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Show Old Mansion DevoUd to Billing Spurious Spu-rious "Works of Art Matrimonial Matrimo-nial Brokerage That Fay. Society In all cosmopolitnn cit Icb is n mystery, nnd In I'arls mon so than elsewhere, says a London publication. Titles growhereover night. Dukes nnd counts, princes and princesses nrrfvo from nobody knows where, start la'rge establishments, estab-lishments, entertain, nnd get everything on credit. One day there comes a crash. And tholr downfall is watched with a grim smile by some of the members of the old aristocratic families who have been occasion nlly asked If they know a Marquise d'Angelys or n Count Kolwakl. An industry, and n lucrative one, is run on artistic lines, nnd Buccess''lly practiced by n titled mondniuo. This lady has an old mansion in the most fashionable quarter; the wood carvings are of the eleventh century; the pictures urc portraits of her ancestors by old masters. This makes an ideal background for her irnde; for she Is in league with denlers, who place here and there in good positions a doubt ful Qrctizc or a pscudo-Watteau. The victims are admitted to luiidamc's receptions, and admire , und somehow or other get to know that they may make an offer for some of the treasures. It is said that the carvings from mantel piece to ceiling have been sold over nnd over again, and that a j very good income is derived from the pictures. And the society matrimonial broker! The penniless viscount is in search of money to reglld his tarnished escutcheon, whilst Mile. Durand, or Duval, the daughter of a retired tradesman, seeks a coronet cor-onet for hpr pillow. The society broker brings thom together In her salon, and touches a hand some commission when the affair is settled. These are specialists, but every body cannot be a specialist. It requires years of practice, a well-known well-known name, and a large clientele, to carry on a prosperous trade. These woraen are the Roths-childsoftheprofesBion,nndarc Roths-childsoftheprofesBion,nndarc envied en-vied by the smnller fry, whom I may term as commission princess es, who, having no specialty, oper-ate oper-ate generally. They introduce their acquaintances acquaint-ances to dressmakers, milliners, carriage makers, etc., vlio all know that Countess X. or Mine. J. is to be credited with ten per cent, commission on nil articles bought. They nlso levy contributions on restaurants, dentists, and I know Of a ense where a lady squeezed u :ommiBsion out of the vestry board of one of the richest churches for the celebration of n convert's wedding. wed-ding. This was a great feat, but the mistake she made was to have talked uhout it. Then there is tho lady who adorns gentlemen's buttonholes, in other words, who assists them in securing the much coveted Le gion of Honor. This branch of in dustry, however, wnnts delicate handling, nnd can only be prnc t Iced by movers In political circles. Extravagance is nt the root of the evil. It Is not a question of greed. Tho current draws them out of their depth. They are to be pitied, for they lose not only their self-esteem, but often their hardly hard-ly earned positions In a world that merely tolerates them. ' - |
