A CASE OF MIXED BABIES.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2080, 3 September 1875, Page 3

A CASE OF MIXED BABIES.

Down at their beautiful. Kentish seat, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are leading a very homely, happy life. The young Duchess, who seems to have conquered her repugnance to England, nurses her baby with her own fair hands. It would be to the advantage of the progeny of other mothers were this method of nursing more geuo.rally adopted. If Jfc were, ladies would invariably escapefrotn the dilemma in which the Countess of C~— was involved the other day. A large number of her friends had assembled in the drawing - room of her ladyship (whose town house in Belgravia everybody knows) for five o'clock tea. Jawkins, most astute and respectful of servants, had just served everybody with tea, andthe Countess had just exhibited with pardonable pride her last purchase of old china, for which she had given £30, but which would be dear at 30s, when the conversation turned upon babies, for young Lord Z , who goes everywhere, as you know, happened to mention that last autumn he had spent an agreeable hour in the environs of North 'Woolwich, looking at some prize babies, the crerne de la creme of babydom. With all a mother's natural pride, the lovely Countess remarked, " Ah! you havn'tseen my little treasure," and the young man candidly confessed that he hadn't, adding that he would very much like to see that beauteous infant, concerning whom ho had heard, &c, &c. Jawkins was desired by his mistress to tell- Usher, the nurse, to "bring baby down," A few minutes having elapsed, and there being no indications of baby's arrival, the Countess, who is an impetuous woman, resolved to bring him down herself, with which object in view she wont up to the nursery, and almost immediately returned with something so muffled! up in shawls and lace that,_ for aught you knew to the contrary, it might have been a kangaroo or a cobra di capella. Of course, baby was handed round, first to one. then to another, amidst a chorus of " What zJieavenly child !" and "• What a-lovely ickle b,oo— QC —lyl" said Lord 2—*—> the connoisseur of the Woolwich infants. " What pretty blue eyes ! " observed Lady 3VI ; " And what splendid golden hair ! " chirruped the Marchioness D . "Blue eyes! golden hair ! " exclaimed tho Countess mother; " my baby has black eyes and dark-brown hair !" and thereupon she caught the innocent cause of this outburst to her arms, and looked scrutinisingly into his chubby face. No sooner had she done so than she cried with an intensity rivalling Miss Bateman in" Medea," "del! this isn't my baby!" And at that moment who should walk into the room but Mra Usher-, the nurse, with another bundle of lace and shawls in her arms ; and said Usher; blandly, " Please, m'lady, you've made a mistake, and brought down the wrong baby." It was too true. Mrs Maimaduke Mulberry's nursemaid had looked into sea Mrs Usher, had brought that lady's baby with her, and had laid it on the bed for a moment while she accompanied Mrs Usher, in whose arms was the Countess' child, to the housekeeper's room to get a, cup of tea, and have a gossip over their own affairs.—London Correspondent.