Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III Marriage and London Life—Lord Randolph Churchill—London in the Eighties—Rotten Row—Then and Now—Americans in England—Dress and Fashions. " The course of true love never runs smooth," as we all know, and my engagement to Lord Randolph Churchill was no exception to the rule. The Duke of Marlborough, my prospective father-in-law, would not consent to our marriage until Randolph had got into Parliament. Moreover, the wish to test the stability of our affections may not improbably have lurked in the recesses of the Duke's mind, for I am bound to admit that we had arrived at our momentous decision without much delay. During the year of our engagement, I remained with my family in Paris and had to content myself with flying visits from my fiance, with whom, however, I kept up an animated correspondence. He tried to initiate me in the mysteries of English politics, of which I was at that time in blissful ignorance. I looked forward greatly to the impending General Election, which, apart from the dignity Randolph was to acquire by becoming a Member of Parliament, meant the end of our long probation. 35 3—2 In one of Randolph's letters of that date (1874), he says in speaking of Mr. Disraeli, for whom he had a profound admiration : " I advise you to get a copy of to-day's Times if you can, and read Disraeli's great speech. He has made a magnificent one to the Conservatives of Glasgow . . . it is a fine specimen of perfect English oratory." I remember in our letters a great controversy on my having used the word " prorogued " in a wrong sense, apropos of Bazaine's trial. Much to Randolph's indignation, I had quoted in my defence the opinion of the Comte de Fnelon, a young Frenchman of our acquaintance whom I thought, in virtue of his descent, a good authority...