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THE JOURNALS OF
LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY

" A PERFECT woman — nobly plann'd,
To warn, to comfort and command,
And yet a creature still and bright
With something of angelic light."

William Wordsworth.

"A Diary need not be a dreary chronicle of one's movements,
it should aim rather at giving a. salient account of some particular
episode, a walk, a book, a conversation. It is a practice which
brings its own reward ; it is a singularly delightful thing to look at
old diaries, to see how one was occupied ten years ago, what one
was reading; the people one was meeting, one's earlier point of view."

Arthur Christopher Benson.

Q/Q-Cu^^iL^^ LA'7u<?'ny&/

-f--

THE JOURNALS OF

LADY KNIGHTLEY

OF FAWSLEY

Edited by JULIA CARTWRIGHT

(Mrs. ADY)

1856-1884

ILLUSTRATED

508518

19) . ^ so

LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.

i9«5

PREFACE

These selections from the private Journals of the late
Lady Knightley are given to the world in obedience
to her own wishes. Some years ago, she expressed a
hope that it might be possible to publish some portions
of her Journals, and asked me to undertake the task.
This request was confirmed in a letter found among
her papers after her death. " Not," the writer added
modestly, " that the story of my life is worth telling,
but because, I think, some of the things that it con-
tains may interest and amuse my friends, and possibly
appeal to a wider public." The present volume begins
with the Journal first started by Lady Knightley in
1856, and carries the story down to the year 1884,
This period includes the whole of her childhood and
youth, as well as fifteen years of her married life, and
ends with the death of the Duke of Albany, with whom
she had been closely connected in the lifetime of her
father. Sir Edward Bowater. Some parts of the
Journal, relating to important public events or family
affairs, have been supplemented by passages from
Lady Knightley' s weekly letters to her mother. Lady
Bowater, who lived to an advanced age and only died,
at her home in Richmond Park, in the year 1892.

vi PREFACE

This correspondence has also been placed in my hands,
in accordance with Lady Knightley's last wishes, and
has enabled me to add several characteristic touches
to the picture of her life and surroundings that is so
vividly set forth in these Journals.

JULIA CARTWRIGHT.

CONTENTS

CHAP, PAGE

Lady Knightley of Fawsley
I. Childhood and Early Youth (1842- 1860)
II. London and Cannes (1861-1862) .

III, Richmond Park, Dunwich, and Arbury (1862)

IV, The Royal Wedding (1863)
V, Richmond Park, Dunwich, and Osborne (1863-

1864) .....
VI. A Gay Season (1864)

VII. A Visit to Balmoral (May-June 1865) .
VIII. Balls and Weddings (1865-1866)
IX. Windsor and Cliveden (1866)
X. Politics and Society (1866-1867)
XI. London, Suffolk, and Frogmore (i 867-1 868)
XII. A Visit to Silesia (1868) .

XIII. Sir Rainald Knightley (1869)

XIV. Marriage (1869) ....
XV. Hatfield and Brook Street (1870)

XVI. Harrogate, Scotland, Osborne, and Burghley

(1870-1871) ..... 204
XVII. A London Season and A Foreign Tour (1871-1872) 215
XVIII. Political Parties and Cabinet Ministers (1872-
1873) •
XIX. Royalties — English and Foreign (1873) .
XX. A Conservative Ministry (1874) .
XXI. London and Homburg (1875)
XXII. The Girls' Friendly Society (i 876-1 880)
XXIII. The Royal Titles Bill and the Eastern Question

(1876-1877) ..... 296

36
47

104

113
121

133
145
160

171

185

226
242
255
273
287

viii CONTENTS

CHAP.

PAGE

XXIV, The Balkan War and Congress of Berlin

(1877-1878) . . . *. .312

XXV. Agricultural Depression and Conservative

Defeats (1878-1880) . . . .326

XXVI. Lord Beaconsfield's Death — The Duke of

Albany's Marriage (1881-1883) . . 344

XXVII. Carlton House Terrace and Claremont (1883-

1884) . . . . . . 363

Index . . . . . .381

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

. Frontispiece

Lady Knightley (Photogravure)

(From Mezzotint, after G. B. Black, 1869.)

PACING PAGE

Lady Bowater, H.R.H. Prince Leopold, and Miss Bowater.

Dra wing-Room, ChAteau Leader, Cannes, 1862

Lord Charles Fitzroy, Dr. Gunther, H.R.H. Prince
Leopold, and Miss Bowater. Chateau Leader
Cannes, 1862

Lady Bowater ....

Sotterley Hall, Suffolk

Sir Rainald Knightley, Bart., 1869

Sir Charles Knightley, Bart., 18 13

Firle Place, Sussex . . .

Fawsley .....

Oriel Window, Great Hall, Fawsley

Plan of Fawsley

Fawsley Church

Lady Knightley of Fawsley, 1904 .

32
42

74
160
184
192
204
248
290
344
374

These ilhistrations are chiefly taken from miniatures and photographs
in the possession of Sir Charles Knip;htley, Bart., and" Lady Knightley, to
whom both the pubhsher and editor of these journals are greatly indebted
for their help and courtesy.

The photograph of the Oriel Window is reproduced by kind permission
of the proprietors of Country Life.

LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY

1 842-191 3

The girls of the present day sometimes forget how
much they owe to the women of the last generation.
They hardly realise how many of the privileges and
opportunities which they enjoy were won for them
by their mothers and grandmothers, those despised
women of the Victorian era. By clinging steadfastly to
their high ideals, by patient and untiring endeavour,
these valiant pioneers fought their way, through diffi-
culties and opposition, into the larger and freer life,
and made all future progress possible.

Such a woman was Louisa, Lady Knightley, whose
death, two years ago, was recognised on all sides as a
loss, not onl}'^ to her own family and friends, but to the
whole British Empire. A typical Early Victorian by
birth and education. Lady Knightley stands midway
between the Evelinas and Emmas of the last century
and the independent damsels of the present day. But
in many ways she was in advance of her age. Born
and bred in the narrowest of court circles, married into
one of the oldest and most exclusive of county families,
she naturally inherited the strong prejudices and pre-
possessions of her class. But her receptive mind was
always ready to take in new ideas, and prepared to
assimilate them. She was never harsh and censorious
in her judgments, or needlessly severe on the more
advanced views of the rising generation. From early

xii LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY [1842-

youth she had never wavered in her fixed resolve to
lead a life of active usefulness and devote all her powers
to the service of God and man. All manner of social
reforms appealed to her. Schemes for the improvement
of housing and domestic economy, for the spread of
education, thrift, and temperance, for village clubs and
Reading Unions, model dwellings and penny banks,
alike claimed her support. Above all, the condition of
women and girls in every rank of life was the object of
her keenest interest. She was one of the founders of
the Girls' Friendly Society and of the Working Ladies'
Guild, and afterwards took an active part in the work
of Imperial emigration. Into this great movement
she threw herself heart and soul, realising its import-
ance both as the means of bettering the lives of women
at home and of building up our Empire beyond the
seas. In 1901 she was elected the first President of
the South African Colonisation Society, and in 1908
she succeeded Mrs. Joyce as President of the British
Women's Emigration Association. A strong sup-
porter of women's suffrage, but no less strongly op-
posed to militant methods, she became the first Pre-
sident of the Conservative and Unionist Association
for the Franchise of Women, and lent her powerful
influence both as speaker and writer to the advocacy of
the cause. Lady Knightley was also a member of the
National Union of Women Workers, and took a lead-
ing part in its Congresses and Conferences. When, a
few weeks after her death, in October 19 13, the National
Union held its Congress at Hull, and the loss which
womanhood had sustained by this sad event was
publicly announced, the whole assembly rose at the
mention of Lady Knightley's name and paid silent and
reverent homage to her memory. Her interest in
hospitals and ambulance work was also keen. She

191 3] LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY xiii

was a Lady of Grace of the Order of St, John of
Jerusalem, and passed the examination which quahfied
her for admission to this Order. As a member of the
Committee of Management of St. George's Hospital and
of the Northampton Infirmary, she took an active and
enlightened share in the work of these larger institu-
tions, and was a liberal supporter of cottage hospitals
and other local charities in the country district round
Fawsley. An ardent churchwoman herself, she was
always ready to help the bishops and clergy in build-
ing schools and churches, and constantly visited North-
ampton to lay foundation stones and open bazaars and
fetes in aid of Church extension in this populous town.
After taking a prominent part in the struggle to pre-
serve rehgion in our schools, she became a member of
the Northamptonshire Education Committee, and won
golden opinions from her political opponents in this
capacity.

: From her girlhood, politics had been one of Lady
Knightley's chief interests, and her marriage to Sir
Rainald Knightley, who sat as Conservative member
for South Northamptonshire during forty years, intro-
duced her to the highest political circles. She played
an active part in electoral contests, speaking and can-
vassing vigorously for her husband and his colleagues,
and during the fierce struggles of the eighties it was
no secret that Sir Rainald owed his seat to his wife's
eloquence and popularity. Lady Knightley was one
of the original members of the Primrose League and
was present at the inauguration of this now famous
association, in Lady Glenesk's house in Piccadilly. The
rapid growth and excellent organisation of the League
owed much to her practical abilities, and to the end
of her life she remained a member of the Grand Council
and Ruling Councillor of the Knightley Habitation.

xiv LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY [1842-

In all of these varied departments of public life
Lady Knightley's remarkable gifts of body and mind
were conspicuous^ revealed. Her fine bearing, clear
musical voice, and deep convictions made her an
admirable speaker, while her statesman-like qualities,
unfailing tact and courtesy, and generous appreciation
of worth in others, rendered her invaluable as a chair-
man. She often said laughingly that her vocation in
life was to sit on committees, and no one who has
worked with her on councils and boards can fail to
do justice to the rare powers which she displayed on
these occasions. The most delicate and difficult
negotiations were entrusted to her care and were
successfully carried through by her tact and skill,
When in 1905 she went to South Africa as President
of the newly formed Colonisation Society, Lord Rose-
bery is said to have remarked at a meeting of the
Rhodes Trustees, " If Lady Knightley is able to
compose the differences between our two ladies' com-
mittees, I shall be prepared to rise in the House of Lords
and propose her appointment as Ambassador to Paris, or
anj'^where else ! " Of the charm and distinction of her
presence, of her finely cut features and frank blue
eyes with their winning gaze, of the sweetness and
humility of her nature, it is hard to say too much,
At her death, political opponents joined with friends
in extolling her talents and virtues, and a Liberal
member for Northamptonshire, who was one of her
colleagues on the Education Committee, did not
hesitate to call her " one of the noblest of English-
women."

From the age of fourteen, Lady Knightley kept a
Journal in which every evening she noted down the
chief incidents of the past day, together with anything
she had seen and heard which she felt to be worthy of

191 3] LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY xv

notice. These records fill sixty volumes and cover a
period of fifty-seven years, from April 1856 to Sep-
tember 191 3, when she breaks off her narrative in the
middle of a visit paid by the Duchess of Albany to
Fawsley, only a fortnight before her own death. It
is clear from many passages in these Journals that
they were written with a view to publication. Lady
Knightley speaks of studying other letters and diaries,
the Reminiscences of Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff,
the Recollections of Mr. Leveson Gozver, the Journal
de Marie Bashkirtseff, and the privately printed Letters
of Lady Lyttelton, with the object of " improving her
own Journal, and making it more interesting." She
herself had a genuine literary instinct, besides possess-
ing a wide knowledge of English, French, and German
literature. From childhood, to be an author had been
one of her greatest ambitions, and after her marriage
she wrote an article on the county of Suffolk in the
Quarterly Review and contributed several papers to the
Nineteenth Century and other magazines, besides writing
a variety of pamphlets on social and political questions.
As the Duke of Argyll prophesied, when he met Miss
Bowater at Balmoral in 1865, the Journal which she
was in the habit of keeping with such regularity can-
not fail to prove an invaluable document for the use of
future historians of the nineteenth century.

Lady Knightley 's close connection with the Royal
Family lends especial interest to the record. Miss
Bowater accompanied her parents and Prince Leopold
to Cannes in the winter of 1862, and was there when
Sir Edward Bowater, in whose charge the little Prince
had been placed, died on the same day as the Prince
Consort. The task of consoling and cheering the
orphan boy fell to his 3'^outhful daughter, and on their
return to England Miss Bowater paid frequent visits

xvi LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY [1842-

to Osborne, Windsor, and Balmoral. Her picture of
the widowed Queen surrounded by her fatherless
children at this sorrowful time is most touchingly
drawn, while her lively account of life at Balmoral, in
its freedom and joyousness, forms one of the pleasantest
parts of the Journal. Queen Victoria honoured Lady
Knightley with many tokens of her confidence and
regard, and expressed her high opinion of her to others
in the warmest terms, while her intimacy with Princess '
Christian lasted to the end of her life. On the Duke
of Albany's marriage to Princess Hel6ne of Waldeck,
Lady Knightley was appointed Extra Lady-in-Waiting
to Her Royal Highness, with whom she formed a close
friendship, which was deepened by the premature death
of the Prince to whom she had been so long and deeply
attached. The Duchess of Albany, in fact, was stay-
ing at Fawsley in September 191 3 when Lady Knightley
contracted the fatal chill which brought her life to a
sudden close. Her gracious Majesty, Queen Mary,
who had known Lady Knightley from her childhood,
was in Northamptonshire with the King for the army
manoeuvres at the same time, and paid her a visit
only a few days before she died.

Another feature of these Journals is the sidelight
which they throw on political controversies and parties,
and the graphic portraits which they give of the lead-
ing statesmen of the day, with whom the writer was
brought into contact by her husband's position. Visits
to Hatfield and Burghley, to Euston and Chevening,
dinners with the party leaders in Arlington Street and
Downing Street, Foreign Office and Admiralty re-
ceptions, evening parties at Dorchester or London-
derry House, breakfasts at Chiswick and Buckingham
Palace, garden-parties at Sion and Holland House,
all find a place in these pages. Conversations with

191 3] LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY xvii

Lord Salisbury and Lord Carnarvon, with Sir Stafford
Northcote, Mr. Hardy, and Mr. Goschen, with Lady
Dorothy Nevill and Lady Cork, with Sir WilHam
Harcourt and Mr. DisraeU, with Mr. Gladstone, Mr.
Balfour, and Lord Hartington, are recorded in the
same lively and animated style. A dinner with Lord
Wolseley and Robert Browning for neighbours, a talk
with Mr. Motley or Mr. Froude, a ride with Lord Stan-
hope or Mr. Lowe, a week-end with the old Duchess of
Cleveland at Osterley or an evening party at the
Speaker's with the full moon shining on the Terrace
and the lights reflected in the river, were red-letter days
in Lady Knightley's annals.

On the one hand, we have a vivid picture of the
London season, with its bewildering whirl of dinners
and parties, of concerts and balls, its friendships and
flirtations, its court functions and parliamentary
debates, its glimpses of distinguished personages and
foreign royalties, of great poets and painters, of his-
torians and travellers. Shahs and Sultans ; on the
other, we are introduced to the interior of a country
house in the heart of the Midlands and learn to realise
the thousand occupations and duties, the vast accumu-
lation of business and trifles which go to make up the
life of the mistress of a large country house. With all
her love of London society. Lady Knightley was passion-
ately fond of her country home. She threw herself
with as much zest and enthusiasm into this life as into
the other, and rode to hounds, galloped across country,
canvassed and spoke at Primrose League and Girls'
Friendly Society meetings, and planted trees and
trudged over farms, as she often said, " like the true
country bumpkin that I am ! "

Whatever she did was done with all her might.
No one was a greater lady in Northamptonshire or was

xviii LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY [1842-

more careful of the welfare of the tenants and labourers
on the Fawsley estate than Lady Knightley, both
during her husband's lifetime and when his death left
her the sole mistress of this beautiful home.

