WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1919, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

PERSONAL. Mr and Mrs C. J>imy Brown leave by the .Rarawa to-night for Auckland, where they will spend a week before going on to Dunedin. • * * * Mr and Mrs Leo Horrock, of*Feilding, arrive by motor to-night, and will be the guests of Mrs R. Quilliam- * * . * • ' Misses K, and E. Campbell are visiting Wellington. # • » • Mrs Muller, of Auckland, arrived this morning to stay with her mother, Mrs Millar. * » • • Mrs Newton King has returned from a motor trip to Dunedin. • * • • Mrs Eliot King has returned from Wellington. * * • * Miss Olive Shaw entertained a number of her friends at a picture party on Tuesday night. •«• • • Mrs Chaney was hostess: at a farewell tea for Mrs Crookc and Mrs Hammond on Wednesday afternoon. *»• ' • Cable advice has been received of the marriage in England oh 28th August., of Dr. Bel Jennings (late of the staff of the Girls' High School) to Dr Peter McAllum (late of Canterbury College, Christehurch). Miss P. Arden, who has been oa a visit to Dunedin, has returned. » « • * Visitors staying at the White Hart for the week include: Mrs Pownall (Wanganui), Mrs Eliot McKinney (Australia), Mr and Mrs Murphy (Wellington), Mr and Mrs Galpin (Wellington).

NEW PLYMOUTH SOCIETY'NEWS. At Kawaroa Park bungalow last Friday a most enjoyable dance was given by Mr and Mrs A. Crooke to celebrate the coming out of their youngest daughter, Miss Betty Crooke- The hall was beautifully decorated with flowers, Asparagus fern and huge branches of pungas, and tlic supper table was a mass of spring bulbs and violets, together with a most tempting array of all kinds of delicacies. Mrs Crooke received her guests in a black ninon gown over crepe de chine, both tunic and bodice being embroidered with bead trimming. Miss Crooke wore a shot pink and lime taffetas, banded with satin bands of darker shade. Miss Betty Crooke looked charming in a white georgette frock, silver tissue embroidery, with panels back and front of charmeuse, edged with silver fringe. Miss Ivebbell (Levin) debutante looked well in white crepe de chine with overskirt of white lacc embroidered in silver, draped side panels finished with white silk fringe. Miss Lois Cutfield (debutante) wore a very pretty frock of white taffetas veiled in shadow lace, bodice was finished with pearl trimming and shadow lace.

Those present were Dr and Mrs Walker, Mr and Mrs Boyd, Mr and Mrs Denny Brown, Mr and Mrs Walter Weston, Colonel and Mrs Claude Woston, Mr and Mrs Robertshaw, Dr and Mrs Wade, Mr and Mrs R. Quilliam, Mr and Mrs P. Jackson, Mr and Mrs Paton, Mr and Mrs J. C. Nicholson, Mr and Mrs A. Bewley, Mr and Mrs T. V. Mackav, Mr and Mrs B. H. Chaney, Mrs Fair, Mrs A. H. Harvie; Misses Cholmondley, Collins, Bradbury (2), Monteath, Jordan, Greatbatch, Renaud, Rockel, Baily, Webster, Roy, C. White, Cutfield, Corkill,, WinHeld, Hirst, Lennon, D. Watkins, D. Whitcombe, D.. Bedford, Wade, Cox (Auckland), McClclaml, Kerr, Fussell, Kelly, Hammond, Thomson; Messrs Humphries, Kirkby, Fussell, AVhitcombe, Grayling, Pott, John Baillie, A. H. Johnstone, A. Little, C. Fair, H. Bradbury, J. Stephenson, Griffiths, I. Renaud, B. Wilson.

Numerous parties have been given for Miss Muriel Roy, who is shortly to be married to Mr W. Kelly, of Awakino. The hostesses for this week were Mrs F. H. Robertson, Miss Rollo, Miss Wade, Mrs N. Balharry, and Mrs Courtney. A committe of girls, known as the "Hard Ups," arranged all enjoyable dance last Wednesday at the East End pavilion as a farewell to Mr lan Pott who is leaving shortly for South Africa. MiVA. McHardy entertained a number of young people at a euchre party last Wednesday. 1 During these term holidays the young folk have been having a tremendously gay time, and last Thursday at the Kia Ora Tea Rooms, Mrs Claude Weston gave a delightful party for the young frienvw of Claudia and Henry. All kinds of games were played, whilst dancing was by no means the least feature of the evening. The decorations were spring bulbs and violets, with huge bowls of wattle. As this was the first time these rooms were used for dancing it was not anticipated that the floor could be in such excellent order.

WEDDING.

LEALAND—GRIFFITHS. A wedding which created much interest was solemnised at the Fitzroy Methodist Church on Thursday, August 28, the contracting parties being Mr. A. Lealand, eldest son of the late D. A. Lealand, of New Plymouth, and Miss Edith May, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Griffiths, of Fitzroy. The bride, who was away by her father, looked charming in ivory white crepe de chine with overdress of georgette daintily trimmed with silk stitchings, with the orthodox veil and orange blossoms and carrying a shower bouquet of maidenhair fern and frecias. The chief bridesmaid Miss Mona Lealand, cousin of the bridegroom, wore a pale • blue crepe de chine frock with black tulle hat relieved with pink, and carried a bouquet of pale pink stocks and maidenhair fern. The two little maids, Brenda- Griffiths and Mary Kempscll, sister of the bride and cousin of the bridegroom respectively, looked very pretty in pale pink silk frocks with hats to match, ami carried silver star wands, which had a very pretty effect. Mr. Cyril Lealand, brother of the bridegroom, carried out the duties of best man. The Rev. Richards officiated, and the service was fully choral, the bride being a member of the choir and Sunday school. After the ceremony the guests were entertained by the parents of the bride at the Fitzroy Hall. The presents were numerous and costly, including several cheques, and the wedding cake was made and presented by the uncle of the bridegroom, Mr. P. Lealand. The happy couple left the same evening by the boat for Auckland and the Kast Coast, where the honeymoon fs to be spent.

