The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-02-11

TIFFIN. {
at fashionable assemblies, they would
have found some trouble in doing -.
Suffice il to say that she was wOn-
derfully charming, although iii words
she affected the bTu,que.
She took her place among the arIs-
tOcracy invitable in all hour; and she
moved about and acted as though she
was quite accustomed 10 English fash
ionable life, although she had not
been in England for seven years.
She possessed that wonderful power
that goes by the name OF doidpt0Giiity.
Upon this very evening the Princes
gOod-tempered notice was attracted to
the oieJm0Hte; and upon the lady be-
ing introduced To him he at once ask
ed her To dance. "a very frank, jolly
CIR" !" said the royal visitor, after very
racing dance was complete. "Airl," "
said one of the companions of the
Prince,-''she's quite wOmanw
Dear mel She went round and talked
Just like one in her first year out.
I've never seen her before (; 50 l
thought it was her first year. Really
capital ~
Therein lay the Lady Annie's forte.
She could adapt herself To anybody
and anything.
Upon this occasion of her debut, her
aDDearance caused much antique talk
among those terrible dOwagers who
are wall-fIowers of fashionable life, and
who are the dcpOsitaries Of all the his
tories, scandals and woes that attach
to the pccrage. Here is n cOndenS;l-
tion of the conversation of couple of
these dreaded people concerning the
Lady Annie Beacham.
''She is unquestionably eccentric,--
but, of course, beyond all question, of
the very best tom"
"Was there not something very pc
culiar about the death of her mother,
the cOuntess?'
ayes she lay for some years almost
motionless. Lady Annie watched
most carefully over her. But she has
always been eccentric; and, indeed, it
is said that about two years before the
Countess died, Lady Annie positively
wanted to enter 4 sort of Protestant
nunnery."
az have heard something of this,
and, indeed, of the cause which pre-
vented her carrying her plan into exc
cution. But can hardly believe that
she was stopped by the necessity of
parting with her Jewels upon enter
ing the sisterhoOd; for, although she
has some of the best diamonds in Lon
don, and although as a mOtherless
peeress, she could wear them, she
has not 4 jewel tonight in her toilet"
"Mrs. FitZstephen, you are not ac-
quainted with the Beachams rs | and
nv lord are, for we are their neigh
bors down i'm HuntingViOnshire. The
Beachams have an hereditary passion
for diamonds, though not for wearing
them. 1t is even said that, in the
course of generations, the family,
afflicted almost to mania by their love
for diamonds, having hidden what they
possessed; and have died and made no
sign. Indeed, down to BlOssOp it is
said that the fortune of a certain
family, now mixing with the gentry,
was started by fortunate discovery
of jewels by a builder employed to
make some alterations at Beacham.
They are all alike,-LOrd NOrmantOn,
Lady Annie, the only child, the cous-
ins,-they are devotedly given to the
greedy possession of diamonds; and it
is probably the effect of sympathy
which has drawn them into sach close
friendship with the present Duke of
Brunswick, whose collections of dia-
monds at Paris, and whose insane pre-
cautions for guarding them, form one
of the standing satircS of French sOci-
ETY.. OF course, the Beachams are not
so utterly ridiculous rs the Duke in
their passion for diamonds; but il has
led them into some deplprable mis-
takes"
'She appears very charming per-
SON."
"She is, and dcvOtedly religious. 1t
is said that she holds possession of the
late COuntesSs diamonds, and that
she did not wear them even when pre-
scented at court"
"Strange infatuatiOnI See, she is
dancing with the Earl of SPlaighton
again"
ayes, they are n well matched
couple, for he is perhaps the most ec-
centric nObleman i'm the world"
i"How is that, Lady BlossOpm
"He holds that the aristOcracy can
only he saved by intermarriage with
very common people, and it is only
the fact of his fathers life which it is
said prevents him marTying-a-a
beer shop young person, | believe"
"She appears to pay him much at
tentiOn."
"And he her. It would be strange if
they married. One could afford then
to laugh at Lord SplaightOn's theories.
As il is, the affair is most serious"
Here the conversation ended.
Now fortnight is the short Lon
don seasOn-shOrter than ever now
is quite a long period; therefore ut the
end of May it was quite commonly
amongst the wall-flOWer
dOwagers that the Lady Annie Beach !
am was certainly jealous of the atten-
tions paid by Lord SplaightOn TO Miss
DAcieTand that she apparently felt not
to encourage the advances !
of that very weak young man, Sir Ar
thur Pennall, who was said To be vi |
ci0us as well rs weak.
Things were at this pass when, one
evening, Lady Annie came home
from a ball, sat i'm her usual way be
fore her toilet-glass, and after her |
very kind and pleasant voice, to az
range her hair.
Suddenly the Lady said, 'Ponson-
by, you started"
"No, my lady"
"Yes; shall tell you why%'
LAS you think fit, my lady"
"YOu saw me looking at myself in
the glass"
al happened to look up, my lady"
"And my face i'm the glass made you
start ?"
After a pause, the maid replied,
'Yes, my lady"
81 thOughtso. Hester-that is your
Christian name, is it not ,"
ayes, my lady" /
"Do you think am a wicked
woman ?n
80, my lady, you could not do any
one harm"
"Many of us who are wicked do no
harm, because we are towards. We |
have the will, but we haven't the |
courage. Have / the will"'
'YOu would have the courage, my |
lady / am sure"
Lady Annie faced round, and keenly |
examined her quiet, pleasant-faced
maid.
"You are right, 1 should have the
Tell me-have yOu ever
been in love? DOn'tpause,-don't be |
afraid. Have you ,"
ayes, my lady," said she lowly.
"And what was the end of it ~
'I still love him, my lady"
"DOes he love you"
az hopesO."
"And do you suppose he will marry
you?''' GtFf7 .
al have no doubt upon that subject, /
my lady" I
'fBut what il you learned that he
was unfaithful?"
''Then would be patient?'
"What if he married another"
'T should try to forget him."
''Then, suppose / must die"
oYOu have ceased to say nv lady in /