Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/774

 LADY OF QUALITY 746 Court uniform, with red collars and cuffs ; while the Speaker receives his guests in a black velvet Court suit, with lace ruffles round neck and wrists, knee breeches with silk stockings, and steel-handled sword. Ordinary evening dress is strictly forbidden except when the Speaker has an " At-home " on the beautiful terrace overlooking the river. And at dinners and levees the table and huge sideboards are spread with mag- nificent old plate belonging, ex officio, to the Speaker, while from the walls look down portraits of many famous " First Commoners," of whom there have been one hundred and thirty-nine in a long and distinguished hne from the first — Sir William Hungerford, in the year 1377. There are no speeches at the Speaker's dinners, and but one toast, the King, proposed by the Speaker without remark. In addition to arranging and partly presiding over these banquets, " Mrs. Speaker " holds quite a number of afternoon receptions to which the female relatives and friends of mem- bers of all parties are invited. Her position in the political world is unique. The salons of pohtical hostesses like Lady Lans- downe.Lady Crewe, and Mrs. Harcourt, for instance, are not, of course, fre- quented except on rare occasions by members of oppo- site parties. For, as a world-famous politician once remarked, " more laws are made and unmade in my lady's boudoir than at St. Stephen's." The political hostess has only one section of our legislators to meet and to please, in order that the interests of their particular party may be advanced. It is the duty of "Mrs. Speaker," however, to enter- tain with equal cordiality and grace the members of all parties, and this she does at a series of receptions and dinners held in the magnificent apartments in the Palace of West- minster which form the Speaker's house, and which occupy the whole north-eastern angle of the palace. The Speaker's house, in all its stately dimensions, can be seen advantageously from Westminster Bridge, and in the same wing of the House are the residences of the sergeant-at-arms — the gentleman to whom falls the unpleasant duty of removing members who refuse to obey the ruling of the Speaker in the House — and the chief clerk of the House, " Mr. Speaker's " principal assistant. Privileges of the Speaker's Wife One of the privileges enjoyed by " Mrs. Speaker " is that of being present at all im- portant debates, and she usually sits, not behind the grille, where other ladies are relegated, and from which point of vantage, high above the Speaker's chair, they can only obtain a partial view of the House, but in thejSpeaker's Gallery.which commands a perfect and uninterrupted view of the assembly. It is in this gallery that the Speaker's wife often acts as hostess to MRS. AND MISS LOWTHER Pkoto, Haiitts