HARDWICKE v. HARDWICKE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18896, 11 January 1927, Page 2

HARDWICKE v. HARDWICKE.

DECREE AGAINST THE EARL "I SHALL NEVER COME BACK." • tFBou ora own cobsbspoxdbxt;)- - LONDON, November 27. No defence was offered to the petition of the Countess of Hardwioke, Queensberry place, S.W. who asked for a divorce on the ground of misconduct by' the Earl of Hardwicke.. The petition came before Mr Justice H,ll iii the Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division on November 22™ ... In reply to her counsel, Mr \ictor Russell (instructed by Messrs Withers Bensons, Curie, Williams and • Co.), the petitioner stated that her maiden uame was Russell. She was married to respondent on April 2<th, Ml, at tho parish church of St. Peter, Pamlico Thev lived together at Egerton crescent, Queensberry place, and elsewhere They had one child, a girl, aged 14 years. Until the beginning of tho war the marriage was. quite the war respondent was emploved at the Admiralty in London, and' she had to complain of his association with'-other "women. When she spoke to him about it he expressed regret and promised to reform. She forgave-him". In April, 1920, she instructed her solicitors to hare her husband watched, and on May 3rd, in consequence of what she heard she left his house. On May 14th she received a letter from him as follows :-- Dear Nellie,—l writ© to tell you 1 am leaving for America on Thursday, and do not expect to be back in England "for two months. Our relations as man and wife have been anything .but satisfactory for many months past. 1 have come to this conclusion—that 1 think it would he far better that we should* live apart. I think such an arrangement will be for your happiness and mine. Therefore I wish you to understand that on my return from America I do not propose to resume marital life with you. I am sorry to como to this conclusion, knowing so well'how good you have been to me. I bold you in no. way. responsible, for that which has 'brought, our affairs to this pass. I am to blame for everything, and pray to God Ho will one rlay reward you' for your unconscious goodness. But you may take it from inc. I shall never comeback-.

Petitioner said she replied: • Dear Charlie. —I have just received your letter, which'has made me very sad. T quite realise that for some time past our married life has been unsatisfactory. But on your return from America do let us try once more to resume our old happy .relationship, if only for the sake of the. child. She again wrote him asking him to think it.over,-, and saying she would be' glad to get his decision,, and to this respondent wrote saying-he was unable to. arrive at any other conclusion. She said she was. anxious that he should come back, and she hoped ho would reform.' In the summer of 1926 she gave up hope of.his reforming, and she had him watched. She had a letter from him in July last, which was sent to. her solicitors'. W T ith it was enclosed an hotel bill and a photograph of himself, • but she had made no request, to him for such evidence. . . ..

Evidence was. gi.ven of respondent haying stayed with anotlier lady at the Imperial Hotel, Russell' square, on the night of June 19th last. A decree nisi, with costs, and the custody of the child was granted to petitioner, who. prior to her marriago, ;was'Miss N. Russell, daughter of the late Mr James Russell, of Auckland.

"HIS KID BROTHER."

CHILDREN'S STORY BY MISS PEACQCKE. (FROM OUR OWN: CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, November 27. Miss Isabel M. Peacocke, who has' already gained.a name for herßeif as a writer of bright and interesting children's stories, has added a tenth volume to her list. "His Kid Brother" (Ward, Lock, and Co.) is not such a probable story as many of her others on New Zealand-life, but it holds one's interest, and will doubtless be enjoyed j by younger. readers who are not so exacting as to the probability of s events. Clem, aged 14, and Dal, aged 7, are two orphans. Their mother is dead, and,their father has not returned after) the war. The elder boy, who acts as mother and father to his obstinate but attractive young brother, loses his job' in the city.. The younger boy is taken to an orphanage where Clem signs an agreement not" to take his brother away for three years. Dal runs away,from the orphanage, however, arid the two boys set out on tramp. Clems' actions' are governed by the Year of recapture and punishment. They live in an old ship cast up on'the. beach for a time, but a storm arises and breaks up'thejr home. They tramp into the country and get some work, with kindly farmers. Fear'of being discovered makes them push on again, and their final place of adventure is an ■ island off the coast where the elder boy makes himself useful as a shephfrd's assistant. Excitement is added to the life here because the prize ram-is'in danger of' being stolen-by the owner's brother. In the end the boys get into the hands' of a kindly policeman, who, none tho less considers they: have stolen money. Even though the 1 author makes a carrier pigeon /fly from its ,home . and back again, carrying a message each way, and falls into several other errors, they do not detract very much from the interest of the story, which is carried to the inevitable pleasant ending.

A MISSING BRIDEGROOM. A very, bitter experience has during the past week fallen to the lot of a Wellington lady, says the "Dominion." Had all gone as arranged, this lady would by now have been married, but tho wedding has not yet taken place, on account of the.very mysterious disappearance of the man to whom she was affianced. _ . . The ceremony was originally to have been performed on Monday last, but on that day the prospective, bridegroom' informed the lady concerned that, owing to the fact that he had found it impossible to secure the necessary license enabling them to be married, the happy event would have to be. postponed until the Tuesday. This was accordingly done, and all the guests who had been invited were informed of the postponement. „ „ At ten o'clock on the following morning however, the prospective bridegroom paid a call on bis lady, stating that he would return at noon. At that time, however, there was no sign of him whatsoever, and he has. not been heard of since.. It appears that the man concerned represented that he was a wool-buyer-o/no mean financial landing and that his employers had provided him with afullv furnished house. Subsequent enquiries, however, showed that this was not the case. It was :also ascertained that, despite the fact that the lady bad been told that all. arrangements for the wedding breakfast had been made and the necessary motor-cars ordered, no uch arrangements had, in reahty been made Meanwhile the affau still' remains, shrouded in mystery.