Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-19
A LITERARY CURIOSITY
Later History of the Characters in Vanity
Fair.
Thnckeray's Letter, Which Ii a Sort
Of Postscript to the Fa-
nous Novel.

s. Arthur Strong In Iongman's on the Duke of
Devonshire and his friends.
The duke was no more satisfied than the
other readers of VANITY Fair" when the
puppets were finally shut up in the box
The antics of the Becky puppet at any
rate could not have stopped there and
this is Tfeckeray's account of the matter:
My Lord Duke: Mrs. Rawdon Crawley,
whom 1 saw last week. and whom 1 ir-
termed of your grace's desire to have her
portrait was good enough to permit me to
copy little drawing made Of her lin hap
pier days. she said with q sigh by Smee
the royal academician. Mrs. Crawley now
lives in a small but very pretty little house
in Belgravia, and Is conspicuous for her
numerous charities. which always get into
the newspapers. and her unaffected piety
Many OF the most exalted and spotless Of
her own sex visit her. and are of opinion
that she is most injured woman. There
is no sort Of truth in the stories regard
ing Mrs. Crawley and the late Lord Steyne
The i1centfous character of that nobleman
alone gave rise to reports from which, alas
the most sp6tless life and reputation can
rot always defend themselves The pres
ent Sir Rawdon Crawley (who succeeded
his late uncle. Sir Pitt, 1892: Sir Pitt died
on the passing of the reform bilD does not
see his mother, and his undutifulness is a
cause of the deepest grief to that admirabl
lady. IF 1t were not for higher things"
she says, how could she have borne up
against the worlds calumny, a wicked
husbands cruelty and falseness and the
tEanklessness sharper than q serpent g
tooth) of an adored child?' But she has
been preserved, n.ercifully preserved, to
bear all these griefs. and awaits her re-
ward elsewhere. The italics are Mrs.
Crawley's own. She took the style and
title of Lady Crawley for some time after
Sir Pitts death in 1892; but it turned out
that Colonel Crawley. governor Of Coventry
Island. mad died of fever three months be-
fore his brother, whereupon Mrs. Rawdon
was obliged to lay down the title which
she had prematurely assumed. The late
Joseph Sedley, esq, of the Bengal civil
service. left her two lakhs Of rupees, on the
interest Of which the widow lives in the
PRACTICES of piety and benevolence before
mentioned She has lost what little good
looks she once possessed, and wears false
hair and teeth uhe latter give her rather
CHASTITY l. ok when she smiles). and-for a
pious woman-is the best crinolined lady in
knightsbridge district.
Colonel and Mrs. W. Dobbin live in
Hampshire. near Sir r. Crawley: Lady Jane
was godmother to their little girl and the
ladies are exceedingly attached to each
other. The colonels History of the Pun
Jaub is looked for with much anxiety in
some circles. Captain and Lieutenant Col
onel G. SedleyOsborne Che wishes. he
says. to be distinguished from some other
branches Of the Osborne family, and is
descended by the mothers side from Sir
Charles Sedley) is, l need not say. well.
for saw him in a most richly embroidered
cambria pink shirt with diamond studs,
bowling to your grace at the last party at
Devonshre House. He is in parliament,
but the property left him by his grand
father has, l hear. been good deal over
rated He was very sweet upon Miss Craw-
ley, Sir Pitts daughter. who married her
cousin, the present baronet. and good deal
cut IN when he refused. He is not
however. man to be permanently cast
down by sentimental dsappointments. His
chief cause of annoyance at the present
moment is that he is growing bald, but his
whiskers are still without gray hair and the
finest in London.
think these are the latest particulars
relating to number Of persons about
whom yo IT grace was good enough to ex-
press some interest. I am very glad to
be enabled to give this informal ton, and am
? Your gracc's very much Obliged servant.
w. NJ. THACKERAY.S