THE ‘ALMIGHTY DOLLAR’ IN LONDON SOCIETY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XII, Issue XIII, 31 March 1894, Page 298

THE ‘ALMIGHTY DOLLAR’ IN LONDON SOCIETY.

By

MISS ELIZABETH L. BANKS.

MEXICANS are accused of having a too imfyA vl/ct pHcit confidence in the purchasing power of SZCWml their country’s coin. In fact, certain Vyk foreigners have been known to say that the <5 god referred to in the motto •In God We Trust,’ engraved on the silver dollar, is in reality a deity of white metal designed and fashioned at the United States Mint. • The trouble with your people,’ said an Englishman to me recently, ‘is that you put too much value on money. It is a convenient article, I will admit; but you seem to have an idea that you can do anything with it. • And, pray, will you give me a list of the things money will not buy in England as well as in America V I replied.. ‘Well, for instance,’ he answered, ‘ take birth and position. You have AN ARISTOCRACY OF MONEY IN AMERICA. Here we have one of blood, where pounds, shillings, and pence are not taken into consideration.’ • Ah, indeed !’ I responded ; ‘ I don’t know anything about the pounds, shillings, and pence feature nf the case ; but I am inclined to think that our dollars and cents are something nf a social factor over here.’ My English friend, bless his dear old aristocratic heart, appeared to be greatly shocked at my suggestion, and assured me that 1 was greatly mistaken. I longed for facts with which to confront him, and, having faith in advertising as a means of getting anything that one is willing to pay for, I wrote out an advertisement, which the next day appealed in the personal columns of a prominent London paper. Thus it ran :— A Young American Lady of means wishes to meet with a Chaperon of highest social position, who win introduce her into the best English Society. Liberal terms. Address, ‘Heiress.’ . • EXCEPTIONAL ADVANTAGES ’ Two days later, calling at the office of an advertising agency on Piccadilly, I found eighty-seven letters (needless to remark that there were no post-cards) in answer to my advertisement. I had offers from every fashionable neighbourhood in London. Park lane, Cavendish-square, Grosvenor-square, South Kensington, West Kensington, all were represented ; and the thoughtlessness of the writers in signing their full names and titles to their epistles was something that surprised me. However, nearly every letter was marked at the top ‘Confidential,’ • Private.* or‘Personal,’ and it seemed to be an understood thing that the affair should go no further. The confidence they exhibited in the ‘ honour ’of a total stranger was rather touching. Still I hope the applicants will forgive me if. after having, in the kindness of my heart, kept their names nut of print, I am now tempted to publish some of their correspondence. Here is the exact copy of one off the letters : —

Number —, street. Park-lane. Madam,—ln answer to your advertisement I beg to say that I have a very charming house at the above excellent address, which, in itself, would almost insure you a good social position. I speak of this, thinking that you. being an American, may not be aware that a good London address is of much importance in a social way to one whose position is not already established by birth. lam the widow of a well-known naval officer, the late Sir Blankety Blank, of whom you have doubtless heard, and I am also entitled in my own right. My position is assured, and I can introduce you to the very best people in England, and present you at Court at the first Drawing I could take you into my home next spring, or we could travel together during the winter and return to London-at the beginning of the season. I would suggest that yon spend the winter months, or a part of them, in the South of France, where you would meet the most fashionable Seople. It may be of interest to you to know that I chaperoned fiss Porkolis. of Chicago, three years ago. and introduced her at Court, although she did not reside with me, as her mother took a furnished house in London for the season. I can give you good references as to my standing, and would require in return a solicitor’s and banker’s references as to your financial position. My terms in London for three months in the spring would be £2OO per month, which would include board and residence. If you decided to travel, the terms while on the Continent would be £lOO per month, you to pay travelling and hotel expenses for both. Of course, you would also be expected to defray such expenses as carriage-hire, a maid. etc. In thinking over these terms, you must take into consideration that I offer you exceptional advantages.—Very truly yours. A.8.C., Lady In reading this letter, I was particularly struck with the fact that the writer, although she required my banker’s and solicitor’s reference as to my financial standing, asked for no voucher for my respectability and position in my own country. She was READY TO BARGAIN TO INTRODUCE ME not only to the best English society, hut to the Queen herself, for upwards of £l.OOO, or something over 5 OOOdols in American monev. I agreed with her that the advantages she bad to offer were exceptional. The name the lady gave was one well known to me, and I was aware that she was not exaggerating when she spoke of her position in society, I had also the honour of a passing acquaintance with Miss Porkolis, whom she merit ioned as havincrchaperoned. Hiring the use of a private letter-box. I wrote Lady a letter couched in the terms :— Dear M adam.—ln reply to your lettcrl think it only honourable that I should tell you something about myself before making an appointment to see you. lam an American girl, an orphan of considerable means, and am willing to pay liberally for what I require. I should, of course give you the best of references in regard to my financial qualifications, and would even pay you a K*t of the money In advance: but before meeting you I must be nk enough to inform you that although I myself am fairly educated and of presentable appearance, nearly all the members of my family are ordinary people with little or no refinement and education. But. of course, none of them are In Europe, and you would never need to come in contact with them. My father owned large ranches out West, and when he died three years ago left me the bulk of his fortune. I do not think there is anything about me that would lead you to feel ashamed of me: but I feel it my duty to toll you that so far as the rest of my family are concerned. they •re what in my country would be termed as ‘ common as dirt.’ Your terms are not higher than I should expect them to be. I llk<* the idea of travelling in France; and when I returned to England I shsuld want you to give some very elegant receptions and balls for no—l. of course, to boar all expense connected with them.

