THE PORTLAND PEERAGE ROMANCE

BY

CHARLES J. ARCHARD

GREENING'S NEW NOVELS

"The name =GREENING= on a book is a guarantee of excellence. "

 * * * * *

RICHARD THE BRAZENBY CYRUS BRADY AND EDWARD PEPLE

THE TANGLED SKEINBY THE BARONESS ORCZY. _18th Thousand. 6s. _

THE MASCOTTE OF PARK LANEBY LUCAS CLEEVE. _Third Edition. 6s_. 

THE DUPEBY GERALD BISS. _Second Edition. 6s. _

THE WOMAN FRIEND AND THE WIFEBY ETHEL HILL. _6s. _

THE PALM OIL RUFFIANBY ANTHONY HAMILTON. _6s. _

AND THE MOOR GAVE UP ITS DEADBY ERIC HARRISON. _6s. _

WHEN TERROR RULEDBY MAY WYNNE. _3s. 6d. _

THE BISHOP'S EMERALDSBY HOUGHTON TOWNLEY. _6s. _

THE PORTLAND PEERAGE ROMANCE

BY

CHARLES J. ARCHARD

LONDON:GREENING & CO. , LTD. 1907

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

 I. THE FIRST BENTINCK A HERO 7

 II. HOW THE BENTINCKS BECAME POSSESSED OF WELBECK. --A FEMININE INTRIGUE 22

 III. THE FARMER DUKE--WEDS THE RICH MISS SCOTT--HIS HIGH-SPIRITED SONS AND DAUGHTERS 33

 IV. THE FARMER DUKE'S DAUGHTER AND THE HOUSE OF COMMONS' SPEAKER. --BECOMES A BENEVOLENT VISCOUNTESS 38

 V. EARLY LIFE OF LORD JOHN BENTINCK, AFTERWARDS FIFTH DUKE OF PORTLAND. --THE ADELAIDE KEMBLE ROMANCE 45

 VI. LORD GEORGE BENTINCK'S RACING CAREER. --QUARREL WITH HIS COUSIN. --DUEL WITH SQUIRE OSBALDESTON. --"SURPLICE" WINS THE DERBY AND ST. LEGER. --ATTEMPTS TO POISON THE HORSE. --FRIENDSHIP WITH DISRAELI. --TRAGIC DEATH 49

 VII. THE ECCENTRIC DUKE AND HIS UNDERGROUND TUNNELS 77

VIII. THE PRESENT DUKE AND DUCHESS. --A ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT 95

 IX. THE DUKE AND DUCHESS AT HOME. --THE DUCHESS AS PRINCESS BOUNTIFUL. --THE DUCHESS AT COURT 114

 X. CLAIMS TO THE PORTLAND PEERAGE BY MRS. DRUCE AND MR. G. H. DRUCE 121

THE PORTLAND PEERAGE ROMANCE

CHAPTER I

THE FIRST BENTINCK A HERO

What a delightful story is that of the Portland peerage, in whichfidelity, heroism, chivalry and romance are blended and interwoven inthe annals of the noble families of England. Who that has been toWelbeck Abbey, that magnificent palace in the heart of Sherwood Forest, with its legends of Robin Hood and his merrie men, with its stately oaksand undulating woodlands, stretching away to fertile pastures, dottedover with prosperous farmsteads, as far as the eye can reach, does notfeel interested in the fortunes of the noble owner; and who that hasseen the Duke and Duchess on some festive occasion at Welbeck, moving toand fro among their thousand guests, a perfectly happy couple, in whichthe course of true love runs smooth, and whose supreme delight appearsto be to spread happiness around them, is so churlish as not to wishthem long life, as types of the English nobility it is a delight tohonour?

There is no affectation about this illustrious pair, the Duke neverposes in relation to affairs of State, and the Duchess has a naturalgrace all her own, to which art can add no touch of dignity. 

Welbeck is now the home of peace and joy; but there have been times whenits history has been shrouded in tragic mystery, and even to-day thereis the Druce claim to give piquancy to its story. 

The family springs from the alliance of the Bentincks and theCavendishes. Theirs is a telling motto: _Dominus providebit_ (The Lordwill provide) was on the crest of the Bentincks, and it befitted afamily not too richly endowed with this world's goods according to theposition of the Dutch nobility 250 years ago; but being of sterlingqualities devoted to the cause they espoused, their descendants have metwith their reward. _Craignez honte_ (Fear disgrace) was another motto ofthe family, and the fear of dishonour has been a characteristic traitfrom the time when the first Bentinck set foot in England, till to-day. 

Before unfolding the drama of tragedy, love, and comedy of these lateryears let us go back to the tale of heroism surrounding the character ofthe first Bentinck to make a name for himself in this country. Englishmen are apt to forget the debt of gratitude owing to men of thepast; had it not been for Hans William Bentinck this favoured land mightstill have been under the Stuart tyranny, and the scions of the House ofBrunswick might never have occupied the Throne of Great Britain. 

James the Second had made an indifferent display of qualities as aruler, and the nation was tired of a superstitious monarch who wasfostering a condition of affairs which was turning England into ahot-bed of religious and political plots and counter-plots. James'sdaughter, Mary, had married William, Prince of Orange, who was invitedto come and take his father-in-law's place as King of England. Thatinvitation was extended in no uncertain way, and James having withdrawnto the continent left the vacancy for his son-in-law and daughter tofill. 

When William of Orange came over at the request of many of the nobilityand influential commoners in this country there was in his train, HansWilliam Bentinck, who had previously been to England on a politicalmission for the Prince. 

Bentinck was of noble Batavian descent and served William as a page ofhonour. His family had its local habitation at Overyssel in theNetherlands and still is known there. At Welbeck a curious old chest, made of metal and carved, is one of his relics, for in it he broughtover from Holland all his family plate and jewels. 

The Prince was delicate of constitution and his ailments made himpassionate and fretful, though to the multitude he preserved aphlegmatic exterior. 

To Bentinck he confided his feelings of joy and grief, and the faithfulcourtier tended him with a devotion which deserves the conspicuous placegiven to it in English history. 

The Prince was in the prime of manhood when he was seized with a severeattack of small-pox. It was a time of anxiety, not only on account ofthe possible fatal termination of the disease, but in an age of plots, of the advantage that might be taken to bring about his end by means ofpoison or other foul play. 

It was Bentinck alone that fed the Prince and administered his medicine;it was Bentinck who helped him out of bed and laid him down again. 

"Whether Bentinck slept or not while I was ill, " said William to anEnglish courtier, "I know not. But this I know, that through sixteendays and nights, I never once called for anything but that Bentinck wasinstantly at my side. " Such fidelity was remarkable; he risked his lifefor the Prince, who was not convalescent before Bentinck himself wasattacked and had to totter home to bed. His illness was severe, buthappily he recovered and once more took his place by William's side. 

"When an heir is born to Bentinck, he will live I hope, " said thePrince, "to be as good a fellow as you are; and if I should have a son, our children will love each other, I hope, as we have done. "

It was about the time of the Prince's perilous voyage to England tofight, if need be, for the Throne, that he poured out his feelings tohis friend. "My sufferings, my disquiet, are dreadful, " he said, "Ihardly see my way. Never in my life did I so much feel the need of God'sguidance. "

At this time Bentinck's wife was seriously ill, and both Prince andsubject were anxious about her. "God support you, " wrote William, "andenable you to bear your part in a work on which, as far as human beingscan see, the welfare of His Church depends. "

In November, 1688, the Prince landed in England, and with him wasBentinck, accompanied by a band of soldiery, called after his name, aspart of the Dutch army. The Prince and his wife were eventually declaredKing and Queen, and Bentinck experienced substantial proof of the royalfavour by being given the office of Groom of the Stole, and FirstGentleman of the Bedchamber, with a salary of 5000l. A year. Not longafter, in 1689, he was created Earl of Portland, and his other titles inthe peerage were Baron Cirencester and Viscount Woodstock; he was also aKnight of the Garter and Privy Councillor. In 1689 he accompanied theKing to Ireland and commanded a regiment of Horse Guards, taking part asa Lieutenant-General, in the battle of the Boyne, where his Dutchcavalry did effective service. 

He was again at the battle of Namur when William's forces were engagedin fighting the French for the liberties of Europe. 

That was in 1695, and in the same year the King once more gave evidenceof the affection he bore for his favourite. "He had set his heart, "said Macaulay, "on placing the House of Bentinck on a level in wealthand dignity with the Houses of Howard and Seymour, of Russell andCavendish. Some of the fairest hereditary domains of the Crown had beengranted to Portland, not without murmuring on the part both of Whigs andTories. "

It was perfectly natural that William should wish to requite hishenchman with rich estates, and in doing so he was acting as othermonarchs had done before him, and not upon such good grounds as theservices rendered to the State by Bentinck. 

Jealousy was, however, aroused among the English nobility at thefavouritism shown the Dutch newcomer, and it found strong expressionwhen the King ordered the Lords of the Treasury to issue a warrantendowing Portland with an estate in Denbighshire worth 100, 000l. , theannual rent reserved to the Crown being only 6s. 8d. There were alsoroyalties connected with this estate which Welshmen were opposed toalienating from the Crown and placing in the hands of a private subject. There was opposition to the grant in the House of Commons and an addresswas voted, asking the King to revoke it. 

Portland behaved with great magnanimity in the matter, his one chiefdesire appeared to be to avoid a quarrel between his royal friend andParliament. Not many men would have had such self-abnegation as torenounce an estate estimated to be worth 6, 000l. Per annum, besidesthe product of royalties, when they had a King and a victorious army tosupport them in its possession. The Earl had saved the King's life, hehad rendered invaluable services as a diplomatist and General in raisingforces to fight for the cause of Protestantism; but for him theprobabilities were that James would have retained possession of theThrone and that red ruin would have spread itself over the land. Surelyhe had won as great a reward as those of the nobility whose onlyrecommendation was that they were the natural sons of royalty. 

To have refused this immense estate simply because he was the victim forthe time being of racial jealousy is a rare and conspicuous instance inEnglish history of self-sacrifice to honourable motives. His uprightnessof character was again tried by the East India Company, who offered hima £50, 000 bribe to exert his interest on behalf of that Corporation; buthe was not to be tempted by the offer. It will be seen later how thegreat families, such as Cavendish, became allied with that of Bentinckwhen the pride of nationality had been reconciled. 

Once more in February, 1696, was Portland the means of saving the King'slife, through the information he had received of a plot for hisassassination by the Papists. The details of the scheme were eventuallylaid bare and the conspirators brought to justice. 

Few men have had a life so full of activity and importance to the Stateas this Hans William Bentinck. While the Ambassadors were tediouslyendeavouring at Ryswick to bring about peace between England and Franceand not making much progress, William took the unceremonious course ofsending Portland to have an interview with Marshal Boufflers asrepresenting Lewis. Both were soldiers and men of honour. The meetingtook place at Hal, near Brussels, where their attendants were bidden toleave them alone in an orchard. "Here they walked up and down during twohours, " says Macaulay, "and in that time did much more business than theplenipotentiaries at Ryswick were able to despatch in as many months. "

"It is odd, " said Harley, "that while the Ambassadors are making warthe Generals should be making peace. " In the end the terms these two mennegotiated were elaborated in the Treaty of Ryswick, which was the greatinstrument consolidating William on the Throne, wresting England fromthe Stuart ascendancy and completing the work of the Revolution. 

Such is an outline of the vicissitudes which this extraordinary manpassed through in the course of his exciting career. He died in 1709 andwas succeeded by his son. 

Henry, the second Earl, was Governor of Jamaica, and created Marquis ofTitchfield and Duke of Portland in 1716. 

His death took place in 1726, and he too was succeeded by his son. 

William, second Duke, was a Knight of the Garter, as most of the otherholders of the title have been, and he died in 1762. It was through hismarriage with the grand-daughter of the Duke of Newcastle that theBentincks became possessed of Welbeck. 

He was succeeded by his son, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, thirdDuke, K. G. , who had been M. P. For Weobley. This Duke became PrimeMinister of England in 1783, when a Coalition Government was in office. Again in 1807 he was Premier, and was at the head of the Ministry up toshortly before his death in 1809. Other positions held by him wereViceroy of Ireland, Secretary of State for the Home Department, 1794;Lord President of the Council, 1801; Chancellor of Oxford University;High Steward of Bristol and Lord Lieutenant of Notts. ; he assumed theadditional name of Cavendish by royal licence in 1801. He received hisearly education at Eton, but in after life declared that he got nothingout of Eton except a sound flogging. It was not claimed for the Dukethat he was a man of brilliant attainments, but he was the soul ofhonour, and for this reputation and for his conciliatory disposition, was chosen to head the Government, which relied for its precariousexistence on the reconciliation of the contending parties among theWhigs and Tories. He married the only daughter of the Duke of Devonshireand the male direct line continued in the succession of his eldest son. 

The fourth Duke was William Henry Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, who marriedHenrietta, eldest daughter of Major-General John Scott, a descendant ofBalliol and Bruce, the heroes of Scottish history. There were four sonsand six daughters of the marriage, the succession being continued by thesecond son. The fourth was known as the "Farmer Duke, " and with his loveof country presuits he lived to the ripe age of eighty-five, dying in1854. 

The most eccentric character in this ducal line was the fifth holder ofthe title, William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, born in 1800. He wasM. P. For Lynn 1824-1826, and died in December, 1879. Of hisextraordinary predilections more will be related in succeeding chapters. 

The sixth and present Duke is William John Arthur Charles JamesCavendish-Bentinck, who was born on December 28th, 1857, and succeededto the title in 1879. His elevation to the Dukedom is an example of thefortune of birth; the old and eccentric Duke died unmarried, or so itwas assumed, and therefore his honours in the peerage passed to hissecond cousin. 

To trace the lineage of the present Duke we must go back to the thirdDuke, who had a third son (Lord William Charles Augustus). This thirdson, who was uncle of the eccentric Duke, had issue, Lieut. -GeneralArthur Charles Cavendish-Bentinck, the father of the present Duke, hismother being Elizabeth Sophia, daughter of Sir St. Vincent HawkinsWhitshed, Bart. The name of Scott was not part of his cognomen; hesprang from another branch in which there was no trace of the Scottelement, and the name having been borne by two Dukes for a lady'sfortune, there was no further obligation to continue it in connectionwith the Cavendish-Bentincks. 

The marriage of his Grace took place in 1889 to Winifred, only daughterof Thomas Dallas-Yorke, Esq. , of Walmsgate, Louth, and their childrenare: William Arthur Henry, Marquis of Titchfield, born March 16th, 1893, Lady Victoria Alexandrina Violet, born 1890, and Lord Francis NorwenDallas, born 1900. 

