Pretty
widows, lively girls, young wives who were not too absurdly devoted to
their husbands, actresses of high standing and good looks, these began
to be welcomed effusively in Arlington Street. Lady Kirkbank began to
hunt for beauties to adorn her rooms, as she had hitherto hunted lions
to roar at her parties. She prided herself on being the first to
discover this or that new beauty. That lovely girl from Scotland with
the large eyes--that sweet young creature from Ireland with the long
eyelashes. She was always inventing new divinities. But even this
change of plan, this more feminine line of politics failed to reconcile
the strict and the stern, the Queen Charlotte-ish elderly ladies, and
the impeccable matrons, to Lady Kirkbank and her sea. The girls who were
launched by Lady Kirkbank never took high rank in society. When they
made good marriages it was generally to be observed that they dropped
Lady Kirkbank soon afterwards. It was not their fault, these ingrates
pleaded piteously; but Edward, or Henry, or Theodore, as the case might
be, had a most cruel prejudice against dear Lady Kirkbank, and the young
wives were obliged to obey.
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