The Winslow mail., 1915-10-29
The Stories Of
Famous Novels
By Albert Payson Terhune
Copyright, 1913, by The Press Publish
ing Co,
BELINDA
BY Maria EdgeWorth

the late years of the eighteenth cen
tury to live for time under the protec-
ton of Lady Delacour.
Belinda was an orphan-young, pret-
ty, innocent-whose designing aunt,
Mrs. Stanhope, had put in Lady De-
lacour's care in hope of finding suit
able husband for the girl. Belinda
knew nothing of these plans, nor that
she was to be thrown at the head OF
every eligible bachelor whom she
might chance to meet during the Lon
don season.
Hence she entered with spirit into
the myriad of gayeties planned by
Lady Delacour, and soon found herself
falling very much in love with Clar-
ence Hervey, a man about town with
whom Lady Delacour was carrying on
a mild Irritation.
Belinda thought Hervey was more or
less interested in herself. But one
night at a masked ball she was, as she
thought, undeceived. And her eyes
were all at once opened to the way
society at large regarded the efforts of
Mrs. Stanhope to get her married. I'm
recognizable in mask and domino, Be
linda chanced to be standing near Her
vey and several other men.
"There is danger in a flirt Of Mrs.
Stanhope's training" she heard Her.
vey say.
''It was a clever idea of the Match
maker General" observed mother, "to
send Belinda Portman to Lady Della
cour. Last season her aunt was hawk
ing her about everywhere"
ga man must be a novice" sneered
a third, eff he could be taken in by
niece of Mrs. Stanhope"
do you not think" went on Hervey,
"that l see as plainly as any of you
that Belinda is composition of art
and affection?"
Belinda at this point accidentally
made known to them her identity. And,
Fastening to Lady Delacour, she
begged with tears to be taken home at
once Lady Delacour gave her such
good natured consolation as the older
woman's worldly ideas would permit
But Belinda never forgot.
The girl tried to drown her own cha
grin in helping to smooth out the
tangled affairs of the Delacour family.
Lady Delacour and her husband, at
heart, loved each other but the wife's
f1irtations and the husbands heavy
drinking had caused wide breach be-
tween them. Lady Delacour, in speak
ing of her husbands drunkenness,
once said:
"The funeral of his lordship's intel
lect is a daily ceremony"
Belinda succeeded after a time in
opening the eyes of each to the merits
of the other and in lessening the flirta-
tions and the drinking. She herself
was wretchedly unhappy. She loved
Hervey, yet, after what she had heard
him say of her, she was forced by
pride to treat him with the iciest stiff
ness. This coldness famed Her
vey's lukewarm affection for herself
into blaze of love.
Lady Delacour saw how matters
stood And while she was not at all in
love with Hervey she choose to be
bitterly jealous and to make Belinda's
life burden.
Belinda, however, was soon after
ward instrumental in freeing Lady De
lacour from a group of scoundrels who
were playing on the poor lady's fear of
death to make her believe she had
mortal disease and to trick her into
paying them large sums of money.
Through gratitude to Belinda for
this service Lady Delacour strained
every nerve to bring Hervey and the
girl together. By experience of bound
less wit and diplomacy she at last
reconciled the two young people; and
so far as they were concerned-prov-
ed as successful matchmaker as
Mrs. Stanhope herself.
MARIA EDGEWORTH was a cele-
brated Irish novelist, born in 1866.
Sir Walter Scott, with whom she en-
ioyed closest friendship, has acknow
lodged that to her descriptions of Irish
character and manners we are indebt-
ed for THE WAVERLY NOVELS.
'"The rich humor, pathetic tenderness
and admirable tact" of her Irish de-
Iineations. he declared, led him first
to think that something might be at
tempted for his own country of the
same kind
In private life Miss Edgeworth was
highly beloved and respected by all
who knew her. and in her intercourse
with society she was most unaffected
and agreeable. But she had long ceas-
ed to take an active part in life or in
the world of literature, of which she
was once so bright an ornament, her
last years being pass in tran
guilty at the family seat in Edge