A Scene in High Life.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 208, 4 September 1886, Page 4

A Scene in High Life.

A tiAUUHABLK incident in connection with " High Life Bolow Stairs," that would appear to bo far-fotchod in a rattling farce, wits rocontly brought to tho attention of a London magistrate. It appears thnt a lady of tho nobility was entertaining poiho lady friends nt an afternoon reception nt hor ruhidonco nour Bolgravo Squaro, whon, to tho intOD»e alarm of the ladieß, tho portly figuro of an inebriated and indigent cook ■.van soon to enter and take a seat amid the bewildered guests. Tbo loading lady of the culinary department proceeded to deliver hor idoaß on the gonoral topics of tho day with somewhat disjointed fluency, and tho mistress of the house finding tho order to rotiro disregarded she naturally summoned the butlor to her afsittarci. This attark by tho bago minion of tho pantry on her own special privil ges made the cook frantic with indignation. So the butlor prudently boat a rotreat and went in search of a policeman. The fairy of tho spit \»ai equal to the emergency, and when the butler proceeded down tho square in search of tho ropreaontativo of the law, the cook pursued, shouting after him, " Stop thief." Tho rosult of this strategic mannjvre was that the butler was taken into custody by a coijstablo who happened to be conveniently near at hand. The triumph^ however, of tho cook was of ehort duration, as on th« return of tho captnre'd butler to the house the attitude, ac'ionw and condition of the head of tho cu'inary department showed the representative of the law that he had arrested tho wrong individual. In hor misdirected zoal she began to break ths windows of the house (he had lately shown a determination to protect oven at the ruk of in (j'.minating an inmcent "n lividual, and with difficulty was removed to tho police station. On hor boing arraigned the next day, tho cook assumed an attitude of injured innocenco, but although >ho asserted that every one was drunk but hortolf, tho victim of misplaced confidence was fined for her ambition to shino in tho higher circle? of society. Dospito this unheard of rigour, it is acknowledged that as every Englishman's home is his castle, the cook ig the chatelaine now and for all times.