l88          SOCIETY AS I HAVE  FOUND  IT.

dinners, and have novelties at them all."
I attended these three dinners. Among
other dishes, we had canvasback duck, cut
up and made into an aspic de canvasback,
and again, string beans, with truffles, cold,
as a salad, and truffled ice cream ; the last
dish, strange to say, very good. At one
dinner, on opening her napkin, each fair
lady guest found a gold bracelet with the
monogram of Jerome Park in chased gold
in the centre. Now it must be remem¬
bered that this habit of giving ladies
presents at dinners did not originate in
this city. Before my day, the wealthy
William Gaston, a bachelor, gave superb
dinners In Savannah, Ga., and there, always
placed at each lady's plate a beautiful
Spanish fan of such value that they are
preserved by the grandchildren of those
ladles, and are proudly exhibited to this
day.