MISS COLONIA IN LONDON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5273, 1 June 1895, Page 3

MISS COLONIA IN LONDON.

CONFIDENCES TO HER COUSINS

ACROSS THE SEA.

London, March 80. THB BEAUTIFUL DUCHEBS.

Deab Cousin.— The death of "the beautiful Duchess of Leinster " though a surprise to the public, will not greatly astonish anyone who knew her. She never thoroughly got over the death of the Duke, to whom Bhe was devoted, and tor a long time past had been in poor health. Just before Her Grace left Ireland for the South of France, she paid a visit to her husband's grave in the private cemetery of the Fitzgeralds at Carton. Seeing the old gardener at work close by, the Duchess called him to her, and pointing to a spot adjacent to where the Duke lies, expressed her desire to be buried there when Providence should ordain her death. In the neighbourhood of Carton the loss of thia sweet woman iB being mourned alike by all classes. She knew the inner history of every poor family for mileß around, and it was her constant desire to help withont pauperising. The Duchess waa the eldest of the four lovely daughters of the Earl of Feversbam. When Lady Hermione Duncombe was presented in 1883, her exquisite beauty atflonce made her tbe belle ot the season, and the following year the Marquis of Kildare married her amidst great rejoicings. In 1887 the fourth Duke of Leinster died, and Lord Kildare succeeded to the title. Her Grace's willowy figure had by that time filled out, and the title of " the beautiful Duchess'' conferred on her by the fashion papers came to be commonly used. She seemed to have a long, useful and happy life before her, when, fifteen months ago the tall, handsome Duke unexpectedly— as Mr Kipling would say— "went out." The blow prostrated the widow, and, as I began by saying, she never really became reconciled to life afterwards. THE MOUBNING OJ? W. W. ASTOB. One has heard of men mourning their wives in many odd ways, but surely the method of Mr W. W. Astor, the American millionaire, is the quaintest. The Pall Mall Budget was his wife's favourite paper. " Therefore," you say, "of course he cherishes it above the Gazette or any other pf his possessions." Not at all. "It was my wife's favourite paper, so I am going to bury it with her," declares Mr Astor. And buried the poor old Budget was yesterday, when the last number came out. I met Mr Lewis Hind in Bond Street about four. He is one of the nicest men in London to flirt harmlessly with. So I just squeezed his hand sympathetically and said he might give me some tea. "We'll go to Charbonell's, dear lady." was his answer and we went. After I had taken the edge off my fairy appetite with two cups of tea, a plate of cakes and half a pound of caramels, the inclination to gossip became overpowering. " Now tell rue all about it," I commanded. But it seemed there was very little to tell. Erery kind of argument and influence had been brought to bear on Mr Astor in vain. He had resolved to murder the Budget and nought else would satisfy him. Evidently the man is a complete " crank." They hate him in America, and in London— as you may imagine— we don't love him.

Mr Hind made a great success of the Budget, raising its circulation from 20,000 to 60,000 in two years, and trebling the advertising. It was, he says, a real good property, and to show that he believod this, he was quite ready to give any Bum in reason for it. But Mr Astor wouldn't eell.

Did I ever tell you, I wonder, how when a certain journalist went to eee Mr Astor two years ago about the Pall Mall, he waa shown into a room containing amongst other furniture a eolid - looking chest of drawers. The bottom drawer had apparently been left carelessly open, and it was full to the brim of golden sovereigns. A man might have taken out several handfuls, and yet made no impression. Tbe visitor had an insufferably oppressed feeling as though he were being watched, bat whether he really was, or whether the open drawer was just an accident, he never discovered. Mr Astor presently entered and led the way to another apartment. A. BKCBET OUT. The secret of the mysterious resignation f Casimir Perier is now out. It was his wife who worried the already harassed President into shelving ( hia responsibilities. They had both grown deadly eiok of the anxieties and troubles entailed by high office, and the Anarchist threat to kidnap their daughter- brought things to a climax. "Nothing," Baid Madame Perier, " could induce me to stop another week at the Elysee." Her husband's mother, yielding to the pressure of his most intimate frienda, urged him not to desert his post in the hour of difficulty and danger, but her entreaties were in vain. There seems, indeed, accordingto private letters, to have been a struggle for the mastery between the ex-President's mother and wife, the younger of the two manifesting undisguised signs of jealousy at the influence which her mother-in-law endeavoured to exercise over her husband. As usually happens in such warfare, it was the wife who carried the day. DBKSSBS IN "MRB EBBBMITH." Your London correspondent tells me I must not say anything about Pinero'e new play, as hewrotemuch,toomuch,or,atany rate, quite enough, about it last week. I am to confine myself to the dresses. Well, then, the smartest gowna in the Garrick play are thoa,e worn by Misa Ellis Jeffreys, as the parson^ widowed eiater, Gertrude

Thorpo. One is of black and white checked glace, the pouch bodice simply trimmed with a graceful fichu of white chiffon bordered with yellow Valenciennes, the long ends being caught into a waistband of black satin. With this gown she wears a short, full cape of black cloth lined with white satin, and with a neck ruffle of black chiffon. A white straw bonnet, trimmed with wide bows of black plusb, chiffon, divided by jet ears and a black paradise osprey completes a charming toilette. Miss Jeffrey's other dress is of black Sicilian alpaca. It has a plain skirt and a smart coat bodice, with revers of white satin covered with black net, with an applique and frill of cream lace. The full vest is of whito accordion pleated chiffon. Both toilettes are charming conceptions in semi-mourning, and almoßt reconcile one to the possibilities of widowhood.

Mias Calhoun, aa Mrs Cleeve, only appears in one act, but tlie evening gown in which Bhe plays her little part ia exquisite. Ib is made of blaok accordion pleated chiffon, the overhanging fulness of the bodice being caught into a deep jet waistband, while the square cut corsage is bordered with a broad band of jet. She has also aWperb cloak of black glace, patterned with sprays of faint-hued flowers, in which a lovely shade of pink predominates. This shade appears again in the huge silk revers which, with a collar of chinchilla, constitutes the trimming or a very lovely garment. Mrs Patrick Campbell's firat two dressea are, by comparison with the up-to-date smartness of her fellows' attire, "dowdy." The first ia of dark brown serge almost nunlike in ita severity, whilst the second is of gray cashmere similar in cut. Then the change comes, and we see her at the end of the second act in a gorgeous raiment of ehimmering black gauze almost entirely covered with a raised floral design in gold. The corsßge is cut low and the Bleeves simply composed of strings of gold beads. In the last act, Mrs Campbell reverts to nun-like simplicity, and we see her olad in funereal black gown such as any dressmaker can turn out. -The male craaturea in the play affect brown frock coats on all important occasions. It is the prevailing theatrical fahsion and promises to become general. Personally, I don't like brown frock coats. In my humble opinion a man looks hitvery beet in a well cub black frock coat with ample facings of rich silk.