THE LADIES

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 159, 29 September 1883, Page 10

THE LADIES

The Duchess of Edinburgh, remarks Alfred, is 1 never known to smile. Not outside, Alf . dear, perhaps ; bub how can you tell she don't smileinside? When the Duke is with her, he chiefly smiles inside, too. i • The wife of Charles Dickens is reported to> have once said : '"I suppose the world needs afew geniuses, but it's a dreadful fate to have tolive with one of them." Mrs Carlyle said the same thing in substance a great many times. Mrs Hanipson has received a presentation of fifty sovereigns in Adelaide. When .she. comes I back, our good people will, of course, rush toimitate Adelaide, where there is not a twentieth part of the wealth among the godly. ; Capital idea to get Adelaide to pay for the evangelisation' of Auckland. . . He took her to the theatre. After the first act he excused himself, according to regulation, on the ground that he had to go out'and "see a man." He didn't come back. Instead of seeinga man he saw a woman. She was his wife, who* knew him by his line of country aud, had waited on him.; By endeavouring to please one woman he had made bitter life-long enemies dr twoISTever try to please anybody;' 1 Helen Barry, the actress, who is :over,six feefr high, was originally Mrs Brandon, wife of a London cigar dealer. Then Dion Boixcicault captured her for the leading Amazonian" Babil and Bijou," in which Lord Londesborougha became interested to the tune of £12,000. A divorce followed, acd Major Alec' Rolls' became Miss Barry's spouse. Soon after, he climbed the' golden stair-case, and the widow again becamethe bride of Henry Bolam, whose recent' suddenu death leaves Helen once more an ayjiilable^gxiirimonial prize. ~-^ JIII Florence Dixie, writing from Zululaa#isno>rs*~~' that Cetewayo is the mildest of pet lambs — wouldn't covet his neighbour's cattle or wives for " anythink." It all accounts o' the airs he putson ever since he saw the Brighton Aquarium and took a stroll down Petticoat-lane. . A good deal of credence attaches to what " Flo " says, ever since those two Irish hod men (disguised in women's clothes, the blackguards) tried to lefc daylight through her. The plucky stand she made on that historical occasion, and the graphicaccount of it she subsequently sent to the papers, will not soon be forgotten. . : Before we forget it ! The Merry Duchess-^— celle de Montrose — now races under the name of " Mr Manton." She still adheres to the " Scarlet ' r of the late Mr Stirling Crawford, and has made,, through her trainer, Alec Taylor (we speak with' the familiarity that is born of the sporting world),, large additions to the stud. It is rumoured, ' when, on a recent occasion, what G-arrard calls a- " frarker " occurred at Newmarket, the Prince of Wales went up to the duchess, and endeavoured! to quieten her. Alluding to her Grace's coni--plaint, the Prince said, soothingly, " You can go to the stewards, Duchess." " You can go to — Jamberoo," was the angry reply. This, too, ia the " best society !" ' More mesalliances. A son of the Earl of Fevershani is said to have married one of the " sisters Leamar," of English music-hall celebrity. This will be heart-breaking news for all newchums of tender years. The . sisters Leamar, by the bye, were "sisters ',' only, hi the ", professional"' sense of the word. Kate Leamar, wbo^is- now left to work in single harness, is the wife of Bill! Bent (good name that), a former chairman at the* Oxford. " Nellie " Leamar, the one who has just joined the rank 3of tlie aristocracy, will be remembered by music-hall goers as the smaller of the two girls; and she certainly wag; 'in the immortal words of one of the " gods " at the* Royal, "rather stiff on her pins." The Learners*" most successful song used to be " We ? ve just escaped from the Harem." Let us devoutly pray that Nellie will not attempt to " escape from the harem" of the Hon. Herbert Ducombe — her "mash." . . A case — Niinn v. Little — -was . recently tried in> London, the action being for the recovery of^oine£6ooo worth of diamonds. In the course Of thecase, Mrs Nunn said that "during theirresklencein London they mixed in the best soo^y;" going on to admit that she had allowed her insane- v daughter, aged 16, to live with Alexander Henderson, the theatrical manager, who was close* upon ,$0 ! She addresses Henderson .in her letters as ;< Dearest Hen.,'' and this passage will give the reader a general idea of the character of the correspondence : '* And, as I coijnjved afc what was going on between you, that I am not deserving of the full income which .would otherwise have been allotted by law. You and Elfrida are watched, and so I write thi3 to put you on your guard. ... You must, dearest Hen., for the child's sake and for my sake, be more cautious just now ; it will soon be over." After V; this, we are beginning to think it will be sflj^MH time before we shall be qualified to move in^^^^Hj best society." We . feel ' that, beforaM^^^H qualified to shine, in patrician circ}es,j^^H^H have to kill, a child, or .stealth? J^^H^^Hj 'plate from a church. „ v -'^^^fl^^^H