Lady Knightley 's Journal, we repeat, is a work of
genuine historic value, but this is far from being its
only merit. As a human document, it has a still
deeper interest. It is the frankest, most guileless and
natural of records. The writer hides nothing and
excuses nothing. She confesses her own mistakes and
faults as freely as she does those of her neighbours.
She makes no secret of her ambitions and desires, of
her love of admiration and wash to make a good marriage
from the worldly point of view, while at the same time
she insists that nothing shall ever induce her to marry
a man whom she cannot love and respect. She has
many amusing tales to tell of her own preferences and
hesitations, of the discarded suitors who hung on her
glances and wooed her hand in vain. When at last
the right man appeared she discussed his qualifications
and analysed his personalit}^ in the most judicial
manner, before finally accepting his proposals. But
once her choice was made, she never faltered, and the
gay and lively girl proved the best and most devoted of
wives.

The strong prejudices of her caste, as might be
expected, are apparent on every page. Her horror of
democracy and innate belief in the feudal system and
the governing power of the few were as firmly rooted
as her dislike of smoking for women or of bad manners
in men. No less decided were her personal likes and
dislikes, her antipathy to Mr. Gladstone and her dis-
trust of Mr. Disraeli — both of which, however, became
modified on closer acquaintance with these great party
leaders. But the nobilit}' and beauty of her character

191 3] LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY xix

shine forth on every page. Nature had endowed her
with many gifts and graces. She possessed that
fortunate union of quick intelUgence and ready sym-
pathy which makes a woman at once the best of
hsteners and the most dehghtful of companions. She
was never too busy to listen to your story, never too
much absorbed in her own affairs to be unable to give
you her full attention. Every face lighted up when
she entered a room, everyone missed her when she
was gone. To the last she kept her powers of enjoy-
ment, her love of travel and delight in congenial society.
" Oh, how I love entertaining ! " she would exclaim,
not only when she received her friends in the an-
cestral halls of Fawsle}^ or the saloons of Carlton House
Terrace, but in the small London house where much of
her later years was spent.

As we read the pages of these Journals, it is in-
tensely interesting to watch the development of this
fine character, ever eager to learn new lessons, to scale
fresh heights, and find more worlds to conquer. Above
all we admire the strength of purpose, the undaunted
courage with which Lady Knightley met and over-
came the difficulties in her way. It was no easy task
to disarm Sir Rainald's opposition to his wife's
appearance on public platforms and to the expenditure
of her time and strength on objects for which he cared
not a straw. His old-fashioned notions and fastidious
tastes were shocked by many of her proceedings. But,
by the exercise of unfailing tact and patience, she
frequently succeeded not only in overcoming his
opposition but in converting him to her way of think-
ing, and in the end Sir Rainald actually became a
strong champion of women's suffrage.

Lady Knightley 's life, we rejoice to think, was a
singularly happy one. A brilliant girlhood was followed

XX LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY [i 842-191 3

by an exceptionally fortunate marriage, which satisfied
her highest aspirations, and gave her the work for
which she had always longed. That this union was
doomed to be childless was indeed a bitter drop in her
cup, but even this disappointment was turned to good
account, since it enabled her to devote her time and
energies more exclusively to the service of others.

All through life she possessed a remarkable power
of inspiring affection, while she herself was the most
loj'-al and faithful of friends. What wonder that she
was beloved by men and women of every age and
class ? The mothers and girls who listened to her
addresses often exclaimed, " Oh, it was lovely ! We
would rather hear Lady Knightley speak than anyone
else 1 " After her death, testimonies to the wonderful
effect produced by chance words that fell from her
lips came from all sides. " The influence of Lady
Knightley 's life and work," wrote her great friend,
Princess Christian, " will never die." She has not
lived and worked in vain. The note of high courage
and hopefulness which was her message to the world
still speaks through the earth-born mists of doubt and
sorrow, bidding us be of good cheer and calling us on
to follow the gleam.

" Through such souls alone,
God, stooping, shows sufficient of His light
For us i' the dark to rise by. And I rise.'*

THE JOURNAL OF
[LADY KNIGHTLEY OF FAWSLEY

CHAPTER I

Childhood and Early Youth

1 842-1 860

Louisa Mary Bowater, afterwards Lady Knightley,
was born in London on April 25, 1842. In a sketch,
entitled " Memories of Happy Days," which she began
to write at Rowfant on January i, 1908, but unfortun-
ately left unfinished, she gives the following account of
her father and family :

" My father, General Sir Edward Bowater, was
born as far back as 1787, which forms a curiously long
link with this year of grace 1908. He was educated at
Harrow, where he had five Prime Ministers, including
Lord Palmerston, for schoolfellows, as well as Lord
Byron. The poet, who was nicknamed ' Hopping Dick,'
on account of his lameness, by the other boys, was very
intimate with him, and used often to write his exercises.
After my father left school, he never saw Byron again,
but he knew his friends Moore and Rogers, and once,
when a discussion arose as to which was the poet's
lame foot, I remember hearing him say that it was
certainly the right one. My grandfather. Admiral
Bowater, was a friend of Lady Byron's parents,
and I have still in my possession a letter written
from Seaham on December 31, 18 14, in which Lady
Milbanke informs him of her daughter Annabella's

2 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

marriage to Lord Byron, which took place two days
later.

" In 1804, while still a Harrow boy, my father was
gazetted into the 3rd Regiment, now the Scots Guards,
and promptly refused to do any more lessons. He was
present at the siege of Copenhagen and went through
all the Peninsular War, being present at Talavera and
passing the night inside a big French drum. He also
served at Waterloo as aide-de-camp to General Turner,
and early in the day, at Hougomont, received a wound
in the foot, of which he felt the effects to the end of his
life. His parents, Admiral and Mrs. Bowater, lived at
Hampton Court, in a house on the Green, looking into
Bushey Park. Hence arose a close friendship with the
Duke of Clarence, who then lived at Bushey House ;
and when, in 1830, this Prince ascended the throne as
William iv., he immediately made my father one of his
equerries. On Queen Victoria's marriage, he was
appointed Equerry to Prince Albert, and when advan-
cing age made it difficult for him to ride, the Queen,
with her usual kindness, transferred him to her own
household as Groom-in-W\iiting, a post which he held
till his death in 1861. In 1843, a year after my birth.
Her Majesty gave him the Thatched House Lodge,
Richmond Park, for his residence, and when, after he
died, Colonel Augustus Liddell declined the offer of the
house, the Queen granted its use to m}^ mother for her
life.

" In 1839, my father married Emilia Mary, only
daughter of Colonel Michael Barne of Sotterle}^ and
Dunwich, in the county of Suffolk, b}' Mar}^ daughter
of Ayscoghe Boucherett of Willingham, Lincolnshire.
My mother dearly loved her Suffolk home, and we spent
all our winters at Sotterle}- during my grandmother's
lifetime, moving to Richmond Park for the spring and
summer. There I learnt to live the happiest life in the
world, that of an Enghsh country gentlewoman, an
excellent preparation for my future life in Northampton-
shire. ' I think my beau-ideal,' I exclaimed, when I
rode over to Henham with my father, to visit his old

1842] THE BARNES OF SOTTERLEY

comrade, Lord Stradbroke, * is to live in the country
and manage my estate to perfection.'

" My grandmother, Mrs, Barne, nee Boucherett,
was a remarkable old lady. Very pretty she must
have been, if her portrait by Downman at all resembled
her, and greatly was she admired. In 1792, she went
to Toulouse for the winter with Mrs. Stewart Mackenzie
of Seaforth and her daughter, and was there during the
stirring times of the French Revolution ; but neither in
her journal nor in her letter-book, which are still in
existence, does she make any reference to political
events excepting that on one occasion she remarks there
were shouts of ' A bas la cocarde blanche 1 ' at the Opera.
Did no echo of what was passing in Paris reach the
provinces ? or was pretty Miss Boucherett too much
taken up with her admirers ? One of these, the Marquis
de Senneau, actually followed her to the wilds of Lincoln-
shire and spent the whole winter hunting there. How-
ever, she did not smile upon him, and he eventually
returned to France and was guillotined.

" In those days, besides the fine old Adams house at
Willingham, which hasonlylately passed out of the family,
the Boucheretts had a house at Stallingborough, near the
Humber, One evening, my great-grandfather and his
wife were sitting by the fire, when he rose and went to look
for a book in the library. Presently he returned, saying
he could not find it. His wife went to look for the book,
but also came back without it, and Mr. Boucherett asked
her, ' Did you see anything ? ' ' Yes,' she replied, ' I saw
your father's face between the folding doors.' ' That
was what I saw,' said Mr. Boucherett, ' and I asked you
to go there on purpose to hear if you had seen him too.'
Shortly afterwards he pulled the old house down.

" On my birthday of fourteen — April 25, 1856 — I
began to write the Journal which has been my faithful
companion ever since. It was a memorable epoch in
my life, and I well remember a day of intense pleasure.
We spent the day in London. I was taken to the
Pantheon and the Soho bazaar ; my health was drunk
at dinner, and in the evening we went to a child's ball

4 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

at Buckingham Palace. My frock was white tarlatan
over silk with a silver band and a streamer of flowers on
the upper skirt, and I wore a white acacia wreath in
my hair. It was great fun. I danced all night, chiefly
with the Farquharson boys, and in one quadrille had
the Prince of Wales for my partner. The Queen and
Prince Consort both shook hands with me, and the
Duchess of Kent sent for me to speak to her. When
the time came, I went in to supper with my partner, a
young De Celto, and sat down where we could find room,
not in the least realising that we were breaking into
the Royal circle. The Queen made us welcome in the
kindest way and called us to her table, but I can still see
my father's face of dismay as he watched our proceedings.

" My next birthday was, I remark, a less exciting
one, but I record with satisfaction that I sat up very late
and was for the first time promoted to go upstairs
alone, without a maid being sent to fetch me from the
drawing-room.

" On looking over the pages of my old Journals, I am
surprised to see what a quiet life I led, compared with
children of the present day. One party at Christmas,
or at the most two, and day after day of regular lessons
and exercise, walks to Kingston and Ham Common,
varied by occasional drives with my mother to Hampton
Court and the Old Palace at Richmond, and expeditions
to town for dancing and drawing lessons. My greatest
pleasure was the rides which I took with my father,
when he was not in waiting, and many were the pleasant
canters I enjoyed in Richmond Park and on Ham
Common on ' Princess,' his gentle but still spirited old
mare. My chief companion was a young German
governess, Agnes Lentz, to whom I owe not onl}?- the
knowledge of German, which has been so useful to me
all through my life, but the strong moral and rehgious
principles which she never ceased to impress upon my
youthful mind. She came to us in 1855, when I was
thirteen, and remained my governess for the next five
years. After she left my mother's service, she remained
in England for some time, and I saw her frequently.

i855] FOREIGN TRAVEL 5

and when, in 1885, she retired to her home in Germany,
I still kept up a constant correspondence with her. In
1907, I went to stay with the Landgraf of Hesse, at his
country seat in Holstein, and took this opportunity to
pay Agnes Lentz a visit at Hamburg. ^

" In this same year, 1855, we spent a delightful
fortnight in France, and visited Paris, Rouen, and Dieppe.
I have never forgotten these places and the sights we saw
on this occasion, although I have never visited many of
them again. I think I must have been an observant
child, although I fear, from lack of childish companions,
a somewhat priggish one, for I remember so well what
I saw at that age, and the Crystal Palace, with its
courts new and fresh, was a perfect revelation. Al-
though an only child, I was strictly brought up, as I
think my readers will agree when I relate the following
incident, which recalls the similar experiences of Harry
and Laura in one of my favourite story-books, Holiday
House. My cousin Edith and I had been asked to
an outdoor party by some kind neighbours, the Miss
Fishers, one day in June 1856 ; but as it rained, we were
not allowed to go, and were sent out in a close carriage
to do some errands for my mother. On our way back
the weather cleared up, and we persuaded my French
governess, who was with us that afternoon, to let us go,
just as we were, to the Miss Fishers. These kind old
ladies were delighted to see us. We had great fun, and
played games and danced country dances after tea,
and were just starting a quadrille when the following
note from my mother was handed to me by a servant :

" ' Louisa, you will come away directly you receive
this. You ought not to have gone, and if you are at tea,
you will come away all the same. — Emilia Bowater.'

" My dismay on reading these words was great . ' For-
tunately for my countenance,' I write in that day's
Journal, ' I did not at first notice the want of affectionate
expressions ; however, I saw this order was not to be

* Agnes Lentz died in July 1909, two years after I went to see her at
Hamburg. Our friendship had lasted more than half a century. — L. K.

6 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

trifled with, and collecting my party, I rushed into the
carriage. There I read my note again, and forthwith burst
into tears. Edith kept me company, and we got home in
a dreadful state. Papa sent us a message, desiring us
not to appear at dessert ; but soon afterwards Agnes
came and heard our story, and comforted us, and took
us down with her. When we said good-night to Papa,
he told us that he would talk to us to-morrow.' Fortun-
ately, by morning milder counsels prevailed, and the
next day I was able to record that, ' after another
slight ebullition, yesterday's storm passed away.'

" In spite of occasional displays of severity, my
father was the kindest of men, and my happiest hours
were spent in his company. He was never tired of
recalling his military experiences and telling me stories
of Wellington's campaigns. On the iSth of June we
always drank in solemn silence to the memory of the
Great Duke and the heroes of Waterloo, and old
Peninsular generals often dropped in and sat for hours,
fighting their battles over again.

" On the 9th of July, 1 856, 1 was taken to Buckingham
Palace to see the Guards march past, on their return
from the Crimea. I can never forget the cheers which
the men gave for the Queen, or the proud, pleased,
and delighted gaze which they raised up to the balcony
where Her Majesty stood, with the young Princes and
Princesses, the King of the Belgians, and the Count of
Flanders. I remember, too, their worn, haggard faces,
some of them perfectly black from exposure, ' What
memories the sight recalled ! The parting from wife
and child, the march through the streets in the dense
morning fog, the long sea-voyage, the blood-stained
heights of Alma, the flank march on that misty Sunday
morning, and then the long, dreary winter, the fatal
work in the trenches, the weary days in hospital ! And
now the same Guards were marching in triumph through
London, amid the cheers of their countr3'^men and the
smiles of their Sovereign and her children. But oh 1
what a contrast to the proud band who left these shores !
How many gaps we see in the ranks ! how many

i857] CRIMEAN V.C.'S 7

thousands are sleeping to-day under the green sod on
Cathcart hill ! '

" In the following June, I was present at the Review
in Hyde Park, when the Queen conferred the Victoria
Cross on some of her gallant soldiers.

