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    The girl had " a fine breast of milk , " which is a marketable commodity ; and there was a demand for that article at Audley Hall . The custom in these cases is strange , and I should hardly have believed it , if I had not learned it from one who would not deceive and could not be mistaken Even in the most respectable families , there is a preference for girls whose children are not easily accounted for ; because such mothers are not embarrassed with " followers . " If the woman be married , her husband may wish to see her , and thus a strange man might acquire a kind of moral right to intrude upon the household ; which is not thought convenient . Hence the aristocratic Romulus is supplied with some she-wolf isolated from all tiesby having no recognized ties . The nutrix is well fed , and pampered into a capricious paltry animal , trained to make mere appetites the object and means of life . " My beer" is the best asserted right of the foster mother to the aristocratic little Romulus ; nay , the vilest of spirituous depravities , gin , often finds its way into the veins of gentle blood ; and thus democraey takes its revenge on the patrician order—but not thus only : for the outcasts of the people are a double Nemesis to the haughty contemners of the people . An officious constable suspected so opportune a death ; the grandchild of poor Mrs . Johnson was raised from its grave , and vulgar fellows in coats edged with red cord , intruded a troublesome inquiry into the household of the outraged Audley . The master of the house was much offended that the constables had given him no warning , in order that Fanny Chetham might be conveyed to her cell without scandal to the house . Breakfast was deranged ! Moreover there was some unexplained cause of solicitude ¦ which I did not fathom , though it evidently included me in the anxiety to hu * h up the affair . "We were all assembled in the breakfast room , the untasted meal upon the table—one mouthful bitten out of Audley ' s toast . Audley sat in magisterial wrath at the intrusion of a warrant not his own . His wife , his daughters , the tutor , the servants around ; the police near the magistrate ; the culprit in the centre . I had never really seen her before ; but now I could not avoid it . I saw a figure really far from being ungraceful—it had at least the grace of youth about it . Although the face was downcast , I could see it—the fixed blush , the eye filled with the unfailing tear , the sad abstracted look . To murder one ' s child is the act of a devil ; and yet that girl , too probably a murderess , was no devil . From that sad spectacle , which I only dared to look upon because my eyes were not seared with hatred or contempt , I looked around , and saw no signs of pity anywhere . The children had been sent away ; but two of the elder daughters , besides the married one , remained forgotten . Curiosity , dislike , cold alienation from a " vulgar person" in disgrace , were the prevailing traits of the expression . The police-seigeant pursued his routine inquiries with an unflinching disregard of the good company around him ; and I could discern in all the educated bystanders—except Audley , who was supported by the inherent majesty of the law—a passing blush and an uneasy wincing as the rude interrogatory violated the rules of l > ienseance ; but curiosity was stronger than shame ; and there was no shuddering for the poor wretch who had heard all uncontradicting and unmoved . And this , I said to myself , is a creature of the same kind as Yscult—as Yscult of our valley , as Yscnlt aux blanches mains , as Elena , as Margaret . She was suffering , and she could have loved ! " A spring of love gushed from my heart , " , advancing to her , I said , " I do not know whether you arc rightly accused or not ; but if you have to stand before the accuser , it . shall not be quite without support . 1 will see that you an ; at least helped to justice . " The poor wretch fell on her knees as if struck , and burying her face in her bunds , she cried , in a voice ; ( hat seemed to writhe with agony , though her attitude was fixed , " O ( Jod , forgive me ! I am not , innocent , Sir ; I did it—1 killed it ; , and it shrieked in inv face !" Just at that moment Stanhope broke in , to take me off . I set oil" at once . Audley urged me to return soon ; and I promised poor Kunny Chethnni , who listened in silence— -she concealed her lace Ironi me—that 1 would not leave ; her long . '" Von are a strange , fellow , " said Audley , as we ; shook hanels ; " but we- shall e-ivili / e ; you in time . " Strange in what ? l ' e-e-ause ; I e-oulel not . see' that . niiseTv , or even crime ' , can dissolve ( he natural sympathy between iellow-eivafurcs—especially the : sympathy for helpless suH ' ering ' . ' Or strange ' , because I elo not uuelerslanel how Knglislnm-n can ignen-e ; se > much that , is passing arenmel them ? I asked ? Kelwardcs what Audley meant . " Oh , " he- answered , " he ; was amuseel at , your interfering , e > r at , yemr disposition te > keep up the subject , iiiNteael of leaving it , to the ; police * . We-, in Kiiglanel , know these things we'll enough ; but , we- count them among the ; tacendu . There is ne > use in tulkhit j about them . " And thus , bv favour of silence , each Knglishmnn nurses the ; ielea that his experience is " an exceptional case' ; " by favour of the ; silence , more ; is done ; ; by favour of the silence , the causes of the ; universal disease are suflcreel to continue ; , to multiply unchecked , unrcbuked ; by favour of the ' silence , depravity enjoys the privilege of a presumptive necessity ; by favour of tht ; silence , society divided by itself , submits to laws which eacU finds te > be impracticable , and disobeys for himself , though he tries to enforce ; them on his neighbour ; by favour of the silence , society prcl . eiuls to he ; what ; it is not , and is what it abhe ) i \ s ; ami when detection tears oil' the ; veil , it avenges the shame by making the ; unfortunate a peace-oH \; ring to the ielol of Respectability . It is that silenee of the Englishman under the universal