The Duke was formerly a Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards, then aftersucceeding to the title, he became Lieut-Colonel of the HonourableArtillery Company of London; he is also Hon. Colonel of the 1stLanarkshire Volunteer Artillery, and 4th Battalion Sherwood ForestersDerbyshire Regiment. He is Lord Lieutenant of Notts. And Caithness, andwas Master of the Horse from 1886-1892 and 1895-1905. He is a familytrustee of the British Museum, and is the patron of thirteen livings. The Portland estates comprise 180, 000 acres, and his income is estimatedat 160, 000l. A year from them alone. 

Besides Welbeck Abbey, he has country seats at Fullarton House, Troon, Ayrshire; Langwell, Berriedale, Caithness; Bothal Castle, Northumberland, and a London residence at 3, Grovesnor Square. 

There are still descendants of the Hon. William Bentinck, eldest son, bythe second marriage of the first Earl of Portland. The Hon. William wasborn in 1704 and created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire in 1732. 

The vast fortune of the House of Portland has been built up in aremarkably short space of time, a little over 200 years, and no othergreat family has received so many honours and acquired such wealth inthe same period. In the last century one of the Dukes held fourteendifferent public offices at the same time, while a younger son was Clerkof the Pipe, and a brother-in-law and nephew had 7, 000l. Per annum inofficial salaries; a daughter too was the recipient of a State pensionfor pin-money. 

One of the characteristic traits of the Bentincks has been that infounding the fortunes of the family in the past their scions weresuccessful in capturing great heiresses. These brief genealogicaldetails will help to explain future developments in the history of thisnoble family. 

CHAPTER II

HOW THE BENTINCKS BECAME POSSESSED OF WELBECK, --A FEMININE INTRIGUE

_Cherchez la femme_ is a French saying, which has somewhat of a cynicalring about it. The female hand has to be discovered in the familyalliances of the Cavendishes and the Bentincks from which a tangle ofintrigue may be unravelled. There was in the first instance thataccomplished matchmaker, Bess Hardwick, a country squire's daughter, whowas married four times, and from her sprang children and grandchildrenwith whom were intertwined the families of no less than five Dukes. 

To the north of the county of Nottingham, in the heart of England, is arich and fertile tract of country known as "The Dukeries, " once embracedby Sherwood Forest, and even now thickly wooded with magnificent oaksand presenting charming forest scenery. 

Its fastnesses were the home of the romantic Robin Hood and his"merrie" band of robbers, the subject of legend and adventure. To-daythere are in this beautiful region, within two or three miles of eachother, the seats of the Duke of Portland at Welbeck Abbey, the Duke ofNewcastle at Clumber, the Earl Manvers (whose family formerly had thetitle of Duke of Kingston) at Thoresby, and Worksop Manor, formerly theseat of the Duke of Norfolk. It was this cluster of the homes of thenobility that gave it the name of "The Dukeries. "

Both Welbeck and Clumber belonged to the Dukes of Newcastle at one time;but to elucidate their settlement upon these vast estates and thesubsequent division of the domains, through marriage, we must take upthe thread of Bess Hardwick's machinations. 

She was the daughter of the Derbyshire squire of Hardwick, and in 1534was married, when she was only 14 years of age, to Robert Barley, ofBarley, in the same county. It was not long before he passed over to themajority, leaving his fascinating widow with a substantial jointure onhis property. 

For twelve years she was a widow, and then she was married to SirWilliam Cavendish, who himself had been married twice before. 

He was a Hertfordshire magnate, but the strong will of his new wifeinduced him to sell his estate in that county in order to provide moneyfor another scheme she had in view. It was the ambitious one ofpurchasing Chatsworth and building the magnificent mansion whichtourists from all parts of the world find so much delight in visiting. Ahouse already existed at Chatsworth, but it was not pretentious enoughfor the squire's daughter, and she prevailed upon her husband to have itdemolished. He had started to carry out her wishes when death overtookhim, and Bess was a widow for the second time. 

The new house at Chatsworth was not finished; but she had a penchant forbuilding, and continued the work after his death till its completion. There were three sons and three daughters of this marriage, concerningthe future wedded lives of which there were deep schemes and plots. 

Another courtier fell beneath her wiles in Sir William St. Loe, Captainof the Guard to Queen Elizabeth. He was so enamoured of her that heendowed her with his estates, and disinherited his own kinsfolk. Then hedied, and Bess still went on conquering and to conquer. 

Her fourth husband was the great prize of all, as far as rank wasconcerned, for he was none other than George Talbot, sixth Earl ofShrewsbury, one of whose seats at that time was Worksop Manor. 

It was not Bess's way to accept a suitor without a bargain being made, having ulterior objects. The Earl had been married before, and hadchildren, so that Bess insisted upon two other matrimonial matchesbefore she would enter into the bonds of matrimony herself for thefourth time. 

The stipulation was that her daughter, Mary Cavendish, should marry theEarl's heir and his daughter was to marry her son. These alliances wereduly entered into, and brought with them new honours and additionalwealth. The building of Worksop Manor house had been commenced in thetime of the first Earl of Shrewsbury, but was not finished when the newCountess became its mistress. Having built Chatsworth, here was anotheropportunity for her to display her genius in architecture, and under herdirection it was completed, and became a sumptuous residence. 

The Earl must have been a nobleman of redoubtable and fearlessdisposition, or a courtier whose pliant will was easily moulded byaccomplished and attractive women, else he would not have been involvedin the feminine intrigues that he was. 

Not only had he his imperious wife to consider, but he was appointedcustodian of Mary Queen of Scots when that unhappy personage was underthe ban of Queen Elizabeth and was sent prisoner to Worksop Manor. Shewas kept strictly in durance vile, for the Earl was a rigid warder, anddid not even allow her to walk in Sherwood Forest. 

There is a portrait of Bess of Hardwick in the collection of the Duke ofDevonshire at Chatsworth. When Mary was in the custody of her husbandBess first fawned upon her royal prisoner; but a new matrimonial schemefilled her mind which led her to change her conduct into one of hatred. Bess had a grandchild, Lady Arabella Stuart, for whom she planned analliance hostile to the Queen's interests, hence her smiles were turnedto frowns. 

_En passant_ it may be said that the Manor went by marriage to the Dukesof Norfolk, who held it for generations and then sold it. Of Bess ofHardwick's building enterprises it may be added that she built HardwickHall, "more glass than wall" (according to an old rhyme), in 1587. TheEarl died in 1590, and the Countess had another long widowhood of 17years. Her second son, William Cavendish, was created Baron Cavendishand his great-grandson Duke of Devonshire. 

Charles Cavendish was another son of this extraordinary woman, and hebought the Welbeck estate, towards the end of the sixteenth century, from two or three men of obscurity to whom it had passed, after Henrythe Eighth had ordered the monastic establishment at the Abbey to bedissolved. His son became Baron Ogle and Viscount Mansfield, andsubsequently Earl, Marquis and Duke of Newcastle in 1644. 

This nobleman was devoted to the fortunes of Charles I. And was askilful General during the time of the Civil War. He also wrote a bookon "Horsemanship, " which was regarded as a remarkable production of itstime, and he built a riding-school at Welbeck, where his theories in thetraining of horses could be carried into effect; but the structure hasin recent years been devoted to other purposes, and a new and morespacious riding-school erected to take its place. 

The dukedom became extinct for want of male heirs, but his daughter, Lady Margaret Cavendish, married John Holies, Earl of Clare, who, in1691, obtained a further step in the peerage by the resuscitation ofthe dukedom, and once more there was a Duke of Newcastle. 

A valuable appointment by the Crown came in his way, for he was chosenWarden of Sherwood, with which office went the privilege of enclosingland at Clumber under the royal prerogative. Again there was no prospectof male heirs, so the Duke left the Clumber property to his sister'sson, Thomas Lord Pelham, who traced his descent from Bess of Hardwickthrough the Pierrepoints (Earls Manvers). Thomas Pelham assumed the nameof Holles, and was created Duke of Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1715. 

But to return to the Duke who was Warden of Sherwood Forest; he had onedaughter, Lady Henrietta Cavendish-Holles, who married Edward Harley, second Earl of Oxford. Their only daughter, Margaret, married WilliamBentinck, second Duke of Portland. 

Hers was a fortunate alliance for the Bentincks. She was a rich heiress, and the vast property at Welbeck and Bolsover belonging to hergrandfather, John Holles, was her dowry. This was the first introductionof the Dutch family into Nottinghamshire in 1734. 

Having thus traced how this delightful domain passed by matrimonialintrigues into the possession of its present owner, it will beappropriate to glance at the ancient history of the Abbey and see how ithas been transformed from its original state to what it now is bysuccessive occupants, and especially by the eccentric fifth Duke. 

About the twelfth century a new religious order of monks came to settlein England. They were called Premonstratensians, and wore white cassocksand caps, by which they were known as white canons as distinguishingthem from black canons, attired in more sombre garb. About 1140, oneThomas de Cuckney founded the Abbey at Welbeck, which was to become animportant centre for the Order, as in 1515 there were no fewer than 35Premonstratensian monasteries in England, all subordinate in importanceto Welbeck. 

Thomas de Cuckney was a _vir bellicosus_, and having built a castle atCuckney, was a formidable subject during the troublous times of KingStephen's reign. John Hotham, Bishop of Ely, obtained possession of theManor of Cuckney in the 14th century, and devoted its revenues to theAbbey, with an addition of eight canons to be supported from its wealth. 

Then came the edict of Henry VIII. , which suppressed monasteries asbeing detrimental to the State. The abbots and their canons weredispersed, and their lands and property given to royal favourites. Richard Whalley obtained a grant of Welbeck from the King about 1539, and in succeeding generations others who held it were Osborne, Booth andCatterall, till it was purchased by Sir Charles Cavendish. 

This was at the beginning of the reign of James I. , and Cavendishinheriting the predilections of his mother, Bess of Hardwick, set towork pulling down the old walls and transforming a house of religioninto one for the pleasure of the Dukes that were to come of his family. In 1619, King James paid a visit to Welbeck, and Charles I. Wasentertained there, when "there was such excess in feasting as hadscarcely ever been known in England, " and Ben Jonson was present at theinvitation of the Duke to enliven the festivities with his wit. 

The main portions of the abbey and the abbey church became merged in thenew structure; but there are legendary stories that the bodies of theCuckneys and the abbots remain entombed upon the site, and that theirstone coffins form part of massive walls and hidden foundations. 

The remains of the ancient Abbey of St. James have been carefullypreserved, and the arched ceilings of two or three apartments areinteresting examples of the Gothic period. The Servants' Hall is a relicof the monastic buildings, and three other rooms adjacent are in thesame style. There is a small doorway with Norman features ofarchitecture, and some roomy vaults and parts of inner walls on whichare the effigies of departed monks, indicating the original purpose ofthe great house as an ecclesiastical establishment. 

Bess of Hardwick had a hand in building part of the present mansion, when the domain came into the hands of her third son, Sir CharlesCavendish. Her design, bearing the date 1604, was on the foundations ofthe old abbey, and still another noble lady added her quota to itsarchitecture. There is the Oxford wing built by the Countess of Oxford, whose daughter Margaret had Welbeck as her dower when she married intothe Bentinck family. The Countess had the date 1734 affixed to the wingerected under her auspices. There is the Gothic Hall which was part ofher design, and by some is regarded as a gem of its particular style ofarchitecture, with an elegantly-adorned ceiling and fan tracery ofstucco on basket-work. The carving is rich and over the fireplace arethe Countess of Oxford's armorial bearings. 

A tradition exists that Bess acted under the spell of a fortune-tellerwho predicted that death would be relegated to the distant future solong as she kept on her building operations. It was in 1607 that her endcame when her masons could not continue their labours owing to a severefrost, although the urgency of the task was such that they tried to mixtheir mortar with hot ale. It was a fight with the spectre of death andthe spectre won the contest. 

She was immensely rich; but could not number a real friend in the world. Chatsworth, Hardwick, Oldcotes, Bolsover and Worksop Manor were eitherbuilt or partly built under her auspices. Lodge says: "She was a womanof masculine understanding and conduct, proud, furious, selfish, andunfeeling, a builder, a buyer and seller of estates, a money-lender, afarmer, and a merchant of lead and coals. "

CHAPTER III

THE FARMER DUKE--WEDS THE RICH MISS SCOTT--HIS HIGH-SPIRITED SONS ANDDAUGHTERS

The fourth Duke was known as the "Farmer Duke, " from his love ofagriculture and rural pursuits, though he was a D. C. L. And F. R. S. Andpossessed the feudal dignity of Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. His fatherhad been Prime Minister; but the son made no effort to shine in politicsand contented himself with developing the resources of his estates andadding to the wealth of his patrimony. 

He had the prescience to choose an heiress for his Duchess and went toScotland for the purpose. 

Major-General John Scott of Balcomie, Fife, had three daughters, theeldest was known as "the rich Miss Scott, " the second as "the witty MissScott, " and the third as "the pretty Miss Scott. " The Duke selectedHenrietta, "the rich Miss Scott, " who besides her wealth had coursingthrough her veins the blood of Balliol and Bruce, the chieftains ofHighland chivalry. 

Having secured the hand of the heiress, he assumed by royal licence in1795, the additional surname of Scott. 

Well might the Duke be willing to couple that simple syllable with thepatrician accents of Cavendish-Bentinck, for by his marriage with theFifeshire heiress there came into the family an unexpected windfall of60, 000l. Among the bride's possessions was an island in Scotland, andthe Government of the day being desirous of improving the beacon-light, paid 60, 000l, for the island and spent about half that sum in additionin erecting a new lighthouse. 

Their domestic life was happiness itself, neither was brilliant, butboth were honoured by those among whom they lived. The Duchessinterested herself in her husband's vast estates, as well as in her own, and in the domestic welfare of their dependants. For a long period shewas a fitting companion for the Duke and pre-deceased him ten years, inMay, 1844. 

Two of their sons developed some remarkable traits and two of thedaughters became rich heiresses. The eldest son died young, which openedthe way for Lord John to become Marquis of Titchfield and eventuallyfifth Duke of Portland of eccentric fame. The third was Lord GeorgeBentinck, born on February 27th, 1802. Of the daughters, Lady Charlottemarried Mr. Speaker Denison and became Viscountess Ossington and LadyLucy married Lord Howard de Walden. Clipstone forms part of the Welbeckestate and with the Duke's practical knowledge of agriculture he orderedto be constructed an irrigation system by which he reclaimed thousandsof acres of land, formerly rabbit-warrens and swamps, so that theybecame productive farms. The Duke's flood-dyke, and diversion of thelittle river Maun for the purposes of drainage, cost him £80, 000. Hisweather-beaten coat and huge leather shoes, extending above the knees, were familiar to the labourers and were characteristic of the simpleattire he wore when among them giving instructions as to the laying ofhis drainpipes. 

Many of the oaks on the Welbeck estate were transplanted thither underthe fourth Duke's direction, a mechanical appliance being used for thepurpose. 

