The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-01


 ming up of Tennyson, who called him the padded man who wears the stays" In reading 1t one can readily believe the story told of the author that when he felt in a writing mood he had the room darkened, put on evening clothes, had the wax candles lighted and wrote with a specially fine quill pen at desk inlaid with nother-of-pearl Yet even in this book Bulwer showed great power in char aeter drawing. and even in his philosoph- ical dissertations there are flashes of real thought worthy of the man who wrote "Richelieu" and the Last Days of Pom peii." Tn spite of their own defects and those of their author, Bulwer's works re- main among the English classics Of the minor sort As a matter of fact, the popinjay dropped his plummet well down into the soul of things, but could not sound the depths.
 K T R. HENRY PELHAM's father MI was the younger son of one of M the oldest English earls and his mother the dowerless daughter of Scot tish peer. Having no money the elder MT. Pelham kept a string of race horses, clothed himself in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day, while his wife, Lady Frances, cultivated taste for diamonds and old china-preferably china monsters. When Henry was years old his mothers diamonds were levied on, but the lady, being about to set off on a visit to a duchess, declared that she could not go without the gems, while the bafliff declared he could not and would not lose sight of them. So the resourceful woman took the officer of the law along tra Henry's tutor. "a most intelligent man, my dear, but so shy" After the visit the British constitution took effect upon the diamonds and Lady Frances wore paste.
 Shortly afterward Lady Frances got up at 6 o'clock in the morning for the first time in her life, with the intention of eloping with Mir. Seymour Conway, an Immensely rich bachelor Her foot was on the step of the carriage when she re- 1nembered that her favorite china monster and her French poodle had been left be- hind. She insisted upon going back for them, and was just coming down the front stairs with the dog under one arm and the monster under the other when she came face to face with her husband go- ing up.
 Two servants were with MT. Pelham, and so, of course, a continuation of the elopement was impossible. Had they met alone the affair might have been easily arranged-those confounded servants al- ways are in the way. It was an officious servant who had awakened MT. Pelham and told him that his wife was clipping. Thereupon the stricken husband, after 8. proper delay of doubt and approximation, had gone downstairs looked into the pantry and coal bin-everywhere but out of the front door-and was just returning to his room calculating the damages MT. Conway would be good for when the un- fortunate encounter with his wife took place.
 The distinguishing trait of people &C., customed to good society is the calm im- perturbable quiet which pervades all their actions, from the greatest to the least. They eat in quiet. move in quiet, live in quiet and lose their money or their wives in quiet, while low persons cannot take up either a spoon or an affront without making an amazing noise about 1t. So MT. Pelham immediately introduced MT. Conway at Brooks and invited him to dinner for a twelvemonth
 In a few months the old earl died and MT. Pelham's brother became Lord Glen man. The new loard, already an elderly man, upon his accession to the title and property made his brother and Lady Frances a very considerable allowance. But this benefaction was accompanied by an act of tyranny and perfdy which out ragged the delicate feelings of the bene- ficiaries. He made Lady Frances give up diamonds and china monsters and com pelled MT. Pelham to give up the turf.
 Henry was sent to Eton and then to Cambridge. He had. up to that time, been educated by his mother, who told him all the scandals about Queen Eliza beth, believing that history was the most fascinating and useful of all branches of knowledge. The good woman now contin- ued her teachings by letter, giving Henry valuable instructions concerning what she called ton and most practical hints concerning the art of getting on In the world. It is not surprising, therefore, that when the boy left college, where he did not study for a degree, he was the most fashionable and conceited dandy of his time, much run after by the women and most obnoxious to all men except those who had the keenness to see that beneath the frivolous exterior of the youth there was real foundation of ability, ambition, warm heartedness and sterling honor.
 While on visit to a country house, MT. Henry Pelham heard stories of a strange man who had been seen lurking about the neighborhood and especially haunting at night the churchyard of the nearest village. One night as Pelham was passing through the curchyard he saw a man suddenly arise from grave where on he had been lying and confront him. By the light of the moon, which just then broke through the clouds Pelham reeog- nized the face of Reginald Glanville, tho only real friend he had made at Eton and for whom he still cherished the warm est affection, though for some years now he had not seen or heard of him. Fear full ravages were graven on the face of Glanville, which, when Pelham had last seen 1t, was brilliant with the graces of boyhood The two friends greeted each other with surprised and disconnected words Then Glanville broke down and cried like a child. Recovering himself he said: "Pelham this is the last time ] shall indulge in this folly. We shall meet again, and this night will seem to yor like a dream" Then he hurried away.
 The next day Pelham made it his busi-