As I have told you so much about my private aflMrs, I would not care to give you my name and address until I again hear from you. and know that you would be willing to undertake my chaperonage and introduction at Court under such circumstances as I have mentioned. If you answer in the affirmative. I will make an appointment for you to meet me at my hotel, where I am staying with my maid.—l am, Madam, very truly yours, Library, Regent-street, W. The next day I received this note :— Lady presents her compliments to E. L. B. and begs to say that she can see no reason why she should not act as her chaperon, provided E. L. B. is herself a refined young lady and can furnish the reference previously referred to from her solicitor and banker. Lady will be pleased if E. L. B. will make an early appointment for a meeting at her hoteL That was the end of my negotiations with Lady . . Her answer to my very frank avowal of my family connections certainly proved that she cared little for my ancestry or antecedents, so long as I could furnish the necessary number of dollars. STRICTLY HONOURABLE INTENTIONS. I have given some specimens above of the sort of replies I received in answer to my advertisement, in which I stated that an American lady of means was willing to pay handsomely for good social introductions in London. Although I had intended that my advertisement should appeal to lady chaperons only, I received some rather flattering offers from members of the opposite sex. One of the most interesting of the letters was from a gentleman matrimonially inclined. Here it is word for word : Will the young American lady who has Just put an advertisement in the paper relative to her desire to meet an English chaperon of high social position, allow the writer of this letter to address a few lines to her. and. as Americans are always candid and outspoken, permit me to be the same ? May I ask you to consider over what I write, and perhaps your advertisement may be the means of working out our mutual good. Possibly you may desire to enter London society with the idea of what is called ‘ settling' yourself. You maybe more or less alone in England; and perhaps you like this country, its society, and customs. You would possibly desire to marry an Englishman of high social position, who could place you in a certain circle where you would lead others. lam a man who holds a first-rate position. lam a country gentleman, have a fine place, house, ana estate, have been an officer in a distinguished regiment, and know many people of position and rank. lam just at present in iondon; and if you think it would be worth your trouble to at least talk the matter over. I would treat you with all honour and respect. This would, of course, include silence. On the other hand, it would be AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY THAT YOU SHOULD BE A LADY OF ‘ CONSIDERABLE ’ FORTUNE ; and when I mention this, I trust that you will not judge me until Ku know my reasons for thus putting it. Whatever fortune you ve would be always your own. If you think well of what I have written you, I would be most happy to meet you at whatever time you may appoint, at your own residence or elsewhere. Then judge me and see what manner of man I am. This communication bore the stamp of a well- known Westend Club. In my answer I hinted that, although I had not advertised for a husband, I was not averse to considering the proposal to which he bad so delicately alluded. Having a desire to follow up the matter, I engaged a room at a certain fashionable hotel for a day, and made an appointment for the gentleman to call. On the afternoon appointed I awaited him in the drawing-room of the hotel. I wore my most stylish-looking costume, various pieces of showy jewellery, and a pair of diamond eanings. thinking to impress my would-be husband with a sense of my wealth and magnificence. At four o’clock in the afternoon my suitor made his appearance. He was A FINE-LOOKING ARISTOCRATIC MAN OF MIDDLE AGE. His manners were relined and elegant, and I could not help thinking that I was dealing with neither a fool nor a knave, but with a thorough English gentleman. We had half an hour’s chat, in which my social aspirations were discussed in the most business-like manner. I did not give my real name, neither did my companion tell me his own. I addressed him by the assumed name he had signed in his letter. Ha informed me that he was a widower of excellent position, but that he was somewhat financially embarrassed. He wished to marry a lady of wealth, and for the nse of her money be was willing to give her his name and a good social position. Afterwards I made some investigations in regard to the man ; and to my surprise it turned out that he was exactly wbat he represented himself to be : a country gentleman of titled family, who was anxious to recuperate his decaying fortnnes by marrying an heiress—an American girl preferred. I discovered his real name and address, and since my interview with him I have often seen bis name mentioned in the society columns of the papers. He is still unmarried, and I suppose is still looking for a wife. So here is an opportunity for one of our American heiresses to purchase not only an introduction at Court, but a husband with mortgaged estates in the bargain. THE PRICE OF A CHAPERON. On paper of the finest quality, ornamented with a family crest of considerable dimensions, Mrs Twostars presented her compliments to me and begged to say that she would be happy to entertain the idea of chaperoning the young American lady and give her a delightful cheerful home. Mrs T., as well as her four daughters, had been presented at Court. The daughters had all married well, and their proud mother felt no compunction in saying that she thought she could introduce the young American lady to many gentlemen of birth and title, if not of fortune. She moved in excellent society and was fond of entertaining. Terms for London season and presentation, £5OO or $2 500. Mrs Twostars enclosed her photograph, a portrait of herself in her Drawing R x»m gown, which, by the way, had a button off the front The photograph was returned in the stamped' and addressed envelope thoughtfully enclosed. The lady proved to be the daughter of a distinguished baronet and the wife of a man well known in London society.

