The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-08-21
WAITED ON THE LAUREATE.
A Society Girls Experience While on Visit
to the House of Tennyson.

Society Girls Experience While Visit
to the House of Tennyson.
Some of the difficulties of living up
to disguise are illustrated in an old
story recently printed in BlacIwood's
Magazine. It is part of lady's journal
kept in the year 1899, and tells her ex-
perience in visiting the Tennyson fami-
ly in the guise OF a lady's maid. Her
friend, Mrs. Neville, who was invited
to make the visit, could not afford a
maid or a nurse for her little girl, so
the young woman volunteered to act in
that capacity under the name Marion
Langlais." They both belonged to the
same literary club which included Mary
and Emily Tennyson, says the New
York Sun, but as she had never met
them she considered herself safe from
suspicion. She arranged her pretty
tresses under coarse black wig, and
quite transformed herself into a con-
ventional lady's maid. As soon as they
arrived at the poets house her troubles
began. She was expected to sleep
with the housemaid, and aside from
her unwelcome company she found it
awkward to dispose of her black wig,
and had to wait for tn e wondering girl
to fall asleep before she could settle
herself for the night. After few days
she was called upon to appear in the
dining-room as waitress, and had her
first glimpse of the poet. Her journal
says:
Il was to wait at table, and my heart beat so
fast as went in that could hear nothing else
for few minutes, for on entering the room I
saw Alfred TennySon at iastl And Frederick
Horatio, Emily, Mary and the mother. Was it
a delusion that I stood there behind them.
changing their plates, helping them, and they
so little dreaming of my identity with the serv-
ant AIarion?' Was L asleep when the maid of
all work thrust handful OF dirty forks into
my hand and bid cut and wash 'em quick
and bring 'em up?' did Go all this many times
before dinner over, and, though 1 did it
very well, my hand shook so the first time
took Alfred Tennyson's plate that thought it
must be seen. The romance of the affair rushed
over me-
The poet began to observe her very
closely after this, and she became so
nervous that she nearly forgot her part.
One day as she was passing the open
door of his room, where he lay smok-
ing and reading, he called her in and
asked her to bring him a book from
downstairs. He attempted to describe
it, but it was German work and he
thought she could not read it. Il
know" she said, and quickly went
down and brought it to him. $50 you
understand German, he said, and she
gave an evasive reply and left the
room. That evening at dinner Tenny-
son could not draw cork from a beer
bottle and after everyone had tried and
failed he said to Mrs. Neville: Where
is your Marion? She can do it; she can
do everything, from reading German to
waiting at table. Let her try" Marion
came, and, amid chorus of apologies
and explanations, she drew the cork.
Another day at dinner she was sum
moned to the table for some trivial rea-
son and it was found out afterwards
that it was to settle a dispute about the
color of her eyes. Eventually her
identity was revealed and the family
took the trick all in good part.