A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON. Feminine Fact, Fancies, and Frivollties.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 101, 9 May 1885, Page 5

A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON. Feminine Fact, Fancies, and Frivollties.

(BY ELISE.)

London, March, ! Dkar Mr Editor,— The season has opened dolefully, and promises to be as flat, stale, and utterly unprofitable as last year's. Fashionable milliners are in despair. In the first place, there is to be no Drawing Room before Easter, a fact unimportant enough to most of us, but which signifies | want of work, hunger, and possibly starva- ' tion to scores of needy sempstresses. Then, some great ladies have decreed that society is to go into mourning for General Gordon, Colonel Burnaby, and Sir Herbert Stewart, and the other heroes who lost their lives in the Soudan. The peeresses' gallery at the House of Lords during the debate ©n the vote of censure presented a strange spectacle. It was filled with ladies, but nowhere could one discover so much as a speck of colour. All wore black. Poor Lady Stewart has never lifted up her head since the fatal news of her husband b death was communicated to her. She had only been married eight years, and was devoted to him. They have two little boys ; the eldest is said to be a tiny replica of hia father. The absence of the Guards makes a great difference to London " eociety " in heaps of ways. At Sandown Park last week, for in stance, familiar laces wece missing on every side. The feminine element, however, mustered in force, and much admiration was bestowed on the numerous tailor-made dresses, neat and exquisitely fitting, which adorned the lawn. I was not there, but I hear those who were enjoyed the meeting immensely. There is but one opinion in London society about the Durham divorce case. The unhappy husband was most shamelessly deceived by his wife's family, and ought to have his liberty. I never saw Lady Durham after her marriage, but I remember Miss Edith Milner perfectly. She was at Ascot with the Gerards in 1882, and attracted a good deal of attention Her pale, chilly, statuesque beauty was a ptriking contrast to the piquant vivacity of pretty Mrs Gerard. The pair were surrounded by quite a bevy of men, more especially on Hunt Cup day, when they wore the " Sweetbread " colours, and (in consequence of Mr Gerard's colt's victory) became the heroines of the afternoon. Many of you reading the divorce proceedinga may wonder why Lord Durham did not break off the marriage when his Jiancee acted so strangely. As a matter of fact, I believe Miss Milner's conduct attracted rather than repelled the young man. She confessed to loving him, and knowing hepossessedherattachment, her excessive shyness and modesty, and her lack of passion, did not trouble him muah. " When we are married that will soon disappear," he said to himself comfortably. The fact is, men in Lord Durham's position learn to despise fast women of every olfcss whilst "sowingtheirwild oats." Consequently when they resolve to settle down and marry, they invariably affect shy and quiet girls. Miss Milner seemed likely to make Lord Durham a beautiful and dignified Countess. He knew she was a "very stupid girl," but that doesnt seem to have troubled him much, ber odd ways of going on at times he put down either to girlish coquetry or petulance. No doubt the Milner family took good care Miss Edith should not be too often with her lover. It was only on 1 certain days " she was permitted to see him. Lord Durham doesn t appear to have had a suspicion of the truth till the marriage ceremony was just over. Then as hifa bride lay back in the carriage which had just picked them up at the church door, and, wildly repulsing his caresses, stared stonily out of the window, the first awful doubt crossed his mind. That night he knew (or thought he knew) his wife was absolutely mindless, little more than a beautiful animal in fact, but even then he had no notion that she was, or could ever become, a maniac. Subsequently, when the fact of there being hereditary mania in the Milner family transpired, when his wife's mother committed suicide in a fit of insanity, and when that wife herself sank into dangerous idiocy, Lord Durbam'sindignation knew no bounds. Was he to be tied to a lunatic wife all hie days? Lady Durham's bodily health wae perfect. She may, probably will, live foi 50 years. He consulted his lawyers, and eventually the case just concluded wat laid before the Divorce Court. In the opinion of society, the Milners showed shocking bad taste in defending the action. The likeness between Lady Durham's condition and that of the supposition heroine of "Called Back" has formed a fruitful subject for paragraphers in the j "society " journals. Many of them take a romantic view of the case, and blame Lord Durham for not making more efforts to woo his "beautiful, silent" divinity " back to love and sanity. As a matter of fact, the poor girl's case is hopeless. In society a very strong belief prevails to the effect that Lord Durham was principally inspired to take divorce proceedings by love for Gladys, Lady Lonsdale, the famous beauty. Tom took us to see Lord Lytton's posthumous drama, " Juniun, or the Household Gods," the other evening. Played at some provincial or colonial theatre without the gorgeous spectacular effects, countless supers, and powerful acting which now render it one of the most attractive pieces | im London, I can quite imagine " Juniua " would be heavy, not to say dull. At the Princess's, Mr Wilson Barrett has simply done everything that oould be done for the play. Ancient Rome, ideally classic, picturesque, and luxurious, lies before us. The Prince of the Tarquins, the ruined Temple of Romulus by night, Luoretia's home, and last, but not least, the famous Hall of Tarquin,are one and all reproduced in scenes as romantically beautiful as (it is averred) they are archieologically correct. The old story of the rape of Lucrece and the vengeance of Brutus never enjoyed a more perfect setting. Lord Lytton's lines, too, are sonorous, and often beautiful. One has less tawdry sentiment and more genuine feeling than is usual in his poetic dramas. " Juntas " will never be half so popular as •• Richelieu, but fa many respects the critics consider it a better play. The last soene deserves a word of description, though I'm afraid I can never convey to you its wonderful effect. Upon a lofty, golden thronr, between two massive pillars reaching the lull height of the stage, sits the tyrant Sextus Tarquin, Burrounded by guards, and attended by his trusty counsellor, the paere Sophronmn. Sextus thinks himself safe. Suddenly th« awful voice of Junius Brutus in heaTd without, " Room for the Household i^ods." The gftteß fly open, the warders drop their arms, *nd a grim procession enters Lucretia'a oody Is borne in on a bier, and laid at the foot of the throne. Junius Brutus, solemn, dignified, inflexible, follows. He denounces Tarquin, and tells the story of Lucreti*'* shame. Ih^thfc fcjtantfa

