The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1888-05-10
THE vITxRoY VASES.

iefN thsb ibtifff Was0
change 10 names aud locality. leaving the
facts snacils M they were detailed 70 me
BY oue personslly Interested Ia the story.
Ia q rambling old reetory 10 the Mid
lands there hsd stood Tor more than foriy
years two ehIna vases not. specially sd
mirsd o. valued by the owner -dusiei by
the -screlisioas hands Of every chance
hoasemsid. yet. cnriousiy enough, nnoro'
ken durios that long period OF tine.
There ~ere quantities Of chibs iyins about
snl ragged alons the walls, sppareotly of
equal OF greater value. Tue place WIS a
vast china warfen-sby, no oae seemed
10 know.
Az the end OF the forty years the Rec
tor. who had . more dignihed ecclesiasti
cal title rs we'll, died. Like Mr.. Bardeli,
.'he glided almost imperceptibly from the
world" aud left his china behind him.
Hincille lserym@
The Rector lef, two sons. Robert aud
Janes Fiixroy. The property was divided
pretty equally between the two. except
that to Robert. the elder. went the furni
Iture. pictures, tplate and china. Before
the hnai settlement, however, James FiIz-
roy said 10 Robert. Il have fancy for
those two vases out OF the hall more Tor
suId lang syne than anything else. To
which Robert replied, with generosity
more conspicuous than discrimination.
'All right; don't care about them. You
msy have them with pleasure
The incident. which seemed to both
trivial enough, did not dwell IN the minds
OF either of the brothers. james, whs
was bsrrister by profession aud farmer
by preference, took his spoil away. The
vases we're placed 10 the drawing-room OF
his country house, where his wife. partly
because her husband from old associations
attached value TO them, busted them her
self.
oae day lady OF their acquaintance
called at The Briars. After the usual
platitudes about the weather aud the dull
ness OF the season, the visitor glanced
around the room IN search Of new sub
ject The inaptituie OF ones friends
sometimes gets worn threadbare under
discussi in the country, aud violent ef
forts after novelty have to be resorted to.
The errant gaze lighted on the strange
vases aud the quest was over.
"Oh. what lovely vases Where did
you get them, Mrs. Fitzroy ?"
"fhey came from my husbands faith
ers Were they not in the room when
you called last, Mrs. Hemming ?"
mo, am sure they were not. do
admire them tremendously; don't you p
Here the visitor crosses the room to in-
spect the delicate ware more closely. The
pantomime OF devotion which follows can
be more easily imagined than described.
II like them very we'll" replies the
hostess unsympathetically, "but have
seen great many vases that like better.
The visitor returns to her seat, but can
no. keep her eyes and Thoughts from the
object Of her admiration.
A week aiterwsrd Mrs. Hemming calls
again. This time she is accompanied by
L ldy Sarah Mordsunt. who is unknown
personally to Mrs. Fitzroy, but who is an
ardent chinamaniac. Mrs. Hemming in-
troduces her friend. Together they
strike becoming, sppreciative, and, to the
unsy ympathetic. somewhat ludicrous atti-
tudes before their idol. Mrs. Fitzroy
plays second fiddle TO her own china.
Lady Sarah Mordaunt is even louder in
her plaiseslthsn Mrs. Hemming. Togeth-
or they insist, unmoved by the passive re
sistance of their hostess, on removing the
contents OF glass case hitherto filled with
bric-a.brac, and installing in its place the
two vases. Departing with solemnity
becoming to the occasion, they thus eX-
hort Mrs. Fiizroy; III you and your
husband do not really value this china,
why not send it to Messrs. Christie &
Manson, and let them sell it 10 some one
who will p
Lady Sarah Mordsunt with, indeed, an
enthusiasm worthy OF the cause, was quite
rude about it. The world outside china
mania is, 10 the true believers, very much
what Macedonia was to Athens IN the day
OF Pericles "a bsrbarism only to be touch
cd with the tougs.
These exhortations sunk deep into the
receptive soul OF Mrs. Fiizroy aud even
tn lily permeated even the more pachy
dernatous entity which composed her
husband. The barrister communicated
with the famous firm Of suctioneers. They
askel for d description OF the china, which
Va, given. Ultimately. by their advice.
the vases we're seDt up TO King street, 81.
James Square, 10 be inspected. aud sold
for what they woul fetch.
LET us have little iaunt up TO town.
dear, remarked Mr.. James Fitzroy 10 his
wife; If the china is all they say. the
vases ought TO fetch ten pound note
esca, and that will pay our expenses. We
have not haj holiday for loDg time"
Like John Gilpin. when proposing q sim.
lar excursion, Mr.. Flzroy Was unaware
that tue future Was big with fate. There
the simile breaks down.
Accordingly TO town they went. putting
up at tue Bedford Hotel. 10 Co,ent Gar
den. After lew days spent in The ef-
ttemely innocent euio, meut 10 which mar
ried men indulge 10 London when they
have their wives xith them. Mr.. Fiizroy
received . notice from Christie 4 Manson
thai his vases would be sold on q certain
day the following week al the end Of the
r.le OF CoQut M,rsbesu's cbins Count