The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-07-22
Viscountess Deerhurst, Who
Was an American Heiress,
Has Had Romantic Career
WASADOPTEDCHILD
tiled Suitor Discards Her
When He Is Informed Of
the Girls Humble Origin
SPECIAL CABLE TO TIE CALL.


don this season. The anxiety about
her children. two of whom have been
laid up with scarlet fever. has been
very great. for she is the most devoted
of mothers. They are now, however.
practically well. so Lady Deerhurst is
having slight canter through her fes-
tfvities and has been lunching and din
ing with her great friend, Princess
| Christian of schleswig- Holstein
Few people know that the Wis
countess was once the central figure in
melodrama, of the most romantic kind.
| When she arrived in England with Mr..
and Mrs. c. W. Bonynge of California.
New York and London, millionaire.
banker. miner and club man. every one
took it for granted she was their daugh-
ter for both were so proud of the girl
they never revealed her history. They
had simply adopted her. Her parents
were humble English folk of the name
of Daniel, who had emigrated to Amer
lea. Mrs Bonyhge took a fancy to the
child and brought her up as her own
This made no difference until the eld-
est son of an Earl took violent fancy
to the beautiful Virginia Bonynge.
whose looks and reputed millions were
the talk of London. He was but one of
scores of suitors who were at her feet.
The future peer proposed and then her
Lreputed mother and father decided that
there. should be no sailing under false
colors; he should know the truth The
scion of the aristocratic house hesitated
and at last decided not to press his suit
for the Bonynges' adopted daughter
Lord Deerhurst. who had never met
the beautiful American heiress, was
told the tale at his club. He was in
stantly struck with the, pathos of it.
He developed an intense interest in the
unknown heroine and sought promptly
an Introduction to the Bonynges But
meanwhile the girl, who had been dis
carded. was broken down with grief
and humiliation. Then brain fever set
in and for weeks none dreamed she
could recover. All this time Lord Deer
hurst (having succeeded in obtaining
an introduction to the american Monte
Cristo," as Bonynge used to be called).
kept constantly calling and inquiring
for the invalid, and persistently came
his presents of fruit and flowers.
One day when the patient was a lit
tie better the viscount met Mrs.
Bonynge and she invited him to remain
to tea, and thanked him effusively for
his numerous gifts.
81 promise YOU" she told him. "di-
rectly my girl is we'll enough to see
stranger you shall be the very first
to be introduced and she must thank
you with her own lips for all your
kindness"
In due time Lord Deerhurst was pre-
scented, and every one knows the sequel
which took place eleven years ago. The
one sad event in Lady Deerhurst's life
has made a very great impression on
her. One of the results is that she cares
little for society. She has never had
town house. Most of her time is
spent at Halstead Place. her husbands
seat in Surrey. Here Princess Chris
tian and her two daughters frequently
pay informal visits-the best proof of
the sincere affection which exists be-
tween these royal people and the Wis
countess Lord Deerhurst is the eld-
est son and n of the Earl of Cow
entry.
WILL ENTERTAIN THE KING.
Consuelo, Duchess of Manchester,
cannot stand London for long at
time Nevertheless she has for it al
most a Cockney fondness. The truth
is she is not so young as she used to
be and London tires her to such de-
gree that many time of an evening
when she ought to be at some big din
ner party or reception, for which she
has accepted an invitation, she has to
lie down and telephone that she is un-
able to be present. AS a matter of fact,
she never turns out at night except
when it is a royal party and the King
and Queen would be seriously put out
were she not present. She has been at
the opera rarely this season, and never
except on royal nights.
King Edward will drink his after
noon tea with Consuelo and her friends
every other Sunday at Roehampton She
is the only woman outside of royalty
who is permitted to use red and gold
liveries for her servants. On occasions
when royalty graces the Duchess's
board her four tall footmen in their
crimson and gold uniforms and pow
dered hair add much picturesqueness
and put many of the guests in the
shade.
DANGEROUS PETS THE FAD.
The fashion for making pets of dan
gerous wild animals and reptiles, set
in the first instance by the Divine
Sarah" still holds its own pretty well,
though it lacks the approval Of the
King. Lord Howard de Walden has
great penchant for animals out of the
ordinary run of domestic pets. He add
ed to his collection this week a cub
tiger which has been playing about the
gardens of Audley End and has been
..nursed" by the hosts friends The
cuh turned on a pet dog belonging tn a