BUYING A MARQUIS.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1922, Page 7

BUYING A MARQUIS.

AN AUSTRIAN COMEDY. WOMAN REPENTS BARGAIN. London, April 27. One of the most amusing results of the house shortage which is agonising Europe is a case which has just been heard in the Viennese Court. It shows the lengths to which a woman will go to secure a home in a city where even flats are at a premium, and is reminiscent of the song in “The Country Girl”:— Molly married the marquis, What a thing to do; She took him out in her own turnout, And paid for the services, too. Rosa Rosenbaum, a wealthy widow, inserted a matrimonial advertisement in a newspaper. This drew a reply from the Marquis Maffei, whose family tree occupies six pages, but whose bank account is as short as his lineage is long. Madame Rosenbaum offered to pay him 80,000 krone, then worth £32, providing that he married her. The marquis jumped at the chance, and the marriage took place. Apparently Rosa repented of her bargain, as, after paying 50,000 krone, she refused to give the marquis any more. He subsequently took the matter to Court, suing for the remaining 30,000 krone (now worth only £1 4s, owing to the depreciation on Austrian money). The magistrate said that he thought Rosa was shabby to haggle over such a small sum after she had won a title. “He can stick to his old title,” the lady exclaimed with spirit. “I wanted somewhere to . live. The marquis had a flat—and you know it is impossible to get a flat in Vienna.” The crowd in Court applauded, aim the magistrate said that the title was cheap at the price.