New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-05

friends wife must be the heroine Of that journey
from Bourg-en-Bresse TO Geneva There could NOT
have brought over to Europe little japanese
scbooleirl TO be trained the fitting mistress OF an
imposing, ii not wealthy, English home. use me
word imposing advisedly for no other can so aptly
characterize EllertOns house. Vast, ARMY proper
toned framed and fitted up on scale suited to
the lar,e. handsome person. and wldcly-cultnred,
facie character of the owner it no more reselnbled
any other place l knew of than did he anyone else
had ever seen. He had purchased eit OF land
and built his house in village bordering on the
New Forest, and il seemed rather palace designed
for the denizens of that vast pleasure ground man
the dwelling of an English artist however favored
of fortune
i must have space enough for ample play Of
light and shadow; small roOms are the rum oi
scuptOrs,' he had said. and accordingly. he had
sacrificed everything else TO proportion IL must pe
admitted that the general effect was Ltile coin
You felt at iIrst as # you had straycd lnto
an art-gallery! EleTtons ineiahie gcniallty' now
ever and EllcrtOns many-sldcdhess always anl-
mated the place, and made II glow. without MN
it was unbearable. | never knew any human De
ing who could so strongly influence his surround
ings. With a vein of singnlarlty IN ms character
at all times allowed full play, he was one OF those
best to spoil. Yet there was strength underlying
this odd mixture OF genius and whmscalltles, iOr
III spite of being born rich, gracious, and with
something we should call worldllncSS II We were
speaking of another, III spite of being thrown
by virtue of birth and social pos ton chiefly among
oilers he had achieved more downright honest work
scnlptor. was to name man. indeed in whose pro-
auctions all true artists had faith Everyone loved
none pretended to understand him, and this Jap
ancse marriage but of piece with the bizdrfG1e
of his whole career. .
Wondering how il would answer, my mind full of
EllertOn aud his bride, | travelled next day To
Iyndhurst and arrived Just Ill time Tor chat with
my host before dinner
II was brilliant March weather. and the cold vast
landscape without was in keeping with the almost
intcrminable perspcclivcs within In spite of the
blazing wood fires everywhere. and the abundance
of crimson hangings. | shivercd There are some
English houses you can never warm and this was
: 'Ahr said Ellcrton with the .warmcst greeting.
YOU have lost 10 time. see. Like the rest of my
friends YOU are dying with curiosity to be pre-
seutcd to my Japanese bride Then reading, snp-
pose, a questioning look in my face, he added:
'You want of course to know why went 50 far IN
search of an ideal, why married this lady, VIII
tell you in "a very few words, Simply and solely
because she Is the most hcwitchng creature To look
at had ever seen throughout the course OF my eN-
iStcncc.' -,,
oldest friends had expected his confidence III tins
matter. If not with me, Indeed with whom should
he be confidential
L hold theories as Won know. which seem fanci-
full enough in the eyes of most people. he went on.
and none more than with regard tn beauty as a
moral factor III mans existence; MAINTAIN tIl't
beauty of itself is "a virtue, wholly irrespective "l
any ethical quality residing IN II "r clnihag rom
it; and that lovers of beauty. artists at least
should not concern themselves with any "ihrr. I9r
the true ARTIST there Is neither good nor hAl hobIr
or abect in the moral world. only beautiful ana
npv: and his duty is to seek the first and avoid he
last. regardless of consequences. mus SinSr me
Thought of marrying entered my head fully de-
tcrmined 10 choose for my wife, not the hcSt hrrd,
nor the wittcSt nor the most fascinating woman oi
INV acquaintance, but simply the IoychtSt. Sali
to myself-whcn find my ideal Gt beauty, then
will marry. and If not then. never.
| felt now convinced that / was about TO he In
tro,uced 10 the beauty of that nocturnal adventure
and Ellcrton's next few sentences confirmed my
belief. In a few glowing words hc described now
loft no.
You will marvel, darcsay, lc san. thdt dlh
not leave her the wild rosc she was; but no,
Stevens, could not live Win woman. Il? matter
how | adorcd he, who should shock me- IN small
matters of taste. She must be- faStdiously nice
with regard to those social obscrvanc"S We Euro,
means are welded TO- My friends, my servants ana
1ne w, rS Of rhis is Why sent the p'9r
Child 70 Switzerland in order to learn English,
Ir"nch and the WAYS of the world. How apt pupil
she has proved You will see presently. She II
amply repaid for all the drudgcrl She has gone
through and | am more than compensated tor the
long separation Her taste is perfect. and only
wanted guidance. There Is. IN fact, but one draw
back to a most fclicitous union-
He stopped short looked round IN ordrr to assure
himself that we were alone, then added III a 10"
voice:
'She has no sympathy for NY art; Sculpture is
more than dumb aud meaningless TO hef ~ j.. s iH
so:uc aud rcpcllcni-a cold. death iir-that cnlis
her TO the very veins and even the beauty OF when
is full of awe. Artistic, rather, perhaps should
say eegont in her tastes, she has taken hlhuly 10
| every other phase Of her new life but this.
look of posrtive trouble came over his face. and
with a sudden change Of voice, a. If anxious to be
| rid of painful thoughts, h. said
= Bat now let US 90 to the drawing-Ioom, where
| Mya awaits u.s. ,..,
| staircasc and crossing corridor. from which thc
| mistress Of the HOUSE had cyIdcutl, removed SOM"
statuary familiar to on former occasions. We en-
| | had of cours, prepared myself 90 recognize.
| though not to be recognized IN my Turn; nor was
mistaken. The lady advancing Ia meet me 30
| lima lv 70 Al |
vividlv remembered night but sh" had naturally
then taken heed Of the inui'cd stranger occupy
| ing a seat at the other end of the carnage. We
were formally introduced to each other, and. Jew
minutes later. led her down Ia dinner $50,
Our cOnycrsatlon-muSt admit IL "i LIrr'oh ;
| bride was tribe conventional EH"fipn seemed
for the first time in his eXistcacc compelled 10 TAX
| in circle and, although gay AMI genial, naturally
| lost much Thereby as tdlkcr. Perhaps h" would
have felt Just the same necessity 81 limiting ms sun
ects had he married an Lngll,i"ouan cN9ctIy nall
his age Certainly. on ordinary t"lIr~' the htcra-
ture OF the day. foreign travel English SCENERY ms
| Sife could converse - freely and with AZ much
spirit az if she had been accustomed to such table
= " Mist we chattcd therefore lightly and pleas
antly over our elegant little dinner was ol'~crv-
ing nv hostess with small interest ana curiosity
I'm so far as mere beauty went rich. vdfu SCH
sIous brautv-necdlcss to SAY that the woman ont
shone the child. thu bride surpassed the glrl-
fiancce. certain shy COlurtry OF nairnh"ni
was replaced by easy apInmi an Utmost aud1-
| cious candor even more becoming whist glance
told me that in all matters of social routine ana
etiquette she was entire mistress oi herself rom
her manner as hostess and lady az the huus' n was
hard 10 believe that she had not been used all her
life to the clcgauclcs of an LughSh home. ana the
society of rnch and women of the world.
'Mya" EllrIton sdId, show stevens tlr bracelet
| designed for You a wedding gu. ain quite
proud OF H..
She did not take oil the bracelet but Jet IN" see II
as IL circlcd on her arm. with the nugri~ "i hrr
right hand indicating the line workmanship OF the
monogram in pearls aud diamonds .
| now noticed for the first time that tins lovely
lady wanted one attraction have ever been slave
TO; namely the white. bluc-v,lnrd. dmplrd hand
of a wcll-hrcd Englishwouan. felt positive IN