    tyranny , that coward submission not to speak out for the punished victim where all are accomplices , which is the crowning depravity . When I s the social working of this hideous masquerade , I thank God that I am not a " good citizen , " but a vagabohd , an outlaw , an alien from such a community , " And what would you have instead ? " asked Edvvardes . " You should not destrov until you are prepared to build . " . ,

    " What ! " I exclaimed , " would you not abandon and destrov the wretched wigwam reeking with smoke , with foulness , and with vermin ? Is it not better to break it up , and sleep under the broad sk y , and the stars , or even the cloud and the wind ? Death itself is respectable , when it is the work of the free uncontaminated elements . " " But we must have faith in something—we must have some standard of conduct , imperfect though it be , till we get a better . " "And have you faith , " I said ; " have yon any faith in the counterfeit which you know to be a counterfeit ? Which you only abstain from calling so ?"

    And why , I asked him , do downright practical Englishmen aim at all their most precious objects by indirect means , where simple and direct means are possible ? It is not for me , an unlettered man , an alien to society , a Vagabond , to devise laws . However , I have promised him to say what the facts which I observe may suggest to me , as they would probably to him , if he could venture to look freely at the subject . But I have not yet quite probed the disease .

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    THE THEATRES . Gossip report is busy . The Princess ' s , the Adelphi , and the Olympic , are running a race in the production of the new drame larmoyant now playing at the Ambigu , under the title of Marie Simon—and as the question of copyright will here come into play , I am curious about the issue . Mr . Farren has bought the piece , and has rehearsed it for a fortnight . Mr . Webster started for Paris to see it . Mr . Kean , eager for a part for Mrs . Kean , has also employed a dramaturge to " do" the piece for him . And now for the neclc and neck race ! While retailing this gossip , let me add that Marstou ' s new play is in active rehearsal at the Princess ' s , and is highly spoken of . The Lyceum : opens on Monday vith a revival of the Golden Fleecea new farce , and a new comedy by

    , Planche . Druky Lane awaits another " enterprising" manager . At Svdlek ' s Wells novelty follows quick on novelty—the last being Planchu ' s adaptation of Rowley ' s Woman Never Vext . At the Haymar--ket we have had two new farces . The Woman I Adore is a translation ol L'Llee Fixe , badly done , and not worth the doing . Buckstone , as an amatory clerk , who falls in love with a countess , and is invited to her bail by his hoaxing fellow clerks , was occasionally laughable , as Buekstone aflair 1 the

    cannot fail to be ; but the piece itself is a very poor . see dialogue is praised in the Times for its " oddity ; " to me the only " oddity seemed to lie in the fact of a man deliberately writing it , and a public occasionally laughing at it . There was but one joke that rose above the medianical commonplace facetiousness of the style , and that ua . tin ; deseriptioii of the high-trotting horse , " as if his leg * were oi different lengths . " I don ' t often criticise the style of farces-- ^ n ? but the Times calling attention to this dialogue , 1 could not p : ^

