A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON. (By Elise.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 366, 8 May 1889, Page 3

A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON. (By Elise.)

London, March 7. The Anglo-Colonial presentations at the Drawing-i'oooi on Tuesday week were very few, owing partly to Lady Knutsford's absence in the Mediterranean, and partly to the fact that Australian ladies prefer, when they can, to wait for the tashionable May function. The most interesting colonial debut on Tuesday was that of Miss Angas, daughter of the Hon. Mr Angas of Adelaide, who was presented (in the absence of the Colonial Secretary's wife) by Her Grace the Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. The Duchess, who is in mourning, wore an elegant gown of black striped silk and crepe, trimmed with jet and feathers, a train of handsome frise velvet brocade, lined with faille. Ornaments jet. Miss Angaa's toilette was what the " Court Journal" calls " exceptionally pretty and unique." The Court train and corsage were rich gobelin blue and silver broche lined with white satin agraffed with silk de perse, with sprays of fern over jupe of royale white armure and silver embroidery. Head-dress, plume and veil. Ornaments, diamonds and pearls, the latter very beautiful. Miss Angas's bouquot was one of the rarest and most exquisite at the Drawing-room. It consisted entirely o Lycaste Skinneri orchids arranged as a posy, and tiod with pale blue ribbons to match the train, and was immensely admired. The Marchioness of Blandford, who appeared at Court for the first) time since she divorced the present Duke of Marlborough, wore a lovely dress entirely of grey and silver, with a tiara and necklace of diamonds and a posy of white lilac. Her daughter, Lady Frances Spencer Churchill, waa in the simplest possible presentation dress of white, with pretty pearl ornaments and a bouquet of lilies. The most beautiful bouquet (except, perhaps, Miss Angas's) seems to have been Lady Moiell Mackenzie's superb posy of green orchids, which must have literally cost a fortune. Baroness de Worms, with a train of black velvet trimmed with exquisitely matched sable tails blazing with diamonds the size of large peas, was a conspicuous figure in the reception rooms, though seemingly almost unknown; and Mrs Gerald Talbot's marvellously embroidered palm leaves on a train of silver-grey and priceless lace excited plenty of envy. The Marchioness of Granby came in the old-gold brocade on a cream ground of heliotrope, velvet train, which her ancestor (the last Lady Gianby) wore on the occasion of her presentation to George 111. in 1775. She was subsequently known as "the beautiful Duchess of Rutland," but I doubt (had they been contemporaries) if she would have outshone the piesent Lord Gran by's charming wife. The" diamonds of the Countess of Rosebery (nee Hannah Rothschild) are, of course, famous. On Tuesday week she wore several ririercs of enormous stones and a beautiful pendant in the centre of brignolets. Her necklace consisted of three rows, and her diadem was all diamonds.

Engaged at Last. The Duke of Portland (greatest of all matrimonial catches) is engaged at last; moreover, his Jiancec is neither an heiress, nor titled, nor an American, but simply " a fair youner English girl," the daughter of a plain country gentleman, Mr Dallas Yorke, of Walmsgate, Lincolnshire. I saw Miss Yorke with her mother and His Grace at the Horse Show on Wednesday. She struck me as a very handsome girl, and the young Duke — his Dutch caution thrown to the winds —is obviously head over ears in love. Miss Winified (" winsome Winifred ") has a pedigree longer far than His Grace's own, and will make a stately and patiician duchess. Her dowry won't bo large, but the Duke has enough for the pair to begin life on fairly comfortably. The wedding takes place in Mayor June (probably the latter, a? His Grace will want to wait to see Donovan win the Derby), and will be the function of the season. They say "lucky in love, unlucky at cards and gambling generally." In that case it should be good policy to, what you men call, "lay against''Donovan for his coming races.

