, 1879-12-29
Generous RuSkin.

Between thirty and thirty-fve Rus
kin met and was delighted with very
pretty and graceful young woman of
social position and nice culture. l
should say he had fallen in love with
her, were he not of SO peculiar
physical temperament. He admired
her sufficiently to ask her to be his
wife, and she. appreciating his gifts and
scholarship. and hattered by the pref
erence of so distinguished man, ac-
cepted his offer. He questioned her,
it is reported, as to the nature of her
affection; expressed the hope that it
was spiritual rather than emotional,
mainly Platonic in character, as he
confessed his own to be. AS may be
inferred, she answered in the afirma-
tive, and doubtless believed very
firmly every word she uttered. 1t would
be strange, indeed, if any woman
should imagine or allow herself to be
less ethereal of sentiment than any
man on the planet. With the mutual
understanding that theirs was to be a
union of minds, they we're married.
They seemed to get on pleasantly for a
few months-at least it seemed SO to
the husband. absorbed as usual in
study and writing. He greatly ad-
mired her beauty-he lobably re-
garded her more as picture or
statue than a woman-and never wearicd
of praising it. DESTROYS to have Der
portrait taken, he chose his friend
Millais, who, with Holman Hunt,
Charles Collins, Dante Russell and
others, formed and still form the pre-
Raphaelite school, to transfer her fea-
lures to canvas. She gave the painter
number of sittings, and the husband
was so much concerned in the work
that he sometimes watched its prog
ress. Millais. as is we'll known, is
handsome and winning-he was es
pecinlly SO when young, he is barely
fifty nov: and was drawn at once to
the young and lovely wife of his
friend, az attraction that seems to have
heen reciprocated. In plain parlance,
Millais and Mrs. Ruskln fell head over
heels, or heels over head if you like, in
love with one another, without the least
intent on their part. Ruskin himself
is said to have perceived the fact, al
though the lovers had not been in the
slightest indiscreet or conventional, or
even to have intimated one to the other
the conditions of their hearts. The
author of Modern Painters is as gener-
Gus as he is chivalrous. He did not,
as ordinary men would have done, fly
into jealous rags, nor did he have a
scene with his wife. He told her
gently what he had perceived and as
sured her OF his continued friendship
and esteem, and of his earnest desire
to promote her happiness at any price.
Size turned crimson at the words, as if
they had been revelation to her own
soul, which in part they may have
been. She could not believe the thing
possible ut tirst-the surprises of the
heart are usually overwhelming-but
very soon she acknowledged the truth,
and the painter did likewise. The
critic condemned himself for du2ness
in thinking a Platonic marriage natural
or satisfactory, and announced his will
ingness, yea gladness, to assist the pair
to a felicity they were obviously fitted
for. Instead of putting any obstacle
in the way. he would remove the only
one to their love and happiness-him-
self-and he kept his word faithfully.
Under the peculiar circumstances there
was not much trouble in obtaining IA
divorce. The matter was managed
privately, without any scandal, and in
due time Mrs. Ruskin, who was. be-
came Mrs. Millais who is. They have
proved to be from all accounts q most
harmonious couple and they are as
much to one another to-day as they
were during the honeymoon. More
over, Ruskin continues to be the warm
friend of both, visiting them regularly
and sharing in reflected manner in
their Eappiness-a fact which demon
strates the largeness and nobility of
Ruskin's nature. Millais' famous pic
ture-it has been engraved and is very
common The Huguenot Lovers is
declared to be, as respects the young
woman, almost a faithful portrait of the
artists wife, and the alleged fact has
added not little to its popularity
London Letter.