The San Francisco call., 1904-07-17
DOWdger COun.
tess MdrrieS Her
CO0Chm0n.
London Shocked
by Lady RdOs
enSWOTth.

LONDON. July 1s.-London society
no sooner had begun to exclain over q
contemplated mesalliance by one OF It's
fair members than another such scan
dal became an actual fact, and an
even more astounding third has nnada
the fashionable world gasp The Gros-
venor Square girl Of whom I wrote To-
Gently, and who-thOugh she has only
$4,000 a year now. viii have an annual
hundred thousand or so later on
started the ball a-rolling. Her choice
fell upon her handsome chauffeur.
Emma, the Dowager Countess OF
Ravensworth, has gone one better and
married her coachman at ST. Georges.
Hanover Square. one OF the leading
churches in London for fashionable
marriages. And now. as IL TO outdo all
such mesalliances, and to become her
self the central figure in the whole
round OF comment on this most absorb
ing topic, the daughter Of Lord Hood OF
Avalon has just revealed 10 her aston
ished relatives that she has not only
been married for three years TO the man
who feeds her fathers poultry at the
Hoods place in the country but that.
besides, she has two children Of the
marriage.
SECRET WE'LL KEPT.
How the whole thing has been kept
a secret il is quite beyond her relatives
power to conceive and, like the rest OF
society, they are wondering where such
mesaliances will cease. The marriage
was evidently an accomplished fact
before the death, IN November, 1901. OF
Lord Hood, who was an admiral and
the first and last Baron OF that name.
he being the second son OF Sir Alex
ander Hood. who was the second
baronet. It was the third baronet's
son who married Miss Elizabeth Kirk
patrick OF Salt Lake City some four
years ago.
Gossip Is busy IN regard to the raa-
sons which have led the Duke OF Marl-
borough to dispose OF a number OF his
toric pictures during the past week.
One story is that the allowance fur
nished by Papa Vanderbilt Is not sum
cient to meet the expenses OF such a
political appointment as that held By
the Duke. Another Is that the As
sistant Colonial Secretary has returned
to his old habits OF going the pace.
Gambling was never so rampant In
fashionable clubs as Il Is at, present.
and it is no uncommon thing to find
young swell with an income less than
$4,000 year paying up on Monday,
which is settling day. losses amounting
from $1,000 to $1,000.
BRING LARGE PRICES
II the sale Of the pictures had been
confined to many OF the doubtful old
masters with which the walls OF Blen-
helm are ornamented the matter would
not have caused much surprise, but
some Of the pictures sold realized as
much as S2T5O. This Is the second time
in its history that Blenheim has had
TO be stripped to replenish the ducaI
exchequer. The last occasion was when
the nation acquired a Raphael and a
Vandyke at a cost Of S625. 900. These
two pictures now hang In the National
Gallery. The deal saved the late Duke
from bankruptcy. but there IS no sug-
gestiOn that the present Duke will be
ever driven to the same extremity.
Society sympathizes much with Vis-
countess Deerhurst in consequence Of
the way her husbands name has been
dragged before the public in his con-
nections with the card sharper Sievier.
Her Ladyship is one Of the bestowed
women in society. She Is unobtrusive.
gentle and charitable to a fault. She
aspires to nothing higher IN the social
scale than her position entities her. ana
all her spare time is devoted to help
stitutions.