Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-12-17
BYRON AND BUlWER.
Their Domestic Difficulties and At.
temps ut Arbitration.

Their domestic Difficulties and At.
temps ut Arbitration.
In his "Reminiscences" just published
s r. Francis Doyle says that OH two oc.
casions his father ''had To take apon
himself the difficult and disagreeable
task of arbitrating between n husband
and wife, and that after reconciliation
had become impossible. The husbands
in both cases were eminent men. though
not quite of equal eminence. Lady By
ron, an old family friend of Ours, when
driven TO desperat on, applied to my
father 10 act on her behalf.
"Ths he did. But rs he felt bound
in honor TO disclose nothing. the greedy
curiosity of the public must not expect
any food from me, who know no more
than they do. | can only tell them that
my father never repented OF what he
had done. The one point ! can speak
OF which appears TO me worth noting is
this: Here were three mcn--mv father.
DR.. Washington. and Sir Robert Wilmot
Horton, a cousin and early friend of
Lord Byron :. They were ali three men
OF great ability. they were all three
thorough men Of the world, they were
all three men who had worked out their
lives on perfectly different lines. Nv
father had been tossed about the world
from the time that he found himself
captain IN the army at II; DR.. Lushing-
ton was a distinguished Oxford man
and fellow OF college who became a
ghly-Succcssful advocate; Sir Robert
Horton, the cousin, Il country squire OF
good position. aftcrward an able evil
servant and profess onal politician.
And yet these three men. so different
in their antecedents and characters.
were completely in unison, and held that
Lady Byron had no choice except to sep
aratc herself from her husband. They
were | said, all men of the world In
other words, ii Lady Byron's anger
had been reused on discovering that
Lord Byron was not an irreproachable
husband, they would, am sure. have
told her in very PLAN language: ''As
YOU chose with your eyes open to mar
~ man of hayward genius. who is at
the same time the spoilt child of socic-
t., YOU can not expect him TO behave
exactly like a model archdcacon; YOU
must accept the consequences of your
own rashneSS, and try To- touch the
higher and better parts of his nature by
gentless and preserving affection. As
they did not take th, course, must
leave to Lord Byron's partisans to set
tie for themselves how it came TO pas.
that since these three gentlemen. be-
ing the men They were, if Lord Byron's
conduct were pardonable at all. never
suggested to his wife that she should
pardon him.
Again, many years afterward. he at
tempted 10 mediate between Lord and
Lady Lytton (shc was cousin of ours)
bat IN vain.
''Hcr temper was in such a state OF
Inflammation that she would listen to
no moderate counsclS. and my father
had TO sit stIll under her furious IN
vectivcs VIII lst DYING Of heart disease.
! have always thought that by her i'm
placablc cgotism she shortened his life
Long after his death put ny resent
ment on one side and tr ed to help her.
but she soon became intractable Lord
Lytton. who always behaved with PEI
feet courtesy. both to my father anu
myself. offered TO increase her allow
uncc on certain conditions. thought
them reasonable enough; but the very
mention of the word conditions
iroye her wild with rare. and storm
of abuse fell on my devoted head. Our
Intercourse ended with letter address
ed to me with a hostile direction. The
inside OF the letter matched the out
SIDE, and l never saw or communicated
with her again.