The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-26 00:00:00

MADZItiE PACITIEL'S COUSIN.

The Independence Beige gives a sequel to the mysteries
of Bond-street—that delightful domestic drama which
was wound up in a . manner so appropriate by Mr.
Commissioner Kerr. The heroine of Bond-street
bad a cousin, whom we shall call J. B. This
aristocratic personage officiated for some time as
bill-poster to Drury-lane Theatre, and afterwards as clerk
in a great brewery. He then chanced to make some
brilliant speculations in stocks, and thus acquired a con-
siderable fortune, to which were added the important
Pres,:nts " which he meived froin his celarated
relative —the lady who took for her motto " Beau-
tiful for ever." This personage—J. B. we mean—became
acquainted with a ballet-girl of the third rank
at Drury-lane. The lady willingly consented to a
little pantomime in real life, and the two did a little polite
travelling together, visiting all the watering-places of Bel-
gium, and finally settling at Spa, where they dwelt in one
of the most elegant chalets of the place. The two emi-
grants lived high kept horses and carriage, were
out all day to return homes only in the even-
ing, and after dinner promenading in the
public saloons—never venturing into the ball-room.
On one occasion, indeed, they attempted to gain
admission, but either they were known or the out-
ward and visible signs of their social position were too
marked to escape notice: admission was refused. The
day after they left Spa, J. B. received news, at the
moment of departure, of his gaining a prize of over
£lO,OOO in a foreign lottery. From Spa the pair went to
Paris, where they installed themselves in a small hotel iu
the Avenue of Eylau. Here they made the acquaintance
of an actress—by no means in the bloom of her youth or
reputation—and this new friend, who called herself
the Countess A— de V—, persuaded the fugi-
tives to hire a more expensive dwelling. All this
time J. B. never thought of returning to England ; in
fact, he was " wanted " there. Speculating was all very
well, and even running off with ballet girls without pre-
liminary ceremonial is not within the reach of the law;
but the police were anxious to know where J. B. ob-
tained the money which furnished capital for his
speculations. At this point J. B. conceived the
fatal idea of getting married; and for that purpose he
sought and obtained the papers which are necessary for a
marriage in France, but his companion seemed strangely
backward in obtaining hers. The "union" was, how-
ever, effected at last in the Church of the Trinity ;
but, when too late, the French police learned
that it was illegal. Madame Rachel's promising
cousin had been married once already. One
disclosure followed another. The police learned the
whereabouts of their man. He learned the intentions
of the police, and took flight immediately, not deeming him-
self safe at any distance less than the space between France
and the East Indies. It appears that the pair had been
received in good company both in Germany and Paris.
The story has rather a tragic ending. The not very strong
intellect of the ballet girl succumbed to her grief at being
abandoned, and she became a lunatic. She also had been
married before.