" Friday, June 26, 1857. — We started for town at
8 a.m. in the chariot, with post-horses, and made
our way easily to our seats, in a pavilion draped with
red cloth, where sat the Dukes of Nemours and Mont-
pensier, the Indian princes resplendent with pearls and
emeralds, the Duchess of Wellington, Sir Charles Napier,
Lord Ernest Paget, and many others. The sixty-
two Crimean heroes were drawn up below in an im-
mense open space, surrounded by troops and dotted
with officers galloping about. By the time we had
puzzled out the different regiments the salute was fired,
and in a few minutes the Royal cortege appeared. The
Queen, mounted on horseback and wearing a scarlet
jacket with a Field-Marshal's sash and the ribbon of
the Garter over a dark blue habit, and a wide-awake
hat with an officer's feather, rode along the line and
then took up a position exactly in front of our stand,
but with her back to us. The heroes were marshalled
opposite, and came up one by one. The Quarter-
master-General read each name, and Lord Panmure
handed the Cross to the Oueen, who bent forward and
with her own hands hooked it on to each man's coat.
The Princes were in Highland dress, the little Princesses
in white ; the Princess Royal wore a white bonnet and
looked remarkably well, and I had a good look at the
Prince of Prussia, who is fair, very young-looking, and
certainly handsome. When the ceremony was over,
the troops marched past — Life Guards, Enniskillings,
nth Hussars, horse and foot artillery, the Royal
Marines, — the finest body of men on the ground, — the
79th Highlanders, and two companies of Blue-jackets,
who doffed their caps by way of salute. Having passed
in slow time, they came round again in quick time ; the
cavalry and artillery cantered past, with bands playing.
After this the Oueen rode down the line of heroes — a

8 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

graceful action which charmed us alL The Royal
cortege then re-formed and departed amidst the thunders
of a royal salute. The scene now became very ani-
mated. Great congratulations were going on below us,
officers were galloping about, and the Guards' band
playing ' God save the Queen ' in front of us. Among
the distinguislied personages pointed out to me were
Lord Lucan, Lord Cardigan, Sir Colin Campbell, who
was in command of the troops, Lord and Lady
Palmerston, and Sir Benjamin Hall. I saw mj'- cousin,
Charles Ridley, at the head of the regiment, and his son
Billy was keeping the ground.

" Another event of this same year, which made a
profound impression upon me, was m}^ visit, which I
paid in company with a large party of cousins, to the
Princess Theatre to see Kean in Richard II. We
occupied the Queen's box, and were dressed in mourning
for the Duchess of Gloucester. I enjoyed it more
than I can say, even more than I expected. The
scenery and dresses were gorgeous, and the acting first-
rate. I was greatly delighted at seeing knights in
armour, squires and men-at-arms. Of all the scenes, the
one 1 liked best was the historical procession. But we
were not destined to see the play to the end. The
curtain was being drawn up for the fourth act, when
I suddenly saw a gas light blaze up, and in another
moment the curtain was in flames. The scene which
ensued was beyond all description. Papa turned round
and said to us, ' Sit perfectly still,' and many voices in
the pit shouted the same to those around. The curtain
was quickly dragged down, some fifty persons having
rushed on the stage, and water was instantly brought
to bear upon the flames. Mrs. Kean, with the most
admirable presence of mind, came forward and said,
* Let me entreat of you all to sit still, only sit still.'
Again and again she repeated her injunctions, refusing,
amidst vociferous cheers, to be led away. Meanwhile
curtain after curtain was dragged down, and it became
alarming when a burning beam fell upon the stage. A
few minutes afterwards the flames v^^ere subdued, the

1858] A FIRE ON THE STAGE 9

cheers redoubled, and Kean was loudl}^ called for.
When he appeared, the huzzas became deafening ; the
motley crowd upon the stage — where men-at-arms, fools,
and half-dressed actors were mixed up with coachmen
in their shirt-sleeves — surrounded him, all cheering at
the top of their voices. Silence being at length re-
stored, he was about to speak, when a voice from the
pit exclaimed, ' One more cheer for Mrs. Kean,' and the
house rang again. As soon as he could make himself
heard, Mr. Kean addressed the audience as nearly as
I can remember in these terms : ' Ladies and gentlemen,
on such an occasion I scarcely know what to say to you.
By a merciful Providence we have all of us been pre-
served, and beyond what you see, no damage has been
done. I thank you heartily for your sympathy.' This
little speech was greeted with loud cries of Hear, hear,*
and more cheering. We now began to think of retiring,
which we did without any inconvenience by the Queen's
private entrance, and reached home by i a.m. Of
my own feelings throughout this exciting scene I can
scarcely speak. My first instinct was to grasp the
things on the shelf before me, in readiness for the flight.
Then accounts which I had read of the burning of
Covent Garden rushed into my head. But I did think
of God, and asked His help. The cheering excited me
very much, scenes of that kind always do, and when
it was all over I felt very grateful."

If the nearness of London to her Richmond home
was a great advantage to Louisa Bowater, in some ways
she was happier still at Sotterley Hall. Here she gave
herself up to the pleasures of a free country life — milked
the cows, fed the horses, planted shrubs, and trimmed
laurels with her father and uncle. And she went for
long walks in the woods with her cousins, gathering
berries and moss, and watching the tomtits and wood-
peckers. But even in these rural haunts. General
Bowater 's connection with the Court, as we see from
Louisa's Journal, kept her in close touch with public life.

" Sotterley, January 25, 1858. — The wedding of
H.R.H. Victoria, Princess Royal, to H.R.H. Prince

lo CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

Frederick William of Prussia. At dessert we attacked
the wedding cake sent us by their Royal Highnesses
and drank the health of the royal bride and bridegroom.
May they be happy !

" February 14. — After dessert this evening I read
aloud to Papa and Mamma Captain Edgell and Isa-
bella's most interesting accounts of their five months'
siege in Lucknow, written partly on the spot and partly
after they had reached Allahabad. Thrilling indeed
are these hurried, unvarnished notes which tell of their
terrible experiences, of death and starvation staring
them in the face."

When, a few months later, these friends returned from
India, her joy at seeing her friend Mrs. Edgell was sadly
damped by the sight of her shattered frame and the
melancholy condition of her baby, Louisa's godson, who
hovered for many months between life and death.

" Soiierley, February 23. — A general muddle, fuss,
and hash ! I may as well explain the cause of all this
disturbance. In consequence of all the late attempts
to murder the Emperor of the French having been
hatched in England by foreign refugees, His Imperial
Majesty has written to Lord Clarendon, representing
that both he and the French nation thought that some
change should be made in our laws on this point. Lord
Palmerston accordingly brought in a Bill on the ' Con-
spiracy and Murder ' question. The debates were long
and animated. Radicals and Conservatives combined to
vote against the Government, and the consequence was
that the Ministers were defeated by an immense majority
on Friday night. Lord Palmerston resigned the next
day, and Lord Derby takes his place. The result
of all this is that the Queen remains in London, and
that Papa was obliged to start for town at 8.15 a.m.
this morning. No one knows when he will return, so
our journey to Richmond and my Confirmation are all
placed in abeyance, and we are left in the most un-
comfortable state of uncertainty. Altogether it is a
horrid bore ! "

After the death of her grandmother in December,

i8s9] SPRING IN SUFFOLK ii

1858, Sotterley ceased to be the home of Sir Edward
and Lady Bowater, much to Louisa's regret. It cost
her a pang to leave this beloved place, where so large
a part of her childhood had been spent, and which
looked more beautiful than ever in these days of early
spring.

" March 3, 1859. — I never saw anything like the
rapidity with which spring seems to advance. To-day
there are no less than six blossoms on the apricot tree,
the elm is in full leaf and looks purple in the setting
sun. The wood-pigeons are building in every old
trunk, the rooks are as busy as possible, a pair of
robins have made their nest in one of the farm-stacks,
and every morning I see two beautiful little pied wag-
tails pecking up moss and grass on the lawn. The
thrushes are relentless in the pursuit of worms, and the
woods ring with the song of the blackbirds. The other
evening I noticed a laurustinus bush so thick with
bees that it reminded me of the mignonette bed at
Richmond Park last June. The starlings still con-
gregate in small flocks, but I see they have mated
already. The air is as soft and balmy as it is in May,
the stars shine out clear and bright every evening, and
I hear the owls hooting in the barn. To-day the sky
is a clear blue, the warm sunshine lies mildly on the
hills and flickers through the fir-wood, lighting up the
old church tower and playing lovingly over the flowers.
The wind is laden with sweet odours. Blackbirds
and thrushes, yellow-hammers and robins fill the air
with delicious music, and the gentle cooing of the
wood-pigeon is heard from each ivy-clad tree. In
every nook and corner some form of vegetable life is
stirring, and ever^^ day sees us — or at least myself ! —
welcoming some pet plant with a shout of joy. Oh,
this spring weather ! Was there ever anything so
lovely, or was any place in the world so beautiful as
this dear old Sotterley ! "

But although Louisa shed bitter tears and wrote
touching elegies of farewell to Sotterley, she found
herself back in her Suffolk home before many months

12 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

were past. Her parents paid frequent visits to her
uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Barne, who
now owned Sotterley, and Louisa greatly enjoyed the
companionship of her three cousins, St. John, Philip,
and Edith. The doings of the two boys, their Ufe at
Eton and in the army, are chronicled at length in her
Journal, while their sister Edith, a charming but very
delicate girl two years younger than herself, became
Louisa's adopted sister and inseparable companion.
During the years between 1856 and 1864, when her
cousin died, there is scarcely a page of the Journal on
which Edith's name does not appear. The two
girls paid long visits to their respective homes, and
wrote daily letters to each other when they were apart.
They read the same books and discussed the same
questions. And after the manner of girls, they ex-
changed ideas on whatever subject was uppermost in
their minds at the moment — whether it were Byron's
poems or Charlotte Bronte's novels, the works of
Goethe and Schiller, of Heine or Chateaubriand,
Kingsley's sermons or Tennyson's In Memoriam,
Picciola or The Daisy Chain.

From early youth Lady Knightley's love of letters
was apparent. She not only read every book she
could lay hands on, but she wrote critical essays,
formed judgments, and expressed her opinion on all
manner of topics — Hterary and pohtical. As she grew
up she naturally derived the keenest pleasure from
intellectual conversation, and enjoyed nothing better
than the society of literary celebrities.

" One of my earliest recollections," she writes, in the
autobiographical fragment quoted above, " is that of
being taken to see Miss Langton, the daughter of Dr.
Johnson's friend, Bennet Langton, who was then
living in great poverty over a toy-shop in Richmond.
I well remember standing on the sofa to read a letter
addressed to her by Dr. Johnson, her godfather, of
which she was extremely proud. Miss Fanshawe, the
author of the famous riddle on the letter H which has
often been ascribed to Byron, was also an inhabitant

i859] MISS STRICKLAND 13

of Richmond whom I often saw. There were our
kind neighbours, the Miss Fishers, two deHghtful old
ladies full of life and intelligence, who knew Dr. Wolff
the traveller, and Mrs. Alfred Gatty, and Leslie the
popular Academician, at whose house interesting
people were always to be found. One day, early in
1 86 1, Miss Jane Fisher told me a romantic story of a
young Spanish refugee whom she had once prepared
for Confirmation, and then lost sight of completely.
Last summer, to her surprise, some strange ladies called,
and apologised for their intrusion by saying that the
distinguished Spanish General Savaria had charged
them with a message to his former benefactress. He
wished her to know how much he had owed all through
his career to the religious principles which she had
implanted in his mind, and sent her word that during
his recent campaign in Morocco he had read the last
prayers over the dying soldiers from the English
Prayer Book which she had given him. Miss Jane
forthwith wrote to her old friend through the Spanish
Embassy, and soon afterwards received an album
containing portraits of the General, his mother, and
the chief personages of the Court and Army, with a
graceful Spanish dedication to herself on the title-page.
" Another literary friend whose kindness I can never
forget was Miss Agnes Strickland, whose home was at
Reydon Hall, near Southwold. We saw a good deal of
her w^hen we lived in Suffolk, and visits to Reydon were
red-letter days in my girlhood. She was generally to
be found surrounded by books and historical portraits,
engaged on some new work, and I was never tired of
looking at her lovely httle painting of Mary Queen of
Scots. I remember one day in the autumn of i860
finding her busily engaged on a new book. Bachelor
Kings. A few weeks later I called again and found her
studying a bundle of precious manuscripts — the themes
composed by Mary Queen of Scots when she was a child
at the French Court, in the form of letters addressed
to the Dauphin's sister, Madame Elisabeth, afterw^ards
wife of Philip 11. They were first written in French,
3

14 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

and then translated into Latin. As usual, Miss Strick-
land fired up over Mary Queen of Scots, and I got a
rise out of her over Froude's History, which she pro-
claimed ' A most false book.' In the following June,
Miss Strickland, being in London, called on us at
Richmond Park. She would not come in, but left a
copy of her Bachelor Kings with my name on the fly-
leaf and a most kind inscription — -altogether a gift of
which I was not a little proud."

In 1559, Louisa left the schoolroom and went to her
first ball at Norwich with a large party from Burlingham.

" October 19. — I wore white tarlatan, with lilies of the
valley, and danced ten dances, never sitting down once.
My partners were Mr, Robert Gurdon, Sir Robert
Buxton, Messrs. Henniker, Wodehouse, Astley, Gurney,
Burroughes, and Martin Smith, my cousin. Mr. Gurney
danced best, but Martin Smith was the most interesting,
from the good-natured, cousinly way in which he took
me in hand, and also more particularly because he was
able to give me the latest news of his sister, dear Louisa
White, with whom we stayed at Peper Harow last year.
She is abroad now at Mentone for the winter, which he
trusts will set her health up entirely, but he added : |
' I hope so, at least — it is in God's hands.' ^ That I
was the gem of the evening for me. And now for
myself. Of course I know that I am a little goose
for being flattered by the attentions that were paid
me, and for being gratified at the success which I cer-
tainly had — for I suppose it is a success to dance
all night at one's first ball ! It is always pleasant to[
be good-natured, and of course I had every advantage,
in point of going with a party, and being all but in I
one's own county of Sufi"olk. But it has shown me one
thing clearly — that I am vain. How will it be at my
next ball, I wonder? We are no less than eighteeni
in the house, including a nice Mr. and Mrs. Ricardo
and Colonel Charlton, with whom I had a lively
discussion at dinner to-night over modern poetry, whichi

• Louisa Smith, the wife of Colonel Dalrym pie White, died at Lyons on her'
way home in the following April, and was buried at Peper Harow, Surrey.

i860] the RIDLEY FAMILY 15

he pronounced to be trash ! I defended my favourites
— Byron, Sir Walter, Longfellow — vigorously !"

Mr. Martin Smith and his sister, whose early
death was a real sorrow to Miss Bowater, were
related to her through their mother, a daughter of
Sir Matthew Ridley. Her grandmother. Admiral
.Bowater's wife, originally Miss Louisa Lane,* had
been previously married to a barrister named George
Hawkins, by whom she had a handsome daughter,
who in 1803 became the wife of Sir Matthew
Ridley, and lived till 1864. Laura, Lady Ridley, was
much attached to her half-brother. General Bowater,
and proved a very kind friend to her niece, and we
find frequent allusions to this aunt, as well as to her
ten children and numerous grandchildren, in Louisa's
Journals. She was on friendly terms with all her
Ridley cousins, whose intellectual tastes made them
especially congenial companions, and was particularly
fond of Sir Matthew's sons, Matthew and Edward,^ and
of the painter Ridley Corbet and his sisters.

" Richmond Park, July 14, i860. — To-day, soon after
luncheon. Aunt Laura's son, Sir Matthew Ridley, arrived
with his children, all grown, of course, out of knowledge.
St. John soon followed, and Arthur Birch and Mr.
Broughton called, so that we had quite a party on the
lawn. Afterwards we all took a walk in the Park,
chaffing and joking away, and Matthew and I had some
interesting talk about Tennyson. It is positively re-
freshing to find a schoolboy who has an idea beyond
hunting, which, fond as I am of St. John, he never had !