friends turn away and his ( s6idiirf ifctfik from him in disgust. Appalled, Sextwf grovels for mercy before Brutjii. Tht latter dragi the dastard back again to hit lofty seat, and then stabi him, crying m the curtain falls, " Rome is free \" Mr Willard as Tarquin and Mr Wilson Barrett as Brutus carry off the hdnOurs of the performance. The latter wears what Tom 6 4ls " classic tdggery," as though " to the manner born." He looks every inch the noble Roman. Miss Eastlake has sot much to do, but does it lackadaisically. I can never get over the idea that she's the character I first saw her, representing the heroine of the " Lights of London." Some actresses seem quite incapable of sinking their individuality. " Masks and Faces," accounted' by many critics the greatest success in the entire Bancraf t repertoire, was revived at the Hay* market for a short farewell season the other evening. Mrs Banoraft is, of course, once more " Peg Woffington, and Mr Bancraft ( ' Triplet, " Mr Forbes Robertson succeeds Mr Coghlan, and Mr H. B. Conway as " Sir Charles Pomander," and Mips Galhoun .tries to wipe out recollection of first Ellen Terry, and afterwards Marion Terry as "Letty Vane." Neither altogether pleased the audience. In 1874 a vaudeville entitled "Nemesis," which you have no doubt had at some time or other in New Zealand, made a hit at the Strand Theatre, with Edward Terry in the principal part. Thia has now been revived at the Comedy, with Arthur Roberts in Terry's character, and draws well, they say. "The Denhams" at the Court u not at all a nice-toned play. I can't imagine what object there can be in. dragging such a disagreeable story as it deals with before the public. We looked in at the Strand last Tuesday evening to renew our acquaintance with Miss Jennie Lee's "Jo." The theatre was not, I am sorry to cay, half full, nor was the piece altogether well played. The Buckett of Mr Burnett, the Chatband of Mr Wilmot, and the Hortence of Miss Dolores Drummond are as good as ever, but Miss Ada Ward as Lady Dedlock, and Mr Ben Greet as Sir Lester, fail lamentably. Miss Ward is hard, unsympathetic, and unemotional to a degree that one would have believed impossible. In the great scene where she tells Esther she is her mother, the house, instead of listening with wrapt attention, ehuffled t wriggled, coughed, and sneezed. Miss Ward discoursed in an even tiresome monotone, and the young lady who represented Esther Summerson, responded with equal feebleness, and naturally when the curtain fell there was some hissing. Jennie Lee has played "Jo" too often. It is still a wonderful character sketch, but it lacks spontaneity. Moreover, too much elaboration renders it occasionally inconsistent. At times, no doubt, Miss Lee really acts "Jo," and then I can quite imagine she harrows people's feelings to a ghastly extent. On Tuesday, I believe she simply went through perfectly familiar business without feeling it one bit. It was all very clever, and very interesting, but we were nottouched. When, however, in the deathbed scene the actress gave herself a little rein and began— so to speak— to take an interest in her own performance, the effect was electrical. Every word and movement went straight home. Tom had to put down his opera glasses and turn away from the stage, for fear of -as he said - making a fool of himself, and I wept copiously for some momenta. Taken as a whole, though, we came to th« conclusion that Nellie Far r en 'a flight sketch of a street boy is in many respects truer to life than Miss Lee's.