One of the lodges in the park was occupied by a porter whose duty was togive beer, wine, bread and cake to any tramping man, woman or child whochose to call. 

The Farmer Duke was a lover of horses and racing, though there wasnothing mercenary in his connection with the Turf, for he never betted. He took pride in rearing thoroughbred horses at Welbeck and had some ofthem trained by R. Prince at Newmarket. In the course of his career hehad the satisfaction of winning the Derby in 1819 with Tiresias. It washis custom to ride a cob led by a groom, and for the purpose of watchingthe racing at Newmarket he had a structure placed on wheels which couldbe moved from point to point, where he could gain a better view of therunning through a telescope. 

There is an anecdote of the Duke's agility when about eighty years old. He was about to undertake a long walk from Harcourt House; upon whichthe Ladies Charlotte and Lucy tried to persuade him to ride; but hedeclined and challenged them to a race. They went into the garden forthe purpose and naturally Lady Charlotte won in high spirits. 

His death took place at Welbeck on March 27th, 1854, at half-past fourin the afternoon, at the age of eighty-five years, having been born inLondon on June 24th, 1768. His remains were laid to rest in the familyvault in the school of St. Mary at Bolsover, the funeral beingconducted without pomp, as the executors were limited to an expenditureof £100. The obsequies were not attended by the Marquis, who had notbeen on friendly terms with his father. 

The venerable Duke was immensely rich, for not only had he the patrimonyof the Bentincks; but by his marriage with Miss Scott, there was broughtinto the family another acquisition of wealth. 

He left his London property, so that if his son, the Marquis, had nomale heirs, it should pass into the female line, which it did, and thefirst to inherit was the Viscountess Ossington. 

This London property was of fabulous value and included Portland-place, Cavendish-square, Wimpole-street, Harley-street, Wigmore-street, andother houses in the neighbourhood. 

Lady Ossington died before her sister, so all this wealth came to theDowager Lady Howard de Walden, furnishing her with the splendid incomeof 180, 000l. Per annum. 

The stake in the Druce claim is not only the Dukedom of Portland and theentailed estates of the Bentincks in the male line; but in the femaleline too, including this dazzling dowry of 180, 000l. A year. 

CHAPTER IV

THE FARMER DUKE'S DAUGHTER AND THE HOUSE OF COMMONS' SPEAKER. --BECOMES ABENEVOLENT VISCOUNTESS

_Place aux dames. _ Before relating some of the incidents in the careersof the fourth Duke's high-spirited sons, the Marquis of Titchfield andLord George Bentinck, place must be given to the social triumphs of histhird daughter, Lady Charlotte Cavendish-Bentinck. 

With all the advantages that wealth and birth could give her among theproud aristocracy of England the love affairs of Lady Charlotte did notrun smooth. Her lover was Mr. John Evelyn Denison of Ossington Hall, about twenty miles from Welbeck in the same county of Nottingham. Thatthe young Squire--of well-born family though he was--should aspire tothe hand of a Duke's daughter showed no want of spirit on his part. Butafter all he was only a Commoner, though he had in him the making of theFirst Commoner of England leading to a still higher elevation on theladder of social distinction, until he became a peer of the realm, onlythree degrees lower in rank than the head of the Cavendish-Bentinckshimself. 

The Farmer Duke, simple though his tastes were, did not view withpleasure the courtship of his daughter by the young Squire of Ossington. 

Lady Charlotte had mingling in her veins the blood of the highestnobility of three nations. The Cavendishes were among the flower ofEnglish chivalry, the Bentincks were renowned in Holland and the Scottstraced their lineage from the pride of Scotland. 

The Duke could not bring himself all at once to give Lady Charlotte awayto one who had no title. 

She was a little over twenty years of age and when her father refused tohear of the suit of John Evelyn Denison she shed many tears in thepresence of her maid. Life to her at this time was by no means so fullof sunshine as is usually supposed to be the good fortune of Duke'sdaughters. 

At length Lady Charlotte expressed her intention of eloping with Mr. Denison, and at the prospect of indirectly creating a sensation in highlife the Farmer Duke relented. 

Lady Charlotte's marriage was her first triumph. Her next was when herhusband rose to be Speaker of the House of Commons in 1857 and sheherself one of the most important personages at the Court of QueenVictoria. 

She had become rich and influential, so that when her husband retiredfrom the Speakership he was in a position to tell the Government of theday that he did not intend to take the pension of £5000 a year, to whichhe was entitled as an ex-Speaker. His refusal was couched in thefollowing words:--"Though without any pretensions to wealth, I have aprivate fortune which will suffice, and for the few years of life thatremain to me I shall be happier in the feeling that I am not a burden tomy fellow-countrymen. "

Such self-abnegation is not characteristic of many men. On beingelevated to the House of Lords he took the title of Viscount Ossington(after the village of Ossington in Notts, which was his ancestral home)and Lady Charlotte was henceforth known as the Viscountess Ossington. 

It was a step downward in rank for her, as her marriage with a Commonerdid not degrade her to his status. As a Duke's daughter she was stillLady Charlotte and took precedence of Marchionesses, Countesses, andViscountesses in the etiquette of royal courts and drawing-rooms. 

When her husband became a peer she had to take his rank, and it was oneof those indefinable sacrifices associated with noble birth, that, as aViscountess, she had to give precedence to the wives of Marquises andEarls. 

To one who had filled so high a position as Lady Ossington had done inpolitical and social life the descent in status involved by the adoptionof the new title was not of much moment. She had been honoured byroyalty and had done the honours to royalty, she had tasted all thepleasures that aristocratic Society could provide. 

Like her brother, the eccentric Duke, Lady Ossington spent large sums ofmoney, intended, directly or indirectly, to benefit the wage-earningclasses. 

In a spirit of philanthropy she built a coffee palace at Newark, Notts, a town nine miles from Ossington, at a cost of over £20, 000. Her objectwas to provide a hostel where travellers of humble means could findaccommodation for the night, at charges within their means, and that itshould be a centre of meeting for Friendly Societies and other bodies intheir business and social gatherings. The profits of the establishmentshe directed to be paid to the hospital. 

Another coffee palace on similar lines she erected in Marylebone, London, involving an outlay of several thousands. 

South African colonization found in her a sympathetic patroness in dayswhen South Africa was little more than a name to the large majority ofEnglishmen. At her expense in 1886 a party of twenty-four families wassent to the Wolseley settlement, an estate acquired by purchase, aboutseventeen miles from King William's Town, where full preparations fortheir reception had been made by a committee. Within two years anda-half the settlement was closed, the cheapness of untaxed drink havingchanged the settlers from abstainers into drunkards. 

The Viscountess was not daunted by this failure to realise her hopes, and in 1888 another attempt at colonization was made under her auspices. Twenty-five families, mostly from Hampshire, sailed for the Cape andformed a new settlement, called by the name of the poet Tennyson. Thistime the experience of the past was a warning, the enterprise wasattended by fairer prospects of success and before her death she hadthe gratification of knowing that the settlers were contented and happy. 

Another of the Duke's daughters was the Dowager Lady Howard de Walden, who became immensely rich on the death of Lady Ossington. Their fatherhad so willed it that if the fifth Duke died without male heirs theLondon property was to pass to his daughters. Lady Ossington had nochildren and her rich dowry passed to her sister, who thereby had adouble portion. Ossington Hall, after having been for so many years thehome of a Duke's daughter, reverted to the Denison family. 

From allusions made by Lord George Bentinck to his friends, when he hadlost heavily on the turf, it was understood that his mother and sisters, especially Lady Charlotte, were always ready to help him over hisdifficulties. It is surmised that they knew more of his secrets and ofthe secrets of the Marquis of Titchfield than the old Farmer Duke whofrowned upon betting transactions and was not known to have beeninvolved in the excitements of a duel and gallantries to actresses, notto mention a nebulous secondary existence as Thomas Druce. 

Ossington is within easy carriage distance of Welbeck, but theeccentric brother rarely saw his sister and the latter was astonished atthe transformation of the Abbey and grounds brought about by him. Beforethe alteration of her ancestral home she made an interesting sketch ofit, as it was in her father's lifetime. 

CHAPTER V

EARLY LIFE OF LORD JOHN BENTINCK, AFTERWARDS FIFTH DUKE OFPORTLAND. --THE ADELAIDE KEMBLE ROMANCE

Lord John Bentinck was born in September 1800, the second son of thefourth Duke. His name in its extended form was William JohnCavendish-Scott-Bentinck, and for many years, till the death of hisbrother Henry, he had no prospect of succeeding to the Dukedom. Atnineteen he was a lieutenant in the army, and in 1824 was returned asMember of Parliament for King's Lynn; but the duties of a legislator donot seem to have been much to his taste and he resigned in 1826, hisbrother, Lord George Bentinck, being elected to take his place. 

The fourth Duke kept a large stud of race-horses and Lord John wasbrought up in the atmosphere of the turf. When a young man he was ahorseman, fearless and even reckless in his equestrian exploits. Thereused to be a gate six feet high at Serlby Hall, the seat of ViscountGalway, which it was said he had jumped one day when hunting. 

The three brothers, Henry, John and George, formed a racing partnershipunder the name of "Mr. Bowes" and were for a time successful in theirenterprise, their transactions bringing in considerable sums of money. 

The death of the eldest, Henry, in 1824 transformed Lord John intoMarquis of Titchfield, heir to the Dukedom and enormous estates of theHouse of Portland. 

With all his splendid advantages of birth and fortune he does not appearto have sought for a wife among the aristocratic families of the land, and it is said that he only made one offer of marriage in his life; atleast that was known to his friends. This was to Miss Adelaide Kemble, the celebrated actress. 

The tempting proposal was probably made some time between June andOctober, 1834, when the lady was twenty-five years of age and theMarquis thirty-four. 

Judge of his astonishment when she had to confess to him that it wasimpossible for her to accept his offer as she was already secretlymarried. 

She was at the height of her popularity on the stage, having achieved asplendid triumph in redeeming the fallen fortunes of her family, andthough married to another, she cherished kindly remembrances of thenoble suitor who made her the proud offer of a ducal coronet. 

In reading the "Records" of Fanny Kemble (Adelaide's sister), it isimpossible not to be struck with her high ideals and lofty sentiments. Now and then there is an allusion to the Marquis, which shows him in awelcome light and how delicate were his attentions. 

On December 1st, 1842, writing to "My dearest Harriet, " she says:--"LordTitchfield, who was here yesterday, begged me to ascertain from youwhether it is only my bust that you desire, or whether you would like tohave casts from my father's and from the two of Adelaide. Write me word, dear, that the magnificent Marquis may fulfil your wishes, which he isonly waiting to know in order to send the one or the four heads to youin Ireland. "

Then in a note she explains:--"The Marquis of Titchfield was employingthe French sculptor, Dantan, to make busts of my father, my sister, andmyself, for him, and most kindly gave me casts of them all, and sent myfriend, Miss St. Leger, a cast of mine. "

On January 6th, 1843, there is another letter to "Dearest Hal, "containing the following allusion:--"I have sent your wishes to LordTitchfield, and I am sure they will be quickly complied with. I have noidea that he means otherwise than to give you my bust; any other speciesof transaction being apparently quite out of his line, and giving hisespecial gift. I have, nevertheless, taken pains to make clear to himyour intentions in the matter; I have desired him to have the bustforwarded to the care of Mr. Green, because I thought you would easilyfind means of transporting it thence to Ardgillan. Was this right?"

"Blessings on Lord Titchfield" invokes Fanny Kemble, in a letter datedfrom Liverpool, May 4th, 1843:--"I wrote to you last thing last night, dearest Hal, and now farewell! I have received a better account of myfather. Dear love to Dorothy, and my last dear love to you. I shallwrite and send no more loves to anyone. Lord Titchfield--blessings onhim!--has sent me a miniature of my father and four different ones ofAdelaide, God bless you, dear. Good-bye. "

This was not the character of an ogre, and though their marriage couldnot be, Fanny Kemble evidently thought well of the man, who yearsafterwards, it was alleged, was leading a double life at this time. 

CHAPTER VI

LORD GEORGE BENTINCK'S RACING CAREER. --QUARREL WITH HIS COUSIN. --DUELWITH SQUIRE OSBALDESTON. --"SURPLICE" WINS THE DERBY AND ST. LEGER. --ATTEMPTS TO POISON THE HORSE. --FRIENDSHIP WITH DISRAELI. --TRAGICDEATH

One of the great sensations in the middle of the nineteenth century wasthe mysterious death of Lord George Bentinck, who for many years was theprince of the turf, but who sold his race-horses in order to give moreattention to politics and the spread of Protectionist principles, ofwhich he was the leading exponent at that time. 

Lord George was born in February 1802, the third son of the Farmer Duke;his elder brother, the Marquis of Titchfield, being that eccentricpersonage who succeeded to the Dukedom. 

After going through the Eton College course and becoming an officer inthe Lancers and Life Guards, Lord George took the seat vacated by theMarquis, as M. P. For King's Lynn, in 1826. His life was curiouslyintermingled with all sorts and conditions of men. Having the hereditaryinstincts of his family he was a keen votary of the turf and daringearly manhood had a partnership with his brother, the Marquis, in theownership of race-horses, and it was said that at a later time they wereboth enamoured of Miss Annie May Berkeley, who was the cause of aquarrel between them. 

That he was a nobleman of high spirits is evident from the strenuousnesswith which he lived his short life. 

Lord George lost heavily by backing horses for the St. Leger of 1826;the amount was shown to be £30, 000, which his mother and sister (LadyCharlotte) helped him to meet. The old Duke, his father, was toocautious to bet, and in order to induce his son to settle down tocountry pursuits he bought him an estate at Muirkirk, Ayrshire; but thelife of a farmer did not suit Lord George for long and he was soonexploiting in horse-racing again, so that in 1833 he was a heavy loserat Goodwood. 

He formed studs at Doncaster, Goodwood and Danebury, and at varioustimes his horses were run in the name of Mr. John Bowe, a publican, Mr. King, the Duke of Richmond, and John Day. 

Lord George and his cousin, Mr. Charles Greville, were great friendsand partners in racing affairs for a time; but both were self-willed andquarrelled, never to heal up their differences. 

In the intricacies of their partnership in horses Lord George became theowner of a mare called Preserve, who gained a great reputation about theyear 1834. 

At the Newmarket meeting there was an attempt to wear down her spirit byfalse starts, upon which Lord George visited his anger upon his cousin, whom he held responsible. 

Years afterwards an attempt was made by Colonel Anson to bring about areconciliation; but Lord George said he would not have anything to dowith "the fellow. "

A great stroke was made in 1836 when Lord George won the St. Leger withElis, it was the first time a horse was conveyed in a van from histraining-stable to a race-course. 