" July 30. — I was in great luck this evening, for my
cousins Charles and Harriet Ridley came down for the

^ A charming portrait of this lady, painted by Romney, was left by
Sir Edward Bowater to his half-sister's son, Sir Matthew Ridley, while
another Romney, a portrait of Mrs. Bowater's father, Mr. Thomas Lane
of Tettenhall, Staffordshire, was sold by Lady Knightley, shortly before
she died, to her cousin, the present Viscount Ridley.

-Matthew, ist Viscount Ridley, born 1842; married 1873, Hon. Mary

Marjoribanks, daughter of Lord Tweedmouth; died 1904. Edward, Mr.

Justice Ridley, M.P. for South Northumberland, 1878-80; Judge of

King's Bench Division; born 1843; married 1882, Alice, daughter of Col.

Bromley Davenport, M.P.

i6 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

night, and at dinner I sat between Charles and Mr.
Hough, the Vicar of our church at Ham, with Harriet
on the other side. The two latter had not been to-
gether many minutes before they were deep in theology,
and presently I contrived to get a word in. We dis-
cussed Kingsley first of all. Mr. Hough knows him
intimately, and says he is a most extraordinary mixture,
a rationalist and man of very unsound principles, an
inveterate sportsman, greatly in earnest and at the
same time undoubtedly attractive. The word ' earnest '
made Mr. Hough remark that a great deal of mis-
taken homage is paid to earnestness without much
regard to what the earnestness is about. I said, surely
there was more hope of a man who was really in
earnest about something, becoming earnest about the
best things, than of a trifler. He disagreed, saying
that the more firmly a man was wedded to wrong
opinions the more difficult it was to turn him from these.
Harriet upon this gave an ecstatic description of Mr.
Spurgeon, to which Mr. Hough replied that as long
as he is cool he is a most eloquent preacher, but the
moment he gets excited he becomes familiar, and often
lapses into positive blasphemy. We next discussed
Tennyson. Neither Harriet nor Mr. Hough like him,
and both call him wild and incomprehensible. I con-
fessed that I liked him. Mr. Hough prefers Longfellow,
but none of us like Evangeline. Harriet and I both think
Hyperion charming. I suppose that too is incompre-
hensible and very German, although that in my eyes,
I remarked, was no objection, whereupon Mr. Hough
accused me of m^^sticism ! Keble's Christian Year was
next pronounced to be also incomprehensible — Bishop
Blomfield is said to have called it his Sunday puzzle.
The Bishop of Oxford was declared to be a most eloquent
but most untruthful man, and Mr. Gladstone and
Sidney Herbert were roundly abused, called impostors
and I don't know what all ! What a heretic I seem to
be ! Certainly I admire them all ! But altogether itid,j
was a most agreeable evening."

In that same July, Louisa was present at the firsti

i86o] VOLUNTEERS AT WIMBLEDON 17

meeting of the National Rifle Association on Wimble-
don Common, an event which kindled a wave of wide-
spread enthusiasm throughout the country.

" July 2, i860. — We all set out about half-past
one in the Irish car for Wimbledon Common, which
had assumed a very different appearance from its
usual wild and desolate beauty of aspect. Leaving
the carriage, we made our way through the vast en-
campment to the enclosure where the Royal tent was
pitched with the Guards' band posted before it. It was
a picturesque scene, the gay uniforms of the Regulars
contrasting wath the sober grey suits of the Volunteers,
and these again with the bright colours of the ladies'
dresses. There was a goodly sprinkhng of Riflemen,
and several splendid specimens of that fine corps
the Duke of Manchester's Mounted Rifles. Soon a sort
of general buzz and stir proclaimed the Queen's coming,
the band struck up the National Anthem, the Royal
Standard floated from the top of the tent, and off
went every hat as she appeared, accompanied by Prince
Albert, the Prince of Wales, Princess Alice, the Duke
of Saxe-Coburg, and the little Princesses. Amid the
cheer of the spectators, she walked down to the tent
by Lord Elcho's side, fired the first shot and pro-
claimed this the first meeting of the National Rifle
Association to be open. A salute of twenty-one
guns followed and a tremendous burst of cheering,
and the rush to see the Queen w^as so great that the
crowd could only be kept back by a hastily formed
cordon of gentlemen, who surrounded the dais occupied
by the Royal party."

A week later, Louisa accompanied her parents to the
Crystal Palace, where she witnessed the grand conclusion
of the meetings so brilliantly inaugurated by the Queen.

" July 9. — We sat in the centre of the Great Transept,
directly facing the orchestra, which was filled with
dense masses of Riflemen. Lord De Grey and Ripon
occupied the chairas Mr. Sidney Herbert's representative,
and was supported by Lord Elcho, the President of the
Association, Colonel Kennedy, Lord Grosvenor, etc.

i8 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH [chap, i

Near him sat four celebrated beauties, the Duchess of
WelHngton, Lady Elcho, Miss Seymour, and Lady
Spencer, the latter of whom was decidedly my favourite.
After an all but inaudible speech from Lord De Grey,
during which the mob struggled to force its way into
the galleries, which were already densely crowded.
Lord Elcho — the admired of all beholders — came
forward in a Rifleman's uniform, and in a clear, ringing
voice proceeded to read out the names of the successful
competitors. These heroes ascended the steps to the
platform one by one, and received their prizes from
Lord De Grey, while Lord Elcho 's comments, delivered
in the most racy, good-humoured manner, were the life
of the whole affair. Young Ross — the fortunate winner
of the Queen's Prize, ;^2 5o, and of the Gold Medal of
the Association — was loudly cheered, and the Guards'
bands struck up ' See the conquering hero comes !
Lord Elcho then came forward and announced that the
young man was a native of Scotland, who, at the age
of seventeen, had joined a Yorkshire corps, because he
was at a private tutor's in this county. Truly, to be
the champion rifleman of England at eighteen is some-
thing to be proud of ! The much-coveted prize was
then delivered to him, amidst the enthusiastic plaudits
of the whole assembly and the congratulations of the
veterans on the platform, who crowded round him to
shake hands, after which he was called upon to exhibit
his medals to the crowds below — and mighty cool he
seemed about it all. Lord Elcho made an appeal on
behalf of the newly formed Association, and the meeting
ended with three hearty cheers for Her Majesty. If
Monday was the Royal day of the meeting, this was
essentially the popular day, and it was in truth a fine
thing to see twenty thousand English men and women
assembled in that glass palace, to take their share in this
truly national undertaking. May the blessing of God
rest upon our Volunteers, for they have come forward
nobly to defend their native land, and may their arms
never be used in any more bloody contest than those
which we have seen this week ! "

CHAPTER I I

London and Cannes

1861-1862

The year 1861 was a memorable one in Louisa's life.
In February'- she was present at a series of balls and
festivities in honour of Lord Rendlesham's coming of
age. For the first time she became pleasantly conscious
of the admiration which she excited. She confesses
guiltily that it is impossible to deny the fact that
flirtations are great fun, and asks herself with alarm,
" Am I growing very vain and frivolous ? " But she
was just as happy discussing Froude and Henry viii.
with Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, or dining alone with
her father in a lodging at Woodbridge, where the two
spent the snuggest and merriest of evenings after the
Rendlesham ball. This power of enjoyment and
delight in social intercourse of every description was a
distinctive feature of Lady Knightley's character, which
she retained to the last, and was no doubt one secret of
her popularity.

Her first London season was a brilliant success.
She rode in the Park, went to balls and concerts, and
made many friends. Her handsome features and tall,
graceful figure, her fair complexion and fine blue eyes,
excited general admiration, while the perfect simplicity
and engaging frankness of her manners, her eager and
intelligent interest in every variety of topic, were addi-
tional attractions. On the 27th of June, Miss Bowater's
presentation at Court, which had been delayed first by
an attack of illness and then by the death of the
Duchess of Kent, took place.

20 LONDON AND CANNES [chap, ii

" At last the long-expected day is come and gone,
and the presentation to my Sovereign, one of the last
few relics of the age of chivalry, has taken place.
All has gone off as well as possible, and I think Papa,
the person I was most anxious to please, was really
gratified at the reception I met with, and the way I
got through it. The train of my Court dress was white
silk, the petticoat white net, both trimmed with roses
and lilies of the valley, and I wore a wreath to match,
with feather and cut lappets, pearl-diamond earrings,
pearl necklace and bracelets. I had quite a levee of
maids in my bedroom before passing into the sitting-
room, where a whole bevy of cousins — Wheatleys,
Martin Smiths, Cooksons, Moncks, and Ridleys —
awaited me. I confess I was rather glad to get into
the carriage, and even then, in the streets, the staring
seemed very strange. Once inside St. James's Palace,
I was in a new world. Papa pointed out an immense
number of people, of whom I can only remember a few —
Madame de Flahault,^ Lord and Lady Palmerston, Lord
Combermere, Sir Thomas Troubridge, who lost his leg
in the Crimea, etc. Soon after the doors opened. Papa
left us to take up his station, and we began to make
our way into the Presence — I beginning to feel very pit-a-
pat. Down with our tails, and I found myself between a
double file of men, who seemed at least seven feet apiece.
I looked neither to the right nor to the left, but steadily at
Mamma's long black train, and presently heard my name
announced and found myself close to the Queen, who
smiled most graciously upon me, as I made a deep
curtsy and kissed hands. The Prince shook hands
with me, and next to him stood the Crown Princess of
Prussia, Princess Alice, and Princess Mary of Cambridge,
whose handsome, good-natured face I hailed quite like
an old friend, and who also shook hands with me. The
Crown Prince of Prussia, the Prince of Wales, and

* Mercer Elphinstone, only child and heiress of Baron Keith, born
17S8; married 1817, Auguste, Comte de Flahaiilt, afterwards Ambassador
to London and Vienna; died 1867. Her eldest daughter married, 1843,
Hcurj', 4th Marquis of Lansdowne.

i86i] A PALACE CONCERT 21

Prince Louis of Hesse were also there. By this time my
train was swept up behind, and I turned to follow
Mamma, and felt how quickly it was over. Papa rejoined
us almost directly, saying, 'I'm as pleased as Punch;
you both behaved very well, and the Queen was most
gracious to you!' Well — that, at least, was satis-
factory. We were at home soon after four, and I at
once equipped myself for riding, which we agreed would
refresh us more than anything. The Park was very
empty. We rode down the Row with the Duke of
Wellington, and Papa pointed out Lord Stratford de
Redcliffe and Lord Elgin, both remarkable men. 1 also
saw Gladstone at the Drawing-room.

" Friday, June 28,1 861 . — We dined early, and dressed
for a concert at the Palace — the first entertainment of
any kind that has been given since the Duchess of Kent's
death . The performance was entirely composed of sacred
music, to my surprise and delight . The singers were Mile
Titiens, Signor Giuglini, Signor Gardoni, Mr. Santley,
and last, not least. Mile Adelina Patti, the prima donna
of seventeen, who has taken the town b}^ storm this
season. The first part consisted of selections from St.
Paul. The air ' Jerusalem, Jerusalem ' was lovely, and
also the final chorus, ' Happy are they who have endured.'
The second part was composed of a miscellaneous
selection, in which I most admired Haydn's ' With verdure
clad,' splendidly rendered by Mile Titiens, ' Cujus
Animam ' from Rossini's Stabat Mater, and ' The
heavens are telling,' which everyone seemed to enjoy.
The Queen was not present, but the Princess Royal and
Prince of Wales did their part extremely well ; the
latter especially has inherited all his mother's grace.

" Thursday, July 4. — We drove down to Harrow
Speeches, and went first to the Head Master's house,
and then to the speech-room, or rather to the foot of
the steps leading up to it, for to get in was a work of
time and patience, so great was the crush. On our entry
we were greeted by Matt and Edward Ridley, the heroes
of the day, who insisted on our scrambling across their
platform into our places immediately behind the

22 LONDON AND CANNES [chap, ii

Head Master's chair, and among all the grandees. I
had the good luck to be presented to Lord Palmerston
and Lord Digby ; Sir John Lawrence, Lord Clarendon,
the Archbishop of York, etc., being close by. At length
the hall being completely filled, Matt sprang up and read
some Latin Alcaics, and Edward spoke in a Latin play.
Jeune,^ who seems to be one of the cleverest boys, read
part of his essay on Wallenstein. He does not know a
word of German, but wrote his essay entirely from
Coleridge's translation, and, begging his pardon, I think
it was a great pit}^ he chose that subject. It is easy to
see that he is not in the least imbued with vSchiller's
spirit, although part of his essay, I must allow,
was very good. Lord Strafford's defence was most
beautifully spoken by Bernard. Every one of these
pathetic words went to one's heart. Afterwards
Matt took the part of Scapin in a scene from Moliere's
comedy, and did it capitally, though the accent of the
whole party might have been improved. It was curious
to look at the happy, intelligent faces of the speakers
and wonder what their future careers may be. Which
of these names which I then heard for the first time
will ring in my ears through life and become household
words ? Who can tell ? After a long w^ait, we suc-
ceeded in reaching Dr. Butler's house, and sat down
to a magnificent luncheon in the refectory. Matt and
Edward both came and talked to me most pleasantly,
and ver}^ proud I felt of them both.

" Saturday, July 6. — After eating luncheon with
Lady Huntingfield, w^e drove down to a breakfast at
Cambridge Cottage, Kew. Nothing could be more good-
natured than were both the Duchess and Princess
Mary, and one saw a good many people one had heard
of all one's life, and altogether it was very fine and
very interesting. At dinner we met Lady Waterford,
whom I was enchanted to see, having heard so much
of her bcaut}^, which is indeed verj^ great, not only in

' Afterwards the Rt. Hon. Sir F. Jcune, created 1905 Lord St. Helier;
married i88r, Susan Mary, daughter of Keith Stewart Mackenzie and
widow of Li iit.-Coloiul Hon. J. C. Stanley.

i86i] PRINCE LEOPOLD 23

face, but in figure, shape of the head and neck, and
above all in manner. My neighbour, Captain Keane, was
a very agreeable and amusing person, when once we got
off the beaten track of London conversation — the dullest
of all dull things ! "

The following autumn found Louisa and her parents
once more at Sotterley, which they finally left on Sep-
tember 5.

" Sotterley Park, September 4. — * My last day at Sotter-
ley — harvest home — a fine morning,' such were the
waking thoughts which rushed through my mind on the
eventful day when we bade farewell for ever as a home
to this home of nearly twenty years. At 11.30 we
went to church. It was a pretty sight to see the labourers
come in, wearing their different badges. Service over,
they defiled to the park, to the music of the Wren-
tham Volunteer Band, while I rushed home to gobble
up some lunch, and, hurrying after them, found them
all seated in the very prettily decorated barn, and
worked hard, distributing plum-pudding, etc. Pipes
were produced, porter was handed out, and my
uncle's health was drunk with three rounds of hearty
cheering. Then he returned thanks, and proposed my
own dear father's health, speaking in the most gratifying
terms of his going away, and telling them what a good
kind neighbour they would all lose in him. Papa really
feels going away from the bottom of his heart, and nearly
broke down in returning thanks, after the most enthusi-
astic cheering — and I made a goose of myself all the time !
Then came sports and tea, in the middle of which they
insisted on cheering me, and I could not resist thanking
them in a few short, broken sentences. Dear, dear Sot-
terley, may God bless and preserve all its inhabitants ! "

At this critical moment an unexpected event took
place. Both the Queen and Prince Consort enter-
tained a high regard for Sir Edward Bowater, whose
health had been lately failing, and decided to ask him
to take their delicate child, Prince Leopold, abroad
for the winter. One May evening the Prince Consort
paid a surprise visit to Thatched House Lodge, and, as

24 LONDON AND CANNES [chap, ii

he afterwards told her father, was very favourably
impressed with Louisa herself.

