Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-12-18
CHAPTER LVII.
A Proud Woman Humbled.

A Proud Woman Humbled
The countess of Lanswell had never
in all her life been defeated before;
now all was over, and she went home
with a sense of defeat such as she had
never known before. Her son refused
not only to obey her, but to listen to
her remonstrances; he would not take
heed of her fears, and my lady saw no
thing but social disgrace before them.
Her own life had been so crowned with
social triumphs and success she could
not realize or understand anything
else. The one grand desire Of her
heart since her sons marriage had
been that he should become Knight
of the Order of the Garter, and now,
by the recent death of famous peer.
the desire was on the eve of accom-
plishment; but if, on the very brink of
success, it were known that he had left
all his duties, his home his wife, to
dance attendance on singer, even
though she were the first singer in
Europe, it would be fatal to him. 1t
would spoil his career. My lady had
carried herself proudly among the
mothers of other sons. Hers had been
a success, while some others had
proved, after all, dead failures. Was
she to own to herself at the end of
long campaign that she was defeated?
All, no! Besides which there was the
other side of the question-Lady
Marion declared she would not see him
or speak to him again if he went to
Berlin, and my lady knew that she
would keep her word. If Lord Chan
dos persisted in going to Berlin his
wife would appeal to the duke, would
in all probability insist on taking
refuge in his house, then there would
be a grand social scandal; the whole
household would be disbanded Lady
Chandos, an injured, almost deserted
wife, living with the duke and the
duchess; Lord Chandos abroad laughed
at everywhere as dupe.
My lady writhed again in anguish as
she thought of it. 1t must not be.
She said to herself that it would turn
her hair gray, that it would strike her
with worse than paralysis. Surely
her brilliant life was not to end in such
a fasco as this. For the first time for
many years hot tears blinded those
fine eyes that had hitherto looked with
such careless scorn on the world.
My lady was dispirited; she knew
her son well enough to know that an
other appeal to him would be useless;
that the more she said to him on the
subject the more obstinate he would be.
A note from Lady Chandos completed
her misery, and made her take des
perate resolve-a sad little note, that
said:
Dear Lady Lanswell, If you can do
anything to help me, let it be done
soon. Lance has begun today his
preparations for going to Berlin. I
heard him giving instructions over his
travelling trunk. We have no time to
lose if anything can be done to save
him"
81 must do it, said the countess, to
herself, with desperation. Appeal to
my son is worse than useless. I must
appeal to the woman [ fear he loves.
Who could have imagined or prophe-
sled that should ever have been COM
PEELED to stoop to her, yet stoop I must,
if I would save my son!"
With Lady Lanswell, to resolve was
to do;-when others would have
beaten about the bush she went direct.
On the afternoon of that day she OBJ
tanned LeOne'S address, and ordered the
carriage. 1t was a sign Of fear with
her that she was so particular with
her toilet; it was seldom that she
relied, even in the least, on the ad
~vantages of dress, but today she made
a toilet almost imperial in it's mag
nificence-rich silk and velvet that
swept the ground in superb folds, here
and there cleaning a rich jewel.
The countess smiled as she surveyed
herself in the mirror, a regal, beauti-
full lady. Surely no person sprung
from Leone's class would dare to OPP
pose her.
1t was on a beautiful bright after
loon that my lady reached the pretty
house where Madame Vanira lived. A
warm afternoon, when the birds sung
n the green shade of the trees, when
ne D6eS mdue IICu uOn6y IoH the
hoice carnations, and the butter
lies lowered round the budding lilies.
The countess drove straight to the
ouse. She left her carriage at the
dter gates, and walked through the
retty lawn She gave her card to the
9rvant and was shown into the draw
groom.
The Countess of Lanswell would
ot have owned for the world that she
as embarrassed, but the color varied