreign Soil.

While the President receives the diplomatic representatives socially and entertains them, he never accepts an invitation for a social event at the house of a foreign Ambassador or Minister. The reason for this is that the President is never supposed to leave the United States to tread on foreign soil, and the Embassies and Legations are foreign soil, in so far as they are owned or occupied by foreign governments, whose representatives have the same privileges and rights therein as if in their own country.

CHAPTER XVI.

Home Life at European Legations.

ITTLE is seen of the domestic life of the foreign Embassies and Legations by the public, except on society occasions. Some of them, however, are noted for their hospitality. The British Embassy is perhaps the best known of all. It is a fine mansion on Connecticut avenue in the heart of the fashionable section of the city. It has spacious grounds, and here in pleasant afternoons Lord Pauncefote, the Ambassador, may be seen relaxing his official duties by playing golf. The numerous attachés are always in evidence.

An international or a diplomatic wedding is one of the rare events which interests everybody in official and unofficial life. Sometimes the groom is a foreign diplomat or attaché and the bride an American woman. Sometimes the contracting parties are both foreigners.

Perhaps the most notable event of this kind of recent years was the marriage in the spring of 1900 of Miss Lillian Pauncefote, third daughter of the Ambassador, to Mr. Robert Bromley, son of Sir Henry and Lady Bromley, of Nottingham, England. The marriage ceremony was performed in St. John's Episcopal Church, where some of the most famous weddings of the Capital during half a century have been solemnized. The arrangements were very elaborate.

Celebration of an International Wedding.

Probably the best idea of it all can be had from the following account given in the Washington Evening Star:

"This marriage has been a topic of great interest ever since its announcement early last fall, and the desire to witness it has been universal in society. Cards of invitation were sent out for every seat in the church. On the altar he gold vases were filled with white roses. About the chancel tall over-arching palms were arranged, so that when the bride and her attendants were grouped in front of the altar they were surrounded by a frame of green.

"The music of the Lohengrin Bridal Chorus' filled the church as the bride, accompanied by her father, appeared at the north door. Lord Pauncefote slowly advanced with his daughter to the chancel, where awaited the groom and

his best man and the officiating clergyman. Following the bride, holding the end of her long court-train, was a picturesque attendant in the person of Master Sidney Kent Legare, and a few steps behind walked the bridesmaids in couples, Miss Sibyl Pauncefote with Miss Esther Bromley, the groom's sister, and Miss Audrey Pauncefote with Miss Hettie Sergeant of Boston, granddaughter of Mr. T. Jefferson Coolidge, former Minister to France.

"At the chancel-rail the bride was claimed by the groom, who advanced to meet her, attended by his best man, Mr. Morris Bromley-Wilson, and Bishop Satterlee and Dr. Mackay-Smith, the rector, came forward to begin the marriage service. After the betrothal, the couple, followed by the bridesmaids, stepped nearer the altar for the rest of the ceremony.

"Mendelssohn's Wedding March' was played as the newly married couple led the way from the church.

The bridal dress was of white satin. It was high-necked and long-sleeved and profusely trimmed in point-lace and pearl passementerie. From the finely shirred chiffon guimpe on the shoulders down at each side of the front tapering to the waist line were broad bands of pearl passementerie. This trimming in deep Vandykes was continued around the skirt to the court-train, with cascades of lace between. The court-train was at least three yards on the floor, so that the office of the train-bearer was not entirely an honorary one. sage was a cluster of orange-blossoms. A wreath of the blossoms was also worn, and the tulle veil fell over them until after the ceremony. The bouquet carried was a shower effect of lilies-of-the-valley, tied with narrow gauze ribbon. The bridesmaids were dressed alike in slightly trained gowns of gobelin blue satin, with a touch of mauve in the panne velvet rosettes on the bodices. They wore toques of pale blue tulle with a high rosette of the mauve panne velvet at the left side. Their bouquets were of Parma violets tied with mauve ribbon.