SCANDAL IN HIGH LIFE.
$CARCELY a month passes without some tale of "scandal in high life" bursting upon the astonished world. It bursts out and is hushed up again with equal abruptness; mystifies the ignoble vulgar, and is forgotten. It assumes shapes so various, that the tairsory observer cannot classify the facts. Perhaps it is, that Lady Adele or Lady Georgiana has run away to be married ; some mismanagement on the part of parents saving to her Lydia Languish's doom, a marriage in the regular way, "with consent of friends." But even in this common class of irregularities each specimen varies from its fellows. Now the young lady is sup- posed to be in the nursery, and is found to be at Gretna Green ; as though child and parents were strangers to each other—the parents not knowing even that she had grown to be a woman-- she treating her "natural ;guardians" as a sort of natural ene- mies, to be mistrusted. Now the evasive young couple were to have been married by consent ; but at some day fixed by the coolest and most indifferent calculation of the friends aforesaid, without regard for the impatience proper to youth. The public is further scandalized by seeing a peer interpose to prevent the marriage, though quite regular in all legal forms; and by seeing a beneficed clergyman shrink from his duty at the importunate instance of rank. Again, the public is thoroughly mystified by seeing a young couple elope, and then married by the father's chaplain ; as though the parental consent actually awaited the elopement. There is, to the eyes of the uninitiated, strange for- getfulness of natural sense and natural affections.
But happy the irregularities that end so happily. It is not always so. More monstrous stories are sometimes bruited. At one time the public learns with amazement that in "high life" the imputation of light conduct is made with the utmost levity. The commonest morbid personal appearances suffice to entail upon a lady the open imputation of expected maternity, though the ring is absent from the finger and the maiden's conduct has been absolutely irreproachable. Actions for criminal conversation make known the astounding fact, that there is many an Othello in "high life," only not black—many a Desdemona, only not virtuous: the case is so common that it needs no Iago to awaken suspicion. You also learn that persons who bear titles, though they can scarcely claim that of gentleman, habitually listen to the most odious talebearing of low servants, and set vagabond men as spies upon the privaoy of their wives. Nay, worse : you find that in those upper circles the memory of former affection, of former worship, will not consecrate woman against the most hideous prying into the secrets of the dressing-room ; but that circumstances are dragged into open day which no exigencies of evidence can justify. For there, are facts which a man would never expose to the eye of strangers, though for lack of the exposure he should fail a hundred times in a court of law. - The public is puzzled, and on each occasion asks what it all means ? "what can be the matter up there t"—The causes are not very recondite. Luxury and leisure may explain much. Supe- Tier rank and superior wealth bring immunity from common pe- nalties, a sense of superiority to ordinary restraints. In every
class, the bulk of the individuals must be commonplace persons. With the truly refined, that powerful restrainer good taste pre- vails; but with the mob, the 'great mob" as well as little, the good taste which is a living principle for the few becomes a dry set rule to the many ; the very multiplication of artificial refine- ments misleads from the steadfast light of nature inwardly shining ; forms and etiquettes usurp the place of natural affec- tions, except where the instinctive feelings are suddenly- and vigorously evoked in some way that overrides forms and eti- quettes. Large houses help to beget personal separations and estrangements in families : parents and children are at times in the relation of lodging-house-keeper and tenant; the child much in the position of a tenant who cannot pay his rent and dreads to meet his surly landlord on the stairs. What if such a landlord stand in the way of a love-match ? will he be consulted.
Sometimes men wake, up from this sickly dream of artificial " life " to look abroad upon the life of Nature: but it is when they stand on the threshold of the tomb, to gaze back upon their fruit- less path ; or when, overtaken by some calamity, they seek the arms of Nature to weep in them—to repent—and sulk. Strange, that they so seldom wake up when it is in their power to do so for some good purpose.
Are these irregularities to be reformed by a sterner severity? Alas ! that would only induce further evils. Happily, the age of domestic tragedies is waning. Most of the minor irregularities recently made known—the elopements—have been very judi- ciously followed by parental reconcilement ; and there has been an evident desire to show that no severity was contemplated. This is proof of a great and blessed change. There has indeed, been a talk of abolishing Gretna Green, in the hope of preventing runaway matches. Let the abolitionists beware. Irregularities of that kind, not followed by marriage, would be a novelty in the history of the Aristocracy. Do not prevent Romeo from marrying his Juliet : you would not abridge the number of assignations, but you would convert the gallant into a cowardly seducer, disgracing himself and his order. The .Aris- tocracy is as yet tolerably free from that degradation—the ineffa- bly base selfishness of the man who hesitates to make reparation to the woman. Epicureanism has had its victims; but the shop- keeping calculation, how to obtain favours without a chivalrous service in return, has yet to be learned. Many an erring woman of noble blood has been consigned to bitter misery and death as the penalty of passion; but the Aristocracy has not yet begun actually to furnish its contingent for the pave. And any Love- lace who may think that he can introduce an inncwation of that sort had better revise his calculations. There is indeed one rule which, candidly observed, will serve as a faithful clue out of most social difficulties—the rule of kindness. Selfishness has its day of enjoyment, such as it is; but it pays a heavier penalty than any other social offence. Dreary is the old age of the heartless. He is the true Epicurean whose delights are not embittered by the tears of others, save only the zest of that exquisite salt which human weakness distils from the eyes of happiness itself.
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