The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-25
ROMANCE OF A DUCHESS.
EventfuI Career of a Famous Leader
of Fashion.
From London Truth.

FROM LOHuOu truth.
The recent death of the Duchesse de
Sesto reminds me of a number of bril-
liantly lively women who shone under
the empire. The fairest of these fair
were three Italians-ali in society-a Rus
sian, a Spaniard, three Americans,
West Indian creole. and a Saxon. The
empress was a Spaniard; the Duchesse
de Morny, since Duchesse de Sesto, the
Russian. I used to see the latter at the
Palais Bourbon and at Lady Cowley's.
1 still have her before my eyes as she
first impressed me.
Do you remember Kilmeny in the
Queens Wake" as she seemed to her
kindred? After her return from fairy
land, Kilmeny Cooked up with a lovely
grace" but no smile was seen on her sin
less face" The Duchesse de Morney did
not smile, and yet did not look sad or
serious. She had the ciearest complexion
l think I ever saw, the brown eyes of a
fawn, and pale gold, fiossy hair that no
dye could imitate-hair that softly frizzed
and curled, and formed a nimbus round
the diaphanous face. There was no mind
in the face, any more than in a fawn's;
but neither was there vacuity.
She looked a strange, eerie being.
did not then know what summer nights
in Northern Russia were like. Had
known. she would have appeared to me
still and of subtle, subjugating golden
beauty. Somehow it is not a beauty that
awakes enthusiasm. One feels what cold
there is behind it.
The Duchess de Morny had a slender fig
ure. She wore dark green plaid dress of
twilled silk. neat turned-down linen col
lar embroidered daintily at the corners, a
small gold brooch, large bonnet of white
chip, with blue curtain (bavoleD, and
a bunch of blue corntlowers at the left
side. One of the hands was ungloved. 1t
was also diaphanous and thin. She had
''pagoda' sleeves and pulled muslin under
sleeves with linen cuffs to match the collar
There was no bracelet, and the barred fin
gers We're not ringed. There was little to
notice in the dress But the wearer gave
il an air of astonishing style and elegance
The corsage seemed rather large, but this
added to the effect. by enabling the dress
to lend itself to the graceful motions of the
duchess.
This beauty was fast heeting The duch-
ess was married at the age of sixteen
from school, to DE Morny. believe she did
not care for him, but rather enjoyed the
sphere into which he brought her and the
wealth that he commanded
Two years later she had grown much
taller. l saw her then in a white pidue
dress and large crinoline, leading a child
a naughty boy, also in white-down steps
| into a garden. The hair and complexion
were unchanged, but the eyes had lost the
startled-fawn expression. and the face had
| grown too long and thin. Just before De
| Mornys death she looked witchy, seated
| amcng her four children. There was a
| shrewdish expression in the face that did
not embellish it, We did not then know the
word inconsistent. If we had, / should have
| said Il fitted her, and l should have also
| said there was something in the paintings
| which threatened inconscience.
There was a fair child, perfect little
! Undinc, quite soulless. very animated, and
! scarcely human in expression. We have
/ known OF her since as the Comtesse de Bel
! boeuf Another of the pretty little girls
| married a Spanish grandee. and died sud
| denly as she was going to a ball.
! The oldest of the two boys was destined
| to appear as first chief mourner az the
most sensational funeral the Boulevards
| ever witnessed-that of the suicide, Nile
| Feyghine of the Francois. His mournine
supporters" were NJ. Perrin, manager of
| the Francois. and the Prince de Sagan.
/ The Duchesse de Morny, on her first hus-
| bands death. cut Off her lovely hair ana
| retired from the world But The hair soon
| grew again, and she married the Due de
| Sesto Marquis of Alcenices, grand master
| of her most Catholic majestys palace ana
of mis- most Catholic majesty's in the Al
| phonsist reigns.
The Duchesse de Morny was said to be