The age-herald., 1902-03-23
Some Characteristic Sketches from Modem EOgIsh So-
 CiaI Life
NOTABLE EASTER WEDDINGS
Easter Season to be as Brilliant as Lenten, When Society Went the Pace With But Few Res
 trctions.
" ANNIE KENDalcK WALKER.

" ANNIE kENDRiCk WALKER.
 'T keep forgetting that I can afford things" says Emily Fox Seton in "The Methods of Lady Walderhurst" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. who, in her latest story gives us very fascinating English woman In the process of being transformed from a very poor, hard working woman into one of the richest ,marchionesses in England, the Lady Walderhurst.
 Miss Emily Fox Seton is so delightfully."- frank about it all that her transforma- tion is not the least bit amusing and she is not at all like the type of woman that amuses society on tn;s side of the Atlantic, the woman who suddenly ac- quires wealth and position.
 Miss Emily Fox Setons methods are so unlike those of her prototype in America, who is continually being haunted by the vision of cheap wallpaper and turkey rcd cotton curtains and who forgets that she can afford things. Miss Fox-Seton's transformation is accomplished very gracefully. She is taken up by dear Lady i Maria, who coaches her perfectly. Lord Walderhurst watches the process critical ly and yet with great satisfaction. Miss ox-Seton's methods were so distinctive and then she was really in love with the man who was taking her away from the cheap wall paper and the Turkey-red cot ton curtains. ..
 Anaylsis of Emotions.
 . Lord Walderhurst is given to analysiz- ing his own emotions.
 You might think that you might like to marry woman and then you might realize that there were objections-that even the woman herself with all her de- sirable qualities, might be an objection in the end, that any woman might be an objection; in fact, that 1t required an effort to reconcile oneself to the fact of a womans being continually about"
 Miss Box-Seton, who shopped for other people, felt that Walderhurst in asking her to marry him had condescended to her with generosity which justified worship, and she went about London ordering gowns that she thought Walderhurst would approve of when she became his 1 marchioness.
 And Walderhurst decided that she was very nice-he who had always been loved by himself and other people confessed that 1t gave a flllip to existence to look on at a woman, who, having been one
 
 boring classes, was adapting herself to the role of marchioness by the simplest Of processes, and making a very nice figure at it, too, in her entirely unbrlliant way. And even Mrs. Burnett insists that Miss Fox-Seton is not brilliant, and yet tells of an incident when a woman any more clever than Miss Fox-Seton would hardly have acquitted herself as brilliant ly.
 You must let me congratulate you very warmly. Miss Fox-Seton,' said a detestable old Duchess. Your life has 1 changed greatly since we last saw each ! other"
 l Walderhurst saw that her smile was feline and asked himself what tho wo- ] man was going to say next.
 "The last time we met" she went on 1 to Miss Fox-Seton," you called to ask me about the shopping you were to do for me. Do you remember? Stockings and gloves, think"
 Tt was stockings" said Miss Fox ! Seton. There were some marked down ! to one and eleven pence half penny at Barratt's. They were really quite good for the price. And you wanted four pairs, and when I got there they were all gone. I was so disappointed. It was too bad!'' ...a-..- -.
 To Walderhurst the picture of the stingy old Duchess being foiled in the purchase of stockings and Miss Fox-Se- tons regretful kindness about it all was very amusing. -=--.' --.# And she did it quite by accident" he said to himself She's not clever enough to have done it on purpose. What ] brilliantly witty creature sne would be if she had invented it!"
 Not Startling Plot. co. -. Mrs. Burnett has not given us very startling plot. but a fine description of English society, with which sne is per- fectly familiar.
 We all know the Walderhurst type the prosaic, stupid Englisnman or middle age. who marries from q sense of duty since he has a distant heir whom he despises. In this instance the distant heir is a person of selfish manners, reck- less living and low nirtations, and a wife. half-breed, whom he married while on duty in India. There are not many other characters introduced to make the story tresome. The Indian woman has a ser want with occult plans, which are ftus- trated by the English methods of Lady Walderhursts maid. Lady Walderhurst, while her husband is away in India on