A specially-constructed vehicle was made and caused consternation amongold trainers when they found out the secret of the horse's mode oftravelling. Elis was fresh for the race, his advent had been kept asecret, and Lord George won a large sum, one bet being £12, 000 to£1, 000. 

The sensational duel between Lord George and Squire Osbaldeston haspassed into the history of racing. 

It was 1836, but had its origin in events occurring in 1835. Heaton Parkraces, near Manchester, attracted a large number of aristocraticjockeys, and Squire Osbaldeston got it into his head that the handicapswere so adjusted as to give the immediate friends of Lord Wilton anadvantage. 

So the Squire laid himself out to be even with the Wilton party, andwhen at Doncaster, for the St. Leger, discovered a horse called Rushwith powers of running unknown to the sporting clique he desired tocircumvent. 

The Squire mounted Rush himself and rode him over the St. Leger course, having a mare belonging to Marson the trainer to make the running. Finding that the colt could easily beat, Squire Osbaldeston held him inso that the mare finished the trial a considerable distance in advance. 

Rush was consequently given the benefit of the handicapping at HeatonPark and was backed heavily for the cup by the Squire, whosecommissioner was ready to meet the Lord Wilton party in any bets theythought well to lay against the colt. 

"Two hundred to one against Rush" shouted Lord George Bentinck asSquire Osbaldeston was riding Rush at walking pace past the stand to thestarting-post just before the race. 

"Done, " replied the Squire. 

The loud tones of the two men were such as to attract particular noticeand the sequel was an exciting one. 

The race was brought off and the Squire on Rush won with ease. Thenfollowed a storm of argument as to how and why and wherefore had Rush'spowers, so greatly deprecated beforehand, developed to such an extent asto leave all competitors behind. 

Another victory was achieved by Rush next day and Squire Osbaldestonhaving defeated the Wilton clique on the race-course betook himselfhunting. 

Some months elapsed before the next scene was enacted. Lord George hadnot settled the bet, and whether he intended to do so or not is an openquestion. Probably the Squire had not asked him for settlement till theSpring of 1836, when they were brought into contact with each other atthe Craven race-meeting. 

"My Lord, " said the Squire, "May I ask you for the £200 I won from you?You have had time to get over your beating. "

"I'm surprised you should ask for the money, " replied Lord George, "theaffair was robbery; but can you count?"

The Squire rejoined something to the effect that he could count when hewas at Eton, and Lord George then counted out a number of banknotes intoOsbaldeston's hand. 

"It will not end here, Lord George, " said the Squire in high dudgeon. 

The conversation was at the entrance to the rooms of the Jockey Club, and shortly after it had taken place the Squire sent a second to demandan apology, or that Lord George would fight a duel. The challenge wasdeclined, but the fiery Squire returned to the charge. 

"I will pull your nose the next time I see you, " was the message he sentto his Lordship, who had no alternative but to meet in a duel or to besubjected to continuous annoyance from the doughty Osbaldeston. 

Colonel Anson was named as Lord George's second and the meeting-placewas at Wormwood Scrubs at six a. M. The weapons were pistols and theantagonists stood twelve steps apart. 

The Squire was a real country sportsman, a fine horseman and a deadshot, his skill with the pistol was such that he could kill pigeonsflying and rarely missed, whereas the elegant Lord George was more athome in the boudoir and was unaccustomed to pistol-practice. Osbaldestonhad given it out that he would put a bullet through his opponent, whichwas a rumour not pleasant to reach Lord George's ears. 

It was through the finesse of Colonel Anson that the affair ended as itdid. By agreement he was to count up to three and when he called thelast number both men were to fire. 

"One" was uttered with great deliberation. 

"Two, three" the Colonel called out in rapid succession, so that theSquire was taken unawares and his shot went an inch or two above LordGeorge's hair, piercing his hat. 

As for Lord George he fired skywards and so the duel ended. 

Colonel Anson and Lord George were friends for life, and yearsafterwards the quarrel with the Squire was so far made up that LordGeorge invited him to see his horses in training at Danebury. For thegreater part of the period between 1830 and 1846 he was regarded as theDictator of the Turf. 

In 1841 he removed his stables from Danebury to Goodwood where hisfriend, the Duke of Richmond, allowed him every facility on his estatefor training horses. 

To his honour, be it said, he exercised a powerful influence inendeavouring to rid horse-racing of some of its worst features, andincurred the hostility of the cheats and rogues which have at all timesbeen associated with it. 

Finding that a check was being put upon their operations, the welshingfraternity assumed a virtuous attitude and actually put into operationan old statute passed in the reign of Queen Anne, which enabled anyprivate informer to sue and recover treble the amount of a bet made overand above £10. Six writs were served upon Lord George and six upon hispartner, Mr. Bowes, in the year 1843, but the plantiff failed to provethe making of the bets and it is obvious that the statute wasunworkable. The attempt to put it into force merely shows the conditionof racing at the time and the opposition which men who were honourablein their motives had to meet with in their efforts to guard it againstreproach, as far as their sporting instincts allowed them. 

In 1844 Lord George had as many as thirty-eight horses running in races, and his estimated expenses in 1845 for sixty horses in training wereabout £40, 000, while, the value of the stakes was about £18, 000, so thatto make racing pay he had to rely upon the success of his bettingtransactions. 

Disraeli called him the "Lord Paramount of the British Turf, " which welldescribed his ascendency at the time. 

Notwithstanding the magnitude of his bets, Lord George was always coolin temperament while other men who, though they might be quite able tostand a loss, were full of nervous excitement when only a small sum wasrisked. 

He kept on terms of affection with his mother and sisters and he couldalways rely upon the Duchess for help when his racing extravagances hadled him too far. 

Lord George was over six feet in stature and his figure was handsome anddistinguished. His style of dress was according to the best canons offashion, elegant and fastidious. A long gold chain was looped upon thebreast of his waistcoat and with it he wore costly jewels. He had a newsatin scarf of cream colour every day, although the cost of each wasabout a sovereign. 

A frock coat and tall beaver hat completed his costume. His race-courseattire consisted of a green coat, top boots and buckskin breeches. 

When in Nottinghamshire he used to hunt with the Bufford hounds and kepthis hunters at Welbeck. 

He was a Freemason, though he does not appear to have had time from hisdevotion to politics and racing to take any high position in the Order. As to some of his personal habits it may be said that he was not asmoker; but he drank four glasses of wine at dinner-time. 

The figure of Lord George has been described by his friend BenjaminDisraeli, afterwards Earl of Beaconsfield, in a few striking sentencesthus: "Nature had clothed this vehement spirit with a material formwhich was in perfect harmony with its noble and commanding character. Hewas tall and remarkable for his presence; his countenance almost a modelof manly beauty; the face oval, the complexion clear and mantling; theforehead lofty and white; the nose aquiline and delicately moulded; theupper lip short. But it was in the dark brown eye that flashed withpiercing scrutiny that all the character of the man came forth; abrilliant glance, not soft, but ardent, acute, imperious, incapable ofdeception or of being deceived. "

He was a dandy rivalling d'Orsay, his cravats made other young men ofhis time envious, and his suits were in the highest style of taste. Theywere indeed works of art worthy of the genius of Beau Brummell. As forthe House of Commons, until he turned serious politician, he treatedthat old-fashioned assembly with haughty indifference, and when he waspressed to record his vote in party division he entered the House onmore than one occasion at a late hour, "clad in a white great-coat, which softened, but did not conceal, the scarlet hunting coat beneathit. "

He was a breeder and backer of horses for twenty years, and therecklessness of his wagers staggered the gamblers of his time. 

The training of race-horses was brought to a fine art in his day. It hadbeen the custom for owners to send their horses to and fro betweenNewmarket, Epsom and Doncaster along the high-ways, with the resultthat although the road hardened their muscles, it militated againsttheir speed. 

Lord George raised a protest from some of the old-time patrons of theturf by introducing an innovation in the construction of a large van inwhich they could travel calmly, without fatigue, these long distances tovarious parts of England. 

It was the precursor of railway travelling then coming into vogue, forLord George foresaw that the railways would revolutionize racing andenormously increase the votaries of the turf. 

After having sat in the House of Commons for 18 years, and taking littleinterest in the proceedings, Lord George, about 1844, suddenly attractedattention by his attacks on Sir Robert Peel and the Free Traders. Heshowed an aptitude for Parliamentary business that he had not beencredited with in racing circles in which he had held such a leadingposition. His absorption in politics, which had newly aroused hisinterest, led him to dispose of his race-horses. 

"In the autumn of this year (1846) at Goodwood races, " says Disraeli, "the sporting world was astonished by hearing that Lord George Bentinckhad parted with his racing stud at an almost nominal price. Lord Georgewas present, as was his custom, at this meeting held in the demesne ofone who was among his dearest friends. Lord George was not only present, but apparently absorbed in the sport, and his horses were verysuccessful. The world has hardly done justice to the great sacrificewhich he made on this occasion to a high sense of duty. He not onlyparted with the finest racing stud in England, but he parted with it ata moment when its prospects were never so brilliant; and he knew thiswell. 

"He could scarcely have quitted the turf that day without a pang. He hadbecome the Lord Paramount of that strange world, so difficult to sway, and which requires, for its government, both a stern resolve and acourtly breeding. He had them both; and though the black-leg might quailbefore the awful scrutiny of his piercing eye, there never was a man soscrupulously polite to his inferiors as Lord George Bentinck. The turf, too, was not merely the scene of the triumphs of his stud and hisbetting-book. He had purified its practice and had elevated itscharacter, and he was prouder of this achievement than of any otherconnected with his sporting life. Notwithstanding his mighty stakes, and the keenness with which he backed his opinion, no one perhaps evercared less for money. His habits were severely simple, and he was themost generous of men. He valued the acquisition of money on the turf, because there it was the test of success. He counted his thousands aftera great race, as a victorious general counts his cannon and hisprisoners. "

Up to the time that he developed a new interest in politics, his greatambition in life had been for one of his horses to win the Derby. Andone of the horses that he had owned did win it; but to his chagrin itwas no longer his property. That horse was Surplice, the winner in theyear 1848; but Lord George had disposed of it with his stud in 1846. 

Under any circumstances and whatever the prospects of political successwhich opened up in Lord George's mind, his decision to dispose of hisstud must have caused him a pang as it created a sensation among all whowere attracted towards turf doings. 

There were two horses in Lord George's stables, which, if he could havelaid claim to the powers of divination would have kept him still "LordParamount of the Turf. " They were the yearlings Surplice and Loadstone, and both were destined to make historic names in the classic races. 

But the die was cast and the immense establishment which his friend theDuke of Richmond permitted him to keep on the Goodwood estate was sold. 

There were no fewer than 208 thoroughbreds, which all passed into thehands of the Hon. E. M. L. Mostyn, for the small sum of £10, 000. 

This was in August, 1846, and the light-blue jacket and white cap ofLord George Bentinck were to be seen no more on a race-course. 

The stables had been on such an immense scale that the responsibilitywas too much for one man to undertake, so that the monetary interest wasdivided, and two or three turf celebrities of the day entered intopartnership, which accounts for the fact that when Surplice ran in theDerby of 1848 he was entered in Lord Clifden's name. 

From that time to this the career of Surplice has always been ofinterest to racing men. His trainer was John Kent, who faithfullydischarged his duty in guarding the horse from the machinations ofunscrupulous loafers and touts. 

There was a dead set against the horse. He was naturally a lazy runnerand took a great deal of skill to ride. All sorts of rumours werestarted about him; that he was not well, that he was lame and that hewas not the equal of Loadstone, although from the same stable. Up anddown went the betting respecting Surplice until the market was in such astate that it was to the interest of an unscrupulous gang to poison orlame him. 

Detectives, policemen, trainer and stablemen had to watch him night andday and the excitement waxed intense as the date of the Derby drew near. When the horse was taken from Goodwood to Epsom and from the stable tothe course a crowd of horsemen and pedestrians dogged his steps. 

Fortunately, with all the precaution taken, Surplice was got into thepaddock in fit condition. His jockey was Sim Templeman and after asevere contest Surplice won, there being a neck between him and SpringyJack, while Loadstone was well beaten, to the chagrin of those who hadtried to set him off against the better horse Surplice. 

The result of the race was £11, 000 to the credit of Lord George; butthis was nothing compared with his regret that he had not continued theowner of his racing-stud, so that he might have had the honour ofwinning the Derby in his own name, instead of seeing a horse that he hadbred win it in the name of another. 

Then came the St. Leger of 1848, and Surplice was again the winner, withfurther pangs for Lord George. Barely does the same horse win both theDerby and the St. Leger, and proud indeed is the owner who can carry offthe blue ribbon of the turf and the St. Leger too. The stars in theircourses seemed to be against Lord George at this time. 

This is how Disraeli relates the effect the Derby had upon his hero:--

"A few days before, it was the day after the Derby, May 25th, 1848, thewriter (Disraeli) met Lord George Bentinck in the Library of the Houseof Commons. He was standing before the book-shelves with a volume in hishand, and his countenance was greatly disturbed. His resolutions infavour of the colonial interest, after all his labours, had beennegatived by the committee on the 22nd, and on the 24th, his horse, Surplice, which he had parted with among the rest of the stud, solelythat he might pursue without distraction his labours on behalf of thegreat interests of the country, had won that paramount and Olympianstake, to gain which had been the object of his life. He had nothing toconsole him, and nothing to sustain him except his pride. Even thatdeserted him before a heart which he knew at least could yield himsympathy. He gave a sort of superb groan:

"'All my life I have been trying for this, and for what have Isacrificed it?' he murmured. 

"It was in vain to offer solace. '

"'You do not know what the Derby is, ' he moaned out. 

"'Yes I do, it is the blue ribbon of the turf. '

"'It is the blue ribbon of the turf, ' he slowly repeated to himself, andsitting down at the table he buried himself in a folio of statistics. "

In a personal allusion to the arduous political labours of Lord GeorgeBentinck, Disraeli says: "What was not his least remarkable trait, isthat although he only breakfasted on dry toast, he took no sustenanceall this time, dining at White's at half-past two o'clock in themorning. After his severe attack of influenza he broke through thishabit a little during the last few months of his life, moved by theadvice of his physician and the instance of his friends. The writer ofthese observations prevailed upon him a little the last year to fallinto the easy habit of dining at Bellamy's, which saves much time andpermits the transaction of business in conversation with a congenialfriend. But he grudged it; he always thought that something would besaid or done in his absence, which would not have occurred had he beenthere; some motion whisked through or some return altered. His principlewas that a member should never be absent from his seat. "

Disraeli thus describes the last farewell he took of Lord George and histragic death a few days afterwards:

"He goes to his native county and his father's proud domain, to breathethe air of his boyhood and move amid the parks and meads of his youth. Every breeze will bear health, and the sight of every hallowed hauntwill stimulate his pulse. He is scarcely older than Julius Cæsar when hecommenced his public career, he looks as high and brave, and he springsfrom a long-lived race. 

