A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 392, 10 August 1889, Page 3

A LADY'S LETTER FROM LONDON.

The Dtjke ofPoetlanb's Wkdding- Dresses ant. Presents— Miss Violet Lank-Fox's Engagement — The Literary Ladies' Dinner— Sir William Harcourt and Lady Sawshury— Who Mr Alfred Brikrlf,v ts— "Witvp Hrs Friends Say About tjir MatBRICIC ESCLANDRE— MRS MaYBRICK — HOW Suspicion was First Aroused.

London, June 14. Dear Mr Editok,— The good luck of that modern Forbunatus "Juramy," or, to be more polite,, the Duko of Portland, culminated on Tuesday with his marriage at St. Peter's, Eaton Square, to Miss Winnifrcd Dallas Yorke. It was naturally a very smart wedding, and only the creme d& la, rreme of London society were invited co be present. : The .bride looked lovely. She was dressed in white featin point- d'aleneon, trimmed with lustrous, pearls, and wore a superb necklace of pearls, lone ago tho property of Mary, Queen of Roots. Her solo other ornament was a diamond thistle brooch, presented by the employes on His Grace's- Ayr-shire estate?. Shu had, of cotir&e, on the usual tulle veil, nnd carried a bouquet of stephanotis and other white'blossoms. The bride/maids weie very s-imply di-essed in white, their most conspicuous ornaments being the banglo watch bracelet, 'set in diamonds, presented by tho bridegroom. The list of presents fills threo page* "of the "Court Journal,"' and includes every conceivable article of bijouterie under heaven. What on earth, one wonders, can the Puke do with 16 silver cigarette boxes, 14 silver cigarette cases 10 carriage clocks, 21 scent bottles, 8 card cases, 20 inkstand*, 7 fueee cases, nnd other odds and ends*' in proportion. The Prince and Princess ot Wales sent a beautiful silver cup, for holding flowers, but the Queen's Indian shawl was conspicuously nou est. For some reason tiranother Her Majesty has never taken very kindly to the Duke of Portland. There were "ructions" at Windsor two years ago, when His Grace was suspected ofintentions with regard to pretty Princess Victoria of Teck. The Queen wouldn't hear of the match, though cvei yone else thought.it most suitable. Xow that Mi«s Violet Lane-Fox io engaged to Lord Biirgersh ,we shall, it is to be; hoped, hear no more of the Rowden eftclandpc, and the sooner the miserable man is set at liberty and.allowed to dear; out to Australia' the bettef. Lord Burgersh-srands six feet, odd in his .socks, a anU. raao^be isafely trusted to take every-j&ire of his^jiancec. He is the eldest son of Lord Westmorelantf, and therefore -by no means w ell olf. Fortunately, however, Miss Lane-Fox recently became a great heiress Mrs Mona Caird (who has been much run after by lion-hunters since c> The Wing of Azvael") raised a storm ot discussion) presided at, a new depaiture called the *' Literary Ladies' Dinner " last Tues-" day. 1 None of the male sex were admitted, even the attendants being waitresses The conversation is understood to have been of the most sparkling and brilliant description, and the speeches far above the level of masculine post-prandial eloquence. Mrs Lynn Linton excused herself from attending in a characteristically caustic effnsjon, which was read amidst much laughter and not a few blushes ; and Mrs Oliphant, Mrs Humphrey Ward and Miss Olive Schreiner also found themselves somehow unfortunately nnable to be present. The dinner i wasripwever, graced by Miss A-lice Cockrau (of '-The Queen}, Mrs T. P. O'Connor (a practised platform orator), Misg JTriedrichs ('• Mis? Mantalini " of the " Pall Mall Gazette ") and Mrs Humphrey? (of the ".Daily News " and ." Truth*'). Massive' Miss Harriet Jay (gorgeously arrayed in' pink liberty silk) replied to the toast of the drama, and little Mia? Amy Levy's name was coupled with .that of " Literatm-e. " The author of "Reuben Sachs " is a charming brunette, as full of life and sparkle as she can be, and a brilliant conversationalist. She kept those around her in a constant ripple of laughter, and, made the best speech of the evening, not even excepting Mrs O'Connor. Lady Colin Campbell will preside at the next ladies' dinner. A good story is going the rounds in Clubland anent a little incident which occurred at Lady Salisbury's big crush on Saturday ■week. Persons of all shades of political opinion were, ofcour.se, asked, and amongst them Sir William Harcourr. "Now, Sir William has a reputation for saying smart things to nice women, and being an admirer of .Lady Salisbury's he bethought himself as he crushed slowly up the stairs of a little speech, at once pretty and apropos. " E congratulate you, dear Lady Salisbury," quoth he, shaking hands eiTusively. " You really are. the only Tory who asks anybody " "Excuse me, Sir William," replied the marchioness, sweetly, " I ask — c% r erybody. !) Mr Alfred Brierley, who figures with such unpleasant prominence in connection with the heroine of the Liverpool poisoning case, is the senior partner in an old-established firm of cotton brokers, and must be very comfortably off. He has hitherto borne an unblemished reputation, and his numerous friends warmly defend him. Brierley, I hear, declares that throughout the intrigue with Mrs Maybrick he was little more than passive. At first, when she made violent love to him at .Southport, under her irate husband's eyes, he responded as most men would have done, quite without amcr&pensee. Later, however, when things grew serious he tried ' again and " again to drop the connection. - .Mrs, Maybrick wouldn't let him. It was she who (with characteristic disregard of consequence?) arranged the London escapade. .When Brierley went to call on her at the hotel he bad?no notion of remaining there in the character of her husband. The episode intact frightened him fco death-, and resolved hip^ vb cut short the intrigue as soon a*, possible by leaving England/ He took a passage for Madeira a few days before Maybrick's death, and even after Mrs Maybrick's arrest determined to proceed on his journey. The police, however, first requested and finally commanded Brierley's presence at the inquest. Mrs Maybrick continues, on (lit, in capital spirits, and is full of suggestions for her defence. She attributes her shocking" position wholly to the action of an erstwhile lady friend. Certainly but for Mrs Brigirs's curiosity being aroused by the peculiarity of her friend's sick-room > arrangements, Mr Maybrick mi^ht have died and been buried without remark. Mrs Briggs, I hear, says she was first of all struck with the intense and altogether disproportionate excitement which Mrs Maybrick displayed on finding her in Mr Maybrick's room. Hitherto in Mr Maybrick's little illnesses she had always been in the habit of going up to see' him, and it was certainly the natural thing to do then. A few queries elicited that the servants were also kept out; of the sick room. Why was it?. Mrs Briggs felt curious and quietly cross-ques-tioned each of the domestics in turn. They

told her amongst othev things about the flypapers, and, remembering 1 the Flannagan case, Mrs'Briggs began to feel uncomfortably suspicious. Sho wenb into ijpwn and saw Edwin Maybrick, and telegraphed for iVlichael. Both ridiculed the, ghastly idea of there being any connection between the ,fly-papers and James JVlaybrick'a illness, Not so, howevor, l)i\ Humphries and Dr. Carter, to whom every puzzling featuro of the case at once became clear ac daylight. Unfortunately, the one came too late to save the patient's life.