Hyde Park was changed from a green oasis to a sort of crumbling dusty desert set about with temporary taverns. After the peace celebrations, every drinking place in town which had taken up temporary residence in the park had decided, it seemed, to make their stay permanent. Where green grass had grown, now were long rows of dirty, evil-smelling booths. The visits of foreign royalties went on, and people complained they could no longer get their clothes washed as all the washerwomen were working for Kings and Princes, and milk was in short supply because, it was said, the cows in Green Park were being frightened by the perpetual cheering and fireworks. Augusta assiduously accepted every invitation she could get and by dint of only opening her mouth to make some quiet flattering comment, and by creeping around the houses of the great and searching in their bureaus, came up with a surprising amount of useful information for the Comte. It came as a great surprise to Augusta, however, and a greater surprise to Miss Stride, when an invitation with an imposing crest arrived in Brook Street.
