The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-06-14
THU TALE OF A HAT.
London Society.

London Society.
The Bayleaf Club was small and somewhat
select establishment in the neighborhood of
St. James's Its chief, though not ostensible,
gaiSoR d'stre was gambling, but it did not en-
Joy a specially bad reputation, owing to the
fact that most of its frequenters were hard
ened punters, who kept their gains or losses
10 themselves, and did not, like the modern
species of pigeon, cackle over their own as
tuteness when they won and scatter broadcast
accusations Of cheating when they lost. If, in
fact you wanted quiet, heavy gamble and
fair run for your money the Bayleaf was quite
The right club to belong to, and many respect
able gentlemen who would not for worlds
have been seen at an ordinary gambling hell
were in the habit of punting at the Bayleaf
until unhallowed hours in the morning. 1t
was, of course, very late establishment; it
did not open before the afternoon, suppers
were served up to 6 A. M, and the hour of
closing was extremely elastic.
Among its members was Mr.. John Barba-
can, ". P. for Billingsgate, a man of great
wealth and irreproachable reputation. He
had made a big fortune in the city and had
married daughter of the Earl of Portcullis,
a needy Irish peer. Lady Julia was a beauty
and decidedly lively young woman. She
was poor and wanted money. Barbacan was
rich and wanted a wife with title. She was
ander thirty, he trifle over fifty; it was a
most suitable marriage, and as they saw little
Of each other, and never quarreled in public,
tney were looked upon in society as quite an
attached couple Now, Lady Julia Barbacan
was an accommodating wife; she did not mind
IN the least what time her husband came home
OF whether he came home at ALL and when he
said that ne had been detained at the House
she never made unpleasant illusions TO the
fact that all-night sittings We're things of the
past On the other hand, she expected quite
as much liberty as she granted. young and
attractive woman whose husband has a taste
for gambling and late hours can hardly be ex-
peeted TO spend lonely evenings without the
sOlace OF congenial companionshiD, so the fact
that Lady Julia had many male friends, some
Of whom her husband barely knew by sight
was accepted as matter of course by society
So long as Barbacan did not object and open
scandal was avoided society was content to
shut us eyes and glad enough to receive Lady
Julia and her admirers in its salons. Captain
the Honorable George Chambers, younger broe
ther Of the Earl of SPAWN, was generally
looked. upon as one of the most favored Of
Lady Julia's swains. He was also member
OF the Bayleaf, and frequently gambled there
with her husband-in fact, Barbacan rather
liked him than otherwise, for he was not jeal-
Gus, and he played whist and piquet much bet
ter than The Captain, though at baccarat there
was little to choose between them. Some peo-
pie said that Barbacan would not greatly OBJ
Ject if Capt, Chambers were to elope with Lady
Jalla, for the worthy M. p. had long since OBJ
tanned that passport into society for which his
soul gearned, and his tastes were certainlynot
the most domestic in the world. But this was
merely malicious guesswork, for Barbacan
never let fall a word which Indicated the re-
motest dissatisfaction with his partner or her
behavior. The three people were, to all APP