Lady Harriet d'Orsay

339

D'Orsay answered Landor's letter, stating that he had written to Lord Burghersh," to tell him that when a person is completely ignorant of the duties of his ministry he ought then to take the opinion of others."

Dr. Madden, describing Lady Harriet as he saw her in March 1828, a few months after her marriage, wrote:

"Lady Harriet was exceedingly girlish-looking, pale and rather inanimate in expression, silent and reserved; there was no appearance of familiarity with any one around her; no air or look of womanhood, no semblance of satisfaction in her new position were to be observed in her demeanour or deportment. She seldom or ever spoke, she was little noticed, she was looked on as a mere schoolgirl. I think her feelings were crushed, repressed, and her emotions driven inwards, by the sense of slight and indifference, and by the strangeness and coldness of everything around her; and she became indifferent, and strange, and cold, and apparently devoid of all vivacity and interest in society, or in the company of any person in it. People were mistaken in her, and she perhaps was also mistaken in others. Her father's act had led to all these misconceptions and misconstructions, ending in suspicions, animosities, aversions and total estrangements.

"In the course of a few years, the girl of childish mien and listless looks, who was so silent and apparently inanimate, became a person of remarkable beauty, spirituelle, and intelligent, the reverse in all respects of what she was considered, where she was misplaced and misunderstood."

CHAPTER XIX

All the great and solid perfections of life appear in the finished gentleman, with a beautiful gloss and varnish; everything he says or does is accompanied with a manner, or rather a charm, that draws the admiration and good will of every beholder.

CH

The Guardian.

HARLES JAMES MATHEWS gives some interesting pictures of the Blessington establishment in the year 1823, when they were occupying the Palazzo Belvedere at Naples, an Italian palace of the ideal sort, situated on the heights of Vomero, overlooking the city and the bay; it was rich in frescoes and marble arcades, while the gardens were a succession of terraces, adorned with groves of orange-trees and pomegranates, brilliant masses of flowers and fountains.

In the great salon of the palace Lady Blessington had her table, laden with books and writings, in another stood that of D'Orsay, similarly littered; a third table was devoted to Miss Power, and a fourth to Charles Mathews.

Lord Blessington was a man with a foible-the fear of catching cold! D'Orsay declared that a key left crossways in the keyhole of a door would create sufficient draught to annoy his lordship. Once when Mathews was examining the ruins of some villas at Baiae, which were to a certain extent under water, Lord Blessington became very worried, saying:

"Take care, for heaven's sake take care, you will be in the water."

D'Orsay's Quarrel with Mathews

341 His wife retorted: "Oh, do let the boy alone, Blessington. It won't hurt him to fall in, he can

swim."

"Yes," was the answer, "and I shall get my death of cold driving back by his side."

Lord Blessington tried to induce all very hot day he

In 1824, while D'Orsay and Mathews were still at the Palazzo Belvedere, they had a great quarrel, as a consequence of which Mathews demanded "satisfaction," but happily the matter was brought to a peaceful ending. It arose, as quarrels will arise, from a cause which had nothing to do with the relationship of the two young men-they had, indeed, become close companions, sharing every pursuit, Mathews affirming that he felt himself more D'Orsay's pupil than his equal. had a passion for yachting, which he around him to share, and on one desired all the company to "take a run across the Bay.' The ladies excused themselves on the plea of the heat, D'Orsay declined to go without making any excuse, and Lord Blessington, very annoyed, fell back upon Mathews. That young man unfortunately said that he was very anxious to make a certain sketch, at which his host, out of all temper, responded sharply, "I only hope you will make the sketch; for even your friend D'Orsay says that though you carry your sketch-book everywhere you bring it back with nothing in it."

At this Mathews, annoyed, went out of the room and left Lord Blessington to go for a lonely sail.

During the afternoon the four who were left went for a drive; all quiet, but D'Orsay particularly glum. Mathews broke the silence with, "I have to thank you, Count d'Orsay, for the nice character for diligence which you have given of me to Lord Blessington."

"Comment?" said the Count, with flashing eyes.

"It would have been pleasanter had you told me instead of his lordship

"You are the biggest beast and humbug I have ever met," burst out D'Orsay furiously; "and the next time you speak to me like this I will break your head and throw you out of the window."

Lady Blessington called the Count to order, but so violent was the young man's passion that he proceeded to still greater lengths.

Later in the day Mathews received a note from D'Orsay telling him that one of the things for him to learn was to keep his place, by which he would know how to preserve himself from the necessity of being humbled; that whatever had been said about him had been said in conversation with Lord and Lady Blessington, and the worst was that he was stupid not to practise drawing more. The note ended by reminding him that he had put D'Orsay under the cruel necessity of forcibly showing him his right place, and he might have avoided it by remembering to whom he spoke.

This note Mathews did not answer until the next day, and then he wrote shortly demanding satisfaction, whereupon D'Orsay, still by letter, rebuked him again, and asked him to name the place and arms.

Mathews wisely went to Naples and placed the affair in the hands of Mr. Madden, who arranged it so well that the young man returned to Belvedere, ready to be friends with the Count. D'Orsay came into the breakfast-room, and taking the hand which Mathews extended said, “I hope, my dear Mathews, that you are satisfied. I am very sorry for what I said to you, but I was angry, and

"My dear Count," broke in Mathews, "speak no more of it, I pray you, I have forgotten all."

Lord Byron's Yacht

343

Later on, when Mathews went into the drawing-room, he found Lady Blessington on the sofa very unwell, Miss Power and D'Orsay near her, the latter in tears. On seeing him the Count repeated his amende honorable, and the affair ended in the restoration of friendly feelings.

Lady Blessington visited Mountjoy soon after her marriage, and something must have happened while she was in Ireland to make her dislike the whole country, for she never would return to it; and when she heard of the

fairy castle," she openly told her husband not to build it for her sake, for she would not go to see it. Thus Charles Mathews lost the chance of making his début as an architect by building a nobleman's castle, but he got in exchange his visit to Ireland, while the suggested few months' stay in Italy was extended to two years. After he left he received some affectionate and brightly written letters from D'Orsay, which prove the vivacity of the latter's spirit as well as his power for making word-pictures.

Lord Byron's yacht, the Bolivar, which lay in the Bay of Naples, was bought by Lord Blessington, who used it much along the coast. The captain, who was named Smith, had a great grievance in that he had not been "posted " by the Admiralty, a matter which caused much fun, as Lady Blessington had a turn for banter, quizzing and joking so gravely that the victim believed her in earnest. D'Orsay often assisted her in "roasting" some unfortunate person, and the captain of the Bolivar lent himself to their humour. He was always ready to air his complaint, and they would have his story over and over again, D'Orsay chiming in with, "Ah, my poor Smid, tell Miladi over again, my good fellow, once more explain for Mademoiselle Power too, how it happens Milords. of the Admiralty never posted you!'

From the time that they first met the Blessingtons kept