" It was a cold, wet evening, and concluding that
at 6.30 we were safe from visitors, Mamma had gone up
to change her dress. I had already donned my old
blue gown, and was kneeling in the window by Papa,
coaxing him after my usual fashion, when the door opened
and William in his most dignified manner announced,
'The Prince Consort and Major Du Plat.' 'Who?
what ! ' exclaimed Papa, ' the Prince ! ' ; and I bolted head
foremost into the dining-room, and rushed upstairs,
as soon as the coast was clear, to tell Mamma and
change m^^ frock. Never were toilets more quickly com-
pleted. In a few minutes we were down again. The
Prince was exceedingly good-natured, but I thought
him looking ill and much altered. He has a strong
foreign accent. After talking to Mamma and me for
some time, he departed ; but it will be long before we
forget the startle ! "

Louisa was still more surprised when, three months
later,the Queen's proposal reached her father at Sotterley.

" Sunday, August 11. — Flabbergasted ! That is the
only word by which I can possibly describe the state of
amazement into which I have this day been thrown,
and I am still doubtful whether the delightful
plan which has been opened to us is not a dream
of my own imagination. Sir Charles Phipps has
written to Papa to the effect, that Prince Leopold
being ordered to spend the winter in the South of
France, and the Queen wishing someone to accom-
pany'- him in whom she had implicit confidence, it
had occurred to Sir Charles that the arrangement might
suit us. The party is to consist of the little Prince
and his tutor, who is also a medical man, and ourselves —
all expenses defrayed by Her Majesty. Was there ever
anything so delightful ? Just at the moment when
we are loosened from most of our ties and unsettled as
to our future plans, that such a scheme should present
itself to turn our minds from the sorrow of leaving
Sotterley does seem really providential. But the

i86i]' A VISIT TO WINDSOR 25

delight of it ! If it had fallen from the skies I could
hardly be more astounded. My head is already full
of the route, and I can only breathe it to my Journal,
feeling I cannot sleep without doing this."

In due course the details of the journe}^ were
communicated to Sir Edward by Major Elphinstone,
and one Sunday in October Lady and Miss Bowater,
who had gone to town to prepare for their departure,
received a sudden summons to Windsor.

" Sunday, October 27. — We had been to church, and
in the afternoon St. John came in, pleasant and nice as
he always is, and we sat down to chess, and were intent
on our game, when Blandford arrived from Richmond,
bringing a note to sa}'- that the Queen wished us to
lunch with her the next day. Great was the consterna-
tion in the camp. We had made several engagements,
which had to be cancelled a la hate, and worst of all — ■
I had no bonnet I

" Monday, October 28. — Off for Windsor about 10.30,
met the coachman at Richmond — alas ! with the
wrong bonnet ! Papa met us at Windsor station,
and by great good luck we succeeded in finding a very
becoming one in the town. Arrived at the Castle, we
were taken to Lady Ely's room, she being out riding
with the Queen, and had an interview with Lady Caroline
Barrington, from whom we obtained much information
about the little Prince, After lunching with the House-
hold— i.e. Lady Augusta Bruce, Miss Stanley, Miss Mac-
donald, and Lord Harris — we went into the corridor.
By and by came the Queen and Prince and the chil-
dren, and very pretty it was to see them all together.
They remained for about ten minutes talking to us,
the Queen to Mamma, and Princess Alice, who is de-
cidedly pretty and has very pleasing manners, to me.
The little ones, including Prince Leo, played about and
amused themselves by trying to make the dear little
Princess Beatrice, who is evidently the pet of the
whole family, say French words. The interview over,
in which they were all most kind, we crossed the Hol-
bein Gallery, St. George's Hall, and the Armoury,

26 LONDON AND CANNES [chap, ii

and climbed up to Papa's swallow's nest in the Star
Tower, commanding the same lovely view as the North
Terrace. After resting here some time, we went down
to the Library, with which I was charmed, and leaving
the Castle, returned home, tired but pleased with our
day, which proved far less formidable than we had
anticipated.

^* Thursday, October 31. — We were busy preparing
for the visit of the young Princes, Arthur and Leopold,
who arrived with Major Elphinstone and Dr. Giinther ^
about 1.30, and stayed till 4 p.m. Two such darling
boys I have not seen for a long while. They were full
of fun and merriment, and seemed greatly to enjoy
croquet and hide-and-seek. Prince Arthur especially,
with his handsome face and courteous manners, has
carried all our hearts away."

The travellers set out on their journey on Novem-
ber 4, and travelled by slow stages, sleeping at Boulogne,
Paris, Dijon, Avignon, and Toulon.

" Paris, British Embassy, Rue du Faubourg St.
Honore, No. 6. — Am I asleep or awake, or walking in
a dream ? All seems so new and strange that I am
really somewhat doubtful on the point. Nothing
strikes me more on landing in this country than the
hard labour done by the women. At Boulogne they
claimed it as their privilege to carry the Prince's
luggage from the boat to the hotel and thence to the
station, and you constantly see them marching off
under the heaviest loads. It was quite dark when we
reached Paris, where an attache awaited our arrival

^ Dr. Albert Giinther, Ph.D., came to England in i860, after a dis-
tinguished career at the Universities of Bonn and Tiibingen, and qualified
himself as a physician and surgeon at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. He
was selected by the Prince Consort to be medical attendant to Prince
Leopold, and accompanied him to Cannes in this capacity. In 1 864 he
was appointed to the staff of the British Museum, and became Keeper of
the Zoological Department. He resided chiefly at Surbiton, where he had
a considerable practice, until his scientific researches absorbed his whole
time. On his death in 1914, at the ripe age of eighty-four, the Times spoke
in high terms of his attainments and attractive qualities, calling him
a great personality whose position in the world of science would have
been still greater but for his sincere modesty.

i86i] IN PARIS 27

with two carriages, but I recognised several of my
old haunts in our drive to the Embassy, a fine old-
fashioned hotel entre cour et jardin, and therefore
charmingly quiet. To our great relief there was no
dinner-party, and Lady Cowley's kind manner soon set
us at ease after our grand and somewhat intimidating
reception ; but great was my delight when she proposed
taking us to the Opera. Don Pasquale, which we
saw, is a lively little opera, with one lovely air — ' Com'
€ gentil.' The house is very pretty and was quite full,
M. de Persigny being among the audience. Nothing
amused me more than to look at the people in the
pit and observe the totally different cast of the faces.
There, too, I made my first acquaintance with the
genus attache in a Mr.Atlay. It is curious to see ten
years of Paris life grafted on to an Englishman. How
tired he must be of doing the agreeable to all the people
who come to the Embassy, and of flirting with all the
young ladies — in both of which arts he appears to excel.
. . . The Prince began to be much more sociable, and in
the evening he came and laid his head on my shoulder,
as we rushed along through the heart of la belle France.
Nothing can be more good-natured than Dr. Giinther,
who is also exceedingly well-informed; and as to Canne,
our invaluable courier, he is decidedly the eighth
wonder of the world : he thinks of everything, knows
everything, and generally appears to be in three places
at once.

" Hotel d' Europe , Avignon , November 10. — Papawas so
unwell as to cause us a good deal of uneasiness . Mamma
could not leave him, so I walked out with the Doctor
and Prince, and drove in the afternoon across the Rhone
and up the opposite heights. During our walk I was
suddenly startled by hearing a deep, muffled voice
behind me saying, ' Pour I'amour de Dieu, pour les
pauvres prisonniers,' and at the same time the sound of
money rattling in a box. On turning sharply round, I
saw close to me a man with a large black cloth thrown
completely over him, and only two black eyes looking
at me through two slits in the cloth. The Prince shrank

28 LONDON AND CANNES [chap, ii

up to me, and even I felt glad when the Doctor dropped
a few sous into his box, and so got rid of him. The
coachman who drove us this afternoon was a Crimean
soldier, with an English medal, which he showed us
with pride, and great was his delight at seeing le fils
de la Reine d'Angleterre. We visited the Cathedral and
convent Chateau des Papes, now used as a barrack, but
could not enter the latter, and had to content ourselves
with gazing up at its solid masonry rising up stern and
yellow — so different from our grey English towers.
Nothing strikes us more than the total change in the
character of the architecture, or reminds one more
forcibly that we are near Italy. It was a brilliant
day, and from the heights beyond the Rhone we had a
magnificent view of Avignon lying in the rich valley,
where the grey olives contrasted with the bright tints
of the autumn woods, and the snowy heights of Mont
Ventoux flushed with the rosy hues of sunset. Not a
sound was to be heard save the distant tinkling of a
bell, and the air had the still freshness that I have often
felt in England at the same hour. All seemed like a
dream, and I thought of Edith watching the same sunset
behind the trees at Dunwich.

" Hotel de V Elephant, Vidauban, November 13. — The
railroad only goes as far as Toulon, so to-day we began
posting, and watched with great glee the preparations
for our start. A motley crowd assembled in the court-
yard : Italian boys with monkeys and hurdy-gurdys,
tall, well-made Provencals with dark hair, sparkling
black eyes and pearly teeth, and postilions with jackets
embroidered in red. At last we were en route — two
carriages with four horses each, the first containing
Mamma, the Doctor, and the Prince ; the second. Papa
and myself. Anything so aboriginal as the harness I
never saw, and it is still a mystery to me how the single
postilion contrives to manage the leaders. But the whole
thing was amusing to a degree ! You felt that you
were passing through, not over the country. Then the
picturesque figures that one saw : sometimes it would
be a shepherd with a flock of goats and sheep, or an

1 861] CHATEAU LEADER 29

old woman with a gigantic hat perched upon a mule
between loaded panniers, knitting as she went. Then
we came upon a merry group of road-menders, who
exchanged jokes with the postilion, or a donkey-cart
laden with wine casks, and an old woman with a gay-
coloured handkerchief tied round her head, peering
out ; or else we passed a great heavy, cumbersome
diligence with three horses crawling along these abomin-
able roads. But most amusing of all were the villages,
with the women washing at the fountains, and mules
being watered. The whole population turned out to
see our change of horses, duly announced by the crack-
ing of whips and jingle of bells. The dirt, however,
equals the picturesqueness, and the first thing we did
on arriving at Vidauban was to get out of the village as
quickly as possible, and scramble up the rocky terraces
of the olive gardens on the hillside.

Chateau Leader, Cannes, November 14. — We left
Vidauban at 9.30, and after passing the ruined arches
of the Roman aqueduct at Frejus, we had our first
view of the deep blue Mediterranean, and began the
ascent of the Esterelles. After slowly winding up a fine
road for two hours, we reached the summit, and saw
the snowy peaks of the Basses Alpes clearly defined
against the deep blue sky, towering over the lower
ranges of hills, while far below, basking in the Southern
sun, lay the white houses of Cannes, leaning against the
"green hillside, close upon the Mediterranean waters.
Changing horses at the solitary poste below the
highest point, surrounded by a horde of children, we
began a long descent through stone-pines and juniper
and arbutus scrub, with only occasional glimpses of
snow, mountains, and blue sea, until we reached
Chateau Leader, one of the first villas on the Toulon
road, and as far I can see, one of the nicest in Cannes.
All the rooms are large and airy, and the drawing-room
opens on to a terrace commanding a lovely view of
the Mediterranean, the lies Lerins, and the Esterelles
jutting out into the sea. If only dear Papa were
better, all would be perfect."
4

30 LONDON AND CANNES [chap, ii

" A sad time followed," writes Lady Knightley in
her Memoir. " My father grew daily weaker, and
seldom went beyond the terraced garden. My mother
could not bear to leave him, and most of my time was
spent in the Prince's company. We played croquet and
chess together ; I read to him, and did my best to amuse
him and divert his thoughts when fits of home-sick-
ness came over him, on receiving letters from Windsor.
We took scrambling walks over the rocks or up the hills,
and every fine morning rode our favourite donkeys,
' Jacques ' and ' Catherine,' among the olive groves
and vineyards where now hotels and villas have
sprung up. Sometimes we took longer expeditions on
the mountains, and picnicked at some lovely spot, where
I sketched while the Doctor and little Prince rambled
about in search of lizards. We were not always welcome
in these remote villages, and I well remember a woman
shouting at us, ' Les Anglais ne sont faits que pour
faire du mal ! ' Meanwhile my poor father grew daily
weaker, and on December 14 the end came. For several
days we had been hearing bad accounts of the Prince
Consort's health, and that same morning I said to
Mamma, ' I cannot help thinking that the Prince is
more ill than we think — do you not remember that your
father and the King died on the same day ? ' At 8 p.m.,
two hours after my dear father breathed his last, came a
telegram from Windsor : * Pray break to Prince Leopold
that the Prince is very ill and that we are in great
anxiety about him.' On Sunday morning, December 1 5^
Lord Rokeby arrived from Nice with a telegram
announcing that the Prince Consort had died tranquilly
at ten minutes before eleven. I was busy all day
writing letters, and had the poor little Prince with me.
' Poor child ! ' I wrote in my Journal, ' he is too young
fully to realise all he has lost.'

" Monday, December 16. — Late in the evening, what
really seemed the first ray of comfort came, in these
telegrams from Windsor : ' Mamma hopes j^ou are pretty
well ; we are all heart-broken. — Helena ' ; and, ' Dear
Mamma wishes me to tell you how much she feels for you,

1 862] DEATH OF SIR EDWARD BOWATER 31

and how much she hopes you feel for her. — Helena.'
Our answer was as follows : ' Lady Bowater's duty
to Princess Helena, and begs her humble dut}' to the
Queen, with the most heartfelt gratitude for the kind
telegrams, and the assurance of her deepest S3^mpathy.'
On Friday, January 3, a still, grey, rainy day, strangely
in accordance wdth our feelings, my darling father's
mortal remains were laid to rest in the peaceful green
churchyard at Sotterley. It seemed too sad and strange
to think of him as dead and buried, with us far away in
a foreign land, and I sometimes felt as if it must
all be a dream from which we must soon awaken.
We were overwhelmed with kind letters, and my uncle
and aunt implored us to come to them at Dunwich,
Sotterley, whenever w^e liked ; but we at once offered to
remain with the Prince, if the Queen wished it, and
letters from Major Elphinstone and Sir Charles Phipps
showed us clearly that this was the case. Anything
that could comfort the Queen in her bitter trial seemed
to us a sacred duty, and I had the firm conviction that
this was what m}^ dear father would have wished. In
the midst of her own overwhelming sorrow, the Queen
found time to write my mother the kindest and most
touching letter, expressing the deepest sympathy with
her loss and the highest regard for her dear husband.
Prince Leopold's pretty, winning ways greatly en-
deared him to us both, and during the next few weeks
he helped to cheer my poor mother, and would coax
her to go out when no one else could do this. Colonel
Cavendish was sent out first to take charge of the
Prince, in my father's place, but was soon succeeded
by Lord Charles Fitzro}^,^ now Duke of Grafton, whose
kindness I can never forget. I think he must have
had a fellow-feeling for my mother, having lost his own
wife at Cannes only a year or two before.

" We remained at Cannes till the end of March,

taking long excursions in the beautiful country round,

i and enjoying the lovel}^ weather. I particularly

^Charles Fitzroy, seventh Duke of Grafton, K.G., born 1821,
succeeded his brother 1882.

32 LONDON AND CANNES [chap, ii

remember a long drive to Napoule, where leaving the
carriage we walked up a romantic gorge and I had my
tirst view of Italy, lying like a small white cloud on the
blue sea. beyond Nice and Mentone. Lord Dalhousie
and Lord Rokeby were almost our only visitors, and a
young Onslow sometimes came to play croquet with
the Prince. But I always remember one day meeting
old Lord Brougham,^ in the queerest clothes — a very
loud check pair of trousers and weather-beaten wide-
awake. He stopped me, and held forth for a long time
on the inconceivable folly, as he called it, of allowing
the Prince to return to England in March. Of course
I had no more to do with it than he had !

