Evening star., 1901-12-21

Your lordship had better see him. 1t is
really important. l have made him prom
Use to tell your lordship the whole history
1 shall pay him-with drink. He is al.
ways satisfied with drink. He Is one OF
the kind who for a drink will do anything
and say anything
Il don't know why 1 want to see the
man." said his lordship. peevishly.
'lf your lordship will not see him there
is nothing to be said. But you may pre-
vent terrible family scandal"
"Pinder, again you are fool! l told you
before that 1 care nothing about scandals.
How many scandals have you known In
my family, and am l one penny the worse
for 1t? Have you not learned by this time
that in our rank we are not In the least
injured by family scandals? 1t Is the
tradesman, the lawyer, the clergyman, the
physician. who is injured by scandal. Poor
devils 1t kills them, am told. 1t deprives
them of clients and patients and custom
ers--a family scandal crushes them. But
as for us-why, Pinder, you ought to know
after fifteen years with me-"
Il beg your lordship's pardon, I should
have remembered. l have seen a good
many scandals in your lordship's life AS
you say, they have not hurt you. There
was the scandal about the lady"
You need not begin to remember things.
n.y. ~ '' ''e '''N' '' ''e l'
ITO be sure. And there was the scandal
about the faro table"
Il say. Pinder, you need not recall old
And the case of the young fellow who
blew out his brains
"A young fool! If he had only waited
day or two"
scandals do no harm to persons of your
quality.
Perhaps his lordship exaggerated the
power of rank in making family scandals
dal Of being ruined, of having raised money
on everything, by the sale Of pictures,
books, plate and furniture; by the cutting
down Of woods. by selling his life interest
by the world that his lordship had not
single friend left. that he was not received
in any coffee house or tavern frequented
by his social equals: that he was no longer
received in any club of gentlemen, and
that no one In London was more univer-
sally Stunned than himself. Yet he de-
clared that family scandals could do him
no harm.
what can this shopkeeper dor" he
asked. What can he say? To whom
can he say IT."
'As your lordship says-he can do moth
ing. No family scandal could hurt the
Honorable Mrs. Weyland. Her ladyship
would not even be annoyed, I suppose. The
man comes to my house; he is admitted be-
cause he Is a cousin Of member of the
company; he drinks: his tongue is loosened,
and he talks
But the story is talked about in your
parlor. What does that matter?''
20! my lord. Pardon me-my parlor is
the Royal Exchange for news Of the nobil-
ity. My people, those who use my parlor,
are not only Wallets; they are also footmen
and coachmen; anything that Is done is
known to them. Do you suppose that
great lady can go anywhere, do anything,
without It's being known to all her serv-
ants? / could tell you where one great
lady goes twice a week and why she goes
there. can tell you where a noble lord
keeps bird In a cage, so to speak-without
his lady wife knowing anything about 1t.
These things are talked about, say, first
related every day, something surprising
your lordship would be astonished,''
We'll. II the stories are confined to your
parlor'
"They are not: they go from my parlor
to the servants hall. There they are dig
cussed In full, with additions; some of my
people have a very happy knack of making
things weem out to seem more important
than they are in reality. And then-I beg
your lOrdship's attention to this point
while the gentlemen do not, as a rule, talk
to their Wallets. they treat them, for the
most part, like dirt beneath their feet, the
ladies do talk to their ladies' maids O.
yes: they ask all the news, and the lady's
her mistress she keeps her in good temper
by telling her the newest scandal Your
lordship follows me?''
IT think you are Internally long -winded.
But go on"
every well. This draper win tell his
story. Then It VIII ny abroad to every
servants hall; 1t will be known there how
the Honorable Mrs. Weyiand got rid Of
her debts and liabilities by marrying q