Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-07
BEAUTY OF RARE KIND
English Commoner Reared Under
Influence of French Court.
WIFE OF LORD FITZ GERALD
Happiness and Riches to Misery and
Poverty by Death and Attainder
of Husband


among the splendid monuments Of long
gone greatness modest tombstone
which bears the one word Pamela
There is no other clue. not even date
10 enlignten The stranger as 10 whose
dust il is that lies below and to the
question that must have sprung to
thousands of lips. Who was Pamela?
there is no answer.
Not many miles away in the splendid
galleries of Versailles is a picture
called La Iecon de Harpe. which
represents girl of exquisite beauty
and grace in the act of turning over
the leaves of music book. and if one
asks the custodian who was the original
of this presentment of youth and love
illness the answer is Pamela as if
the single word were all the explana-
ton that could be offered
Who was Pamela. this maiden of the
music lesson and of the modest tomb
with its enigmatic eptaph" When she
lived in all the radiance of her beauty.
the playmate of royal children on later
as the wife of dukes son. none could
answer this question satisfa II orilN. and
today. a century later it IS as inscruta-
BILE as ever.
1nera was quite big hutter Of eN-
citement in the nursery of the children
of the Due de Charities, later Due dor
leans and near kinsman of the king. for
Madame de Genlis. their governess. had
told her royal charges that they would
soon have charming playfellow, who
was coming all the way from England
10 share their games and studies: and
when at last the little stranger arrived
the children found all their eager eX-
pectations more than realized. for the
newcomer was child of extraordinary
beauty-and. what was more to the
point. as merry and mischievous she
was lovely.
Madame's Story.
Who was this little fairy? Where had
she come from? These were questions
asked by many II curious person out
side the household. Great lords and
ladies of the court asked them. and
tongues wagged mischievously in many
a salon and boudoir
Nine. de Genis was perfectly frank
as to the identity of the new inmate Of
the nursery. Her explanation was sim
plicity itself. 1t was her wish. she
said. and that of the duke that her
charges should have companion a
little English girl to share their play
and their work. Mr.. Forth. a gentle
man of the dukes household. had been
sent TO England to find suitable child.
During his wanderings Mr.. Forth had
discovered in small town in Hamp-
shire the very child he was In search
ola blue-eyed, golden-haired, winsome
little maid of five summers. a fairy
creature all sunshine and laughter.
The little ones mother, who was Living
in great poverty, told the following story:
A few years earlier, as Mary Simms. a
girl of humble birth, she had been wooed
and won by Mr.. Seymour. man Of
good family, who had run away with her
to Newfoundland There their child.
who was christened Nancy. was born and
a little later the father had died. After
her husbands death the widow returned
to England with her little girl. and. as her
husband had been disinher.ted and his
relatives disowned her. she had been COM
PEELED to work for her living as best she
could. earning barely sufficient to support
herself and her daughter. When Mr..
Forth begged permission to take the little
girl away. painting in glowing coors the
brilliant future that awaited her as a pro-
tegee of royal prince. the distracted
mother declared. with tears. that she
could not possibly live without her child.
and it was only after long pleading and
argument that for her girls sake she at
last cOnsented to part with her
When | began to be really attached to
Pamela Ohe name which / had given
herr. Nine. de Genlis said, II was very
uneasy lest her mother might wish to
claim her by legal process-that is, lest
she might threaten To do so in order to
obtain money which it might have been
out of my power to give. I consulted sew
era English lawyers. and they told me
that in order to protect myself l was
Ito get the mother to give me her daughter
as an apprentice, in return for payment
of % gulneaS. This She succeeded in
doing: the necessary agreement was pre-
pared and signed. and Pamela was given
into madame's custody until she came of
age.
Pamela became an inmate of the Due de
CharIres nursery at the Palais Royal,
but, circumstantial as il was il by no
means silenced the gossipns tongues
which persisted in limiting that Pamela
was far from being the stranger she was
represented. TO be.
Pamela. happily innocent of the COM
motion she had caused in the world of
ia shion. was ideally happy in her new
and splendid surroundings, TO which she
ada pied herself easily if she had
been Graded in a palace, Her high-born
playmates almost Worshipcd her, the
greatest personages in France conspired
to spoil her with their pett'ng and pres
ents, while she completely captivated the
hearts of the Due de Charities and Nine.
de Genis.
Born to Win All Hearts"
Every year seemed to add to Pamela S
graces of person and character. At six
teen she was described by one who knew
her as "a creature born TO win all hearts.
There never was a girl more fascinating.
She is beautiful. accomplished and the
possessor Of a heart which would make
her treasure to any man who might
gain her. The fame of her beauty went
through all France-aallants toasted and
fought for her: poets raved over her, and
Frances greatest artists WED with one
another for the honor of transmitting her
charms to posterity.
1t inevitable that girl of such
peerless loneliness should have lovers by
the score: but to one and all she said
No" She preferred her free, joyous life
to any matrimonial letters however rich
ly gided.
But to Pamela, as To most such I'M
yielding beauties, the Prince Charming
came at last--in the form of Lord Ed
ward FitZ Gerald. younger son of the
Duke of Leinster. a Strikin2ly handsome
young Irishman WHO had won fame by
his courage and cleverness well as
for his good looks. II is variouSly said
that Lord Edward first saw the Deauti-
full girl who was 10 he his wife in the
Due de Chartres box a, the opera in
Paris and during a short visit she pal
TO England in 1792. However this may
be. the two young people appear to have
fallen deeply in love with each other al
most from their first meeting. and in
the following December they We're mar
ried al TournaN. in spite of the oppoSi-
ton OF Nine. de Genlis
Contradictory Accounts.
TAournay they are described Edward
Ftz Gerald. native Of London son OF
the late Duke of Leinster. aged twenty