HIGH SOCIETY DIVORCE. DUCHESS OF WESTMINSTER'S STORY. A story of infinite pathos —of the MM gt.e.jyubw* Mi Jfel

fervent appeals of a mother and. wife for Ilia return—was narrated by Constance Edwimi (irosvenor, Duchess of Westminster, in the Divorce Court, when she obtained a decree nisi from her husband, Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenov, the Duke, snys the Sunday Chronicle.

The announcement that the case was to be heard, and to bo defended, attracted a large crowd of daintily-gowned women, who some hours before the opening of the Court bombarded the public entrance, while others attempted to gain admission from the corridors of thr Law Courts. It was, unquestionably, a disappointment to many when Sir Ellis Hume-Williams, K.C., who with Mr. J. Harvey Murphy represented the Duchess, announced that the ease would not now be defended. It had been anticipated that there would be a denial by the Duke of misconduct, and that niainy exciting scenes would cccur in cross-examination.

The Duchess, formerly Miss Corn-wallis-Wcst, wa9, and still is, one of the reigning beantics of Society. She is tall, slender, fascinating. Her demeanour throughout the hearing was remarkable for its quiet dignity and wonderful.seitpossession. At the beginning she sat beside her solicitor, Sir Charles Russell. Her dress was tasteful, and there was a markeil absence of display. Her gown was of black silk, trimmed with a white lace corsage, with a hat of love-in-mist blue- She wore a heavy veil, which she only raised 1 when in conversation with lier" solicitor, or while in the witness box. 1 , Sir Ellis Hume-Williams told rapidly the history of the marriage and the subsequent events. The duchess was married on February 16, 1901. There were three children. A boy was born in 1904 and since then he had died. PARTING OP THE WAYS. It was until well on in the spring of 1910 that the duke and duchess lived together, to quote counsel, "if not in complete happiness, at any rate without any serious quarrels " But even in the early part of that year there was the begin' ning of an estrangement. Speaking of this part of her life, the duchess said, with unmistakable firmness which, however, did not conceal the sadness of her heart, "My husband used to come into the house about 11 in the morning, read his letters and papers, then went out to lunch, came back after five or six, and dressed for dinner—and I never saw him after that."

This was the beginning of an estrangement that found extraordinary expression in two incidents which were described during the hearing of the case. As counsel explained, the duchess was anxious for her children, as well as for herself, that there should be complete reconciliation, but when she arrived ai> Eaton Hall, one of the duke's, residences, he immediately went, "leaving tome of his guests behind." And, again later, when she went to find him in Egypt in 1911, "he left, and she was unable to see him."

The correspondence between them proved to the duchess, from the first, that there was ng hope oi reconciliation. It was in 1913, that, while abroad, he wrote:—

"I think you will agree tfith me that our present mode of living is impossible, and cannot continue any longer. The deed I enclose has been drawn up by ltiy solicitors under my instructions, and is a private contract. I think you will agree that the provision it makes will be a relief to us both, as X cannot for a moment imagine that living at my two houses alone in London, and tlifl country can be a source of satisfactionto you.

"I have requested my solicitors to make you such an allowance as will enable you to live as you should, in the utmost comfort. Tliev instruct me that £IO,OOO a year would be ample.

"I do not consider that is sufficient, seeing that yon have to pay rent for a house, in London and the country. Therefore I instructed them to add another £ISOO a year. Therefore, with your allowance, your income will be f'lS.onO a year, which I think you will agree is liberal." t He added:

"I hope you will accept the enclosed terms, as I am determined not to live with you again. I hope for your own sake, and everyone else's, you will accept this as Ate conclusion of our unhappy lives together. If not, there is only one course open to lis, and that is to go to the courts and have it all out in public."

The Duchess, through her solicitors, declined absolutely to do anything which -might in any way "derogate from her position as the Duke's wife and the mother of his children." Then followed a letter from the Duke's solicitors Announcing that "steps would be taken to close Eaton Hall And Grosvenor douse, so that they would be no longer available to the Duchess."

APPEALS TO DUKE-. Early on in their married lift 1 the Duke was known as' "Rend Or," ill memory of tlie famous Derby winner owned by the.old Duke, his grandfather; Ihe Duchess was known as Rheila. It was using these two familiar names that the Duchess wrote to her husband the following letter: — "Dear Berid Or, —T write to make one more appeal to you, for the children's sake, if not for your own ant* mine. I beg you to return to me. If you will do so I am willing to allow all bygones to be bygones, and do what I can to make you happy.—Sheila." All present in court were touched by th<? Duchess' reply to counsel's question: "Did you write to him from time to time calling utention to this unhappy state of things?" "Yes," she answered. "1 did my best for the sake of the children and what the world would think." And again .counsel the effort's she had made to win back her husband. "I went down to Eaton Hall," she said, adding simply, "hoping he Avould be pleased to see me."

The story of the Duke's unfaithfulness had an air of mystery surrounding it. The Duke, in June, 1917, took a suite, of rooms at the Grand Hotel at Brighton. He was then under surveillance and "shadofred'' by a private inquiry agent named Holder. This witness detailed how he watched the Duke meet a woman at the railway station and drive her to his hotel, where both signed a registration form, and occupied the same apartment.

The name nf the woman was not revealed, but Mr. Justice Coleridge, in granting a decree intimated that the Duchess' case had been proved beyond a doubt.