The times., 1898-06-05

poor people of Sontant gave a midsum-
mer nights festival on top of a neighbor-
ing mountain. The marchioness climbed
the difficult pathway to the top. entered
into the spirit of the festival and danced
with peasant and rustic. the Aragonese
Jota. With all this, she Is still sufficiently
bigoted to make the annual pilgrimage to
Lourdes.
AS for the aristocracy of genius. apart
from the royal family and the diplomatic
corps, there is very little of 1t to be
found among the prominent ladies OF the
capital of Spain. The Queen who inter-
ests herself for everything connected
with science, literature, or the arts, lives
quietly and in retirement and her in
fiuence on society is, therefore. not great.
Formerly, the Duchess of Medinaceli
maintained a salon in which the artists
and celebrities gathered. and where the
Spanish poet, Juan Tenorio Jose Gorilla"
made his debut.
In general the ladies of the Spanish
aristocracy suffer from an education in
the convent which, while it does not pre-
vent their enjoyment Of the worlds good
things, renders the world of bellies let
tres terra incognita to them.
Ten or twelve years ago there came to
Madrid a lady from Spanish Galicia.
Donna Emilia. Countess Pardo Bazan. and
over this name she published several 10
mances and feuilletons. At first she was
surrounded by a very small. but bright
and clever circle, recruited almost ex-
clusively from the upper middle classes.
Later she aspired higher and became the
fad of the period. Now no evening
gathering in the very uppermost crust
of Madrid society is considered as COM
plete at which the Pardo Bazan'' does
not appear.
For many years there have been Mon
day evening readings in the Ateneo Club
these readings have always been clever
and interesting, but they were, as a rule,
exclusively attended by gentlemen, few
ladies appearing, now and then, in the
gallery. One day there appeared in the
papers the announcement: Next Mon
day, at the Ateneo, reading by Dona
Emilia Pardo BaZan." 1t was a revoIu-
ton. A scramble ensued for tickets. Be
fore evening the issue was exhausted
All Madrid, that is, all Madrid society,
attended the reading; the crowd was so
big. the hum palpable, the excitement
SO great, that the reading, really a very
able paper, was heard but by small
minority of those present. It made no
difference. Public readings are now the
fashion; the university has set aside sew
eral afternoons, in each week, for public
readings, and Dona Emilia Pardo Bazan
is the favorite reader. All Madrid So
ciety-ministers of the cabinet generals,
| financiers, members of the Cortes the
foreign ambassadors. with their wives at
| tend them
| If Madrid ever becomes a literary, art
| loving, misunderstanding city, the credit
| will belong to this clever grass widow
The Countess Emilia Pando BaZan is by
| no means pretty or attractive; she is
| short and corpulent, and eccentric in
| dress. She likes light and glaring colors,
| and is not particular as to whether they
| harmonic or not She colors her black
| hair a reddish tint; but her fine eyes, her
| high forehead. and the friendly, clever
| EXPRESSION of her features indicate the
mind of the thinker, the soul of the poet.
She eats Eterary-critical periodical.
and writes most of the editorials herself;
she is the leading feuilletonist of The I'm
parcial, and seldom passes year with
cut the publication of at least one new
lAovel