A Smart Wedding. As members of both che Neville and Brasoey families are well known in Australia, you may like to hear something of the Hon. Tom Brasseys marriage to Lady Idina Neville last Thursday. It took place at Eridge Church, close to Eridge Castle, Lord Abergavenuy's lovely place on the Southdowns, and was a very smart affair. Triumphal arches were erected over the lodge gates, at the park, and the litcle church was beautifully decorated with palms, lilies of the valley, and camellias. The bridesmaids (as is now the fashion when possible) were all children, younger sisters of the bride and bridegroom. They wore kilted skirts of very fine cream serge, with loose skirts of China silk and zouaves of serge; white straw sailor hats, and bronze shoes and stockings. Each displayed a diamond duck pin, the gift of the bridegroom, and carried a loose bouquet of pink carnations and green orchids, tied with pink ribbons. The effect was perfect. The bride's dress (also exquisitely simple) was of the richest white faille francaise, with a rery long plain train, the petticoat being fefctooned at the bottom with rare old lace, and mousseline de soire, which was crossed on the front of the bodice and tied on the left side, fell to the feet. A coronet of orange blossom surmounted the small, patrician head, with a long veil of tulle, fastened by a diamond star. The sole ornament the bride wore was a superb Maltese cross of diamonds, the gift of the bridegroom. The wedding presents numbered over 600, and, judging from one of the lists published, included enough salt-cellars, cigarette boxes, buttonhooks and pencil cases to stock a jeweller's shop. The Hon. Tom and Lady Idina Brassey have gone to Naples, where they expect to meet Lord Richard Neville, and his bride. The four turtle-doves will then go for a short cruise in the Sunbeam, which has been placed at their disposal and now lies in the Bay. Lady Idina is the third daughter of the Marquis and Marchioness of Abergavenny. A Good Book About Ireland. The cheap edition (2s) of Mr Hurlbert's much-canvassed "Ireland Under Coercion " is a book everyone who cares two pins about Ireland and the Irish question ought to read. I said this when the work first came out about six months ago, but it was expensive then. Now to buy or borrow a copy will be easy, and you should all do one or the other. Mr Hurlbert's conclusions are those of a liberal, open-minded, and above all, moderate man. Oh ! what a blessing it is to find a man who can talk or write moderately on the Irish question. Bella-Uemonia. Poor Selma Dolaro's " Bella-Demonia " is a clever and dramatic if rather over sensational novelette of the "Barnes of New York " school. This perhaps you may remember is the book which the luckless opera bonffe prima donna wrote after losing her voice in the zenith of her career. She

I tried a play first, but it failed (mainly ' through the incompetence of the performers), and later caused some stir by pub-lishingaBelectionfroniherlove-letters(names of the writers, etc., suppressed of course). But " Dolly's "—all her friends called, her "Dolly" just as they call Mrs BernardBeere " Bernie"—" Dolly's " magnum opus was '* Bella-Demonia," over which she spent many weary months when sick and ailing. At last, however, it was complete, and accepted by the New York " World." You have read what followed. A malignant fiend stole the MS. from the editor's drawer and destroyed it. No copy existed, and the poor woman had to laboriously recall and re-write everything. Six months later an abbreviated semblance of " Bella-Demonia" was for the second \ timofinished and purchased by Lippencott's. The effort, however, proved too much for Mdme. Dolaro's enteebled constitution, and she died before the story could be published. Mdme. Dolaro, whose real name was Belasco, was the daughter of an old fellow called Simmons, now a violinist at the Trocadero Music Hall. I have often spoken to him about the little lady during the cntr*acte^ and of the bright days early in the seventies when all " masherclom " was al Selma Dolaro's feet. She married at 15 a Jew named Belasco, and had two daughters by him, one of whom has achieved some success as an actress.

