Mr. Pitt And The Children

Who would have thought that the stately William Pitt should have found ïis greatest recreation in the society of children? Hls cold and haughty manner then entirely vanished. The late Sir William Napier, when a boy, enjoyed a game of romps with Pitt at the house of Lady Hester Stanhope. He has described the visit, which took place two years before the statesman's death. "Pitt," he said, "llked practical fun, and used to riot in it with öady Hester, Charles and James Stanhope, and myself. One instance is worth noting. We vere resolved to blacken bis face with burnt cork, which ho most strenuously resisted. At the beginning of the fray a servant unnounced that Lords Castlereagh and Liverpool desired to see him on business. "Let them wait in the other room," was the answer, and the great n-.inister instantly turned to the battle, catching up a cushion and belaboring us with it. We wore, however, too many and too strong for him, and, after a ten minutes' fight we got hlm down, and were actually corking his face, wnen, with a look of pretended confidence in his prowess, he said: "Stop! this v.-ill do. I could easily beat you all, but we must not keep these grandees waiting any longer." His clefeat was, however, palpable, and we were obliged to get a towel and basin of water to wash him clean before he could receive the grandees. Being thus put In order, the basin was hld behind the sofa, and the two lords were ushered in. After the ministers had been received and the questlcn had been debated, they left, and the cushion-fight wlth the children wrs resumed.