Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/345

 Later on in life Wraxall found her beauty spoiled to his eyes by her lack of feminine expression. " Her features, however noble, pleasing, and regular, always animated, constantly in play, never deficient in vivacity and intelligence, yet displayed no timidity ' — and timidity has always been considered a womanly virtue in the eyes of a sex which is supposed to have a natural monopoly of courage. Her expression was sometimes frowning, but much more frequently smiling, and the same authority likens her to Juno. But at the time of her marriage her expres- s i o n was different, for she had not received the cruellest blow of all. On her wed- ding tour a letter was handed t o her a d - dressed to her in her maiden name. No one saw her for hours after, and then she was found lying by the side of a stream, half-de- mented, with the letter by her side. It was from her soldier lover, alive and well, and writing to say that he was on his way home to marry her. For a time she seemed dazed, but then, summoning all the native strength of ^ her character, she pushed the softer side of life away from her, and set her whole mind on ambition for herself and her husband. Her entertainments were wild frolics, her pranks were many, her eccentricities pro- vided Edinburgh and London with conversa- tion that took precedence of any other. iThe Famous Gordons She was always fond of books, and it was she who introduced Burns to Edinburgh society. She was admired of all. Beattie, ihe author of the " Minstrel," said that JANE. DUCHESS By Sir yosk; 323 BEAUTY Siddons was the most beautiful woman in the world, except the Duchess of Gordon. When she left the Old Town for the New, saying that the Old Town was dull, Henry Erskine said, " Madame, that is as if the sun were to say, ' It seems very vastly dull weather ; I shall not rise this mornmg ' " — a charming speech which has been credited to Fox also, in praise of the Duchess of Gordon's lovely rival, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Life in the Gordon farnily was never dull. One of her husband's brothers was Lord George Gor- don, of riot fame. An- other was that Lord William G o r d on who eloped with Lady Sarah Bun- bury, and, after three months o f bliss, started to walk to Rome as a p e n a n ce — accom- panied onh' by a large dog and a thick stick. For the rest, some of the epithets ap- plied to the Gordons speak for themselves : " The Gay Gordons," "The Gal- lant Gor- dons,** "Cock o* the North " (still applied to the head of the House, the Marquis of Huntly), " The Gor- dons hae the guidin' o't " — these, and many other phrases, show what a mark the family left on society. "Empress of Fashion" The duchess herself was now embarked on a life so full that one wonders why brain-fag, that very modern product, did not attend on the life of rush which was the portion of so ambitious and beautiful a woman. " Few women have played a more conspicuous part in the theatre of fashion, politics, and dissipation," said Walpole of her. And he also described a day in the life of this " Empress of Fashion." " She was awake and energetic OF GORDON ia Reynolds