London at the End of the Century:A Book of Gossip
a Beckett, Arthur William
1900
THE CHOICE OF AN HOTEL.
Say that we have decided to stay at the Grand. It unquestionably has its advantages. Its courtyard is certainly a scene of never-ceasing gaiety, and it is said that you have only to seat yourself outside the on the terrace to meet Then there is the breakfast, which is patronised not only by MM. les Voyageurs but by the natives also. If you partake of this meal with your wife, the course consists of four dishes at choice, to say nothing of . From a diversified (including oysters, partridges, mayonnaise d'homard, chateaubriands, and any number of other palatable ) you can, by making a wise selection, secure a meal worthy of a Catullus. And yet there are Goths who sometimes, in reply to the | |
325 | , announce that for Oh, the pity o' it! The pity o' it! |
Then there is the reading-room, with its papers and its theatrephones. This last is rather an institution. During the hours of performance you can hear what is going on at the Opera, the Bouffes, and many other French theatres. By putting fifty centimes in the slot you have the privilege of listening for five minutes, and by inserting a franc the advantage is extended to twice that length of time. I cannot say that I was entirely satisfied with my investment. Once I heard (amidst a whirl) what seemed to me to be the finale of a first act. Then I distinctly made out the clapping, and I transferred the tubes to my better seven-eighths, and she, too, heard the applause. We were greatly pleased at this triumph of civilisation, but came to the conclusion that our assistance of the performance resembled not a little the glimpse of the circus riding obtained by Leech's boy while looking under the tent's canvas. He could see the and so-from a musical point of view-could we! | |