Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-13
A CABINET SECRET.

I made Robert Headley's acquaintance
in the auction. room. / am an idle man
and, having plenty Of time and occasionally
a few pounds to spare, have gradually con
tracted a love for brio a. brac, the pursuit
of which enables me 10 kill q good many
weary hours and to hoard up. in the Ahape
of old china, money which would otherwise
be fritted away on equally useless but lest
valuable objects.
Headley and were among the most reg
ular attendants at Christies, Setheby's and
other aucsion-rooms, and, as during the
season of the sales we met somewhere al
most daily, our mutual taste soon led to an
acquaintance.
Headley was tall, gentlemanly man Of
about thirty. eight, and evidently had
studied the ceramic art deeply. he put
me right on several little matters, and once
or twice saved me from buying spuriou:
productions As the true collector love;
nothing better than to show his pet objects
to another who understands and appre.
ciates their beauties, it was not long before
Headley asked me to pay him visit foI
that purpose.
"Come early" he said "then we shall
have time TO go through the cabinets by
daylight. Afterward will give you some
dinner.
Headley's house was in quiet square in
a good, if not the most fashionable, part Of
London. found my host delighted to see
me. and painting to show his treasures. He
was a genuine member of that species
known as "the enthusiastic collector, .
whose passion for accommodating rarities
amounts to almost to mania; and l am
bound TO say that his collection was one to
be proud of. l should tire the reader, ig-
norant Of those delicate distinctive subtle
ties dear to a collectors heart, were | to
expatiate upon the beauties of his old Dres-
den, Sevres, Wedgwood and Bently. rose
backed Nankin, blue and white hawthorn
pattern, etc etc. l admired greatly and
envied more.
The collections were arranged with great
taste In suitable cabinets /; and among the
many choice specimens, | think the one
that struck me most was . magnificent
old Chelsea tea-set. It occupied the center
of one of the cabinets, with articles of lesser
value ranged around it, as though paying
homage to its superior worth. Leaving out
of the question the beautiful blue and
white decoration, the reticulated gliding
and the artistic painting, the set was very
from the fact that it was perfect.
Headley aeemed pleased at the admira'
ton / expressed, and said, with smile:
You, a collector, may not be surprised
at hearing that nearly bartered my hap
piness to make that set perfect"
l laughed, thinking he was joking, and
replied:
81 don't think would go quite as far as
that; but l am sure my happiness would
be greater il owned it."
$50 would any mans be. Look at the
painting, the gliding, the shape, the color.
Feel the texture of it, he added, taking
the teapot from its velvet-lined nest, and
fondly carressing it with his long white
fingers; ''you or could tell in the dark
it was Chelsea by the softness of the
paste.
"Where did you get it from?"
81 had the teapot, sugar-basin, two
cups and saucers frat. They belonged to
my mother, and, as l told you, was nearly
paying too dearly for the rest of it. But ]
will tell You all aboutit after dinner, if you
would care to hear the story"
The summer afternoon passed very pleas
antly among the old china, and at seven
o'clock we were summoned to the dinner
table
1 was presented to Mrs. Headley, a
charming young woman of about twenty
eight. Che gave me cordial welcome,
and the little dinner went merrily enough.
We were served on old Oriental plates /;
the spoons and salt.cellars were of the COW
esed Queen Anne period, and the glass was
rare old Venetian. Headley certainly had
refined and expensive tastes, and, it seemed,
plenty of means wherewith to crafty them.
When Mrs. Headley rose, she begged us,
pleasantly, not to linger too long over the
wine, as she was all alone.
"Your husband has promised me the
history of the Chelsea set, /" said, "but,
under the circumstances, shall ask him to
be as brief as possible"
." If he does tell you, Mr.. Burke, she
said, laughing, 81 shall never forgive him,
snd it would be impossible for me to look
you in the face again"
My dear" said Headley, my friend
Burke is collector himself, and can sym
pathize with my weakness. / should never
think of relating it unless it were to kin
dred spirit who will fully enter into my
feelings"
After closing the door upon my fair
hostess, l refilled my beautifully tinted
glass with La6tte, and waited with some
curiosity for the promised recital.
Headley commenced
cot course it is all joke now. and
can well afford to laugh at it, but when the
affair am going to tell you of happened
it was serious enough. The portion of the
Chelsea set l owned at first belonged tt
my mother; she inherited it from hel
father, and there its history is lost. Wher
I was first seized with the passion for col
lecting, it naturally formed the nucleus o.
my cabinet. Every one admired it, anc
envied me the possession of it, One day
it was after / mad formed decent collec
ton and was getting well known as 6
buyer-Wharton, the dealer, called upor
me to show me few things he had picked
up in the country. drew his attention tc
my Chelsea ne examined it closely and
said Very strange; saw the rest o.
that service few days ago. l asked hin
where, and he told me it belonged to lady
living at Shepherds Bush. Was it fol
sale? Certainly not, or he would not have
told me about it until he had secured it.
He had offered to give her large sum fol
it, but nothing would induce her to part
with it. 1t was, like mine, 8 family relic
and as the owner was in no want of money
there did not seem to be any chance of per
suading her to surrender it. Her name, h,
informed me, was Miss Crofton her resi
dence, l42 College Road, Shepherds Bush
"Now, Burke, you will, know, sympa
thize with me when say that, having die
covered that the rest of that exquisite Sc
was in existence, felt that life was almos
intolerable without it, and that st any sac
riice it must be mine. On that point my
mind was at once made up.
"The first thing was to see the china
and satisfy myself that Wharton had mad
no mistake, so the next day called npol
Miss Crofton. 1 found her pleasant, po
lite lady of about fifty, and she presented
the appearance of spinster whose circum
stances were very comfortable. 1t has al
ways seemed to me that anything to d.
with china makes the whole world kin, ant
xpban ernlained the object of nv call