Lady So-and-So, of Queen’s Gate, wrote that she would be glad to chaperon me. Terms £6OO to £BOO sterling, according to arrangements and the advantages required. The Countess de Blank was also open to an engagement. She was an Englishwoman married to a foreign title. A CERTAIN DOWAGER OF EXALTED RANK, well-known on two continents, informed me that she would undertake my chaperonage and would hire a furnished house for me near Park Lane ; the rent would be not less than £5O per week during the season. Her own place was in the country, and she had given up her town house. She would devote her whole attention to the management of the establishment, and would introduce me as her young American friend or distant relative, if I desired. Besides the house rent, I must bear the entire expense of keeping up the place, giving balls, theatre parties, etc., and the dowager herself would expect the sum of £2,000 for her services. I supposed these figures were not remarkably high for a lady of so much * position,’ and, having some curiosity to make her acquaintance, I wrote asking for an appointment to call. RATHER EXPENSIVE. On the day appointed 1 started ont to call on Lady , the titled dame who had intimated her willingness to chaperon me for £2 0)0. It was with considerable selfconfidence that I stepped from a smart brougham before the door of her aristocratic abode, for I carried with me the assurance of my dressmaker that I looked a veritable Western heiress just from Paris; and the matter of dress being satisfactorily arranged, I felt no donbt as to my aoility to cairy ont the idle I had undertaken to play. Lady was particularly gracious. She was not by any means such a cold-blooded bargainer as I had imagined her to be—that is, she did not look it. A more aristocratic, refined, and interesting woman I bad never met. She candidly explained that she was in great need of money, and obliged to either increase her income or diminish her expenses. Unlike one of my other correspondents, she was nnable to refer me to any American girl whom she had chaperoned, as she had never before attempted to make money out of her social position ; but she confidentially assured me that some of her friends made such use of their influence, and she sawno reason why she should not do thesame. We discussed the pros and cons of the matter over onr tea. I was promised not only a social position, hut a husband. Just who thegentleman was my hostess did not say; but she knew he could be secured. But not for the £2,000. Oh no. That sum of money would take me only as far as Buckingham Palace. In fact, it would not even take me there ; for, besides my chaperon’s salary, I must pay the honse-rent, carriage-hire, with such incidentals as butchers’ and bakers’ bills and other little accessories that in three months would certainly amount to considerably over £l,OOO. Then there was my wardrobe. The lady suggested that it wonld need refurnishing, and she knew of a wonderfully clever Westend dressmaker. There were also the presentation drees, the bouquets, boutonnieres for the coachmen, a string of pearls for myself, because they would be girlish and simple, and all that; for these ana many more things another £l,OOO wonld not go too far. • And how much do you charge for the husband?’ was the abrupt question I felt inclined to pnt. But I only said sweetly, * If I really got married I would not forget you, of course.’ She answered laughingly, * You might make me a present, you know.’ So the result of my interview was, that I was to pay out between £4,000 and £5,000 for a * season ’ in London, introductions into the best society, and a presentation at Court. _ It was more than probable that during my career as a society belle, some poor bnt fascinating young, middleaged, or old nobleman (no matter what his age so long as his lineage was correct) would fall deeply in love with me, lured on, possibly, by my chaperon’s representations concerning the state of my cattle ranches ont West. Then I wonld marry him and be an ornament to society, and I would give Lady a little present of a cheqne or a house in Park Lane, or even some land in the far Western State, where my herds grazed peacefully on a thousand hills. Surely the purchasing power of the ‘almighty dollar ’ was not to be despised.