THE MELBOURNE SCANDAL.

Evening Star, Issue 4247, 6 October 1876, Page 4

THE MELBOURNE SCANDAL.

The ‘Gippsland Mercury’ gives the following particulars of the social scandal which was mentioned in recent Melbourne telegrams as likely to result in a cause celebre in the law Courts:— Melbourne society is agitated at the present time by a scandal of a most portentous character. It is thought it will yet come before the law courts, but as every effort is being made to stifle the matter and to settle it, I doubt if the public will ever be made acquainted with the full particulars and the names. A wicked little bird has, however, given me certain information which I will unpart to the public on his authority. There is in Melbourne a merchant, who, if not “soft,” is at least in the “soft goods ” line, and a great man at that. This gentleman has a wife, a dashing lady, who is welltnownupon the block for her “style,” Well, there happens to be a “gallantgay Lothario” (pardon me being so extremely hack- ■ nied) in the Civil Service, who is one of a ■** very amorous complexion,” as the old writers have it. Now this gentleman is a great man amongst the female members of . the upper ten. He is to be seen at all places where a little “ flunkey ” business is to be done. It is not likely that two stars of this kind would revolve in the ■nmn orbit for any length of time without coming into contact. Nor did they. They met, “ ’twaa in a crowd,” at some up-country railway gathering, where the gentleman was doing the grand. After their return to Melbourne they met on the block, and the friendship soon became intimacy. There is a certain library in town much resorted to by fashionable folks, and here the pair made an appointment to meet daily, after which they took a lovers’ - walk. Presently their constant attendance ' at the shop became noticed, and it was mentioned to the excellent and estimable citizen "'"who keeps it that it would.be better if he put end,»to what was becoming too.no.torious. "He at once told the ' Lothario that it would be-better if he were to choose another trysting place. The gentleman informed the lady of the shopkeeper’s remarks, whereupon she very foolishly kicked up a rumpus, and '; told her husband that she had been insulted. The husband, good man, never suspecting anything, went to the shopkeeper and re .monatrated. He was told all that had been noticed, but declared he did not see . anything wrong in it. So far, so well. ... Sometime since, the husband bought tickets . vifpr himself, hia wife, and another lady, to attend a certain concert, which was to be bald. in.the city. When the hour for going Came, however, the wife declared she was - “ indisposed,” and her husband and the : ptWr lady went by themselves, The con-

cert proved to be excessively crowded, and the husband’s companion became ill in consequence. He, therefore, determined to leave when the interval came, and went off by the early train. When he arrived at home it was in darkness, so himself and the lady went in quietly. They were surprised to find that the door of a particular room was locked, and on trying the handle the housband was horrified to hear hiq wife say, “ Good God, who is that ?” and a male voice reply, “I don’t know.” Instaiitly he remembered what the shopkeeper had told ' him, and what he had so persistently refused to believe, and he was at once seized with the green-eyed monster, andj rushed to the French window outside, but he found it was also locked. Seizing a hoe or some other garden implement he smashed in the window and jumped in, but was only in time to see Lothario running away out of the door. He at once started in pursuit, and soon the streets of the fashionable suburb where he lives echoed with the cry of “ Stop thief !” Several passers-by joined in the pursuit, which for a time was very warm. Lothario, acting on the maxim, “Now, good legs, run,” made thq pace very hot, but, in an unguarded moment, ran full tilt into the arms of two yokels. But his mother wit helped him eut of the difficulty. “ Good heavens !” said he to his captors, “don’t hold me, or I’ll lose sight of the villian. See, there ,he goes,” pointing to an innocent pedestrian who was hastening to join in the fray. The men, thinking they had caught a pursurer, instead of the pursued, let him go, and off went Lothario. Turning a corner he sbon baffled the pursuers. The scene at the merchant’s villa need not be depicted. The matter rests there at present, though a divorce is freely mooted, in case of which we shall have some nice disclosures of high life.