"He stood upon the perron of Harcourt House, the last of the greathotels of an age of stately manners, with its wings and courtyard, andcarriage portal, and huge outward walls. He put forth his hand to bidfarewell, and his last words are characteristic of the man, of his warmfeelings, and of his ruling passion: 'God bless you; we must work, andthe country will come round us. '"

A few days after this interview Lord George returned to Welbeck. 

"Some there were who thought him worn by the exertion of the session, and that an unusual pallor had settled upon that mantling and animatedcountenance. He himself never felt in better health or was ever inhigher spirits, and greatly enjoyed the change of life, and that changein a scene so dear to him. 

"On the 21st of September, 1848, after breakfasting with his family, heretired to his dressing-room, where he employed himself with some papersand then wrote three letters, one to Lord Enfield, another to the Dukeof Richmond, and the third to the writer of these pages. That letter isnow at hand; it is of considerable length, consisting of seven sheets ofnotepaper, full of interesting details of men and things, and writtennot only in a cheerful but even in a merry mood. Then, when his letterswere sealed, about four o'clock he took his staff and went forth towalk to Thoresby, the seat of Lord Manvers, distant between five and sixmiles from Welbeck, and where Lord George was to make a visit of twodays. In consequence of this his valet drove over to Thoresby at thesame time to meet his master. But the master never came. At length theanxious servant returned to Welbeck, and called up the groom who haddriven him over to Thoresby, and who was in bed, and enquired whether hehad seen anything of Lord George on the way back, as his Lord had neverreached Thoresby. The groom got up, and along with the valet and twoothers, took lanthorns and followed the footpath which they had seenLord George pursuing as they themselves went to Thoresby. 

"About a mile from the Abbey, on the path which they had observed himfollowing, lying close to the gate which separates a water meadow fromthe deer park, they found the body of Lord George Bentinck. He was lyingon his face; his arms were under his body, and in one hand he graspedhis walking-stick. His hat was a yard or two before him, havingevidently been thrown off in falling. The body was cold and stiff. Hehad been long dead. 

"A woodman and some peasants passing near the spot, about two hundredyards from the gate in question, had observed Lord George, whom at thedistance they had mistaken for his brother, the Marquis of Titchfield, leaning against this gate. It was then about half-past four o'clock, orit might be a quarter to five, so he could not have left his home muchmore than half-an-hour. The woodman and his companions thought 'thegentleman' was reading, as he held his head down. One of them lingeredfor a minute looking at the gentleman, who then turned round, and mighthave seen these passers-by, but he made no sign to them. 

"Thus it seems that the attack, which was supposed to be a spasm of theheart, was not instantaneous in its effects, but with proper remedies, might have been baffled. Terrible to think of him in his death-strugglewithout aid and so near a devoted hearth. For that hearth too, what aninpending future!

"The terrible news reached Nottingham on the morning of the 22nd, athalf-past nine o'clock, and immediately telegraphed to London, wasannounced by a second edition of the _Times_ to the country. Consternation and deep grief fell upon all men. One week later, theremains arrived from Welbeck at Harcourt House, to be entombed in thefamily vault of the Bentincks, that is to be found in a small buildingin a dingy street, now a chapel of ease, but in old days the ParishChurch among the fields of the pretty village of Marylebone. 

"The day of the interment was dark and cold, and drizzling. Although thelast offices were performed in the most scrupulously private manner, thefeelings of the community could not be repressed. From nine till eleveno'clock that day all the British shipping in the docks and the river, from London Bridge to Gravesend, hoisted their flags half-mast high, andminute guns were fired from appointed stations along the Thames. Thesame mournful ceremony was observed in all the ports of England andIreland; and not only in these, for the flag was half-mast high on everyBritish ship at Antwerp, at Rotterdam, at Havre. 

"Ere the last minute gun sounded all was over. Followed to his tomb bythose brothers who, if not consoled, might at this moment be sustainedby the remembrance that to him they had ever been brothers, not only inname but in spirit, the vault at length closed on the mortal remains ofGeorge Bentinck. "

Such was the conventional view which Society took of the sadcircumstances of Lord George's death. 

The old Duke was over eighty years of age and too infirm to attend thefuneral, but the Marquis of Titchfield and Lord Henry Bentinck werepresent. 

As in most mysteries, there were other conjectures more or lessimprobable. 

Years afterwards it was put down to the account of Palmer the poisoner, who it was said had administered strychnine to Lord George as he did tosome other members of the aristocracy. 

But what was Palmer's motive?

Had Lord George and he any betting transactions together in which Palmerhad lost, and finding himself unable to pay, destroyed his noblecreditor with diabolical secrecy?

Yet Palmer in 1848 was a young doctor, aged about twenty-three, justsetting out on his professional career. 

It was not until a few years afterwards that Palmer commenced to turnhis attention to turf transactions, therefore it is difficult to find amotive which should be some evidence against him as the perpetrator ofthis crime. 

The case of Palmer was an extraordinary one. He was a medicalpractitioner at Rugeley in Staffordshire, and having become infatuatedwith betting had no scruples about removing those to whom he hadcontracted debts of honour. It was not till the early months of 1856that light was shed upon some of his fiendish designs and after a longtrial he was sentenced to be hanged at Stafford gaol. 

Palmer boasted of his racing transactions with the aristocracy, and ifLord George was one of his victims seven years before 1856, themiscreant had had plenty of time to harden his conscience in working hisfoul plots against others whom it was his sordid interest to destroy. 

Another wild theory was that there had been a quarrel between theMarquis of Titchfield and Lord George. 

One reason for the dispute was alleged to be that Lord George had been aheavy loser instead of a gainer by his gigantic gambling operations, that he was in want of money, either from his brother the Marquis, orhis father, the Duke. 

To allege that he was in debt is not consistent with the belief that hehad won large sums by backing horses of which he was so keen a judge. 

Again it was surmised that the reason for the quarrel--if there wasone--was Miss A. M. Berkeley, with whom they were reputed to be bothenamoured. 

The origin of this lady gives a glimpse of another romance. Her motherwas an exceedingly beautiful lady, the daughter of a tradesman, and shebecame the wife of the Earl of Berkeley. 

Fanny Kemble writes of the Countess in terms of admiration; but alludesto the marriage with the addition of the phrase ("by courtesy") and how, on being presented at Court she was frowned at by Queen Charlotte, though George III. Did not share the unfavourable sentiments entertainedby his wife. 

The marriage with the Earl was the subject of a _cause celèbre_ beforethe House of Lords, with the result that the ceremony was held to beillegal, which thus affected the position of Miss A. M. Berkeley. 

Mrs. Margaret Jane Louise Hamilton, a widow lady, the daughter of Mr. Robert Lennox Stuart, made a startling statement which was widelyreported in the newspapers at the time that the Druce case assumed anew aspect in 1903. She said that she had been told the details of thedeath of Lord George Bentinck by her father, who was an eye-witness ofthe quarrel--if quarrel there was. 

Her father was a playmate of the Duke's when they were boys, and sheherself was a god-daughter of the fourth Duke. 

Not only was Mr. Stuart an eye-witness, but she said Mr. Sergeant, another gentleman, was too. 

Lord George was violent in manner towards the Marquis (whom Mrs. Hamilton identified as Mr. Druce) using threatening language towards himand striking him repeatedly. 

At last the Marquis retaliated with one blow over the heart, andalthough it was not a heavy blow, the position where it struck wassufficient to cause death. 

Mrs. Hamilton added that she had heard Druce say to her father, "Youknow, Stuart, I never intended to kill him. I only struck inself-defence. "

Druce was remorseful after the tragedy and spoke of surrendering to thepolice, but Mr. Stuart and Mr. Sergeant persuaded him not to. 

Her father said that Druce was nervous and always afraid that the deedwould come to light. 

Whether the Marquis was there or not to quarrel with his brother, thelabourers who said they thought they recognised him, acknowledged thatthey might have been mistaken. 

A point which the evidence at the inquest did not clear up was thewhereabouts of the Marquis at the time of the tragedy. The labourerssaid they thought they saw him. 

If it was not he, where was he?

That is a question unanswered to this day. 

Lord George was never married, and it has been said of him that "he wasnotable for the purity of his life. "

It was believed that he entertained a deep regard for a highly-placedmarried lady, whose virtue was beyond suspicion, and hence he lived anddied a bachelor. 

Three years after the death of Lord George it is said that the Marquismarried Miss Annie May Berkeley in the name of Druce. 

CHAPTER VII

THE ECCENTRIC DUKE AND HIS UNDERGROUND TUNNELS

The story of the transformation of Welbeck enters upon a new stage withthe succession, in 1854, of the Marquis of Titchfield (William JohnCavendish-Scott-Bentinck) as fifth Duke, born in 1800. He it was whodesigned and had constructed the mysterious underground apartments andtunnels for which the Abbey and its environs are famous. There weremiles of weird passages beneath the surface of the earth, one tunnelalone being nearly a mile and a half in length, stretching towardsWorksop, while others ran in various directions. 

Welbeck is nearly 4 miles from Worksop, and a stranger on approachingthe Abbey is likely to receive a mean impression of its vast extent. Thearchitecture is a mixture of the Italian and classical styles, and itshaving been built at different periods, with so many of its adjunctsunderground, makes it wanting in imposing features. 

In various parts of the estate about 50 lodges were erected for theoccupancy of gardeners and keepers. They were of Steetley stone, allsimilarly planned and pleasing to the eye, what there was of them aboveground; but the Duke had subterranean kitchens made at the side andlighted them with bulls'-eyes at the top. 

He spent about 100, 000l. A year in the development of his plans, andemployed as many as 1, 500 workpeople in helping him to gratify hishobby. When it is remembered that his reign as Duke lasted a quarter ofa century, from 1854 to 1879, it will be seen that artisans of alldescriptions found Welbeck a veritable gold-mine. Even so late asNovember, 1878, a Nottingham newspaper correspondent, on visitingWelbeck, was impressed with its appearance as that of the premises of"some great contractor who had an order for the building of a bigvillage. " There was the buzz of machinery, large areas were covered withbricklayers', masons' and joiners' sheds, wherein any new mechanicalcontrivance was put to the test. For more than eighteen years thevicinity of the house resembled a builder's yard, in the centre of whichthe Duke lived and moved and had his being, enjoying, in his way, thepiles of bricks and mortar surrounding him. After he had decided uponthe erection of a new building he had a model of it made for hisinspection, and if approved of, it was proceeded with. 

Any tramp or wayfarer who applied for work at Welbeck was put on thestaff, and the market value of his labour paid. The Duke seemed to findgrim pleasure in the society of the casuals who made their way to hisstone-yards. 

The wing built by the Countess of Oxford in a former generation had anew storey put to it, with a magnificent suite of 14 new rooms furnishedin Louis XIV. Style, richly gilded, and with mantelpieces of whitemarble. 

An underground passage was made leading to the old riding school, builtby the Duke of Newcastle in 1623, but since converted to other uses, such as a library and church, after the erection of the new ridingschool. Beneath it are great wine cellars with subterraneancommunications. 

The most wonderful of the underground apartments built by the Duke wasthe picture-gallery, or as it was intended to be, the ball-room. It islighted from the roof by means of bulls'-eyes. An enormous sum was spentin labour, excavating the solid clay in order that this magnificentsaloon might be constructed. 

Some choice examples of the great masters are contained in this palaceof art, which is 158 feet long, 63 feet wide, and 22 feet high. Here areexamples of the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, de Mytens, Tintoretto, Teniers, Snyders, Bassano, Wyck, de Vos, Greffier, Francks, Berghem, Zucchero, Wootton, Breughel, Dirk Maas, Netscher, Gagnacci, GerardHonthorst, Van der Meulen, Rigaud, Vandyke, Holbein, Kneller, Lely, Dahl, M. Shee, Knapton, West, Jansen, Verelst; in fact not only in thepicture-gallery, but in all parts of the Abbey are scattered treasuresof art and vertu. Among the interesting curiosities are the one-pearldrop-earrings seen in the portraits of Charles I. , and worn by him onthe morning of his execution; also the silver-gilt chalice from which hereceived the consecrated wine on that fateful morning at Whitehall. Thechalice bears the following inscription; "King Charles the Firstreceived the communion in this Boule on Tuesday the 30th of January, 1664, being the day in which he was murthered. " In the library areautograph letters from the Stuarts, including one from Mary Queen ofScots, signed "Your very good friend. "

There is a portrait of Adelaide Kemble, with whom the Duke is said tohave been in love in early manhood. The actress is in the pose of herhistrionic profession, and in another part of the gallery is a bust ofthe Duke by H. R. Pinker (1880). 

The gigantic riding school is about 380 feet long, 112 feet wide, and 50feet high, and from it is a subterranean passage leading to the tangallop, designed for the exercise of horses. The length of this gallopis 1270 feet, and it is all under a glass roof. He had about 100 horses, and his stables extended over an area almost as large as a village. 

Of all his extraordinary hobbies that of planning subterranean passageshas excited the most wonder and satire. These tunnels, in which it waspossible for three persons to walk abreast in some parts, were lightedwith gas jets placed at intervals. One at least of the tunnels is largeenough for a horse and cart to be driven through. 

The drive from Worksop is a delightful one, but all at once the strangeris surprised to find himself in a cavern, leading as might be supposedto the catacombs. It was no uncommon thing for the Duke to rise up outof a tunnel and appear in the midst of a gang of workmen when they werelittle expecting him, and when, perhaps, they were idling their time, or making uncomplimentary remarks about him. 

When the tunnels were in course of construction there might be seen aprocession of men on donkeys going to and fro. It was all in a piecewith his Grace's conduct that he should purchase donkeys for them toride upon; but the animals, when let loose, would gnaw at the trees, sothe services of the four-legged asses were dispensed with. 

His manner of dealing with a strike was a summary one. The wages of theexcavators of the tunnels were fifteen shillings a week regularly, sunshine or rain; but the men thought their rich employer could affordthem an increase, so they struck. 

"You can strike as long as you like, " was the message sent by the Duke, "it does not matter to me if the work is never done. "

This cool attitude had its effect, the strike was at an end, and thetunnelling proceeded. 

One reason given for planning the tunnels was that when he first desiredto withdraw himself from observation he tried to close the public rightsof way over the estate. This brought him into collision with the powersthat be, and he compromised matters to his own satisfaction by makingthe underground roadways. His cynicism was rich. 

"Here have I had provided for you at enormous expense a clean pathwayunderground, lighted with gas too, and you will persist in walking aboveground, " was his salute to some astounded visitors. The idea that theyshould prefer the sunshine, the delightful woodland scenery andsweet-smelling scents wafted over Welbeck in summer-time, to the gaseoustunnels, as if they were rabbits having natural affinities to theburrows of the earth, was one only worthy of a ducal misanthropist. 