" We left Qmnes with a pang of regret at the break-
up of our pleasant party, after a last drive along the
Happy Valle\\ a last visit to Mr. Woolfield's pretty
garden, and a last game at croquet ! Brought together
on these Mediterranean shores for five months of
intimate friendship, intensified by the scenes through
which we had passed, we were now to be scattered to
the winds — seldom, if ever, to meet again.

'' Lord Charles, in his thoughtful kindness, tried as
far as possible to avoid the places we had halted at
on the way out. So we stayed at Marseilles, Lyons,
Macon, Paris, and Amiens, and on the 3rd of April
reached the * Lord Warden ' at Dover, where Prince
Arthur and Major Elphinstone were awaiting us. The
next dav we travelled to Portsmouth, and landed in the
Victoria and Albert barge at Osborne pier.

" Friday, April 4, 1862. — Prince Alfred was awaiting
us, a fine handsome youth, darker than any of his
brothers, and took us in a char-a-banc to the house.
Here we were greeted most kindly by the three Princesses,!
who vanished with Prince Leopold, leaving I^dyl
Augusta Bruce to take us to our rooms. Presentlyl
Princess Alice came and had a long, long talk with me.j
Sorrow has indeed made us know each other. How l|

' Henry Brougham, bom 177S; Attorney-General to Queen Caroline.
iS2o; Lord Chancellor, 1S30-1834; created Baron Brougham, 1S30; died
at Cannes, May 1S6S.

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1 862] AT OSBORNE 33

grieve for her ! — her young Hfe crushed and blighted by
a weight of care and responsibility of which few have
any idea. They were all in and out of our room during
tea, and when the Princes went to bed, Princesses Helena
and Louise stayed with me a long time, talking sadly
of all that has happened. At ten o'clock the Queen
sent for Mamma, and had a long and deeply interesting
interview with her — in Mamma's words, ' we talked like
two old friends.'

" Saturday, April 5. — This morning Princess Helena
was already in our sitting-room with Mamma w^hen I went
in there. Then came the Princes, Lady Augusta, and
Miss Kerr. Before luncheon the Queen sent Princess
Louise to bring me to her apartments at the other end
of the house. She received me in the Prince's own
room, and her first words were : ' Thank you for all you
have done for little Leopold.' To me she does not look
much altered ; her manner was most kind although Yery
dignified, and she asked innumerable questions about
dear Papa's last illness and our future plans. I smile
when I think how I told her of all the family arrange-
ments, of the boys and Edith and Sotterley. I told
her how blind I had been to Papa's danger, and she said
with a deep sigh, ' Ah ! one is blind ' ; and when I told
her the doctors said he would have suffered if he had
lived, she said, ' What can one wish, then ? ' After
luncheon. Lady Caledon, Miss Kerr, Lad}^ Augusta
Bruce, and General Grey came to see us, and the Princes
took us to their rooms, where Prince Alfred played to
me on a self-acting piano given him by the Emperor
Napoleon, and I had another long talk with Princess Alice
and Princess Helena. Then I took a w^alk with Miss
Kerr, and the soft wind, the green mossy turf, and the
song of the birds made me feel I was in England again.
The Princesses spent the evening with us. Princess Alice
looked lovely, and Princess Helena struck me as
rayonnante de jeunesse ei d' intelligence .

" Sunday, April 6. — As usual, the younger Princes
and Princesses breakfasted with us, and shortly before
eleven we drove with Miss Kerr to service at Whipping-

34 LONDON AND CANNES [chap, ii

ham, a lovely little church lately restored under the
Prince Consort's own direction, and indeed not yet
finished. At the end of Morning Prayer there was a
pause, and all the Royal children and most of the
Household came in. Somehow, it all seemed very sad,
the deep mourning, the seats draped with black, the
vacant chair and name omitted in the prayers, and I
thought of my own dear father, who we felt ought to
be with us here. After luncheon, the Princesses took
me to see the fort and the Swiss cottage and the museum,
which is really beautiful. Princess Helena carried me
off to her own room, where I spent some time looking at
the pretty drawings which Princess Alice is making for
Prince Louis. Mamma was with the Queen, so we went
into Princess Alice's rooms, and she showed me a great
treasure, a picture of her beloved father, takenafter death,
with the beautiful face looking so calm and peaceful.
There we lingered on, talking in the twilight ; Princess
Alice lying on the sofa, while I sat in an arm-chair at her
feet, and Princess Helena was on the floor at mine, and
Prince Alfred perched on the table. We had quite a
roomful at dinner, all talking and laughing together.

" Monday, April 7.— Our darling Prince Leo's
ninth birthday. May God bless and keep that dear
child and help him to be a comfort to his mother !
I spent the morning with the Princesses, and saw
the three Princes drive off in Prince Arthur's pretty
little artillery waggon. In the afternoon we had an
interminable game at croquet with all the Princes, and
after tea had immense fun in the corridor playing with
their little theatre. The Oueen sent Mamma two beauti-
ful prints of herself and the Prince, as well as a large
photograph of herself and her children grouped round
the Prince's bust, and gave me a lovely brooch with
Prince Leo's hair. Sir Charles Phipps called on Mamma
and told her that Thatched House Lodge was to be
granted to Colonel Liddell. I spent the evening with
Princess Helena, who was most kind and affectionate.

" Tuesday, April 8.— I took a last walk with Prince
Leo and Dr. Giinther, and bade an affectionate good-bye

i862] RETURN HOME 35

to the three Princesses. At the last moment the Queen
sent for us, and was most kind but terribly overcome.
Alas ! poor Queen ! The two Princes crossed with us
in the Fairy. My darling boy cried bitterly at parting,
and our journey home was very sad, the familiar
form missing everywhere, and the dear place looking so
pretty — and now we have to leave it ! "

CHAPTER III

Richmond Park, Dunwich, and Arbury

1 862-1 863

The next year of Louisa's life was a difficult one. The
sad home-coming was followed by the dreary task of
packing up and preparing to leave the Richmond house,
which was now to pass into other hands. Their estab-
lishment was broken up, and she and her mother had
already taken a long farewell of their beloved home, and
were debating whether to settle in town or to accept Mr.
Barne's offer of Sotterley as their temporary residence,
when anunexpected intimation reached them to the effect
that Colonel Liddell had declined to live at Thatched
House Lodge, and that the Queen begged them to
remain there. In the end Lady Bowater decided to
accept this offer, and December found Louisa once
more settled in the old home. For her these troubled
days were brightened by the companionship of her
devoted cousin Edith, who spent the summer at Rich-
mond Park and to whom she paid a long and delightful
visit in the following autumn at Dunwich. But this
happy time was overshadowed by her cousin's rapidly
failing health, and it was plain that this charming young
girl's da3^s were already numbered.

" Friday, April 25, 1862. — My twentieth birthday —
alas ! it was a sad one ! — that warm embrace and fervent
blessing were missing. Yet he is safe with God, and one
day we shall be together again. I woke at 3.30 a.m.
and was rejoiced by the sight of a glorious sunrise and
the concert of many birds. The post brought a budget

from Osborne, a coral and gold locket from Prince Leo,

1 862] A BIRTHDAY 37

with his portrait painted by Princess Ahce, a gold locket
with a pearl cross and their hair at the back from
Princesses Helena and Louise, and charming letters
from all three. The Queen's present to Mamma arrived
early — -a beautiful bracelet with Prince Leo's portrait
and the following inscription : * To Lady Bowater, in
remembrance of her affectionate care of our little father-
less boy, Leopold. — Victoria R., April 1862.' This is
the first birthday which Edith and I have ever spent
together, but oh ! how things are changed with us both.
It seems so sad and strange to see her on a couch of
sickness and suffering, with little hope of recovery, and
to hear how often she longs to die. Yet she is an im-
mense comfort to me. We sat long together in the sunset,
watching the beautiful light and talking of many things.
What should I do without her ?

" June 5. — Philip, Madame, and I spent a long day
at the International Exhibition. Everyone agrees that
the coup d'osil is less fine than in '51, and certainly that is
my own impression as far as I can remember. The nave
is too crowded, and one misses the statues and flowers.
We had just entered the picture gallery, and were stand-
ing lost in admiration before Gainsborough's * Girl
with a Pitcher,' when my attention was suddenly
arrested by the courtly manner in which a stick which
fell near me was picked up and restored to the owner,
and great was my surprise to find myself close to
Princess Alice. A little manoeuvring enabled me to
exchange greetings with Princess Helena, and then
they passed on, a delightful example to the fine ladies
who think it quite impossible to go on a shilling da}^
I recognised many old favourites among the pictures
— Constable's * Hay-Wain,' Turners and Morlands and
Landseers — and what I admired most of all in the French
section was Paul Delaroche's ' Martyr in the reign of
Diocletian,' a young Christian virgin who had been
drowned, floating down the stream, with a halo of
radiant light round her head. The Belgian school is
also very good, above all ' The Last Honours paid to
Counts Egmont and Horn,' which quite startles one,

38 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, ARBURY [chap, hi

so magnificently are these heads painted. Wandering
among all these treasures occupied the whole morning.
At two we proceeded to the American buffet for ' sand-
wiches and porter,' and then strolled about the numerous
courts for the whole afternoon, devoting perhaps more
attention to the harness and militar}'- department than
to anything else.

" June 1 1 . — A busy, bustling day, in preparation for
our youthful Royalties, who arrived in a fly from Rich-
mond station about four. Dear little Prince Leo looks
so well, and we had a very merry afternoon with
croquet and bagatelle. They paid Edith some nice little
visits and w^re very dear to her, had tea, and then
departed. Major Elphinstone of course came with
them, and charmed everyone by his pleasing manners.

" June 22. — We drove over to Pembroke Lodge and
had rather a good game of croquet. The Listers, Peels,
etc., were there, also Lady Rose Fane and a Danish
Captain de Falbe. Lord Amberley was very pleasant.
He is a little shy man, and we rather herd together,
like the two lost sheep of the party. I like his absence
of pretension, not at all what you would expect of
Lord Russell's eldest son.

" July 20. — To croquet at Pembroke Lodge — a small
part}^ I continued the incipient flirtation with Lord
Amberley. He seems a clever, well-read, ambitious little
man, and called here last week, to my intense amusement .

" July 24. — My darling Edith's eighteenth birthday.
Into Thy hands I commend her, O my God. I could not
help hoping, as I watched the changes in the day, that
it might be an emblem of her life, grey, overcast, and
rainy earty, later fine and bright. I saw the first hare-
bells— her favourite flower — pale, alas ! and as colourless
as herself.

" July 26. — We had a glorious drive in the early
morning across the park to Barnes, the summer sun
shining down on the rich green vales, the deer browsing
in the plain, the woodpecker, with its lazy, undulating
flight, scarcely fleeing at the sound of our wheels, the
lake as still as a mirror, with the loveliest reflections of

1 862] VISIT TO SOTTERLEY 39

sky and banks undimmed by a single ripple. What a
contrast to the bustle and turmoil of town, where the
close of the season does not appear to exercise the
slightest influence on the crowded streets ! One feels
daily more and more the pace at which most people
of the present age are living. Can we wonder at the
increase of insanity ? There is a wild look in the e^^es
of half the men I meet on the railroad — not the fashion-
able swells, * the men about town ' of the Saturday
Review — which makes me shudder. There is no rest,
no repose for anyone in the present day ; you are alwaj^s
on the go, for pleasure or for business. Is this pre-
ferable to the stagnation of former days ? I do not
know ; it is difficult, almost impossible to decide. And
for women in particular, is this restless, independent
spirit good ? This enfranchisement from prejudice,
through which we all pass, in which I myself count
so many stages, whither will it lead ? I know it is
a dangerous tendency, yet surely light, knowledge,
truth, all these are worth striving for. God means
that we should strive for them, in all humility, but in
all earnestness. Neither the individual nor the genera-
tion can shut their eyes and say, * I will see no more,
I will go no farther.' We must all learn to unite the
two lives — to live the one in its full extent as the best
preparation for the other, which will be its glorious
crown and completion, and where, as Monod so beauti-
fully says, ' our eternal thirst for love, for light, for
knowledge, for enjoyment, will be perfectly satisfied.'

" Dunwich, Monday, September 15. — I started after
an early breakfast to drive our old maid Mellish and
myself to Sotterley. We arrived at the Park about
eleven, and walked to the churchyard, where now sleeps
the best and fondest of fathers. Very calm and peace-
ful was that dear little churchyard, but bitter tears
will fall, and bitterer were they when I entered the
deserted house and visited his room. Alas ! alas !
it is all so very sad. Dear old Mother Cutler was glad
enough to see me, and I went and saw a number of
my old friends, who escorted me back to the house.

40 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, ARBURY [chap, hi

It all came so pleasantly and naturally that I could
hardly realise the sad changes that have taken place
since I was here last.

" Grey Friars, Dunwich, Saturday, September 20. —
Mine eyes were rejoiced at breakfast by the sight of a
letter from dear Prince Leo, announcing the Prince of
Wales's engagement to Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
He says he has seen her at Brussels, and that she is very
pretty and amiable. The wedding is to take place next
March at Windsor, but his mother, he adds, will not be
present, which seems a great pity.

" October 10. — We were much concerned last evening
at seeing in the paper an announcement that Her
Majesty's journey from Reinhardtsbrunnen to Coburg
was delayed in consequence of a slight accident to
Prince Leopold, which proved more difficult to cure
than was at first anticipated. Our anxiety, however,
was not of long duration, for this morning's post brought
a charming letter from Princess Helena, written by the
Queen's desire, to tell us all about it. It seems that
he ran a pen into the roof of his mouth, and the wound
bled for a week, which, of course, reduced him very
much, but he is really all right again. So like the Queen,
this piece of thoughtful kindness. I wrote at once to
thank Princess Helena.

" Thatched House Lodge, Richmond Park, Monday,
December 8. — Home once more ! Yes, it is home.
Though it can never be what it once was, yet I do feel
joyous and thankful to be here once more. Great
was our surprise and delight on arriving to find that,
by the indefatigable exertions of our good people, our
Lares and Penates have all resumed their wonted places,
and everything has an air of comfort, cleanliness, and
good taste that charms my very being. Thanks be
to God for this great blessing — for a great blessing we
now feel it to be — and, under Him, to our good and
gracious Queen.

" Wednesday, December 10. — Busy arranging books
and letters. Wilhelm von Humboldt says, ' Old letters
lose their vitality.' Mrs. Jameson remarks that this is

■'t,

1 862] A SAD ANNIVERSARY 41

' untrue, and it is just because they retain their vitahty
that it is so dangerous to keep some letters, so wicked
to burn others.' I think Mrs. Jameson is right : I have
been tearing up some of Edith's letters to-night, and
changed as she now is, still these letters have life in
them — they bring her before me exactly as she was at
that age, I fancy I hear her talk. Busy all day gardening
and working in the schoolroom. It is such thorough
enjoyment being at home, among all one's things, and
feeling for the first time for a year that we have a settled
home. This feeling is tiding us over these sad anni-
versaries better than I could have possibly hoped.

