The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-04
A ROMANCE IN HIGH LIFE.
THE STORY OFA aIISANTHROPICl MIL.
LIONAIRE.
Was the Duke Of Bedford Married, and
has he an HeIr!-IIts Enormous
Wealth, and How he Mismanaged 1t
"A Curious Picture.
IErom the New York Morld.l


From the New York World.
The Duke OF Bedford has died and the news
papers have published their account of him.
Those accounts illustrate the value or rather
the no value Of the great part Of contempora'
ry history. The Duke OF Bedford we are told,
was not married, occupied himself but little
with politics, and generally led very retired
life. Separately these negatives are true, but
the sum total ofthem ls an affirmation of in
ference which is wholly false. The design of
the notice Is to present to the vulgar age The
picture of on English gentleman living In
easy, dignlaed retirement from the world, but
aversion OF temper to the public pursuits
proper to his rank and condition. The real
subject of the journalistic memoir was mis-
anthrope. If be did not hate, he certainly
Stunned his kind; and his incapacity was such
that II he had exhibited 1t in public affairs 1t is
more than probable 1t could not have escaped
the recognition of the law.
Throughout his life this owner of one Of the
most splendid properties In the world never
manifested by word, look, or sign the slight
est interest in the management OF hls own
concerns. The msanest wretch that swept
crossing Ia BIdlord row seemed OF equal &C
count with man who had it IN his power to
give whole district In London notice 10 quit.
Houses were pulled down and set up again
on the estates; streets were eflacrd, and
though half the population might be co9ni-
Zaot OF the cnauges, one person al least
seemed ignorant Of them, aud that was the
nobleman In whose interest they were effect
ed. No king In o constitutional country
could bu less responsible for the things thai
were done In his name. Aud the Dukes
eflacement was facility accepted by abby
those who usurped his functions, and oy those
who suffered through that usurpation. For
wears and wears the fruit and vegetable sales
men Of Covent Garden Market had desired TO
see their goods protected from the weather by
the roofing In of an open space between their
shops, yet no man thought of appealing to the
Duke. The agent was addressed. and the
agent declined 10 listen One morning for
NAL complaint appeared In the papers; but the
next day the men with whose names that
complaint had been associated wrote TO deny
all participation In the revolt Whatever
they might have dared to say In private, ID
public the tenants were ostentatious OF sub
mission To their rulers authority, and that
ruler was the agent of The Duke.
The ascendancy which this man had acquir-
ed over the Dukes mind was not 10 be eX-
planned on any theory of that nobleman's aoili-
ty to manage his own affairs. As the tenants
used bitterly to say, 1t might have been easy to
deal with him had he been either gentleman
or man of business. But ne was neither The
ingness of clerkship In q. Solicitors office to
the Importance OF control over London es-
tate which yielded nearly 10000 year, and
q country estate which ylelied considerably
more. In town he was master of property
associated with many OF the past glories Of
our history and literature; OF that CoVent
Garden, for Instance, which from me
Charleses, down to the beginning of this
century, was the via sacra OF all the wits,
beaux, poets, heroes and beauties whose
story, whether for good or for Ill, is part OF
that OF their country. Under his charge We're
miles of dim old houses, each caskeG OF the
richest socIul and political recollectlons-
houses which Wren had built, In which Add
son had written and Jonson talked. And, lar
beyond the limits OF the city, his sway ex-
tended to stately abbeys and prlories, the
property of his master, which were ancient
when the illustriuus names just clled We're In
their prime Of youth. From his bedford
estate Office" near the British Museum, this
little misshapen man, who seemed Lhs incsrna.
llon of the spirit oil all uncharllab eness. issued
sands throughout the breadth Of The United
Kiugdom, for his power was felt even beyond
tnr Irish Sra.
How this man obtained his power 1t Is not
easy to Say, bnt lie m Alntainet oy the indlf.
ference OF his master. From his earliest
years some great oVermasteriDg sorrow had
fallen on the Duke and deprived bis already
teebly pulsattug mind of active interrs IN
life. Was woman at the bottom oil II !? Ger
tain 1t Is that before the Duke inherited The
full honors of the family he mad fallen under
the sway OF o woman of humble birth, with
whom he had contracted an Intimacy hot
recognized as Of the must Donura-
BILE kind. 1t was one Of the llalsons winch, II
the truth must BIZ told, form part of the un-
fortune. SopIe members OF the family were
aware of II, end they iouk the usual course OF
coniding the task OF etfectng its dlsconlinu-
ance 10 time, but In this case time neglected
The duty. The Marquis OF 1aVistock
became the Duke OF Bedford, and
still the laison continued, until at
last IL became too firm to yield 10
All that the Duke could
be brought TO do was 10 consent 10 hide
the scandal of the connection az MUCK as pos
sble from the public eye-a course 10 which
he was naturally inclined by the reserve OF his
disposition. For the world In general there
was no more important fact 10 be noted than
that woman OF great beauty became the oc-
cupant of quiet suburban residence at Ken
sngl Oh, and that she was visited daily by a
gentleman, who took her aud her little boy
for drive In his carriage, and brought them
back always ut certain hour. II any one had
been curious enough TO follow the carriage
In one OF those duly drives he would In
due time have found himself at Barnes Com
mon, picturesque bit Of country 10 the neigh
borhood of Richmond. There he would have
seen the lady allght with the child, leaving
the third occupant of the vehicle snll
sheltered behind the blinds. The lady
stately presence and commad-
Ing form, with all the hauleur OF arls-
tocracy IN the expression of her handsome
features, shaded by masses Of dark hair. She
allowed the boy to run about among the gorse
flowers, only taxing care to keep him by an
occasional rebuke within the circuit of the
walk on the common. In about hall an hour
she might be seen TO return to the carriage,
from which meanwhile the lonely occupant
had not stirred. Little or no conversation
passed between the pair on the homeward
drive. When they returned to the cottage at
Kensington an emaciated man, with look
OF premature age and weariness OF life on his
not Informed features, stepped out ofihe car
riage, handed the lady and child Indoors, and