He was "The Invisible Prince, " he liked to take men unawares, he enjoyeda grim joke at their expense, though whether he ever showed signs ofmerriment, at least in after life, is not so much in the memories ofthose who knew him, as his eccentricities. He is more associated withthe character of an ogre and a cynic who shunned his fellow-men, yetthere are some of his employees still living who give him a good word asa kind and considerate master. 

There have been various reasons put forth to account for his withdrawalfrom the society of his peers. It was said that he was smitten withleprosy, that he had an incurable skin desease; then that his loveaffairs had gone awry when he was a young man, with the result that hebecame a woman-hater, then a hater of mankind generally. 

The Duke was moody and uncertain in his temper. Sometimes he would passpedestrians in the park without noticing them; at other times strangerswould be astonished to hear a shabby old ogre break out at them inprofane language because of their intrusion upon his domains, and theywould be still more astonished when making complaints about the conductof this disreputable person, to find that it was the Duke himself. 

At that time the use of a traction-engine in agriculture was somewhat ofa novelty, and because it was different from the appliances generallyused by farmers, was a recommendation to the Duke. 

It was nine o'clock one night when he said to his haymakers: "Take thecarts home and bring another load with the engine. "

"Excuse me, your Grace, " said one, "If the engine is made of steel andiron I'm not. I'm tired out. "

"Well, perhaps you are, go home then, " came the order, which istestimony to the consideration he had for his employees when he wasaddressed in a manly, straightforward way. 

There was a grotesque procession one day at a farm on the Welbeckestate. It was a rainy summer, and the farmers were at their wits'-endsto know how they were to secure their hay in anything like goodcondition. 

The Duke was not a man to be beaten by the weather; he defied it; he wasdetermined to have his grass in the rickyard, wet or dry. So the orderwent forth that his traction-engine and waggons were to be ready forcarrying it on a certain day. 

There was to be no shirking, for the Duke's intention was to be with hismen to see that the work was done. So he went to the farm in his longbrown cape and high silk hat and an umbrella which might have done dutyfor Hans William Bentinck in the swamps of Holland. 

The harvesters filled the waggons in a downpour of rain and thecavalcade started for the homestead. There were three or four waggonsbehind the engine, and in the last, lo and behold, sat his Grace, grim, silent and self-satisfied that the elements had no terrors for him. 

What a life his was to lead; he was a veritable prisoner, having himselffor a warder. 

The special apartment used by him in the daytime was fitted with atrap-door in the floor, by which he could descend to the regions below, and thus roam about his underground tunnels without the servants knowingwhether he was in the house or had left it. By means of this trap-door, after walking to some distant part of his estate and astonishing hisworkmen there, he could re-appear in the Abbey as mysteriously as he hadleft it. 

The apartment with the trap-door had another door opening into anante-room, and here his servants received their orders. 

The "Prince of Silence" rarely spoke to his attendants; he wrote down onpaper what he required and placed it in the letter-box of the dooropening into the ante-room. Then he rang a bell, when a servant wouldcome and read what he had written and carry out the order accordingly. 

The Duke's bedstead was an immense square erection, constructed in anextraordinary manner. There were large doors to it, so arranged thatwhen folded it was impossible to know whether the bed was occupied byits owner. 

He was a lonely traveller, and even when he went to Paris would have nocompanion with him. His arrangements were made by an _avant courier_, and when it became known that he had arrived in the gay city, theEnglish aristocracy paid formal visits to him. 

These attentions were too much for his habit of loneliness, and hevanished to St. Germains. A few weeks' stay here was enough for him, andhe came back to Paris, not lingering more than a couple of days, andthen proceeded by stages to Calais and on to London. 

One of the best authenticated stories of the fifth Duke relates to hishabit of riding alone in a carriage specially constructed to secureprivacy. As was natural the more it became known that he wanted toescape observation the more was curiosity aroused to see him, so that aconsiderable part of his life was spent in adopting stratagems toprevent sight-seers from catching a glimpse of the aristocratic enigma. 

The carriage was so made that when the doors were closed no one couldsee into it, though there were spy-holes arranged that the Duke couldlook out on all sides and not be observed. 

One day the Duke had sent his usual written order for his carriage toproceed by road to London. 

The postillions started quite oblivious that they had his Grace withthem in his mysteriously-constructed vehicle. 

It was a long journey, and as they passed stage after stage, theirdelays for refreshments became longer and their stoppages more frequent. 

They had just pulled up at a country inn when they were horrified tohear a sepulchral voice from the hearse-like chariot shouting, "What the devil are you stopping for?"

These few words were enough. They came from the voice of the Duke whomthey saw not, but recognised by his tones from his tomb on wheels. 

The postillions sprang upon the horses and tarried not till they hadarrived before the portico of Harcourt House where the great mythdescended unseen to his room. 

Harcourt House, Cavendish-square, was a famous London mansion, for manyyears in the possession of the Dukes of Portland. The building of thisstately town residence was commenced in 1722 for Earl Harcourt. It hada noble courtyard facing Cavendish-square, and an imposing _portecochère_, with a large garden and wide-spreading trees, which were suchextraordinary features to be found as adjuncts to the old London palacesof the nobility. Then there was a range of stabling enough toaccommodate the stud of a monarch. 

This noble mansion was gambled away at a card-party when the stakes werehigh and the players were the third Duke, grandfather of the eccentricpeer, and Earl Harcourt. Thus it came into possession of the Bentincks. 

During the occupancy of the fifth Duke, the curious freaks of buildingfor which he was so famous at Welbeck were repeated at Harcourt House. He had the garden enclosed with a gigantic screen of ground-glass, extending for 200 feet on each side and 80 feet high. His object inhaving this screen constructed was that the residents ofHenrietta-street and Wigmore-street might be prevented from seeing intothe garden and possibly catching a glimpse of his Grace when taking astroll. 

The gamble for Harcourt House was commuted into a leasehold tenancy bythe intervention of the lawyers, who declared that the ownership of themansion could not be separated from the rest of the estate. 

In more recent years the leasehold interest was purchased by the Earl ofBreadalbane, and on its expiration, it eventually came to Sir WilliamHarcourt, the statesman, and in August, 1904, was offered for sale. Thesite of the beautiful garden, with its screen and stables, was purchasedby the Post-office authorities. _Sic gloria transit_ of one of thefamous houses of London. 

Though he had such magnificent palaces, both in Sherwood Forest and inLondon, the Duke was not given to entertaining guests after the mannerof a great noble. His father had sent the family plate to be kept byMessrs. Drummond, bankers, and it was the current belief that the sonnever had it from the vaults of the bank to grace his tables at Welbeckor Harcourt House. 

His sisters seldom visited him, although one of them, Lady Ossington, lived at Ossington Hall, about 15 miles away, in the same county asWelbeck. 

The gossips of his lifetime would have it that his pet aversions weretobacco, women, and anyone in the garb of a gentleman; but he had ataste for drinking stout and lived on a simple dietary. 

These stories involve a tissue of inconsistencies. His correspondencewith Fanny Kemble when he was Marquis of Titchfield, already quoted, shows his kind consideration, not only for her, but for other ladies whomoved in higher circles. There was his friendship with Lady Cork, whowas often seen by the workmen on the estate driving Shetland ponies. Shewas a visitor at Cuckney Hall, which was part of the Welbeck domain. Again there are instances on record of his courtesy to those of theopposite sex whom he met in the park; besides which there were manyfemale servants engaged at the Abbey. 

"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast"; but among the otheridiosyncrasies laid to his charge, it was said that rather than soothe, it irritated him. 

Mrs. Hamilton's testimony is that Mr. Druce (assuming him to have beenidentical with the Duke) was extremely fond of music, and that she hadplayed to him for hours at a time. 

"Sing me the old songs, Stuart" Druce would say to her father, who notonly sang, but played the violin. 

Moreover the workmen at Welbeck were allowed to have a band whichperformed at the Abbey on Christmas-eve and the bandsmen were givenrefreshments. 

What a quaint figure the Duke's was. When away from home he wore a wig, but not indoors, his tall hat had a broad brim, he wore a white tie andhigh collar, his trousers tied round his legs, were of check, with afrock coat and dark waistcoat. 

His habits were fastidious, and he would not handle bronze or silvercoins before they had been washed. Then he forbade persons to touchtheir hats to him if they met him. 

His manner of dispensing benefactions was characteristic. Sometimes hewas lavish in his generosity, while on other occasions he replied inburning words to those who appealed to him. 

An instance of the latter is afforded in his reply to the members of aFriendly Society which was in straits for the want of 10l. He toldthem that if it was a Club established on sound lines, it would be worththeir while to subscribe the money among themselves, and if not, hedeclined to maintain a bankrupt organisation. 

He was a devourer of the contents of newspapers, and took all theprincipal London and provincial daily issues, as well as many weeklyjournals, which were filed and bound. His bill for one year came to1, 300l. He had four sets of the papers he thought worth preserving, one being at Welbeck, another at Fullarton House, a third at BothalCastle, and a fourth at Harcourt House. This collection of currentliterature of the day is believed to be the largest private libraryoutside the British Museum. 

In January, 1855, the Crimean War was in progress, and the Duke havinggiven 500l. To the Patriotic Fund, further showed his bounty byordering that several fat bullocks, 100 head of deer and 1, 000 haresshould be potted and sent out to the scene of action. Besides theseeatables he gave a quantity of unbleached cotton and flannel to be madeinto shirts and other garments by the ladies of Worksop and district. Inthat same month Major-General Bentinck, who had been wounded in theright arm, arrived at Welbeck, intending to return to the war as soon ashis wound would allow him. 

It was formerly the custom for everyone who paid a visit to the statelyhome in Sherwood Forest, whether on business or pleasure, not to comeaway without tasting the Worksop ale. Its quality was renowned, and theDuke sent 1, 000 gallons of it to the Army fighting in the Crimea. 

The lake at Welbeck is three miles long, and its waters are suppliedfrom an irrigation system at Clipstone, costing the fourth Duke80, 000l. To carry out, draining a tract of marshy land and making itone of the most fertile districts in England. After supplying the lakeat Welbeck the stream flows to that at Clumber. 

It was estimated that between two and three millions sterling were spentby the Duke in putting his ideas into execution, and the one beneficenteffect of his expenditure was the employment of a large number of men inwork that was not altogether of a useless nature, as witness his greatimprovements in agriculture, following up his father's ideas, adding tothe national wealth by the crops this hitherto uncultivated area wasmade to produce. 

After his long and chequered career the Duke passed away in December, 1879, having nearly reached eighty years of age. Peace be to his ashes. 

CHAPTER VIII

THE PRESENT DUKE AND DUCHESS. --A ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT

There must have been a thrilling sensation of delight at the goodfortune that had overtaken him when the present Duke found himself inpossession of the family honours and estates. There had been so manyvicissitudes in the Dukedom that any chance survival might have steppedin to bar his claim. "There's many a slip between the cup and the lip"is an old saying, and many a relation of a great noble is near thesuccession of his honours, only to see them pass to some other branchwhere least expected. 

The present Duke, or to give him his full family name, William JohnArthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, was a long way off the fifthDuke, in the table of consanguinity, he had no trace of the Scott bloodin him, and was in fact only second cousin of his eccentric predecessorin the title. 

His father was Lieutenant-General A. C. Cavendish-Bentinck, whosedescent was through the third Duke, so that the two branches had to goback nearly a hundred years to find a common ancestor. His birth tookplace on December 28th, 1857, and it must have seemed then a remotepossibility that in less than five and twenty years he would succeed toone of the proudest Dukedoms in the land, with the opportunities of aroyal alliance. 

Two of the Duke's half-brothers were engaged in the South African war;Lord Charles Bentinck was a Lieutenant in the 9th Lancers and wasslightly wounded in the siege of Mafeking; for his services he won amedal and a brevet-majority. He was born in 1868 and was educated atEton; he married in 1897 a daughter of Mr. Charles Seymour Grenfell ofTaplow. In the East Midlands he has won considerable popularity asMaster of the Blankney Hunt. 

Lord William Bentinck was a Captain in the 10th Hussars and showed hisardour in the war by endeavouring to form a body of Colonial MountedRifles. 

Among the eccentricities laid to the charge of the old Duke it was saidthat on his young heir going to visit him on one occasion at Welbeck, he ordered him to stand in a corner of the room. 

When in 1879 the old Duke passed away from his world of mysteries andescapades, the heir was a Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards. He wasnot long in the Army, and when he came into the title there were toomany other engagements for him to attend to without troubling himself asto the routine of military duty, though he kept up a connection with theforces by becoming Lieutenant-Colonel of the Honourable ArtilleryCompany of London, Honorary Colonel of the 1st Lanarkshire VolunteerArtillery, and of the 4th Battalion Sherwood Foresters Regiment. 

Welbeck soon began to assume a new aspect under his regime. Gradually itlost its appearance of a contractor's yard and looked like one of thestately homes of England. 

Looking back to the time when he first came into his noble heritage, theDuke made a touching reference at the Welbeck Tenants' Show, in 1906, tothe death of his agent, Mr. F. J. Turner, who for 48 years was in theservice of the fifth Duke and himself. 

"When I first came to Welbeck, now twenty-seven years ago, " said theDuke, "I was a mere boy, very ignorant of the ways of the world, andmore ignorant still, if it were possible, of business habits and of themanagement of a great estate. I shudder to think what might have been myfate, and the sad fate of those dependent upon me, if Mr. Turner andothers, who guided my footsteps, had been different from what theyproved themselves to be. It was in his power to make or mar thehappiness and prosperity, not only of myself, but also of many of thosewho live in this district and who farm my land. "

The Duke followed the traditions of his family and commenced to form anexpensive racing stud. 

In 1882 his attention was concentrated to a considerable degree uponthis object. He bought the famous sire, St. Simon, at the sale of thelate Prince Batthyany's horses. St. Simon could not compete in theclassic races in consequence of the death of his owner, and all throughhis racing career he was not put to any severe test of speed, or mostlikely his name would have represented the double achievement of being afamous racer, and the sire of famous racers too. He was bought for1, 600l. , the purchase being effected on the recommendation of MatDawson, the trainer, and the horse was then a two-year-old. That hecould go at a terrific pace is proved by an observation made one day byFred Archer to the trainer. St. Simon was at exercise when Archer's spurtouched him, unintentionally by the jockey. He bounded into a gallop--astate of action rarely seen before--and Archer subsequently said that hehad never been whizzed through the air at such a terrific pace. In thevery pink of condition, fresh and strong, the Duke had to congratulatehimself on securing his bargain, for he was sent from the course to thestud, with the result that the magnificent total of 246, 000l. Was wonby his progeny in stakes alone. 

