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 which
fidelity, heroism, chivalry and romance are blended and interwoven in
the annals of the noble families of England. Who that has been to
Welbeck Abbey, that magnificent palace in the heart of Sherwood Forest,
with its legends of Robin Hood and his merrie men, with its stately oaks
and undulating woodlands, stretching away to fertile pastures, dotted
over with prosperous farmsteads, as far as the eye can reach, does not
feel interested in the fortunes of the noble owner; and who that has
seen the Duke and Duchess on some festive occasion at Welbeck, moving to
and fro among their thousand guests, a perfectly happy couple, in which
the course of true love runs smooth, and whose supreme delight appears
to be to spread happiness around them, is so churlish as not to wish
them long life, as types of the English nobility it is a delight to
honour?

There is no affectation about this illustrious pair, the Duke never
poses in relation to affairs of State, and the Duchess has a natural
grace all her own, to which art can add no touch of dignity.