" Sunday, December 14. — A long, dreary day. A
year — a whole year — has elapsed since my darling father
was taken from us. I can scarcely believe it or realise
that all these weary months have passed without him.
The blank is just as great, the aching void in my heart
which nothing can ever fill. Only the hope of the
great Hereafter lives to cheer and strengthen. Where
should we all be without this belief ? But the thought
of him recalls me to the present. He left me a sacred
charge. ' Take care of Mamma,' were his last words,
' when I am gone, and do all she tells you ; she is your
best friend.' My God, help me to fulfil it. How much
my thoughts are at Windsor to-day. There all is united
— the Prince's life, his death, his grave ; while^'ur sad
hearts must travel to the death-bed in a foreign knd —
to the grave in the quiet churchyard far away. Sweet,
dear letters from Princess Helena and Prince Leopold
brought with them a melancholy pleasure. Princess
Louise and Edith also wrote later.

^^ New Year's Eve, 1862. My own room, 1 1 .30. — Once
more. Old Year, farewell. It is a grave thing standing
thus between the Old and the New, looking back and
looking forward. May God pardon my past errors
and give strength for the future ! His love alone can
support me, that alone can never fail me. Oh that
I might lose myself more and more in that love, that
it might become more and more my very life and
being ! Three things mark this year : the visit to

42 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, ARBURY [chap, hi

Osborne, my long intercourse with dearest Edith, the
departure from this place and our unexpected return.
All more or less things to be thankful for. ' Look not
mournfully into the Past,' said a wise man, * it comes
not again. Wisely improve the Present ; it is thine.
Go forth into the unknown Future without fear and
with a manly heart.' "

Lady Bowater now made a determined effort for
her daughter's sake to rouse herself from the torpor
into which she had sunk after the shock of her husband's
death. Louisa's own spirits revived with the buoyancy
of youth, and she thoroughly enjoyed her return to
society.

" Monday, January $, 1863. — Last week Lord Am-
berley brought us an invitation to a party at Pembroke
Lodge at which we assisted to-day. The guests consisted
only of General Peel and his three daughters, and Pro-
fessor and Mrs. Owen. The charade Surprise was acted
with much spirit and cleverness, especially by Lord
Amberley, who as Master Tom Sniffington * taking off
Dr. Switchem ' was inimitable. Very pretty, too, was
little Agatha as ' Andromeda.' In short, the whole
thing amused me immensely. Afterwards we had
some pleasant chat, seasoned by Lord Amberley's
mild attentions, and I was interested in meeting three
such remarkable men as General Peel, Professor Owen,
and Lord Russell."

The next day Louisa accompanied her mother on
a visit to Arbur}^, the home of her cousin and guardian,
Charles Newdegate, the well-known Member of Parlia-
ment for Warwickshire. This fine old house with its
ancient conventual buildings and castellated fagade
added by Sir Roger Newdegate in the eighteenth
century had lately acquired a new interest from the
novels of George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans), whose
father had formerly been a carpenter on the Arbury
estate and whose brother was agent to the present
owner. The scene of Mr. Gilfil's Love Story had been
laid at Arbury, and the house itself described under
the name of Chcverel Manor.

Lady Bowater.

(From a miniature by Sir William Ross.)

[ To face p. 42-

1863] AT ARBURY 43

" Arbury, Wednesday, January 7. — A fine winter's
day, and I spent the morning wandering about these
beautiful grounds under the cedars and Scotch firs,
along the yew hedges and the moat, my thoughts going
to the music of the falling waters tumbling over the
rocks. After lunch we walked to the Home Farm, which
is very snug and pretty, and coming home the reflection
of the old grey house and muUioned windows and great
beeches and cedars in the water were all most lovely.

" Thursday, January 8. — We drove to Leamington
to an amateur concert given by fifty ladies and gentle-
men, in aid of the North Warwickshire Relief Fund, a
piece of rare enjoyment. I felt proud of my unmusical
nation when I heard this exquisite performance given
by my countrymen and women for the sake of the poor
Coventry ribbon-weavers. A splendid air from Jephthah
was superbly sung by Mr. Arthur Coleridge, and Haydn's
canzonet, ' My mother bids me bind my hair,' was
beautifully rendered b}^ Mrs, Harvey. I cannot describe
the entrancing effect of these deUcious melodies or the
way -in which the audience hung upon the singers' lips,
till in that great hall you might have heard a pin drop.
In the twenty minutes' interval Charley Newdegate
gave a speech about the distress, explaining that this
was the third winter of suffering, and thanked the
Ladies Feilding and others who had worked so hard in
the good cause. It was a great pleasure to hear him
speak — although, between me and my Journal, I do not
think he speaks well nor do I like his action — and I felt
proud of belonging to him, as his ward and cousin.
Lord Denbigh held the plate at the door, and I took the
opportunity of making myself known to this old friend
of my father. The dear old gentleman seemed much
pleased. He travelled back with us to Rugby, and
much agreeable conversation passed between him and
Mrs. Newdegate about the distress. The rate of
mortality has actually decreased ! This is attributed
not only to the children being better attended to b}^
their mothers, but also to their being unable to purchase
the cordials, largely composed of opium, with which

44 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, ARBURY [chap, m

they were in the habit of drugging them to a frightful
extent. From Rugby we travelled with Mr. Clerk of
Astley Castle, who is Counsel to the Crown, and talked
much of Greece. Lord Palmerston, he says, had actu-
ally made up his mind that Prince Alfred should accept
the crown, and only retracted in consequence of the
general opposition abroad. I am very glad he has done
this — England's moderation speaks volumes for her.
As to the cession of the Ionian Islands, he says that
the inhabitants are chiefly Roman Catholic and more
Italian than Greek ; that they are largeh'' a trading
community, and that to take them from under the
protection of the British flag and British Consuls would
be doing them a poor service. All this was very in-
teresting after my long months of seclusion.

" January i6. — A regular country-house day. Miss

B and I walked in the morning. I cannot like that

girl ; there is no harm in her, but she does not suit
me. The afternoon was spent playing billiards in the
old gallery with Miss Montgomerie, who amuses me
very much with her odd, independent ways. I sat

next to Captain B , who also begins to amuse me.

He has plenty of fun and sense, and his profession
of being a lady-hater piques me by its novelty.

" January 17. — Miss Montgomerie, Miss B , and I

had a charming drive to cover and saw the hounds
meet, which I enjoyed very much, never having seen
anything of the kind before. Afterwards Tina and I
sat in the gallery in the firelight and twilight, with the
old family portraits looking down upon us and the
statues gl( aming from either end. In the evening we
had tremendous fun.. Tina and I exchanged experiences
after dinner, and when the gentlemen came in we
found ourselves the centre of quite a brilliant circle

— Captain B , Mr. Clerk, Colonel Astley. We fell to

talking of politics, and nearly demolished the latter,
well backed by the other two.

" Tuesday, January 20. — Tina and I sat in the
drawing-room all the morning, and I tried to sketch
the great Gothic window. After luncheon we all

1 863] RICHMOND PARK 45

played billiards in the gallery, and sat round the fire,
telling the story of that other Tina who figures in
Scenes of Clerical Life as pacing up and down this same

gallery. I must say I like Captain B very much.

He is good-natured, sensible, and honest. I only hope
Hampton Court will not spoil him. And Tina is a
darling — clever, sprightly, affectionate. Altogether I
have enjoyed this visit very much, and so, I think, has
Mamma. It has rubbed us both up and done us a world
of good.

" Richmond Park, February 7. — Mamma and I had
the usual London day — the bazaar, Roland's, my
singing and music lessons. Pauer gave me greater
praise than I expected. But why did he say, ' Werden
Sie nur nicht eingebildet 1 ' Has he remarked this
grand failing in my character ? Yet I do not think I
am conceited about my music. I have had too many
home truths on the subject for that ! After the lesson
Mamma and I had a charming walk across the Park to
Mrs. Spiers, where we found a host of people assembled
to admire Eliza's presents and trousseau and congratu-
late her on her approaching marriage. Among them
were Mme Van de Weyer and her daughter, Sir Alexander
Buchanan, the lately appointed Ambassador at Berlin,
my old friend Constance Lennox, and Lord Leven and
Lord Kirkcaldy, with whom we travelled down to Barnes.
The latter can talk of nothing but the approaching
Royal marriage and the preparations for the event at
Windsor. Most delightful after all this bustle and
turmoil was the drive home in the marvellously warm
spring evening. It was nearly dark when we reached
the Terrace, only a gleam of sunset still left in the
sky was reflected in the river, swollen by an unusually
high tide. Then came the Park, with its bare, leafless
trees, a few distant lights sparkling between the stems,
and the stars shining overhead — my friends Orion and
the Pleiades were especially distinct as we climbed the
hill to our hawk's nest. I felt the soothing influences
of Nature, and contentment and thankfulness took
possession of my heart — thankfulness more especially
5

46 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, ARBURY [chap, iii

for the quiet home which it has pleased God to restore
to us, and which I feel deeply is very much better for
me than a life in town could have been. Politics are
very interesting just now, and the more I read history,
the more interest I must take in the histor}^ acting
around me. Parliament met on the 5th, and the Prince
of Wales took his seat in the House of Lords. Great
are the discussions, especiall}^ upon foreign politics, the
chief bone of contention being the cession of the Ionian
Islands to Greece. They seem pretty unanimous as
to the wisdom of non-intervention in America, and all
seem to doubt the benefits to be conferred on the slaves
by the success of the North — in short. Parliament
echoes the Times ; while, to the astonishment of every-
body, an enormous meeting held at Exeter Hall declares,
with the most overpowering enthusiasm, for Emancipa-
tion at all costs — the North and President Lincoln !
And this in the teeth of the fact that black men are
dying of starvation at New York by hundreds. Eman-
cipation by all means, say I, but not, as I believe the
Abolitionists would have it, at the price of the extermi-
nation of the coloured race. I am surprised to see Tom
Hughes' name at that meeting. Then there is the
Insurrection in Poland and the gallant resistance of
the Prussian Chamber to the unconstitutional aggres-
sions of King William. Party in England seems to be
nowhere. The Government brings forward no measures,
and the Opposition has no fault to find save with some
of Lord Russell's dispatches to Denmark on that
un-understandable question of Schleswig-Holstein, and
to the Pope, proposing Malta as his residence."

CHAPTER IV

The Royal Wedding

1863

The year 1863 opened gaily for Louisa, with the Royal
wedding, which she attended in the pleasantest way,
going with her kind neighbours, Lord and Lady Leven,
to stay with their son. Lord Kirkcaldy, at the Bank
at Windsor — " a piece of great good luck," as she re-
marks.

" Windsor, Friday, March 6. — We travelled to
Windsor with Clare Thornton, and there found Lord
and Lady Leven, Lord Kirkcaldy, Sophia and Florence
Melville, Ronald and Julia, Madame Goldschmidt
(Jenny Lind) and her boy. Everybody was rushing
about, triumphal arches adorned the streets, and the
town was as gay as a foreign place. We young people
— Sophia, Florence, Ronald, and I — are in another house,
opposite the Bank, and great fun we have !

" Saturday, March 7. — A long and exciting day.
Clare and I were sitting writing after breakfast when
Lord Leven rushed in. * Come instantly, and the Dean
will show us the chapel.' So off we flew, and saw the
nave all fitted up with red cloth, and what I cared about
most, the beautiful stained window and alabaster reredos
erected in memory of the Prince Consort, and intended
as a symbol of his public and private life. While we
were there, the Crown Prince and Princess came in,
and I had a good sight of them. She looked so fresh,
so young and simple, with a bunch of spring flowers
in her hand, and he is much handsomer and has a far

more pleasing expression than I imagined. We also

48 THE ROYAL WEDDING [chap, iv

saw the temporary building at the end of the chapel,
including the bride's room, which is all white and pink
and loveliness. Then we walked down Eton, which
also sports arches and decorations, and stood some
time in the old school quadrangle. We spent most of
the afternoon watching the crowds in the streets, and
after tea took up our station near the bridge, and
waited patiently for the bride. First we saw the
four Princes — Frederick William, Louis, Arthur, and
Leo — drive down. Gradually it grew dark, the lamps
were lighted, and guns were fired to announce the arrival
at Slough, each shot sending a little thrill through the
crowd. At last General Seymour trotted past and the
head of the escort appeared on the bridge. The carriage
pulled up immediately opposite us, there was a rush and
a cheer — a fair young girl in a white bonnet with pink
rosebuds was seen at the window, bowing and smiling,
and then on they passed, and all was over. I felt so
glad to think that she knew the Queen and Princesses
beforehand, and was not arriving among strangers !

" Sunday, March 8. — We drove to service at a lovely
little church at Englefield Green, and after luncheon
walked on the North Terrace, but came in soon, as it
was bitterly cold, and Madame Goldschmidt began to
sing to us, first German hymns, then ' O rest in the
Lord ' and several airs from the Messiah, especially

* Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my
sorrow.' The whole room was wrapt in deep attention.
Opposite to me sat Dudley de Chair, his handsome
features and remarkably beautiful expression contrasting
finely with Florence's fair, spiritual face. Altogether I
never spent a more delightful Sunday.

" Monday, March g. — Started off early after breakfast
with Florence and Walter Goldschmidt for the Castle,
and saw some of the Royal party on their way to the
chapel. This time I contrived to see that Princess
Alexandra is of a very suitable height for the Prince,
who is not so very short after all. I was watching them
pass into the chapel when Walter suddenly exclaimed,

* There are the two little Princes on the Green,' and

1 863] PRINCESS ALEXANDRA 49

presently we came face to face with them. Major
Elphinstone recognised me, and we stopped and had a
talk. Both the boys looked well and grown, and great
was the laughing and talking with me and my two little
chaperons. Later in the day, we were amused by seeing
the Lord Mayor and Aldermen in their fine coaches
drive up to the Castle to present the Princess with a
magnificent diamond necklace, and had a beautiful view
of her as she went down to Eton. She is much prettier
than her photographs, with just the modest, half-shy,
half-pleased expression one likes to see as she bowed
her acknowledgments right and left. We then marched
up the Hundred Steps, meeting the lovely Lady Spencer
with the Archbishop and Bishop of Oxford on our way,
and proceeded to take Mr. Ruthven's very small rooms
by storm. Great was the horror of his bachelor friends,
as one by one they dropped in, to find him thus invaded,
and very merry we made ourselves over the muffins and
their discomfiture. Then back to find Lady Anna and
Lady Emily Melville had arrived, and to enjoy another
very merry tea-fight and a still merrier game of Silent
Commerce, before starting to see the fireworks. I took
my seat upon the box, and drove off under the starry sky
and the old grey Castle walls, up to the chapel, where
workmen were still busy, and through the cloisters
to Canon Anson's house. From a terrace in front of
this we looked down on the fireworks, which were exceed-
ingly pretty, and I fell into a drowsy state, from which I
was roused to return home, where a merry supper was
very acceptable after the fatigues of the day. Sophia
and I had a long talk about Papa and Edith and all kind
of things. It is wonderful how sorrow brings people
together. I feel that Sophia is now a real friend.