At length, in 1888, the Duke reached the goal of his ambition in hiscareer on the turf, for he was the winner of the Derby with Ayrshire, which also won the Two Thousand Guineas. Then he followed up his successnext year by winning the Derby again with Donovan, a horse that also wonthe St. Leger. 

The names of the mares finding their habitation at Woodhouse Hall, about a mile and a quarter from Welbeck Abbey, are identified with someof the most remarkable successes of the turf. Here is a string ofanimals through the veins of which ran purest blood. Amoena, Atalanta, Battlewings, Danceaway, Golden Eye, Lady Mar, Larissa, Marquesa, Mowerina, Modwena, Miss Middlewick, Shaker, Semolina, Staffa, Wheel ofFortune, Tact, Ulster Queen, and many besides. The Goddess of Fortunebeamed on his Grace's colours whenever they appeared in the great races. The long series of victories resulted in immense winnings. For instance, Modwena was credited with 5, 884l. ; Ayrshire, 35, 915l. ; JohnnyMorgan, 4, 067l. ; Donovan, 55, 154l. ; Semolina, 12, 686l. ; MissButterwick, 8, 179l. ; Raeburn, 8, 374l. ; The Prize, 3, 134l. ; St. Serf, 5, 809l. ; Memoir, 17, 300l. ; Schoolbrook, 2, 705l. ; Amiable, 10, 582l. ; Other celebrated stock also bred by the Duke included Anna, Charm, Catcher Clatterfeet, Elsie, Eisteddfod, Galston, Katherine II. , Little Go, Oyster, Rattleheels, St. Bridget, Simony II. , The Task, TheOwl, The Smew, Troon, Ulva, and many more. Major Loder's Spearmint wasthe winner of the Derby in 1906, and it was a bay colt by Carbine--Maidof the Mint, so that a horse owned by the Duke was again associatedwith the blue ribbon, Carbine having been imported from Australia by hisGrace some years before. Carbine had another name, "Old Jack, " given himbecause of his laziness, and a whip-stock, had to be used occasionallyto keep him up to the mark. An Australian picture of the horse waspainted by Mr. W. Scott, and after being in the possession of Mr. Herbert Garratt for some years was sent to his Grace with a request thathe would accept it, which he did. 

All the time that the Duke was paying so much attention to horse-racingit was being asked in Nottinghamshire whether Welbeck was ever to seeanother Duchess of Portland. The palace of the magician in the heart ofSherwood Forest had not had a mistress for forty years, and the gossipswere not diffident in expressing their opinion that it was time thesplendour of its hospitality was graced by the presence of a Duchess. 

The Duke was thirty-two years of age in 1889, and his name had beencoupled with that of a royal princess; but whatever foundation there mayhave been for the rumour that he was going to marry into the royalfamily, it was seen eventually that he was determined to wed for loveand not for pride of place. 

Of the rich and well-born heiresses tracing their lineage throughgeneration after generation of English chivalry, and who would havedeemed it the prize of a lifetime to become Duchess of Portland, theDuke's choice fell upon a young lady whose name was unknown to thedenizens of Nottinghamshire. She was Winifred, only daughter of ThomasDallas-Yorke, Esq. , of Walmsgate, Louth, and came of an old Lincolnshirefamily. 

She was a merry girl as she used to ride her pony in the Lincolnshirelanes, indeed, she was regarded as somewhat of a tomboy, but a year ortwo passed away, and she surprised those who had known her in girlhood, to see her the most fashionable beauty in the Row. 

She had a wondrous type of beauty too, that made all those who admiredits style, fall beneath her spell, her complexion was delicate, yet withthe glow of health upon it, her teeth were pearly, her eyes full ofsweet reasonableness, her nose that of the classic heroines of Greece, and her willowy form such as Sir Joshua Reynolds would have delighted topaint in a portrait, that would have been one more justification of thepoetical phrase, "Art is long and life is fleeting. "

Her lithe and graceful figure, nearly six feet in height, with a facepleasing and mobile, and a voice that charmed in its tone, made herdistinguished in any society where she appeared. 

The story is that once when staying with some friends at Brighton shewent to the Devil's Dyke, a romantic place visited by almost everytourist and resident in that neighbourhood. There she was prevailed uponto consult a gipsy as to her future, and the fortune-teller prophesiedtruth, for the oracular words came forth:--

"You will carry off the greatest matrimonial prize in all England, " thegipsy said, as she went through the palmistry study of MissDallas-Yorke's shapely hand; "but shortly after your marriage there'strouble of some sort, for the lines become cloudy. I know what it willbe, young lady; a terrible illness must attack you, yet take courage andhave no fear, my dear, for all will turn out well in the end. "

The sequel to the story is that after the happy event of the marriagethe gipsy had a black gown and a purse of money presented to her by theDuchess as a compliment to her sagacity as a prophetess. 

The latter part of the prediction was fulfilled also, for soon afterher marriage the Duchess was attacked by typhoid fever at Welbeck, andher life hung in the balance for a short time during her illness. Happily she recovered to take her place in Society, as graceful andwinsome as ever. 

She had been out, in the Society sense of the term, several seasonsbefore she became acquainted with the Duke. How the meeting came aboutis thus related:--

She was on a visit during the autumn of 1888 to a country house InScotland, and while waiting with her maid on the platform of Carlislestation, she was noticed by the Duke, who was also northward bound forsport on the moors. 

The Duke was waiting on the platform too, and was attracted by theperfection of her appearance, her lofty carriage and the expression ofthe true gentlewoman on her countenance. 

A few weeks afterwards an introduction took place at the house of afriend, when they spoke of their recollection of having seen each otheron the platform of the railway station. 

Although the Duke must have known that he was the most covetedmatrimonial prize in England at that time, yet it is said he was shy atproposing to this magnificent daughter of a Lincolnshire squire. 

He must have done, however, for in a few months the marriage wascelebrated. 

Soon after the engagement the Duke bought a sable cloak of immense valuefor his fiancée; but Mrs. Dallas-Yorke protested against the gift andsaid that her daughter had not been accustomed to such costly attire. 

What was the Duke's observation upon this has not passed current;suffice it to say that the priceless cloak was received and worn by MissDallas-Yorke, who in Society was chaperoned by the Marchioness ofGranby, now Duchess of Rutland. 

Such a fluttering among Society dove-cotes was seldom seen, and sound ofwedding-bells rarely heard with such gleeful joy. It was a love-match, and, therefore, a popular event all over the land. Only a few weeksbefore, the Duke's horse had won the Derby, and the ovation given him bythe racing fraternity was unprecedented to any one, peer or commoner, below royal rank. 

Then the bride was so full of smiles to all who had the privilege ofoffering her congratulations. 

The Duke had earned the reputation of being a "good fellow, " a phrasecarrying its own meaning in relation to a typical English nobleman. Atthe zenith of his popularity there is no wonder that crowds lined thestreets on the wedding morning to catch a glimpse of the happy pair asthey drove back from Church. The Prince and Princess of Wales honouredthe ceremony with their presence, and such cheering there was as thefaces of the bride and bridegroom were seen at the windows of thecarriage. It was a smart equipage, and even the coachmen and footmenwere decorated with horse-shoes of flowers on their coats. 

Then there were the rejoicings at Welbeck, where the new Duchess sooningratiated herself with the tenantry. "The Good Duchess" was smilingand approachable, and quickly found her way to the heart of the mostchurlish country herdsman. 

It was apparent that the Duchess's mind was not solely occupied withplans for reigning in London Society and dictating the fashions for aselect and fastidious circle. She knew her powers in that respect; shehad already conquered and was content to please the Duke, and fulfil theduties of her station towards those who were her equals, and towards theDuke's retainers on his estates and their dependants. 

Not that she ceased to dazzle with the radiant splendour of her jewels, which adorned her natural gracefulness. 

Her coronet of diamonds contains in it a lustrous gem, called thePortland stone, worth 10, 000l. , and her jewels altogether are offabulous value. Nothwithstanding the changing fashions of High Society, she retains her preference for a Medici collar of lace and a spray ofMalmaison carnations. 

With the immense sums of money the Duke had won over the Derby victorieshe was desirous of adding new treasures to his wife's jewel-case; butshe prevailed upon him to build some almshouses for poor old women atWelbeck; moreover she is credited with having influenced him to moderatehis indulgence in racing. 

The almshouses, which were called "The Winnings, " have upon them thefollowing inscription: "These houses were erected by the sixth Duke ofPortland at the request of his wife, for the benefit of the poor and tocommemorate the the success of his race-horses. " They were not built outof money made by betting, a habit not encouraged by the Duke. 

At a later period, addressing a meeting of young men, he said: "Turn acold shoulder to the bookmaker and those who would advise you to throwyour money into the lap of fickle Fortune If you want to be happy. Youmight just as well throw the money into a pond. "

The Duchess always has a happy way of opening a Bazaar for somephilanthropic object, and her radiant and affable manner charm thosewith whom she is brought into contact, perhaps for the first time. Sheis a supporter of the Church Army Training Homes, Bryanston-street, andshe has had the courage to preside over a temperance demonstration inHyde Park. Swimming has become a fashionable accomplishment with Societyladies, and she has shown her interest in extending the cultivation ofthat exercise. This is only to mention but a few of the objects thatclaim her time and attention, and no lady of high position is more readyto aid a worthy charity where possible. 

The first child that came to the Duke and Duchess was Lady VictoriaAlexandrina Violet, born in 1890. She was highly honoured at herchristening, for Queen Victoria acted as sponsor person, and held thebaby in her arms. There is at Welbeck an autograph letter from theQueen, congratulating the parents on their firstborn. The next was theheir to the Dukedom, William Arthur Henry, Marquis of Titchfield, bornMarch 16th, 1893, and the third Lord Francis Norwen Dallas, born in1900. 

The Duke was Master of the Horse from 1886 to 1892, and from 1895 to1905; and the Duchess acted as Mistress of the Robes for a short time in1905, she was also one of the "Canopy Duchesses" at the Coronation. 

The Duke's estates in Scotland include Langwell Lodge, which the familyhas frequently visited for deer-stalking and grouse-shooting in theautumn. Then there is Cessnock Castle, near Galston, Ayrshire, where theDuke and Duchess had not stayed for many years till 1906. A considerablepart of the fifth Duke's Ayrshire estates, including the Kilmarnockproperty, passed at his death to his sister, Lady Ossington, and at herdeath to another sister, Lady Howard de Walden, and thence to LordHoward de Walden. The Duke has extensive shootings at Fullarton, nearTroon, and Fullarton House was for some time the residence of LouisPhilippe of France. 

The house of Langwell is situated on a beautiful grassy slope, with thesea in front, while in the background are the silver-clad Scarabines, rising with imposing grandeur. The Langdale and Berriedale rivers herejoin and flow into the sea, and there are picturesque gorges, withcave-dwellings and ancient ruins having historic associations. Frowningcliffs rise precipitously from the waves, and weird caves, only to beentered when the tide is low, add to the romantic character of thescenery. 

In the neighbourhood of this favourite shooting lodge are some steep anddangerous hills which presented great difficulties to the horses whentaking his Grace's guests to and fro to enjoy their sport. But havingbecome a votary of the motorcar, these stiff hills have been surmountedwith ease by the four or five vehicles which the Duke has acquired forsporting purposes. Helmsdale is the nearest railway station to Langwell, and the road over the Ord of Caithness includes several hills with roughand loose surfaces, and gradients ranging from 1 in 2 to 1 in 16, sothat the journey is not without its stress both for horses andmotorcars. John o' Groat's is forty-five miles distant, but this, aswell as other places of interest in the neighbourhood, is withinvisiting range by the cars, though such long distances were notattempted with the equine species. 

To capture the Master of the Horse as an automobilist was a greatachievement for enthusiasts in the advocacy of the new mode oftravelling. The Duke of Portland has been such a devotee to the horse, as were his ancestors centuries before him, that it was not to beexpected all at once, that he would, give his countenance to any newinvention likely to supplant the noble animal in its position as theservant and friend of man. Having been a cyclist, when that hobby seizedthe fancy of the fashionable world, it was not a long step toautomobilism, and having proved the superiority of the motor vehicle, the Duke gave orders for some of the best types of cars to be suppliedto him. One of the most luxurious is a Limousine de Deitrich, and hisinterest in the new art of locomotion is such that he has had a perfecttrack prepared at Clipstone, called "The flying kilometre. "

In 1907 the Duke became a member of the Royal Automobile Club andsubmitted all his drivers for examination for the certificate. The testtook place at Welbeck, when there were shown several technical drawingsexecuted by the candidates, who all passed with merit and received theircertificates. 

The Duchess on one occasion made some observations in public on motors, and expressed a doubt as to whether any of her friends would forsake thehorse in favour of mechanical locomotion. That time, however, cameabout, and now the Duchess is claimed as a patroness of the car, whichif prosy, compared with the delights of horsemanship, is, nevertheless, useful for accomplishing distances which horses are not expected tocover. 

In a speech in the House of Lords, the Duke said he considered theadvent of the motorcar could not but have a weakening influence on thehorse-breeding industry, and before very long several of the functionswhich horses at present perform, both in the towns and countrydistricts, would be carried out by mechanical means. His object inmaking these remarks was to call attention to what was impending inorder that some steps might be taken to foster the horse-breedingindustry. 

As far as a continuance of interest in race-horses is concerned, theDuke had at the commencement of the season 1906 twenty-one horses intraining with W. Waugh at Kingsclere, including thirteen two-year-olds. 

Both King Edward and the Queen have been entertained at Welbeck sincetheir accession to the throne, and in 1906 there was a visit from theDuke and Duchess of Sparta, the Crown Prince and Princess of Greece. 

The Duke's sentiments on "patriotism" may be gathered from some remarkshe made when opening a miniature rifle range constructed at theNottingham High School. He referred with approbation to the work of Mr. Robins, Premier of Manitoba, through whose policy the Union Jack wasunfurled from the roof of every school in the province: "The man whoobjects to perpetuating the glories of the flag, who declines to havehis children infused with British patriotism is undesirable. " "Thesewords, " said the Duke, "apply to the anti-patriot, the pro-Zulu, thepro-Boer, the inciter to rebellion in Egypt, and to the stirrer-up ofstrife in India. I do not see why rifle-shooting should not become apopular national sport, equal in prestige to games like cricket andfootball. "

CHAPTER IX

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS AT HOME. --THE DUCHESS AS PRINCESS BOUNTIFUL. --THEDUCHESS AT COURT

Christmas is usually spent by the Duke and Duchess at Welbeck, and oneof the events of the season is the Household Ball to celebrate theDuke's birthday, which falls on December 28th. It is held in the vastunderground picture-gallery, with the subjects of the old painterslooking down from their canvases upon the gay dancers. 

