The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-09
TIE RAPE OF THE HEIR.
From the Saturday Review.l

'snme in London drawirg-rooms the quest Oh
the aldest son. Tune, however, ls alas n9,
altogether on her side. The increased SKIN
,wh,ch experience gives to her diplomacy ls
more than couuterbalauced by the increased
knowledge of the world which years bring to
her intended victim. At two-and twenty the
eldest son is fresh, tender, and comparatively
unsuspicious. He has not fully Ieailzed DIS
own eligibility. He ls as yeG unsPols oy na.te.
~ and aduIation. The toadies have not yet
listened upon him. He Is as sentimental as
other yo1ng men OF his age and station. He
is even capable # falling in love, though this
ia rare, Upon an easy molluscous nature Ike
this, it is not difficult for clever woman OF
the world to practice. Sometimes ne Ialis
victim to q transparent dodge, as wnen q pre-.
when her more business-like parent. Win
deeper contrivance, hires place near MS lam
ily seat for the purpose Of throwing her daogh-
ter in his way. More often he consents Win
open eyes tc have desirable alllapce arranged
.6r him. 4 compact is struck with heavy
+sther rom CottonopoIis, who wants prospec-
five coronet in exchange for the million wnich
bs has coined out Of gray sblrtlngs. Or, II his
!iernectat1ons are sufficiently maRnlhcent, o
heayen OF aristocracy within the arlstocracy
opens. and he is absorbed into the lnsipld
eiysium Of ducal house. In one way OF o.
another. and with 8 greater or less dlsp!ay OF
,coyness, he accepts matrimony as the COM
mon lot OF Porpbyrogeniti, and brings his ante
nnniial career to a becoming close by splen-
did pageant at the shrine OF fashionable by
men. 90 vorv diff.
..terent beng. he is very Proteus. Inc alm-
/. .onlty OF capturing him increases in geomet-
ricai ratio as the freshness of his young charms
evanes. Vacillatlon becomes disease with
him: the terror Of being "ca1ghT cnIonic
]. nightmare. The rustic OF tuile ano % tariaTan IAN
moves through drawing room as II it were
honeyeombed with man-traps. Luke KING
-Ioag he walks delicately, trembling at the
oonfarion of nAtrimony that may luIk IN satin
and siik. II ma1riagable young lady says
{ but two words to him, you may detect sup
pressed alarm in his eye. 1t says plainly,
Have Won. too, desiga upon my still comsly
person, my broad acres, and the family qua
nonds? Let her but attempt to follow up her
first remark about the weather by second
about the opera, and he fairly takes 70 his
heels. Behind the eDtrenehment OF an inter-
yenine sofa, or absorbed in safe communion
:, nth wife OF ten years' standing, he bresthes
! a Sigh OF relief. No one is more adroit mas
ter Of the art OF drdwlng-room navigation: he
would have every recephon.room and archlpei-
:, 400 OF decorative turDlture, that bis resources
for evasion may be multiplied How often has
not owed the Ss hs oh.s and
tableal WHAT suares has he not baff1ed oy
dou. .I,np round an ottoman or gliding IN the
: nick of time behind the shelter OF friendly
selteel The doors are point OF even more m
--terest to him than the furniture. DE would IKE
TO have doors on the right OF hlm, doors on tne
ieft Of him. doors in iront Of him. His first
inst,nct on arriving at an evening party is
mental calculation OF their number and posi-
t;on. II the red drawing-room is cut-de-sdc
he never ventures out OF the blue. The only
ii1souieting association he has connected with
: the doorway is that it is somstimes used oy
. young ladies as covert basis lor dlrung
>. operations. They baVe 8 way OF lurhpe
nriyily. not in the corners Of the room, where
wedge of dowager shoulders impedes their
movements. but near he entrance, whence
with more readiness they may spot" the al
irving guest. It is probable that our hero
divides Young laoies into three classes-glrls
whom he never even thinks OF marrying, girls
Wnum ne has thought Of marrying but has
quite determined not to marry, and girls
NJ Nhom he thinks Of marrying but cannot make
M his mind to marry. The first of these clas
" ses is almost to be e-envied in comparison with
aithe other two. Ihey have not spent their
: sweetness in vain. One feels certain sympa
captivate him, and failed, and have nothing left
Int to follow his steps with eyes Of silent re-
proach. But it is the young lady in the third
category who ia mostto be pltied. To have to
listen night after night with smile OF aolm1-
tion to his dull drlblets Of ndoent monosyl-
liable. TO be condemned to a perpetual adjourn
ment OF her hopes, to wait evening after eve-
n,no for the proposal which never is, but al
ways is to De, pronounced, to lose her spi1lts
and wear out her young soul With ve1ation
and dlsappointment-thls is, indeed, heavy
price to pay for the possibility q q 0I'll'an.
There is but one way Of putting an end to
bis morbid hesIsations. Compulsion ls the
only resource left to young lady OF spirit,
resolutely bent on winning the coveted prize.
We teel less dehcacy in recommending force.
because nowadays women claim 80 many OF
tie prerogatives Of the male sex that there 10
no reason why abduction should not be added
10 the number. The enterprise would not be
difficult to plan. II, as Mir. Whyte Melville
describes in hls last novel. there are sentl-
meptar rutians al the esst-and OF London. al
WAYS ready to aiG and abet the projects OF the
nanshty aristocracy in the west, the services
Of q Gentleman Jack might easily be retained.
4 favorable moment might be seized tor
poauoing upon the victim on his return from
an afternoon of pigeoD-slaughter, or on his
evening passage 10 the opera. Gagged and
,,1nioned. he might be hastily driven of in q
$onr-Vheeler to some slum. Here he would be
kept in durspce vile until he submitted to the
wishes OF his fair aDductress, who, would try
al the usual manCeuvres for overcoming his
resistance. For shs part OF her programme
We recommend careful study OF 'Clarisss
Harlowe." Her conduct must be modelled on
that of Loyelace The hrst thing would be to
surround him with myrmidons animated by
strong matrimonial bias. A crew OF hardened
and reckless bisamlsts might be hired to
enact the part assigned to the amiable Mrs.
8 ncisir aud her nymphs in Richardson's fc-
tion. They would do their best to sap his
principles, by relating IN the most unblushing
manner their several exploits in the field OF
matr,mopy. Then q Mormon valet. with q
score Of wives ''sesled" to him, might be
placed In attendance on his person, wilh secret
instI uotons like those OF the treacherous
Dorcss. No book would be allowed the prison
ar but MIR. Hepworth Dlxon's suggestive work
on 'SpirituaI Wlves." OF course, ike Claris-
So, he would moan and groan good deal.
refuse his meals, and double-lock his chamber
door. His far antagonist. however, would be
well up in all the business of Lovelace. She
would be constantly passing tender little bill
lets under the door, and breathing fond love
messages through the keyhole. Mex; she
would try to awaken a little interest IN his
bosom BY pretending to break blood-vessel.
IN this failed to make any impression, the cele-
brated scene Of the night alarm Of fro might
be repeated AS he rushed out on the landing
in his dressing-gown and Shippers, he would
find hmsef ciasped in Q passionate embrace,
from which he would with great difficulty suc-
ceed in e1tricating himself. Nor would the
network OF forgery and impersonaton which
imposed 80 fatally on the ingenious Clarissa
be forgotten. letter conveying the consent
OF his maiden annts to the proposed match