A story of the Great Duke.

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 1 July 1903, Page 81

A story of the Great Duke.

The following anecdota is told by Lady Rose Weigall in the interesting volume of letters, just published, written by the great Duke of Wellington to her father and her mother, ''the dearest Priscilla" it the correspondence, who vvaa the Duke's favourite I'icce :

I forget if it was at Walmer or at Strathfiek'isaye that he one evening in the drawing room lang the bc"ll several times, and no ser\.uTt answering it, he became extremely angry.

When at la=t a footman appeared, tho Di'kc stoimed (wi'h verj strcng language) at hw i.cglect of duty.

I, a iin,ill c'M'd, "o far from being frightened, thought it exceedingly funny to see the !)uk<; ngry, and went .r.to fiU of laughter.

This checked hun, and the footman iaitcr-posr-d, saying, "If your (Jrace will look, you will see the bell is broken, and never ra.ng at all. I only came in for something o]?,\"

The Duke examined tho boll, nd then turned to ihe footman and said : " Yes, I was wroiLg. lam very sorry, William, and I beg vcur pardon," and them, turning to m°, add-fd, in his gruff voio-\ "Always own when you ?ro in the wrong."