Nougats and other sweets, which looked as if they had circulated since the hero of the play was born, were passed about to the spectators.  We were glad to reach the hotel in safety and bid our nice American policeman good night.

SAN FRANCISCO, May, 1877.

My dear Aunt,—­The letters of introduction we brought to San Francisco have already procured us many invitations.

We were at a dinner last night, which Governor Stanford gave us.  He has only twenty-five millions—­hardly worth mentioning.  Each of us ladies had a millionaire to take us in to dinner.  Mine was most amiable.  He passed all the other millionaires en revue; I wish I could remember all he said about them, but I only have a sort of vague recollection that every millionaire had come to San Francisco with only fifty cents in his pocket, and that all the millionaires’ wives had gone, in former days, about in the streets of San Francisco selling milk or thread and needles.  I was not spared the history of any of them.  Mr. S. himself told me that he had made his fortune first in hosiery, and then he invested his money in stocks.

There were thirty people present, divided thus:  distinguished party, ten; millionaires, twenty.

Every conceivable bird, alive or mechanical, was heard during this repast; besides, there were musical boxes at each end of the room, which made a tremendous confusion.  I know to a cent how much this house cost—­one million two hundred thousand dollars, my neighbor told me.  It is a great, white, wooden, square house with a veranda around it, perched up on a sandy hill without any garden and without a view of any kind, and certainly without the least beauty.

The picture-gallery, which really has some fine pictures, cost four hundred thousand dollars.

They had had Italian workmen brought especially from Italy to put down the mosaic pavement in the hall, which was huge.  We wandered through all the rooms, each one in a different style and epoch, and all in bad taste.  I looked about in the so-called ballroom for a piano, and was surprised at not seeing one there; but I noticed several in the other rooms, decorated in the style of the room.  They were in every color of wood and charged with brass ornaments.  Evidently they were there as ornaments, not to be used.  Some one must have said to Mr. S., “You must have a piano.”  And he must have answered:  “Certainly.  Of course we must.  Let us have one in each room, by all means.”

The servants all had mustaches and hair curled with tongs.  I saw the eyebrows of my party go up at an angle when the servants offered them Johannesburg in gold cups, and still higher up when they saw the mustached waiters pouring white wine in glasses which were previously filled with red wine and alternated indiscriminately.

We were taken up-stairs to see Mrs. S.’s bedroom.  It was worthy of an empress, having point-lace coverlids, satin down quilts trimmed with real Valenciennes.