Choice exotics, stately palms and seasonable shrubs add to the varietyof the decorations. The band is almost hidden in a bower of foliage inthe centre of the great saloon, and there are 500 guests of all ranks ofsociety from peers and peeresses to the humblest domestic servant. 

About ten o'olock the Duke and Duchess appear with their house party, and dancing commences with a Circassion Circle. The Duke has thehousekeeper for partner and the Duchess the house-steward, while thearistocratic guests find partners among other chiefs of departments inthe Welbeck household. 

With midnight comes supper, served in two adjacent underground rooms, that owe their excavation to the grim hobby of the old Duke. All thefestive party sit down to supper at the same time, the Duke's Frenchchef providing the menu. The house-steward presides and proposes thehealth of the ducal family. This is welcomed in the manner it deservesand then dancing is resumed in the picture-gallery. 

On another evening the children on the Welbeck estate are invited to aparty when the head of a giant Christmas-tree is reared in the centre ofthe ball-room, laden with toys for distribution to them, and thepleasures of the entertainment are varied with the tricks of a conjurerand ventriloquist. Thus is afforded a glimpse of the happy relationsexisting between the Portland family and their retainers. 

In the neighbourhood of Sutton-in-Ashfield, Cresswell, and the miningdistrict between Mansfield and Worksop the Duchess is regarded as aPrincess Bountiful in reality, rather than a creation of fairyland. Hervisits to some of the homes of the miners are generally unexpected; forinstance one Monday morning in the late autumn she rode up to theunpretending dwelling of a collier to enquire about "an old friend, " asshe called him, who had worked in Cresswell pits. A few years before hehad met with an accident and injured his spine. The occurrence came tothe ears of her Grace, who arranged for the patient to visit London toundergo an operation, which he did, with favourable results. Abath-chair was obtained for him and since then she had evincedsympathetic interest in his condition. 

As may well be imagined appeals to the Duchess's sympathies are madefrom all quarters. One day she is taking the chair at the annual meetingof the Children's Hospital at Nottingham. On another day the NottinghamSamaritan Hospital for Women is having her support in the opening of abazaar in its aid. 

Not only suffering humanity, but suffering brute creation has found inher a sympathetic chord. The Bev. H. Russell, who is well known in thecounty for his efforts on behalf of the Royal Society for the Preventionof Cruelty to Animals, told two interesting stories of her Grace in herpresence at the opening of the bazaar. 

A show of cab-horses and costermongers' donkeys was being held inNottingham, when Mr. Russell called the attention of the Duchess to anold rag-and-bone dealer, who had won no prize, but who was known totreat his donkey humanely. 

"What shall I give him?" asked the Duchess. 

"Half a sovereign will be enough, I should think, " replied theclergyman. 

She then handed the money to the man, but she had to borrow it though, "and, " added Mr. Russell, "I do not know whether she ever paid it backbut the result was the same. "

When in Scotland once she found that a man with a cart-load of herringshad been using a piece of barbed wire to flog his horse with. 

He was taxed with the barbarity, but denied it. 

The Duchess thereupon walked back and found the wire. She and the Dukethen bought up the horse, cart, harness, and herrings, rejecting theonly worthless part of the lot--the man. 

Sandy's greed and Sandy's conscience were most likely on a par in theirflinty qualities, and the dour Scot would be glad to bargain with theDuchess again on similar terms, eliminating the factor ofhumanitarianism. 

On another occasion she is presiding at the annual meeting of the localbranch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals atGrantham. "Such meetings as these, " she told her audience, "are valuablebecause they call attention to the cruelty which exists in such formsas the decrepit horse traffic, of which the general public has little orno knowledge. To be ignorant may save trouble; but if it makes usindifferent and lethargic with regard to suffering, when we ought to behelpers in the cause of humanity, the sooner we increase our knowledgethe better we shall be able to stop this great evil and rouse publicopinion on the valuable work done by the officers of the Society. "

Again she is a visitor at Mansfield to distribute the prizes inconnection with singing, needlework, and other competitions organized bythe girls' clubs in the district. She spoke of these competitions aspromoting a healthy spirit of rivalry, and promised to give a silvershield for proficiency in physical drill among girls. 

Her catholic spirit was evinced on her attendance one day early inFebruary, 1907, at the Mikado Café, Nottingham, when the members of aSunday afternoon Wesleyan Bible Class, numbering ninety men, assembledfor dinner. She expressed her interest in the aims of the Bible Classand in all efforts for the encouragement of right living. A bouquet waspresented to her from the members. 

The Duchess as a flower-seller was a delightful attraction at a Churchbazaar at Sutton-in-Ashfield, a town where there is considerable ducalproperty. In a graceful little speech declaring the bazaar open shesaid: "I know you are all tired of bazaars and desirous of adopting somebetter method of collecting money, if such could be devised, but untilsome brilliant or practical mind finds such a way, you are forced tomove in the old groove and repeat the same efforts. "

The story of borrowing half a sovereign is not the onlywell-authenticated instance of her Grace having to negotiate a loan inconsequence of her liberal instincts having prompted her to outrun theresources of her pocket. 

After opening a bazaar for the Newark Hospital she passed round thestalls and made purchases freely, so that by the time she had made theround she had completely exhausted her purse. It was necessary that sheshould have enough to pay her railway fare to London, whither she wishedto travel, and the honour of tending her the amount she wanted, fell toone of the stewards. The loan, I believe, was promptly repaid. 

A Court of exceptional, splendour was held by the King and Queen atBuckingham Palace in May, 1905, and as the then Mistress of the Robes, the Duchess of Buccleugh, was unable to attend through being inmourning, her place was taken by the Duchess of Portland, none eclipsingher in that brilliant throng of English nobility. She wore a gown ofivory velvet, brocaded round the skirt with bouquets of flowers andtrimmed with Italian lace and cream chiffon; the train of superbBrussels lace belonged to Marie Antoinette. Her jewels were diamonds, pearls and emeralds. 

A brilliant Chapter of the Garter was held in November, 1906, and wasfollowed by a banquet. The regal appearance of the Duchess may begathered from a description of her dress of cloudy white, embroideredwith mother-of-pearl, a high diamond tiara on her dark hair and amagnificent bouquet of flowers, surrounded with a wealth of glitteringdiamonds on her corsage. 

Miss May Cavendish-Bentinck was married to Mr. John Ford on November3rd, 1906, when Lady Victoria Cavendish-Bentinck made her appearance forthe first time as a bridesmaid. Mr. Ford was secretary of the BritishLegation at Copenhagen and the bride was one of the Duke's cousins. LadyVictoria Cavendish-Bentinck, the Duke's only daughter, will probably bepresented at Court next season. 

CHAPTER X

CLAIMS TO THE PORTLAND PEERAGE BY MRS. DRUCE AND MR. G. H. DRUCE. 

Full of romance as the Portland peerage was up to recent years, there isstill another chapter to be added, in relating some of the statementsmade in connection with the claims put forward by Mrs. Druce and Mr. G. H. Druce to the honours and wealth of the Bentincks. It must be statedemphatically that there is no intention whatever to comment upon theseclaims or to prejudice their fair consideration, in the tribunals of theland. No literary sketch of the great House of Portland would becomplete without it summarised the salient points in the Druce claims asthey have appeared from time to time in newspaper reports and in thenarratives of those who knew the fifth Duke in his lifetime. Thiscompilation is intended to epitomise the history of the illustriousfamily of Bentinck in consecutive order of the events as they haveoccurred, in such a manner as is not found in any other publication; butin no way to influence opinion either on one side or the other. It wasin 1898 that public attention was called to the case, when Mrs. Druceset up a claim to the Portland peerage on behalf of her son. 

The ground on which it was based was that her father-in-law, Mr. ThomasCharles Druce, and the fifth Duke of Portland were one and the sameperson; that in fact the Duke had a double existence. 

Mr. Druce was in a large way of business at the Baker-street Bazaar, anenterprise opened about 1834 or 1835, with a capital estimated at100, 000l. At that time the Duke had not succeeded to his familyestates, but was Marquis of Titchfield. It was known that he and hisbrothers had been successful in horse-racing and if, as Marquis, hecould spare 100, 000l. To open this London business, some indication isgiven of his winnings. 

In the construction of the Bazaar it was said that there was anunderground passage leading from the back of the premises. By this meansof ingress or egress Druce could appear in the midst of his shopmen whenthey least expected him and as suddenly vanish, possibly into anunderground passage, which it was believed was no myth, leading fromBaker-street to Harcourt House. 

While conducting this important business at Baker-street, Mr. Drucemarried in 1851 Annie May Berkeley, daughter of the Earl of Berkeley. The Earl's marriage with this lady's mother had been disputed, and washeld by the House of Lords to be illegal. 

That, however, has no bearing on the Portland romance, the question thatarose in 1898 was whether the Duke, under the alias of T. C. Druce, married Miss Berkeley. The strange part of the contention is that Mr. Druce died, or there was a mock burial of his body in Highgate Cemetery, in 1864, whereas the Duke lived on till 1879. The allegation is thatthere was no death of that particular person in 1864, and that thecoffin at the sham funeral was filled with lead or stones. 

Mr. Druce had a residence at Holcolmbe House, Hendon, and it was herethat he repaired to die. 

The funeral was on December 31st, 1864, and the vault was prepared inHighgate Cemetery. There was a stately hearse accompanied by sixbearers. The coffin was noticed to be of enormous weight, and thestrength of the men were taxed when their duties came to carrying andlowering it into the grave. 

From this circumstance arose a curious idea that it did not contain thebody of Druce, who was not stout and heavy; but that it was filled withstones or lead. There were no burial certificates forthcoming, but theowners of the cemetery accepted the coffin for burial. 

When Mr. Druce died there were two sons left of the alliance with MissBerkeley, one of whom continued the Baker-street establishment. 

But what was the astonishment of some of the frequenters of the purlieusof Baker-street to see the man who was supposed to have been buriedvisiting the same haunts where they had seen him before. 

To have witnessed or heard of the funeral of a man, and then to meetthat same man in his customary sphere of business afterwards, is of thenature of a ghost-story. "What did the coffin in Highgate Cemeterycontain?" was the riddle. 

Mrs. Druce's husband was a son of the late Mr. T. C. Druce, and it was onbehalf of her son that proceedings were commenced. She made anapplication to the Consistory Court for a faculty granting her power tohave the coffin in Highgate Cemetery opened in order to see whether itcontained a body or only some heavy substance such as lead. 

It was asserted that T. C. Druce had been seen alive some years after itwas supposed that he had been buried; that he was identified as the Dukeof Portland, and that there were persons cognisant of the fact that theDuke and Druce were one and the same person before 1864. Dr. Tristram, the judge, granted the faculty, but notice of appeal was given toprevent the coffin being opened. 

The case then came before the Divisional Court, which ruled that theLondon Cemetery Company was right in resisting the order of Dr. Tristram, and that the grave could not be opened without the licence ofthe Home Secretary. The decision was in effect that Dr. Tristram had nojurisdiction to make such an order, except as conditional on theauthority of the Home Secretary being obtained. 

At length the case reached the Court of Appeal in December, 1899, whenMrs. Druce made no appearance to support the faculty she had obtained, and the appeal was dismissed with costs against her. 

In the course of the proceedings the statements of two or three personswho knew Mr. Druce were published in the Press. 

Mrs. Hamilton's narrative was to the effect that from a girl she hadknown the same gentleman both as Mr. Druce and the Duke of Portland, herfather, Mr. Robert Lennox Stuart, being a great friend of his fromboyhood days, and, it was averred, distantly related. There werefrequent visits both to Cavendish-square and to the Baker-street Bazaar, and on one occasion, about 1849, Mrs. Hamilton says she was taken byher father to Welbeck where they were met by Druce. Then, in 1851, herfather attended the marriage of Druce and Annie May Berkeley. At lengththe time came when Druce determined to be dead to the outer world. "Imust die, " he said to Mr. Stuart. 

The arrangements for the death were duly carried out and there ensued asham burial, at which Mrs. Hamilton says her father was present. 

Two years passed away and Mrs. Hamilton was greatly astonished one dayto see Mr. Druce enter the house where she and her father were staying. 

"I thought you were dead, " she said naïvely. 

Druce was not well pleased at the remark and continued the conversationwith her father. 

On another occasion Druce took Mrs. Hamilton, then a girl, to MadameTussaud's, at which her father was angry; he also gave her money forsweets and flowers. 

A great many transactions took place between her father and Drucerelative to a lady whom they spoke of as "Emmy, " and who was eventuallysent to France, by Druce, who gave her 5, 000l. This was in 1876, andMr. Stuart went to Welbeck to arrange for the departure with her twochildren. She died not long afterwards. The last time that Mrs. Hamilton says she saw Druce was in 1876, when he called at her father'sand complained of being unwell. He spoke of his visits to his old friendStuart as being the happiest hours of his life. Some little time afterthe sham burial Mrs. Annie May Druce came to Mrs. Hamilton's father'shouse, and was introduced to Mrs. Hamilton as "Mrs. Druce. " Anotherstatement was made by Mrs. F. M. Wright, nee Robinson, nee Weatherell, who said that when she was 20 years of age she lived near theBaker-street Bazaar, owned by Mr. T. C. Druce, and frequently saw thatgentleman. After the supposed death and burial of Mr. Druce she saw himoften, and in her mind he was identical with the Duke of Portland. As toher knowledge of the Duke her father was in the service of his Gracewhen she was a young girl, and she was familiar with his features. Mr. Druce had a large bump on the left side of his forehead, which appearedto have been caused by a blow. The Duke also had a bump, and in heropinion this resemblance was evidence that the owner of the Baker-streetBazaar and the Duke were one and the same person. While these statementswere causing some amount of public interest there was a new developmentin this extraordinary case. The legal proceedings commenced by Mrs. Druce were widely reported in the Press and accounts of them reachedAustralia, where they were read by a man pursuing the calling of aminer. His name is Mr. George Hollamby Druce, who put forward a priorclaim to the Dukedom than that urged by Mrs. Druce on behalf of her son. 

His contention is that the Duke, as T. C. Druce, married in October, 1816, Miss Elizabeth Crickmer, of Bury St. Edmunds, by whom he had a sonnamed George. This youth took to a sea-faring life and eventuallysettled in Australia, where he had a son, namely Mr. George HollambyDruce, whose claim to the title takes precedence of that set up by Mrs. Druce for the offspring of the second marriage with Annie May Berkeley. 

The question of the exhumation of the body appears to be involved inlegal technicalities as to the ownership of the vault. At one time itwas vested in the son of Mrs. Druce who commenced the litigation. Thenthere appeared this other claimant, Mr. George Hollamby Druce, and it issaid that the present owner of the vault, Mr. Herbert Druce, is not infavour of complying with Mr. G. H. Druce's wish to open it, therefore thesecret of the grave remains unrevealed. 

THE END

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_The Anchor Press, Ltd. , Tiptree Heath, Essex. _