A Batch of "Shockers." "The Ugly Story of Miss Wetherby," by Richard Pryce (one shilling in the " Novocastrian " series), relates how Mr Sloane Wetherby, an etleminate young man of the "tame cat" species, learning that wealthy Mrs Brace has heart disease and is amenable to mesmeric influences, resolves to possess himself of her money. He disguises himself as a woman, becomes the old lady's companion, and in time persuades her whilst in a mesmeric trance to make a will in "Miss Webherby's' 1 favour. This will is duly witnessed, and "Miss Wetherby" only waits for heart disease to carry off the victim when ncmcbi* descends upon her in the bhape of a lover. Mr O. Walford falls suddenly a victim to Miss Wetherby's somewhat ample charms, and yet experiences a strange sense of physical repulsion when conversing with her. Those complex feelings culminate one afternoon in Walford first asking Miss Wetherby on his knees to be his wife, and secondly knocking Mrs Brace's companion down. Exposure and expulsion bring a very ugly and singularly unpleasant talo to an end. " The Mystery of Belgrave Square " will be no mystery to those experienced in the methods of imitatoi-s of Boisgobey. Directly we find that both Sir Keith and Lady Denham have excellent prhna-facie. reasons for wishing to be rid of the young man who is stabbed to the heart in their conservatory one fine ball night, we know neither of them is the murderer. We must look elsewhere, and when Lady Denham's French maid, a purring, catlike damsel with green eyes, slides unobtrusively into the story, we at once murmur " that's her." " Body and Soul" is grandiloquently called by the author, " A Romance in Transcendental Pathology." Personally, I should prefer to term it merely a marron def/ui^e (01 old story re-hatched). One's certainly read something very like it once or twice before. Professor Kerr, the hero, is a Scotch medical specialist, who has discovered a method of resuscitating the dead. His son-in-law, expiring rather unexpectedly, the Professor resolves to operate on him, and does so wifch complete success. Mr Leon ard Vernercott's body is indeed restored to life, but what, he asks presently, has become of his soul? That hasnot returned, and the fact is soon unpleasantly apparent. The new Leonard Vernercott behaves like a bruto—eats, drinks and swears to excess, and can be influenced only by his wife, whoso great love enables her by degrees to instil some of her soul into his. The book reminds one of Mr Delisle Hay'& "Blood," which was, however, an even grimmer story. The cover of " Body and Soul" is admirable, and will excite scores into buying it.

The Battenberg Mesalliance. There have been what my vulgar husband calls "ructions" at Koyal Windsor ever since the news of Prince Alexander of Battenberg's mesalliance with Mademoiselle Lalinger reached our gracious SoYeieign's < ears. At first neither the Queen nor the' Empress Frederick could believe the news. Only a few months, remember, have elapsed since the latter fought Prince Alexander's battles with Prince Bismarck, and with difficulty secured her son's and Prince Bismarck's reluctant assent to the engagement of the Princess Augusta with young Battenberg. The Kaiser was the firat to hear of Prince Alexander's " goings on," and he sent an imperative epistle to Windsor notifying his mother of the shocking circumstances and breaking ofF his sister's engage ment Hor Majesty in a fury sent for " Bee's husband," and ordered that unhappy young man to write to his brother at once and order him to break oft the disgraceful intrigue imlanter on pain of his Eo] 7al relative's eternal displeasure. Piince Alexander never even vouchsafed a reply to this mandate, but calmly espoused his inamorata morganatically. When this news reached Windsor, the Queen suffered from an attack of nerves, which ao seriously inconvenienced poor Prince Henry of Battenburg that he confided to his friends enigmatically that a fellow might do worse things than marry an actress." Amongst other discomforts " Bee's husband ' found his pipe stopped, for when the Queen's temper is short her nose becomes preternaturally keen, and she loathes the smell of tobacco. The Prince found that whenever ho entered the room Her Majesty first sniffed and then ordered all the windows to be thrown open. This at last became so irritating that the Prince with a sick heart tempoi'arily gave up smoking. The Scottish Home Rule Association has issued an appeal to the "Scots abroad" for pecuniary assistance to aid in its struggle to obtain self-government. In justification of the action adopted, it is stated that although Scotland, according to her population, is a rich country, those of her people who have commenced to fight for national self-government are poor, and they have to fight the richest country in the woild, with nearly all the nobility and well-to-do classes in Scotland arrayed against them. To arouse their people to a sense of their danger they must enter upon a comprehensive plan of education, must circulate literature, hold public meetings, deliver lectures, run candidates at bye elections, and be prepared to contest every seat when a general election takes place, which, of course, requires money as well as ability. An old woman who was crossing the streofe had a narrow escape from being run over by a hearse. "I am not at all superstitious," she said to hor rescuer, " but it seems to m that it would be unlucky to be killed by e hearse." One reason why so many Americans return penniless from Europe is because too much Hoyle is cast upon the waters. Gentlemen who are anxious to give up something during Lent might try and give up their seats to the ladies in the horse, cars.