The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-09-26
A SOCIAL SHOCK.
Why Mrs Mostyn Fled from a
London Dress-Maker.

Dinner was announced Immediately
after Mrs. Washington Mostyn entered
the drawing-room, and, indeed, it APP
peared that the party were only waiting
her arrival to put an end to the classic
bad quarter of an hour.
''My dear" whispered Lady Kendall,
81 am going to send you down with a
most charming young man, Algie Up
ham, cousin of the Duchess of Liver
pool; 1 think he's quite one of the
incest men in London, and so artistic,
don't you know"
Mrs. Mcstyn raised her tortoise-shell
lorgnette in the direction of the gentle
man indicated, and was pleased to make
an inspection and give an opinion in
not more than two seconds:
Charmed, / am sure. What good
looking young man. All, l see-race
and intelligence"
Eyes, both. But allow me to intro
duce you," said Lady Kendall. In an
other minute or so the women were
trailing their silken and velvet skirts
downstairs to the dining-room. Mrs.
Washington Mostyn belonged to the
flour hundred" of New York, if not by
birth, at any rate by wealth. Her hus-
band, who was content to pursue opera
tions in Wall street most of the year
round, was won't to leave the cultiva-
ton of society to his handsome wife.
Their brown stone mansion on Fifth
avenue was as gorgeous as many of
their richer neighbors, and no one I'M
derstood better the art of blooming" an
entertainment and getting herself
talked about than Mrs. Washington
Mostyn, of New York. And then, her
cottage" at Newport, was it not cele-
DRAFTED in every paper throughout the
length and breadth of the continent? 1t
was there that she entertained Iavishly
migratory members of the English aris-
tocfacy in quest of amusement, wives or
sport, thereby forming connections
which she meant to push vigorously
now that she had actually arrived in
London. Had not Lord Birkenhead,
the Duchess of Liverpool's eldest son,
been one of these feted and fiattered
youngsters? And was not the dear
Duchess proportionately grateful, and
inclined to open the ducal arms in
manner that she was not wont to do
with certain dear friends and rivals
from New York and Washington?
But Mrs. Washington Mos tyn had
still one unsatisticd ambition, and that
was to become as much Londoner as
her fair friends and neighbors had con-
trivcd to make themselves. To London,
of course, like every other self-rcspect-
ing American. she had been, but il was
with the London of hotels. parks and
thcatcrs only that she was familiar.
into its society she had never pcne-
trated. And so it came to pass that
Mrs. Mostyn, leaving her husband to
perform his avOcation of bear" in
Wall street, caused several enormous
trunks to be packed, and, arming her.
self with introluctions to some of the
best people in London, bctoo5 herself,
her maid and her courier by the next
steamer to Liver pool landing on these
shores by the beginning of May. Lady
kendall, who loved above all things a
new face, had been one of the first host
esses to make much of her
10 WIS iaIucf an amusing table,
though it somewhat shocked Mrs. Mos
tyn's fastidious sense of the social pro-
pricties. Looking round, she was struck
with tho familiar look of the faces, and
as 4 matter of fact she could have seen
most of the persons present by taking a
walk down Bond street and glancing in
the photographers windows as she went
along.
Lady Kendals parties were celebrated
In their way, for she was what an
irreycrent modern journalist had not
inaptly called mixer" She would
send down famous poet with an AM
bassadress, q Cabinet Minister with a
pretty actress or consign a great lady
to fashionable singer. 1t was social
salad, and people were pleased, once in
way, to meet celebrities of whom they
had heard u great deal. Now Mrs.
Mostyn. like others of tho flour hun
dred," knew little. and approved less,
of mixing" She would as soon have
asked Lii Sing, her Chinese laundry
man, tc dinner as somo of the actors,
journalists and painters whom Lady
Kendall liked TO see occasionally at her
table. Tonight, for instance, across
the banks of mauve and white orchids,
Mrs. Mostyn could catch the profile of
her Grace of Liverpool. smiling on a
handsome Polish tenor who had turned
the women's heads in kali the opera
houses in Europe; while opposite her
sat the celebrated biologist Prof. Lyn-
dali. who was appare atty delighted
with his ncighbor, little Virginian
beauty who had written some rather
erotic novels.
why couldn't Lady Kendall have told
me what his line is?' thought Ms.
Mostyn, glancing at her partner as she
settled herself in her place. Il hate
talking to man know nothing about!
Sport-art-tho Gaiety? What shall it
DO? know-polo! All Englishmen
play polo, or If they don't they like you
to think they do"
But it was not, after all, of polo that
Mr.. Algornon Upham converscd. He
had hundred amusing stories to tell
stories of the theatrical world in Lon
don. of great people in Vienna, of tho
ateliers in Paris.
You paint. then?" asked Mrs. Mos
tyn, when the tall. turned on tho last
subject
II used to-" said Upham, modcstly.
81 have almost piyen il I'm now. in fact