The Express.
London, England, 1862-07-03 00:00:00

AN APPEAL TO "ANONYM A."

The following letter appears in the Times :
" Early in the season of 1861, a young lady, whom I must
call Anonyraa, for I have never been able to learn her
name, made her appearance in Hyde-park. She was •
charming creature, beautifully dressed, and the drove with
ease and spirit two of the handsomest brown ponies eye
ever beheld. Nobody in society had seen her before; no-
body in society knew her name, or to whom she belonged ;
but there she was—prettier, better dressed, sod sitting more
gracefully is her carriage than any of the fine ladies who
envied her her looks, her skill, or her equipage. A good
many young geutlemen seemed to be acquainted with her, but
their recognition was generally limited to a respectful bow as
she passed by, or to • few friendly wads slily interchanged on
the step of her pony-carriage when she drew up in some
remote corner of the park. Anouyina seemed at drat to be
rather a shy damsel. She is somewhat bolder now. Last
year she avoided crowds, and affected unfrequented roads,
where she could more freely exhibit her ponies' marvellous
action, and talk to her male acquaintances with becoming
privacy. When all the fashionable world were sauntering
on foot, on horseback, and JO carriages along the Ladies'
Mile by the side of the Serpentine, Anonyms used to betake
herself to the deserted thoroughfare leading from Apeley
House to Kensington. But, as the fame of her beauty and
equipage spread, this privacy became impossible to her. The
fashionable world eagerly migrated iu beach of her from
the Ladies' Mile to the Kensington-road. The highest
ladies in the land enlisted themselves as her disciples.
Driving became the rage. Three, four, rive, six hundred
guineas were freely given for pain of ponies, on the simple
condition that they should be as handsome as Anonyna's,
that they should show as much breeding sa Anonyma's,
that they should step as high as Anonyms's. If she wore
• pork-pie hat, they wore pork-pie hats ;if her paletot was
made by Poole, their paletots were made by Poole; if she
reverted to more feminine attire, they reverted to it
also. Where she drove, they followed ; and I must con-
fess that, as yet, Anonym* ban fairly distanced her
fair competitors. They can none of them sit, dress,
drive, or look as well as she does ; nor can any of them
procure for money such ponies as Anooyma contrives to
get—for love. But the result of all this pretty play causes
• great public nuisance, and it is on that account, and not
at all on account of my admiration for Anonyms and her
stepping ponies, that I now address you. I have mid that
up to the beginning of last year the fashionable world
chiefly affected the Ladies Mile in the perk, and that the
thoroughfare from Apsley House to Kensington was com-
paratively in.frequented, Nave by Aoonyma. But this
year, when that road is more especially required to be
kept open for the convenience of visitors to the Exhi-
bition, it is daily choked with fashionable carriages—
from live to seven—all on account of Anonyms.. Chairs
are placed along it on either side ; the best parhe
that England knows, the toadies that cling to them,
the snobs who copy them—all sit there, watching for
Anonyms. About 6 p.m. • rumour arises that Anonyms
is coming. Expectation is raised to its highest pitch ; a
handsome woman drives rapidly by in a carriage drawn by
thoroughbred ponies of surpaasing shape and action ; the
driver is attired in the pork-piu hat and the Poole paletot
introduced by Anonyms ; but, alas! she causes no effect at
all, for she is not Anonyma ; she is only the Duchess of
A—, the Marchioness of B—, the Countess of C—,
ce some other of Anonyma's many eager imitators. The
crowd, disappointed, repeat themselves and wait. Another
posy carriage succeeds—sod another—with the same depress-
ing result. At Let their patience is rewarded. Anonyms, and
her ponies appear, and they &reunified. She threads her way
dexterously, with an unconscious air, through the throng,
commented on by hundreds who Wanks and hundreds
who envy her. She pulls up her ponies to speak to ea
acquaintance, and her airtime is instantly surrounded by a
multitude ; she turns and drives back again towards Ansley
House, and then—away into the unknown world, nobody
brows whither. Meantime, thousands returning from the
Exhibition are ietolerably delayed by the crowd collected
to gate on this pretty creature and her pretty ponies, and
the efforts of Sir Richard Mayne and his police to keep
the thoroughfare open are utterly frustrated. Could not
you, sir, whose Musson It ie to Maim everyibiag and every-
body, and who, powsbly, therefore, may know Anonyms
herself, prevail on her to drive in some other portion of
the park as long as the Exhibition lasts? If the will but
consent to do this, the fashionable crowd will certainly
follow her, and the road to the Exhibit's* will be set free
fee Ike ens of the public."