erected by the duchess in 1832, for her mother only; it is a white marble tablet, on which is inscribed: This tablet Was erected to the memory of Mrs. Sarah Entwisle, Wife of Mr. Thomas Entwisle, By her affectionate daughter Duchess of St. Albans. It This tablet was originally intended to have been placed against a wall which divided the churchyard from some private property. is reported in Cheltenham that the individual possessing the latter, finding this position had been selected by the then duchess for the new tablet, demanded a sum considered by all appraisers as most exorbitant for his permission that it might remain there. The advisers of the duchess were, however, of opinion that, as the tablet was on the consecrated side of the wall, he had no right to make a claim, which was probably only brought forward in consequence of her well-known profusion and carelessness about pecuniary matters in the fulfil ment of her projects. All discussion was however terminated by the tablet being placed on the more appropriate station at the head of the tomb, instead of on the wall at some distance. This being done, the whole was enclosed within an iron railing, as it now stands. Besides the death of her mother and the illness of her husband, there were other circumstances of a hardly less painful character which helped to throw a gloom over the otherwise enviable fortunes of Mrs. Coutts. The instant her marriage was publicly known she became the victim of several unjust, uncalled-for, and cowardly attacks by the press, though certainly not the most reputable portion of it. With reference to this period, Mr. Dibdin has obliged us with the following fact:-" A "A female in middle life, with whom she had been formerly domiciliated, once met her alone when she had quitted her carriage to take, by her physician's order, her daily promenade in one of the parks. The friend of Auld Langsyne' respectfully curtsied, and would have passed, but Mrs. Coutts called her back, and, after some friendly inquiries, appointed an interview in Stratton Street; at which she, with an expression of anguish and many tears, declared that her life (in spite of her apparent good fortune, and the kindness of her husband) was most undeservedly made a burthen to her, by the unprincipled attacks of calumniators, who only spoke with a view of being paid to hold their tongues. 66 This kind of persecution must have inflicted infinite pain upon one to whom anything approaching detraction was so abhorrent as it was to Mrs. Coutts. She was not only especially careful not herself to be the utterer of scandal, but always made a point of discouraging it, and, where she had the power, of checking it in others." We cannot better illustrute this amiable trait in Mrs. Coutts's character than by relating the following circumstance, for which we are also indebted to Mr. Dibdin :-" Miss Mellon was ever a very warm and sincere advocate for the credit and private worth of the generality of her profession, and nothing could more offend her than any illiberal remarks, tending to bring actors, and more particularly actresses, into disrepute. She had been for some years extremely intimate with a highly respectable and numerous family in the neighbourhood of Covent Garden; and it was universally supposed that there was the dawn of an honourable attachment between her and one of the sons. Unfortunately for him, he one evening, in presence of a large party at his father's hospitable board, after complimenting Miss Mellon as an exemplary exception,' gave a most unsparing opinion as to the moral principles (or rather their absence) displayed by professors of the drama, particularly the ladies. Miss Mellon sprang from her seat, and, on her knees, took a vow never to have acquaintance or intercourse with the offending party after that evening; and, though she permitted him to escort her home, as had been previously arranged, she never from that period exchanged a word with him.” CHAPTER VII. Mr. Coutts's continued illness-Inscription in a volume of Hogarth's works-Family physicians—Anonymous enemies-Jealousy of the physician's wife-His removalNew medical-attendant-Scene in the sick room-Mrs. Coutts presented at court-Duke of Kent's marriageRoyal party at Holly Lodge-Suicide of medical attendant. THAT Mr. Coutts was in continued expectation of his dissolution is evident from the following inscription, in a book given to Mrs. Coutts within the year of his marriage, in which is a reference to his life being preserved beyond what he ever could have expected. It is in the title-page of a complete set of the works of Hogarth, the old gentleman having been a great admirer of that inimitable artist, and several print-collectors had been employed to furnish the perfect set at any cost. |