The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-11-30

fair start from; his rather had some
distinction, and the friendship of men
more distinguished than himself; and,
not least, Disraei is said to have had
in his sister Sara-a woman of fine in
tellect and strong character-a wise,
sympathetic and devoted counsellor.
His great lack was the lack of means;
which also he seems to have under
stood and reckoned with at an early
age, and not at all in the usual way of
ambitious boys. Il may commit many
follies in life," he wrote to his sister,
but l never intend to marry for love,
which l am sure is a guarantee of infe-
lefty" The terms of this exclamation
show that we need not give much inn
portance to it; but there is good reason
for thinking that it's lightness sprang
from a solid conception of what would
least suit Benjamin Disraeli as mar
ried man. Even the delights of love-
match are disturbances, distractions;
and the hurly-burly of a small fashion
able establishment would have been
ruin to his course of life as he con-
ceived it.
Understanding himself with more
experience prays for, he felt that in the
matrimony market as elsewhere, mon
ey might be had too dear. With his
considerable expenses, his small in
come, and--soon-the worry of debts
which he could no more shirk than
wipe out by shady means, we map sup
pose that the young Disraeli always
looked to marriage to supply safe
footing for his career. The heroes of
his political novels, it has been re-
marked, are usually made to owe their
first success to wealthy marriages; his
own was to be the sort of marriage
which in fact he did contract 1t was
not a romantic union. He was then
thirty five, Mrs. Wyndham Lewis past
her tiftieth year; but nothing is better
known of Disraeli than that this mar
riage, which at once eased the debt
load and secured to him the money
means of holding his place in Parlia-
ment, was most fortunate. For him it
was in all ways the very thing, and
that it was so is no small help to I'M
Outstanding him; while AS to his devo-
ted wife, it made her literally, l do be-
lieve, the proudest woman in England
Though the good fortune of meeting
Lady Beaconsfeld was mine only once
have a strong remembrance of her
1t was in the year she died; but she
had then, at eighty years old, very evil
dent remains of the vivacity which
Disraeli marked when he first met her
in 1882, Il was introduced, by particu-
lar desire. to Mrs. Wyndham Lewis, a
pretty little woman a f1irt and a rattle;
indeed, gifted with a volubility which
l should think unequalled" Seen at a
distance, in a dimly lighted room, what
first struck me about the small dark,
quick-eyed figure was the strangeness
of it's attire-homage, it might have
been, to her Dizzy's early tastes.
What | suppose should be called the
bodice of her gown was sort of dark
crimson OF bright claret-colored velvet
tunic (but like nothing else that | have
ever seem, going high in the neck, and
with what 1 tooktfor an order of some
kind fastened upon the left breast.
This unusual decoration was puzzling
till, on being taken up to her, l saw
that it was a framed oval miniature of
her husband; probably ''by Rosa
This was her decoration, pinned on the
breast in exactly the right place. 9th
er remembrances | have Of this memo
rable lady, but the first and the last
are the best. On leaving the house
where | had the pleasure of meeting
her, ! noticed, in the hall, that she was
in difficulties with the strings of a fur
mantle which with gloved hands she
t, OF
tating, | ventured an offer Of service
when the strings seemed to have es-
capped altogether; and, by way of say
ing something while my tying was 60
ing, on, l spoke. of the acclamations
which had lately been showered on Mr.
Disraeli at Manchester, of all places.
A really great event his reception there
was. Entirely unexpected, it was the
first clear and undoubtable sign that
Disraeli's day had dawned AT the
first word about Manchester, Lady
Beaconsfield's hands went up to arrest
the tying, and straightway she began
to tell Of Dizzy's triumphs with pre-
cipitation, a joyful eagerness and
sparkle that spoke more of eighteen
than Of eighty. Here We're the affecta-
ton and the volubility together, both
untired.
From that day ! could believe nearly
all the dinner table stories Of her de-
votion and her admiration; even this.
She was one evening in the company of
some ladies' when the conversation
wandered into a talk of fine figures;
Mr.. AS, Mr. BIS, Captain C.'s. The
old Iady let them run on, and then said
pityingly, "Ah. You should see my
Dizzy in his bath!"-Frederick Green
wood in the Cornhill.