A LONDON HOSTESS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 710, 8 January 1910, Page 9

A LONDON HOSTESS.

ST. KELIEK'S ! if. v y;/iV:fI'CERABY PEIEND^J/-;; v'.% *''Perhaps, we. have not a', literary'. salon in London; ami that is a pity, even i£ it cannot be helped.: One thiuks. so as one reads' Lady r.St. ■■ Holler's; "Memories of Fifty■■.'■■Yoarsi":-:-.jnsf-.-.pubiished... by'.. llr. ; Kdward 'Arnold, because her -salon—the word may be quite justly used—while it ■was not,exactly literary, had a distinctly' literary flavour. Indeed that!was inevitable .because >Lads\ St. ■ Helier,' as! Mrs.' then as' a peeress,'when, her husband became Lord.St.: Helieiv-,has■ been α-recognised leader of London intellectual: society. ■~ ■'■' .V. :, :! Another :rehson. is that on tho sido; of 'her own family, as. a Scottish, a Highland: gentlewoman, there, were litorary associations.' Her gfandra'othori \vb leam, !ivas a..friend.;qf Sir. Walter Scott, and he. presonted: hei : .;in .his .heroine: of,..the' ■'Xady-1 of the "Lake."-.' She ■ knew., tho mystery of the authorship, of.. .''Waver-, ley" perhaps earlier than anybody else,, and.-'says' Lady.St. , Helier, "One of .the' most precious 'possessions:of our family is a' set , , of the fine,: large',papor,:'editioa of. his; iworks/. with an '■■ affectionate: inscrip-" tion in each: of them."."! . ;..:■.,-.!: ■■Another, gi'eat Scottish .writer is more closely: presented ,:tq ':■ us :■' in. Lady. St. Helier's charming .pages, 'Thomas:. Car-, lyle, Avhom she often met in London. She. doscribes the "tall,-' attenuated : - figure,', dressed ;in : a: - loose >wrapper;/'.seated beside! thesfirei 'smoking his long, pipe,--the line head Cwith. ■■■. its.-massesv of; grey hair, tho stern. : face'.,with; v its almost /youthful colr_ ouring, l his : keen eyes'/with .their espresV sioii of great sadness,' his occasional grurit of acquiesonce, or a violent outbreak of 6ppositipn,' : >as tho /conversationi' changed or"! varied." ' She describes. also, his little courty.of'devoted.'.friendsV ,: Charles'' Dar-. •win, -James Anthony Froiide,. Sir James 'Fitz-James' Stopbon,; Sir ■ Jaines ■'■ Knowles,', th'e.lafe- editor of the "Nineteenth , Cen-, ■tury," ; and others.-.;,';■ Y :; .-;-•..' >r,::- }: '• ' , ■ She. gives is , a'very. : kindly, glimpse-or. ithe old > Philosopher of 'Chelsea,--in' a , - let-' !tef which he wrote-,ii.reply ( !to;-a request .that', .he should 'godfather to her, .now .the wife Jbf Lord ffidleton;- - -,- Hβ'.; said ",hb ': was .;."much : touched" ! .by,-:"this'ygodfatherly enterprise," .'a'very Carlylbau: phrase, surely,;, :"If'-ybu-'-ivisli-.it,"' he-went-on,. "I::.am Agreeable,' only not/like.; to wait ,for ( another !tiuie;-when' , the boy-yon; :want'may ..perchance -make his': tardy, entry.?:-1 vfill-'dq .as.iyouOivish', and. will, endeavour •'to.'be,, present at .the 'cei'e'inony, "arid.■■llh'ope.io''.send , '.an"appr6priot'e; giftJtoVthevyonng^lndy::from; her.,god r ; ..."Ho. did not, /Lady; St. -Helier; ,!adds,. attend-, .the. christening,. but; Kβ sent, ■his! "gbd-daughter* "a .mug .with/.an' en-r -graved- linscription ■in ! his 'own , '-:-peculiar,, 'handwriting 'uppri. the"top; of it." ; ; ;.? !i..-Everybody,-kn6w.B'i.that Beaconsfield left; • his papers;; to' his.