WOMAN’S WORLD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12425, 14 February 1901, Page 3

WOMAN’S WORLD.

When the Lady Mayoress of London dines in State her maids of honour bound by etiquette- 'to be present al-so. . Until _ lately they had -to dine by themseltes on an improvised stage in. the Guildhall. Kow, however, a special and permanent balcony has been built for them just off the great Council Chamber. ' Balzac has made some -curious statements as to his observations among women. He says that the dame who wears orange or green is quarrelsome; one who likes black, or a yellow hat, is treacherous; white indicates coquetry; pink murks gentleness and thought; sentimental women affect grey; purple denotes advancing age. , The Empress Eugenie, who is now at Farnborough, has once more proved her Wonderful elasticity of health and spirits. It is long since she has been so well or -so gay. Prince Victor Napoleon is at present her guest,' and *she * k receives " almost daily her many friends, including a number of officers and their wives from the neighbouring camp at Aldershot.

Princess Ysembourgh, writing in the “Times," says:—“l have just been reading the letter in your columns on ‘Trailing Skirts,’ which rouses my enthusiasm, and makes me wish to join an anti-trailing league, as I think it, with your correspondent, the most absurd and disgusting proceeding to perform the duties of a crossing-sweeper minus salary.” Sarah Bernhardt is a magnificent business woman as well as actress—a rare combination, and no other artist has ever achieved such a double success. Under her direction, her theatre makes, after two Government theatres, the biggest receipts in Paris. In the last six months, with “ L’Aiglon," she has banked a million francs for herself, and three hundred thousand for the author, M. (Rostand. Her ■tour of six months in the United States and England is to net her another million. This makes two million francs in a year.

Here is a new and characteristic story about the Queen. She commanded the young widow of a certain major of the Artillery, who had fallen in South Africa under- peculiarly sad conditions, to visit her at Windsor; she also asked to see the baby—a posthumous child—to whom she had consented to act _as godmother. When her visitors were leaving, tho Queen expressed a wish to have their photographs, with that of the deceased officer. The widow, with extraordinary lack of taste, had her photograph taken in full evening dress. It was returned by her Majesty. The 'Baroness Burdett-Coutts evidently had to pay the penalty of being the greatest heiress in Great Britain by having to refuse offers of marriage by the score. In reference to this, Lord Houghton once said: “ Miss Courts.likes me because I never proposed to her. Almost all the young men of good family did; those who did their duty by their family always did. Mb Browne (Miss, Coutts’s companion) used to see.it coming, and took herself out of the way for ten minutes, but she'.only went into the nest, room, and left the ,door open, and then the proposal took place, and immediately; it was .done, Miss Contis coughed, and Mrs Browne came in again.” ' 1 'Madame Petit, the charming. little French lady who recently made her first appearance at'-the'Parisian Bar, is the second of her sex to , pass successfully the severe tests, imposed by the legal‘examiners. Mdlle. Chauvin, the .first French ■•woman',lawyer, took her law degree some. four . years ago,-when she fairly astonished her. examiner's by the excellence of her thesis;- <Mdlle; .Chf.uvtn is , short, fairhaired and very winsome-lcoking. She confines herself to cases 1 which .involve tho defence of women, children and orphans having no protectors. It is a noble'aim, and all will wish her success in carrying it out. Castle Pelesch in Sima is . the favourite ■ homo- of Elisabeth, Queen >£ tHoumani*=, 1

usually known as Carmen Sylva.. Picthresquely situated in l ! h.o midst of & dense lor eat,:; wia castle is one of the best specimens of early German Renaissance, and was completed ini 1877. The royal rooms are exquisitely: furnished,‘and contain rare pictures and:other; valuable works of art, while: the'Queens “ study ” is perhaps the of them'nil.'l When writing, Carmen Sylva always, .wears the • picturesque Roumanian 1 costume,‘'lmra-;,,, posed of some solid colour, embroidered": affi; over with red and blue arabesque designs, and over this is draped a, gauzy veil, which shimtda the head. I '■■! A very pretty “romance of the peerage”; (says “M.A.P.”) was that sumdunding ■ the: courtship of the new Lord Darnley and lus wife. - : 'As the Hon. Ivo Bligli, .Lord;.?Dkrhleyj was a'brilliant orioketer, who, in 1882) took: team to Australia. , In the course of a match*; on the 'Melbourne Cricket G-roujidi'.in'Yic-j: toria, ha retired to the pavilion to have aicut ■bandaged. The dressing-room atiendant’fibpr-) ■rowed a lady’s handkerchief for -the; propose.": As it chanced, however,- it was not needed,; and Mr Bligh, with : oid-world courtesyy(ia-| sisted on returning the handkerchief,(hrmself,l in order to thank the owner. Miss Florence; Morphy. The acquaintance ripcnedli into * in-i ; timaoy, laaicl, two years later, they*? wcro|maj>!, : ned. ... I •■■?:• The Duchess of 'Montrose, -l ( , no less renowned than her phfianlfcapy?|:<iw&3]; selling photographs at a bazaar.;:' I Ono|j:|dldf: Scotch “ buddy " of the more frugal very anxious to secure a photograph of the! .Duchess; but the price asked was five shil-j lings. The old woman hesitated;'■ shoiwdniedjl the photograph, hut she could not .well afford! ; so much. “ You can have my hushjmdi'’: said?:; the Duchess, with"-an amused. gMhcb,:M?the|: Duke standing near, “fox two .and?siipeabe,’V: The would-be purchaser looked at tie Euka?; and then at his photograph con.tmnptuqusly;(: “Tia H-a-croon!” she blurted out, “I wouldna'; .give a silver saspence "for him, teho? added insinuatingly, “I’m right-willing.■■ktaiej': give hauf-a-crooa for your bounie:Bel-’'’V| TK«{ Duchess was" unable to resist this, rrsd herself added the other half-crown to the bazaar coffers, or, ca another version of the story goes, the despised "Duke proffered the balance. ; ;■ John. Strange Winter has been writing: about* the modem woman’s hair. She by no, meansf ■ disapproves of the toupee; in fact, isho considers there is a great deal to be said - ,in favoiiM, of it . “If one is going to the; sea. or; to : Sco4- ; land, the land of mists,, what;"an eyerlasfing : nuisance a fringe is. It is always .but df ?chri,.. always disarranged, always needing.attsaitionj? The simple toupee? made, of naturally?curly■' hair, comes in as fresh os it goes out, Thd transformation only needs a touch hero? end ': there to be as trim "and trig as ever; maid can be ready with a fresh one, andi'ithaF* part of the lady’s toilet can be, made in, two ; minutes. Moreover, to women who suffer‘from! neuralgia in the head, the transformation lie ai positive luxury, for, though very light, ;it is ; ■warm. Then, again, looked at from a? beauty! standpoint, the transformation is a vast improvement to a woman’s looks. A slim, young girl has an aureole of bright hair which; seta! ; off her face and long slim throat to) perfection?; ■Time thins the hair, while it thickens lithe,; throat, and adds largely to the shoulders! and; bust, and , the effect is often no less than horrid.”