Fair play., 1920-12-04

reality a. In "Pendennis."
~ NE fine morning in the full Lon
don season, Major Arthur Pen
~ dennis (retired on half pay)
came to breakfast at his accustomed
corner in his Pail Mall Club. His
were the best blacked boots in Lon
don. His buff waistcoat, checked era
vat, spotless linen, white gloves, his
whiskers, his very cane were perfect of
their kind.
He seemed thirty years old, until
YOU saw the Fictitious nature of his
rich brown hair and the crows feet
around the eyes of his handsome face
with it's. Wellington nose. His long
white cuffs showed the good sleeve
buttons given him by his royal high
ness, the duke Of York.
Through his gold double eye glasses.
he reads his letters, one an invitation
from the marquis of Steyne, one from
the bishop of Ealing and Mrs. Trail,
another from an earl and so on, and
last of all, two others, one from his
widowed sister-in-law, and. the other
from her only child, Arthur Penden-
mis-, Jr. The first begs him to "come
Immediately" to Fair Oaks, Clavering,
st. Mary's, ito entreat, nay command"
the "wretched boy" to give up his en-
gagement to marry Miss Costigan, an
actress twelve years the senior of this
lad of eighteen. The second from this
same lad beseeching his uncle to re-
move his mothers objections to his
proposed union with his dear Emily"
q descendant Of the old Irish royalty,
the most beautiful woman in the
world. "A love like mine. sir" writes
young Pen, II feel is contracted once
and forever-I shall die without ever
knowing another passion"
The major, inwardly in rage, rue
fully sends refusals to the marquis,
the earl. the bishop and other enter
tainers and takes q sleepless and tir-
ing trip In the tight, smelly night mail
coach for Clavering.
On arrival Major Pendennis Is most
affable to Pen and his mother. He
does not "entreat" or Command his
nephew but wins the boys confidence
and talks familiarly of his own noble
friends and the brilliant career he has
had in mind for Pen. The major then
"faces the enemy" Captain Costlgan,
the half tipsy imaginative old Irish
soldier, the father and protector of
emily To him and his beautiful,
honest but dull daughter, the major is
equally suave. Beautiful she is, with
broad brow, large melting eyes, black
wavy hair, white complexion, rosy
cheeks and the arms of a "Venus."
Pen had come to see and know her
through Foker, school friend, lad
hOmely and kindly, dull at his books
but bright in everyday matters, whose
father, the great brewer, furnished
him money and Lady Agnes, his moth
er, social position. Verses Pen had
been writing to the Greek goddess he
now dedlcates to his new divinity.
Major Pendennis, as his next move,
let's slip, in the presence of the Co.'S
tigans, the fact that Pen has no means
beyond what his mother allows him
out of her slender income. Costigan
is then indignant that Pen "should
have had the face to offer himself to
his dear beguiled daughter" Pen can.
not believe his adored Emily has
calmly thrown him over, until the Cos.
tigans openly "cut" him in the street
He almost dies. or believes he is dying
of despised love, with all the symp.
toms of sleepless nights and feverish
days, and Is scarcely consoled by his
mother and little cousin Laura.
Laura Is five years younger than
Pen, his second cousin on the side OF
his mother, who adopted her on the
death Of her parents, perhaps because
of romance of early unmarried days
with Laura's father.
Miss Costigan secures an engage
ment at London theater through
Major Pehdennis' influence. The mag