Stanhope, that on one occasion he had actually been stopped by a new door-
keeper as he was about to enter the House of Lords. "Now then, honest man,
go back!" quoth this vigilant guardian of the sacred precincts; "you can
have no business in such a place, honest man!" And it was only with
considerable difficulty that the eccentric peer had asserted his right to
admittance among his fellows, whose honesty was enhanced by a more elegant
exterior.

In marked contrast, therefore, to these other members of the family, it
was in the Harrington branch that the foibles of the _beau monde_ were
cultivated with intention.

Charles, 3rd Earl of Harrington, born the same year as Charles, 3rd Earl
Stanhope, had married Jane, daughter and heiress of Sir John Fleming, Bt,
who proved no unworthy successor to her celebrated predecessor
immortalised by George Selwyn for vivacity and abnormal conversational
powers. [14] The drawing-room of this later Lady Harrington was recognised
as a great social centre where her friends could meet, if not actually
without invitation, at least at a shortness of notice which marked the
informality of the entertainment and lent to it a subtle charm. The
hostess, whose energy was unbounded, would go out in the morning and pay
about thirty calls, leaving at each house an invitation bidding her
friends to assemble at Harrington House that same evening.

She would then walk up Bond Street at the hour at which the fashionable
young men of the day were likely to be abroad, and would dart from one
side of the road to the other as she spied a suitable object for her
purpose. A circle of friends assembled thus three or four times a week,
resulted in the formation of a recognised clique, the delightful
informality of which was much appreciated by her young relations from