The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-17
VALUABLE THACKERAY FIND.

A real find appears in LOngmans' Mag
azine for February, in the shape of
letter of Thackeray's to his friend and
Dickens friend and Leigh Hunts friend
the Duke of Devonshire. His Grace
had expressed his regret at VANITY
Fair coming to an end and his inter
est in the further adventures and fate
of the characters. To crafty this curl
osity, Thackeray wrote:
My Lord Duke: Mrs. Rawdon Crawley,
whom l saw last week, and whom I in
formed of your Grace's desire TO have
her portrait, was good enough to permit
me to copy little drawing made of her
Gin happier days." she said with a sigh,
by Since, the Royal Academician.
Mrs. Crawley now lives in a small but
very pretty little house in Belgravia, and
is conspicuous, for her numerous chart
ties. which always get into the newspap-
ers, and her unaffected piety. Many of
the most exalted and spotless of her sex
visit her, and are of opinion that she is
a most injured woman. There is no sort
of truth in the stories regarding Mrs. era
wiley and the late Lord Steyne. The Ii
centious character of that nobleman alone
gave rise to reports from which, alas,
the most spotless life and reputation cam
not always defend themselves. The pre-
sent Sir Rawdon Crawley (who succeeded
his late uncle, Sir Pitt 1892; Sir Pit 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 admir-
able lady "If it 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 thanklessness sharper than a
serpent's TOOTH of an adored child?"
But she has been preserved, mercifulIy
preserved, to bear all these griefs. and
awaits her reward elsewhere.
She took the style and title of Lady Cra-
wiley for some time after Sir Pitts death
in 1882; but it turned out that Colonel
Crawley, Governor of Coventry Island,
had died of fever three months before his
brother, whereupon Mrs. Rawdon was OBJ
liged to lay down the title which she had
prematurely assumed.
The late Joseph Sedley. Esq, of the Ben
gal Civil Service. left her two lakhs of
rupees, on the interest of which the widow
lives nthe practices of piety and benevo-
lence before mentioned. She has lost what
little good looks she once possessed and
wears false hair and teeth (the latter give
her rather a CHASTITY look when she
smiles. and-for a pious woman-is the
best crinolined lady in Knightsbrdge dis
trict.
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 coloners History Of the
Punjaub" is looked for with much anx-
iety in some circles.
Captain and Lieutenant-Colonel G..
SedIey-Osborne 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 Sed-
leyD is, I need not say. well. for I saw him
in a most richly embroidered cambria pink
skirt with diamond studs, bowling to your
Grace at the last party At Devonshire
House. He is in parliament. but the pro-
perty left him by his grandfather has, I
hear. been a good deal overrated.
He was very sweet upon Miss Crawley.
Sir Pitts daughter. who married her
cousin. the present baronet. and a good
deal cut up when he was refused. He is
not. however, man 10 be permanently
cast down by sentimental disappoint-
ments His chief c ause 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.
I think these are the latest particulars
relating 10 q number OF persons about
whom your Grace was goow enough -