St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-16
A SOCIAL SHOCK.
London World.


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
most charming young man, Algie Up
ham, cousin of the duchess of Liver
pool; l think he's quite one of the
incest men in London, and so artistic,
don't you know"
Mrs. Mostyn 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, | 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
down stairs to the dining room.
Mrs. Washington Mostyn belonged to
the -Four Hundred" of NeT- York, if
not by birth, at any rate by wealth.
Her husband, who was content to pur-
sue operations in Wall street most of
the year round, was wont to leave the
cultivation 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
understood better the art of blooming"
an entertainment and getting herself
MOStyn, of New York. And then her
SSnnffnmAt of NnWnOrt if not PnIa-
brated in every paper throughout the
length and breadth of the continent? 1t
was there that she entertained lavishly
migratory members of the English ariS-
tocracy 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 LiverpOoF3 oldest boy,
been one of those feted and fattered
youngsters? And was not the dear
duchess proportionately grateful and
inclined to open the ducal arms in a
manner that she was not wont to do
with certain dear friends and rivals
from New York and Washington? And
as to the society of which this fastidi-
GUS lady was SO distinguished an Orna-
ment was it not the most select and
"high-toned"--a the transatlantic scribe
would put ito be found on the same
continent? But Mrs. Washington Mos
tyn had still one unsatisfied ambition,
and that was to become as much Lon
dOner as her fair friends and neighDOrS
had contrived to make themselves. 10
London, of course, like every other
self-respecting American. she had
been. but it wa swith the London of
hotels, parks and theaterS only that she
was familiar. Into its society she had
never penetrated. And so it came to
pass that Mrs. MOStyn, leaving her huS-
band to perform his avocatiOn of bear
in Wall street, caused several enormous
trunks to be packed, and, arming her
self with intrOductiOnS to some of the
best people in London, betOok herself,
her maid and her courier by the next
steamer to Liverpool, landing Oh 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.
1t was rather an amusing table, though
it somewhat shocked Mrs. MOstyn's faS
tidious sense of the social proprleties.
Looking round. she was struck with
the familiar look of the faces. and, as a
matter of fact. she could have seen most
of the persons present by taking walk
down Bond street and glancing in the
photographers windows as she went
along.
Lady Kendal's parties were celebrated
in their way, for she was what an irrev-
erent modern Journalist has not inaptly
called a tinker" She would send
down a famous poet with an ambassa
dress. cabinet minister with pretty
actress, or consign a great lady to a
fashionable singer. 1t was social
salad, and people were pleased, once in
a way, to meet celebrities of whom they
had heard great deal. Now Mrs. Mos
tyn, like others of the flour hundred"
knew little. and approved less, of mix
ing" She would as soon have asked
Lii Sing, her Chinese laundryman, to
dinner, as some of the actors, journal
isrs and painters whom Lady Kendall
liked to see occasionally at her table.
Tonight, for instance, across the banks
of mauve and white orchids. Mrs. Mos
tyn could catch the profile Of her grace
of Liverpool smiling on handsome
Polish tenor who had turned the wom-
ems heads in halt the opera houses in
Europe; while opposite her sat the eel
ebrated biologist, Prof. Lyndall, who
was apparently delighted with his
llClSlDOI, d lltGlC v IL OOduUrs WIN
had written some rather erotic novels.
why couldn't Lady Kendall have
told me what his line is?'' thought Mrs.
Mostyn, glancing at her partner as she
seated herself in her place. 81 hate
talking to man l know nothing about!
Sport -art-the Gaiety? What shall it
be? | know-polo! All EngliShmen
play polo, OF if they don't they like you
to think they do"
But it was not, after all, of polo that
Algernon Upham conversed. He had
hundred amusing stories to tell-StOries
of the theatrical world in London, of
great people in Vienna, of the atelierS
in Paris.
"You paint, then?" asked Mrs. Mos
tyn, when the talk turned on the last
subject.
II used to-" said Upham, modestly.
81 have almost given itup now; in fact,
l think it gave me up. spent five de-
lightful years working in the Paris
studios. and at the end Of that time |
came to the conclusion that l knew al
most nothing about it."
''Ah, that is your modesty. I am
sure you do know all about Is" replied
the lady sweetly; and then there was
little pause, during which the young
about to say more. Mrs. Mostyn, feel
ing that she had unwittingly touched
on personal matters, adroitly turned
the talk into another channel. The
American was charmed with her neigh
Dor. He was not only young, hand
some and amusing. but he seemed (no
slight virtue in the eyes of Mrs. Mostyn)
to be connected with various smart and
imposing English families. With the
enterprise of her sex and nation. she de-
termined to annex Algie. What a
charming young man, she tn ought, Ito
take to the play, to squire one in the
park and to hand cups of tea on ones
Eat home dayw He had such perfect
taste and such an eye for color, for
when the talk. as it sometimes will,
turned on chiffons, Mrs. Mostyn was
astonished to hear her neighbor give an
almost subtly feminine opinion on some
point in dispute.
"Why. l believe you know more about
it taan l do" declared the lady, laugh
ing.
swell. ought to. 1 suppose"
Mrs. Mostyn was so mystihed that for
q naroantihlp instant she fOund abSO-