    On Thursday , Sterling Coynes with gay audacity , ventured on tl perilous attempt of trying the ; ' public , with a e ; ontinuation ol Box ami- ¦ Continuations are proverbially failures . At least the public wont "J' < J 1 ' them . Intrinsically I think the Odyssey ii liner poem than the - ""'" . , ( , the former ( tarries off the palm . Paradise Iteyahicd no one plnce * > * ( Paradise J . oxl , in spite of JV 1 ilton ' s paternal preferenee . ll >« " . ' , ' , !' ; ns of Dun Qulvofa is in .-my degrees leas popular than the ; I ' *!'/ . '' ' .. it in

    iiner pliihmophie touches , bnt it is less amusing . Dumus , L ' , , rwea to keen up the interest in bis intenn . nable e-ontmuations ; " < j shouhl he ever stop , or readers ever tire V There is one very good . < aj ^ Mgainst continuations , even if we suppose Uie author h vigoui n ^^ . ^ his primal freshness of interest in his own creations (( j . r ( ' "' ,, lik <' ilcither he must repeat the lirsl , part , or he ; must do ' . . " ( ' " " ^ () Ilir | J 1 i . i-If he repeal himself , I he reader is apt to he wearied ; d Iwj u <> / (| ,. > in unlike his commencement , the ; n-, u \ cv is disappointed . : !'"' , ' j saim

    fact . ; makes this impracticable elcmaiHt : . me . --- » . » . --- ^ ( , , This unrcasoiinMe demand Sterling Coyne braves in J " [ Uh [ |( , Married ami Settled and l <\> rtune \ woni : m that she- is , is < ' <> ^ ^ , , embrace' the brave ! The success was immense ' . llox '""' . ( ol ' H il . h cejual to the demand imide on them , and the dialogue was i ^^ j ; , ^ ( l | l fun and oddity . That is genuine farce dialogue , with huigliU' ^ , the e-lice'ks of " extni , vagaiic <' , and " holding both its sides . W ( i | i ( | uir ( { in is in that piece , not of the ; meelianicid and dreary kmel to > { iTil j Uie Wonum I Adore , but of the kind which animal spun . *

    . humour Iling inlo care-less e-onvcrsatioii , e-e-rtinn ol sue-e-e-ss . 4 . ^ , ( iJJI 11 i , ^ " Of ( he ; p iece itself , expect no desm |) tion from n" * . '• ' U vlU ul ; »»«' l ' iircc , the ; most elfee . tive points would Kerm pomth'ss « h (\ n i i ^ ll | UJ , | , | ,, r , this is an ,-xlravaga . wc which needs all the willing eredii . | () f , ll (! , | . a-2 ill ( he ; oddit y of Keeley and Hiiekslone , and all the « - K ( . ( . | ey «»* | ,, gue , l <> carry it through : they carry it , and > . ) ' "" . , / ,, in t . | , e * W \ oxeessively luimy ; his npnenranee allera " st « i »< l-ui » h ,,,,,, 1 , 11 ft ,,- his gingham umbrella " e-onvulned" rho l . ouMe- ¦ »»' Mr ' . c ,,,, ! - p hraHe-. JIuedcHtone , waH ineliflcrcnt . M , ; h . H " « -k . nglmm . A ( Jo |( I 1 a field we're the wives of Box and Co . r , and very good * iv < ylV IAJ ,. nee it .

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    ^ 002 T HE L E ADEL [ Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 16, 1852, page 1002, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1956/page/22/