The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-09-27


views and preconcerted meetings that
should appear unexpected; and the ex-
element consequent on the acting neces-
STATED by such enterprises gave to the
attainment of her end a zest and an in
toxication which she enjoyed to the ut
termost.
Lady Charlotte Craddock tried to les
sen the hardship Of separation by COR
respondence. A bomb launched by a
discharged maid in the shape of an
anonymous letter inclosing few speci-
mems of this correspondence informed
Sir Algernon that his beautiful wife
had deceived him. He promptly al
tered his will and Instituted proceed
ings for divorces; but he met his
death in the hunting field before Sir
James Hannen could hear the case that
might have furnished the papers with SO
many sensational paragraphs and 80
much matter for witty comment; and
might have afforded the middle and lower
middle classes, through the medium of
those papers, a short insight into the
ways and manners of the upper classes,
and RECALLED their curiosity with the re-
fined and elegant phraseology and the
purity of diction which from time to
time delight the curious commonalty
who read the reports of divorces in high
life.
Before she was 20, Lady Charlotte
Craddock, in tulle head dress which see
the fashion in widows caps for some
years, bewailed the loss of her husband
and the property which he had left, with
the exception Of Der very modest settle
ment, to the distant cousin who sue
ceeded to his baronetcy.
Unwilling to return to her fathers
house and play second fiddle to her un-
married sisters, Lady Charlotte resolved
to content herself with q very small
establishment in Mayfair. A tiny house
squeezed into a corner near the park and
elbowing news swallowed up over
G200 year, leaving balance of e400,
and credit, with which to maintain the
small establishment, half brougham
victoria, wondrous dresses and bonnets.
ETC., etc. OF course, this style Of living
must lead to debtand difficulty; but Lady
Charlotte, whose portrait had been three
times in the Grosvenor, and whose ap.
pearance was continually being COM
mented upon in society papers and fash
ion magazines. relied upon making a
good second match before she should
have plunged very deeply into debt.
But Fortune had not ! favored
Lady Charlotte, irsomuch as she had
been a widow two years and no eligible
match had offered, and she had found it
hard to live in accordance with what
she considered the necessities of her rank
and position and keep her head above
the growing current Of debt. 1t was
after contemplating many expediencies
that she addressed her somewhat start
ling proposal to Messrs. Crunp &c Crushit
.'Insolent wretchl / wish that could
afford to order dress and pay for it.,
that might let the creature know his
proper place. and not allow him to make
an appointment to suit hisown odious
convenience" So thought Lady Char
lotte, but. nevertheless, she wrote a
dainty little note to express herselfewill-
ing to grant Mr.. Crump an interview at
the hour he mentioned.
Before seeing Lady Charlotte Grad
dock Mr.. Crump had been careful to
obtain ample renseignements upon the
subject of her social position and reputa-
ton. His head buyer, as a man much
about town and likely to hear all the on
dts in high life, had been instructed to
find out what he could about her. His
enquiries resulted in the unanimous YER
dict 'sthat there was no doubt about
| it she was A /; had been on
the princes drag at Sandown last
autumn; had worn thirty-five guinea
dress from Redfern's for the occasion;
hadn't paid for it; didn't mean to.
Didn't seem to pay for anything. and yet
seemed to live pretty comfortable
French cook, etc. Was supposed to have
[ gone the pace in India, SO was cut of
with shilling by her husband, who had
been dead two years.
Armed with these facts, Mr.. CrumT
was able to receive Lady Charlotte with
an easy affability and cool familiarity
with her circumstances that made hen
writhe, although ladies of her class who
talk of 'being in blue funks," and
scheeking servant maids cannot be sup
posed to possess a very great amount Of
sensibility or delicacy of feeling.
Mr.. Crump offered his lovely guest an
easy chair, and sat down in another him
self with the air Of being quite ready fol-
chat with an old and valued friend
In one hand he held popular socia
| journal; in the other he held the packe
of invitation cards which Lady Charlotte
bad sent him.
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