, 1879-04-30
LIFE ABOVE AND BELOW STAIRS.


A rocont libel suit brought III London goes
to show tint QUO may bo a Duchess and yet
not bo exempt fronl tho small infolio;ties
That atllict ordinary untitlo1 human boiugz.
Tho plaintiff III this suit WINS plnin JANE
JoSEs, la1y's maia, mud tho defendant her
Grace CoSyrAHoE GERrnupE GnoayESon,
Duchess of WeAtninstos, Co,lntcss, Hros-
vouor, Yisconutcss Dotgrau, md Daroness
Grosyenor Of Eason,-anl more, loo, for
auglt We know. 1t appears from tho pro-
co"dings TINT JoSEa was servant in the
house Of tho Duchess, who decited to dis
charge her beeause she eunld not aroak
French, mud employ in her a!oAa ono who
coull. Like JosephiAe, JoSHs did not tacklo
kindly In the proposition, eyidoutly tleclniag
it to ba grently to tler credit TINT she was M
Englisliwomnn, md slo refused to bo dis
charged, "a 1ccls!os, which will ploaso most
American lonsokeepors, for, If once the
postulato Of the Duchess were established
Tint servant ,uust ba nb1o to sponk French,
OF course tho servants would demand TINT
1slistrcssos shall spenk French nlso, and.
perhaps, rlny tho piano aud understand
astronomy and tho iii, OF tue globes. Tho
Duchess broke tho nows gently to JoNEs by
giving her letter, presumably in :Froncll, TO
tho houseleeper, in which she set forth tho
roasons. Tho refusal Of JoSxs to quit WINS
considered by tlla Dncl!oss n sufficient propf
Of insnnity, whether emotional Of dyspapsin
is not stated. 81 sho called in physician,
kept ller under restraint for q time, and then
Hont hor away, which was hardly taking
Fronol leave. -
Ono Of tho Duchess rolntive3, subsequent
to tleso proceedings, slosirod mud, and
JONES filed MI application for the place,
wheroupou the rolatiyo applied to tho
Duchess for H0lno information about her,
antl tho Duchess rafuscl To give llor ''a
character" Shortly afterwards, however,
she cheerfully gnye hor good sond-of to
tho A1arohioncss Of 11unt!y, who was
not rolatiye, thus Inauifeating q
partiatity which IL Of valuo Oh In
forming 1,or,-rolatiyes mud tha common
herd In what estcen they nro held by Ducl-
esses, Here WAS JoSEH, uotoriot,sly incapa-
bio Of oonyossing with her 'niatrosa in
French, honestly adjalged by tho Duchess to
10, as sho expressed it, "oG hor head :"
(which, by tho wny, though MI nristocsat;o
phrasa, is not half so good or correct NJ tho
plsboiau pbraso, s'out Of llor head y, an,l yet
tho Duchess had no hoEitAncy Il, rucoln-
lnonding ller to strnngers! Eyttluntly, IL,
| tho opinion Of llor Graco CoS.raNoG GER-
rHuDE anoayEsoR, Duchess Of Westminster,
| Countess Grosyeuor, otc., oto., even oast-oif
lunatics inoapabte Of Hpoakiug Fronc}t aro
good enough for poop!o outside Of tto
GnosyEson circle. Thu Duchess evidently
is Of opinion TINT tho l,nuau race iH goncr-
icatly diyila,l into tl9roo classes, ,--tlrst, thu
| Duchess of Westminster; saconl, sorya.'ta !;
| mud, third, the other rsoplo.
Some four yonts subsequent to these
oyouts, JONES passod into. tho soryiuo OF plain
Mira, ARTHUR CHAPMAN, who evidently pri,tosl
herself upon tho possession of a ,nnid who
had beou in tho soryico Of n live Duchess.
JONES, lowoyor. Soon become altogether Loo
niry for Mrs. CHAPMAN. Perhaps sho lad
learned to spoak Frouoh In the meanwhile,
mud had tho advantage Of l,or mistress. In
my event, JONES cut up in manner that
was abhorrous to Mrs. CHAPMAN, mud got her
walking tickets. Then A[es. CHAPMAN, per-
hnps curious to know how Duchoascs could
tolerate lnaids OF such sort, wrotu to tho
Duchess aud nskaa hor roal opinion Of JOKES.
Tint our roadora may know bow Duchess
would write under auci, circumstances, wo
appona hor reptys
"1he nuchcss OF Westminster presnnta her com.
| plmunts to Mrs.. 4. cMArAAS.s pclng away fruu,
homo, ahc was not Rblu to auhwpr heF le.ter soon:
c ...Ltt..