-: private; secretary. - and < ■intimate friend ■Montague Corry,.whq be-', caihe'.tord !ltpwtpn.- ..vPerhapa ,we .have. a : -light on/the'.-delayJin the appearanco, •of the!life, tfn'a.remark, wbich-Lady: St. Helier'make's about/Lord Rowton;and -the.;, 'task; : "He;always declaa-ed," she wntes.i "that he ; had' neither;- tho health, nor the, ability • for that.task. Tko! :, material "left; at'his disposal was so: enormous that he, shrank-from'.undertaking. ft;"-:Is it. this '-wliicliii'really,-: explains! the "delay: ln.'.the appearance ; of :the. biography, ■ for, the • ex- • ■phiriatipn 'of-a,lnrge::natterris often-found'■ in.-'some'point"'of personality? L /> : :"';. ■; ' ■ : There'are.niany things aVkiut Glddstone in .Lady iSt.Helier's..''Memories,'';;,!and. bookish..people;.will be- espcoiallyVinterested .inva'.literary.'paragraph ,as!;to..a Book-that;he praised.-;:!R was: : an l,anonymous book entitled "An'i'Authbr's Love," and: :its : ;-content3 :: . were; letters'/addressed ,tq an inebnnue; , brie wonders;,more,than'6nce,':ho\y!!nni6hLady EltiftHeljoWadmired;'Gladstone,*.'but: that; .doe's?nqt ; ,tak&, away, from/the a volume !o£.-. ■'■ "Mr.:; Gladstone >Tr6te/aylm'osti'ieffnsiye :'critique ; :on-'them ; pressing : his' delight^at. having read thein, ; arid 1 his :conviction' that- he ; had solved the; origin of-their;authorship, : !ahd 'that' they; 'wore'• some' of i unpublished; works .;qf■ Prosper Merimee: - His : ■ letter 'lraadisoussed;; and shown\tq:people3 i hb! , , , werej ,intere'sted : in, suohVinAtters.;,tShbrHy.yag.j tprwards;':' to Mr! , ■gust: and. annoyance,uit>.franspiredi£iraf! the; book'.''was writton-'iby ,an jVmericnri lady!.of great'literßi ; ry.':'abilitri>'4h<in;.(\¥ell society','.wKo , -had..a lively sense qf:;.the-/;'3o^e'6he,.:wa^.playmg , , on ..the:;readmg : .:publio.;'.'-3lr;:;Gladstone was!'. exceedingly : annoyed^in■'• fact '■: rery angry^-and '< his. '■'', outspoken;, /.indignationcaused - great-.> amusement! - f to;; those --who; h'appehe'd!to.!knpw!bf-'the ;way ; in which ■he'thad been' niisledi" '--fit : 'i]',' l' r ;.; t^ ■■' ': ■•'j '■■i.One: would'have liked Lady. :St.•■/Helier ,tq!;:tell'!us .niore; of "the,,way,",for-Glad-' ■stend\ , ;sras. , ; nngener6us'':/to:Hake ! : adyaiitage:"bf his! 'good 'nattire.::^:^.;-'^"'" ":!."."!'''■: '"P'iV V i'- 1 ■ .•; Thoinas ■■ Hardy, : bur greatest living novelist, \als"6, comes . into-Lady.iSt;. Helier's, ■■chronicle, ''for,;: "during;; flying, visits.; •to -London he^used. , to 6tayiat';our' house',; and/I;lbbk back now?on'those delightful , , evenings jwhen he and: my .husband and \l!;eat, ; - around; the / fire '/listening '[■ to; v ■ the.: stqnes.vtheories'and'ideals,, put'.of which' Ml his. novels, had' .;-I think, he' is'.the : most modest'!person-I -ever'came, across,;arid!he hated/the publicity which necessarily !■ surrounded Mm,/ and. shrank, fromvit as;mucb. : as i .thb'';nipst'::timid wo-: 'man;.";<!; ! ;,K?;;;:;';j.;;::i;, ; ', >: y-;>- ; : :; : -, v: ';- . -That;is: a ; beautiful; tribute.;to ( a beau-. Uful: naturej- and'it:is only! one of many interesting:\lthings, : .:in;: a-literary;/sense,: which; may, find; in j these \."Mem6ries ofvKfty>Tears"- : -an!entertainihg > informing-, ahd' ; "d?ligh'tful.-,^book:—:'The v : Book /;";;;;;•:;:•■;'.■: ; ; > ; !