As Disraeli said of Vavasour, she Uked to collect
from time to time guests of the most opposite characters
and opinions, and as she chose her guests with great
tact her Sunday luncheons became extremely popular.
Her system of issuing invitations was once well

107



108 LADY DOROTHY NEVILL

described as being " discriminatingly indiscriminate."
Some shining lights of the Conservative party were
sure to be present, the rest of the guests being recruited
by raids into Upper Bohemia from which the hostess
returned with authors, journalists, actors, actresses,
or other agreeable and amusing people. Such a method
of making up a luncheon party required a good deal
of social fiaif and tact, but owing to the hostess
knowing pretty weU everybody and being the con-
fidante of so many different people everything generally
went off well.
As was aptly said, London society to her was one
long whispering gallery in the middle of which she
occupied such a position that not a voice or a footfall
could sound without reaching her ears. Though pro-
fessedly a Tory she never allowed her politics to
prevent her from asking an agreeable or clever Radical
to her house. She was careful, however, not to offend
the susceptibilities of old-fashioned or bigoted Con-
servatives and, when they were guests, took care to
provide a few clever or amusing non-political people
to act as lightning conductors, and prevent the
possibility of any heated controversy.