" Tuesday, March 10. — How glad we all were, when
dressing and breakfasting on that cold, foggy Tuesday
morning, not to be the plumed and trained dames of
high degree, who, before w^e left our beds, were shivering
in the train on their way from town ! Cold enough
we thought it when, soon after ten, Lady Leven, the
Indian Princess Gourramma, Sophia, Florence, Ronald,

50 THE ROYAL WEDDING [chap, iv

Clare, and myself marched up the Castle hill to the stand
close to the guardroom gateway. The road was lined
with Volunteers, whose grey uniforms contrasted well
with the scarlet uniforms of the Coldstreams, Yeomen of
the Guard, and royal officials swarming in all directions.
Carriage after carriage came pouring up from the
station containing duchesses resplendent with diamonds,
cabinet ministers, generals covered with orders, brides-
maids, and bishops. Ronald and 1 did our best to put
names to them, with various success. Soon the pro-
cession of the Danish Royal Family came down the
hill ; our own Princes and Princesses followed, and were
received with loud cheers. Princess Helena looking very
handsome. I heard afterwards that she was very much
admired by all the foreigners. Great was our indigna-
tion at some of the people behind us refusing to stand
up as they passed, and trying to bully us into a similar
want of respect ; but Ronald and I, on whom the brunt
of their attack fell, as we chanced to be tall and con-
spicuous, stood our own and were loyal. Then came
the bridegroom, who looked grave and handsome,
though almost buried under his robes ; and last of all, the
bride, her classic profile well set off by the many folds
of her white lace veil, but unrelieved by a single tinge
of pink in her cheeks. We settled down, with what
patience we could, to await the close of the ceremony.
I employed myself pencilling a few lines to Mamma, and
tried to realise the solemn scene going on within and
to think of our widowed Queen looking down on her
children. . . . Suddenly a mounted equerry rode
rapidly past, guns boomed in the Long Walk, and bells
rang out from every steeple. I would not for all the
world have missed this outside glimpse of and share
in the great event. It was worth anything to see the
look of beaming happiness on the bridegroom's face as he
stepped out of the gateway with his wife beside him.
We hurried on to a crush luncheon at the Guards'
barracks, where we met all the world and his wife, but
came away early, and by favour of Captain Legge took
up a very good position behind the sentries, to see the

1 863] IN ST. GEORGE'S . 51

Prince and Princess of Wales go away. After waiting
patiently for three-quarters of an hour, down they drove
in an open carriage, quite slowly, so that we had a good
look at them. I am perfectly satisfied. She is all that
is good, pure, innocent, and lovely, and both looked so
supremely happy that it did one's heart good to look
at them. Her excessive paleness of the morning had
given w^ay to a lovely pink colour, and amidst all the
bowing right and left they found time to talk to each
other. Once more, God bless them !

" Of course, as soon as the carriages had passed
there was a rush-off started, little Lord Kirkcaldy, with
the Indian Princess on one arm and me on the other,
among all the Eton boys . In the iron gatewa}' there was
a jam. Lord Kirkcaldy shouted, ' Armitage, will you
take a lady for me ? ' A tall individual sprang forward,
and leaning on this stranger's arm, I walked between
the ranks of the Volunteers amid the laughter and
applause of the mob. But at the turn to the station
the crush was really frightful, and w^e were almost
swept off our legs. However, in time I got safely home,
and spent the evening playing and dancing. Before
Madame Goldschmidt left, I contrived to get a few words
with her. I like her so much, and have seldom met so
high-minded and charming a woman. She had been in
the choir, and was most deeply touched with the whole
ceremony. ' It was a blessed and holy scene,' she said.
The Queen, in a widow's cap and deep mourning, wear-
ing silk for the first time, witnessed the ceremony from
a closet just above and to the left of the altar. She
looked well, and although deeply affected when the
bridegroom entered, as each pronounced the ' I wall ' her
whole face lit up with a smile. ' The Prince,' said
Madame, * bore himself nobly and with great dignity.'
Very touching must it have been when all her children
curtseyed to her. But amid all the tears, a happy diver-
sion was created by a small scrimmage between Prince
Leo and little Prince William of Prussia, who resented
most vehemently his uncle's attempts at tutoring him.

" I sat next to Mr. De Chair at dinner, and must

52 THE ROYAL WEDDING [chap, iv

mention him as one of the personages who have attracted
me the most during this memorable week. Settled in
Canada, and engaged to be married, he was pre-eminently
safe, and I allowed myself to be drawn to him by
peculiarly frank and pleasant manners, so unlike the
blase politeness of men of the world. We even went
to the length of exchanging photos and autographs,
and as we passed over to the other house by starlight,
parted the best of friends — probably never to meet again
in this world. But I am going on too fast, and forgetting
the illuminations, which we drove out to see after dinner.
Beautiful as fairyland was the Castle arch, its fiery lines
standing out against the dark sky ; and next to that,
what I liked best was the Bank as seen from the bridge.
Altogether, this was a pleasant ending to a never-to-be-
forgotten day."

A month later, Louisa returned to Windsor again
with a party from Roehampton, and was present at a
children's dance given by Lord Kirkcaldy at the Bank.
" It was great fun," she writes on April 8. "All the
Hoods, Seymours, Van de Weyers, etc., were there, and
we danced morris dances. Sir Roger, and a reel after the
guests were all gone. Mrs. Grey introduced me to
SybiP — she is pretty. Lady Susan has been up to the
Castle to see the Queen for the first time since the
Duchess of Kent's death, and has had a beautiful
bracelet very like Mamma's, with a miniature of the
Duchess and lock of her hair, given her by the Queen."

" Friday, April lo. — This was a memorable day
in my life. Tagebuch, vertrauter Freund, nehme also
dessen Schildemng anf ! The house being uninhabit-
able owing to preparations for the dance, I went out
with Lad}^ Susan and Florence, and walked on the
North Terrace, where, in the soft spring air, it really
felt as though one could see the leaves coming out.
Returning to the Bank, I found Lord Kirkcaldy and
Sophy going to drive to the nursery gardens at
Slough. So I went with them, and a charming drive

1 Sybil, eldest daughter of General Charles Grey, private secretary to
Queen Victoria; married 1867, William, loth Duke of St. Albans.

1863] PRINCESS HELENA S3

we had, and saw some lovely azaleas, which were one
mass of blossom. In the middle of luncheon came a
note from Miss Hildyard, asking me to be at the Castle
at 3.30. So I walked up with Lord Kirkcaldy and
Mellish, and went straight to Miss Hildj^ard's rooms,
where I found her and both Princesses. We met the
children in the corridor, and saw Princess Louis's new
little baby, born on Sunday, or rather a bit of its cheek.
Nothing could be more charming or affectionate than
they all were. Princess Helena went to dress for
walking, and Prince Leo was sent for to see me. Dear
little fellow, it is such a treat to see him ! Next ap-
peared Prince Alfred, to show his heutenant's uniform
to his sisters, and very pleasant and good-natured he
was in the few minutes' tete-a-tete I had with him. Then
came little Princess Beatrice with her governess to see
him, and after that Princess Helena and I sallied
out by ourselves. It did seem so curious to see the
sentries presenting arms as we two girls passed out
under the great archway. Presently Prince Alfred
and Prince Louis overtook us, driving together in a
new Russian carriage. We had a long and very inter-
esting talk during our hour-and-a-half's walk. The
Princess struck me as having developed rapidly in the
past year, no doubt the result of the new duties and
responsibiHties laid upon her since Princess Alice's
marriage. She spoke much of her father and of his
exalted conception of duty, which was the motive of his
whole life. Both her sisters are very happy in their
married life, but she herself is not impatient to follow
their example, and hopes to remain in England when
she marries. God bless and help her, and make me of
real service to her ! But the story of this day was not
ended. I heard with dismay from Lord Kirkcaldy

that Mr. E , my all-too-attentive partner at the

Rendlesham balls, had begged for an invitation to
the dance to-night, and sure enough he met me on the
threshold of the ballroom. I danced twice w^ith him,
but refused to give him a third dance, saying that I w^as
never allowed to dance more than twice with anyone, and

54 THE ROYAL WEDDING [chap, iv

that I felt bound to be careful in my mother's absence.
Then he made me promise to go to supper with him ; but
this did not come off, as I was dancing with Captain
Seymour. So he claimed another dance, and as I said
I was tired, took me to rest in a quiet nook. I sat down,
and in a moment — all was over. I can only say that
he has risen greatly in my estimation, but that I could
never love him as he deserves to be loved, and I told him
so plainly and firmly. I was deeply touched and yet a
good deal relieved, and danced till two o'clock. I had
never staj^ed till the end of all things before, and
thoroughly I enjoyed it, as well as our merry supper
afterwards. I chanced to say that I was sure I should
never wake in time to catch the 12.25 train. Captain
Seymour undertook that I should. I thought he was
joking, but at 8.30 on the following mornii^- there w^as a
drumming and a piping in front of the Bank which
would have startled the Seven vSIeepers. Up I jumped,
and was dressed in time to show Captain Seymour, by
appearing at the hall window, that he had succeeded.
Thanks to this early waking, Sophy and I were able
to have a charming row up the river with Ronald and Mr.
Ruthven before we joined the others at the station.
I travelled with Lady Susan to Vauxhall, and in a few
minutes was kneeling b}^ my darling Edith's couch.
Aunt Marian told me of Miss Stuart-Wortley's engage-
ment to Mr, Welby. This wdll decide my fate."

The Princesses were very anxious at this time to
have Miss Bowater for one of the maids of honour, and
Louisa herself was much attracted by the idea. Un-
fortunately, not being the granddaughter of a peer,
she was excluded from this post by Court etiquette,
and Miss vSeymour obtained the coveted post.

" Richmond Park, Sunday, April 19. — Somehow a
disappointing day ! I am not to be maid of honour and
not to go to London ! Well, it seems silly to care, and
I don't care now, this lovely Sunda}^ morning, sitting in
my own snuggery, with the window wide open, and the
song of the birds coming up all round, and the distant
bells, and air laden with sweet smells, and the shadows

1863] ARLINGTON STREET 55

sleeping on the grass, and the daisies looking up at
the sun and blue sky, as if it were May. Yes, this is
pure joy, and if I am not to have the other things I
wish for no doubt it is because they are not good
for me."

However, Mrs. Newdegate, who kept house for her
son Charles, now proposed to take her young cousin out
this season. Louisa spent much of her time in this
lady's house in Arhngton Street, and on her twenty-
first birthday had the satisfaction of snapping her
fingers at " Charley " and informing him that he was
now no longer her guardian ! Mr. Newdegate had already
entered on his parliamentary career, and Louisa de-
scribes how, one day, on taking up the paper and turn-
ing to a most interesting debate on Italy, " to my utter
amazement, I found the honourable member for Warwick-
shire dealing death and destruction from among the
ranks of the Opposition, and being patted on the back
by Lord Palmerston, to any extent. Who would have
thought it ! "

" Saturday, May 16, H.R.H. the Princess of Wales's
first Drawing-ruotn. — M}^ toilet began at eleven and was
completed by 12.30, and between you and me, my dear
Journal, was most successful. A train of white silk,
the skirt a mass of white net, and the whole concern
trimmed with white azaleas and maidenhair, a wreath
of the same flowers in my hair. Mrs. Newdegate got
into the carriage at one, thinking ourselves in capital
time, but great was our horror on emerging into Picca-
dilly to find a string of carriages extending the whole
way to St. George's Hospital. We resigned ourselves to
our fate with what philosophy we might, the said fate
proving to be to spend our time until 4. 50 p.m. in regaining
the point from which we set out. Three-quarters of an
hour did we stand opposite Hamilton Place, and so on in
proportion. Meanwhile the tide of starers flowed on, and
Piccadilly was the fashionable promenade of the day.
All our gentleman friends came and offered us buns,
etc., and when at last we reached St. James's the Palace
was comparatively empty, and the doors were closed

56 THE ROYAL WEDDING [chap, iv

to give the Princess time to rest. Tlie throne-room,
when we entered it, appeared much less full than usual.
There was only a knot of officers opposite the Princess,
of whom, not being the least alarmed, I had a good
view as we walked up. She looked a bit of a thing,
with a white gown and white face, two curls and a
diamond tiara. The Lord Chamberlain discomposed
me not a little by announcing me as ' Mrs. Bowater,'
which, however, did not prevent Princess Alice from
shaking hands with me most cordially ; Princess Mary
followed her example, and to my amazement the Prince
of Wales, which was the more gratifying as it is several
years since I have met him. Next to him stood the
Duke of Cambridge and the three foreigners, the Princes
of Hesse, Orange, and Holstein. I made a low curtsy
to Prince Louis, whereat he looked mightily astonished.
Soil mon succes, soit ma toilette, Colonel Du Plat came
trotting after me, and to my great amusement shook
hands with Mrs. Newdegate, taking her for Mamma !
Then we made our way downstairs without any diffi-
culty, and were at home by 6.30. I must not forget
Mamma's kindness in herself going to buy my bouquet.
I think even she was satisfied with my appearance,
though it was a sad day for her — how much has hap-
pened since last the Prince of Wales and I stood face
to face !

" 3 Arlington Street, Monday, June 8. — We dined
early, and at 7 p.m. Mrs. Newdegate, Charle}^ and I were
on our way to the city to meet the Prince and Princess
of Wales at a grand ball given by the Lord Mayor and
Corporation in the Guildhall. Winding our way along
these unwonted streets under the shadow of St. Paul's,
we descended in the Guildhall yard, and gazed through
the long vista of columns at the gaily dressed crowds
moving over the rich crimson carpet to the sound of
inspiriting music. Having made our bow to the Lord|^
Mayor, we stood in the narrow passage leading to th(
Hall, and soon the strains of the National Anthei
announced the arrival of the Prince and Princess]
They passed close to us and quite slowly, so that we

1 863] A GUILDHALL BALL 57

had ample time to make up our minds that she is un-
commonly pretty. Bowing gracefully though timidly,
and closely followed by her handsome boy-husband,
she looked like the princess of some fairy tale, and
indeed the whole scene was very like fairyland. We
naturally wanted to follow them into the Hall, which
some foolish Common-Council men tried to prevent, and
there was a most unseemly struggle, which actually
ended in the police being sent for. Of course we got
in at last, and very striking was the appearance
of the grand old Hall, richly decorated with har-
monious colours and crowded with people. The cere-
mony of presenting the freedom to the Prince was very
soon over, and dancing began. Charley and I had a
capital valse, which was most refreshing after the
mauling I had undergone. Supper was the same
miserable scramble, and then we watched the Royalties
depart, and I had the pleasure of a very marked bow
from Prince Alfred, after which I remember nothing
more, for I was utterly tired out and turned quite faint
from heat and fatigue.

" Thursday, June 11. — I went to a concert at Mrs.
Monk's, the widow of the Bishop of Gloucester, and a
capital one it was : a beautiful selection of Italian
music sung by Carlotta Patti, Alboni, Gardoni, and
Ciampi. Carlotta warbles like a bird, and goes higher
than anyone ever did before, but I privately prefer
Alboni 's rich contralto. We hurried home that I
might have my hair dressed by Cavallier and go with
my aunt to the Opera, to hear the object of my am-
bition for years, Don Juan. Glorious indeed was the
music, with Patti as Zerlina, and I fully enjoyed all the
familiar airs, * Vedrai carino,' ' La ci darem la mano,'
* Batti, batti ! ' etc. But as a whole I do not like
the opera. The story is so wildly improbable that I
could only regret such music being thrown away upon
such a tale.

" Friday, June 12. — Mrs. Newdegate was laid up with
a bad cold, so my day was spent with Charley, who
talked politics over breakfast, rode with me in the Park

58 THE ROYAL WEDDING [chap, iv

till a deluge of rain sent us helter-skelter home, and
went with me to a party at Lady Nugent's, where Mrs.
Gurdon took charge of me, and I was as happy as
a little queen, knowing everyone in the room, and
regularly floating off on a tide of friends — Adairs,
Custances, Buxtons, whom I had the pleasure of
congratulating on Bell's marriage to Colonel Bulwer.
I am to be her bridesmaid. Indeed, I do little but
congratulate my friends on their marriages just now.

" Friday, June 19. — We went to Lady Gladstone's
ball, an uncommonly good one, and for me a great
succes, as I danced without intermission, which was
much more than I expected at my first London ball
after two years' absence,

" 5 Lowndes Square, Thursday, June 2 5 . — I came to stay
with my cousin Jeanie Fenwick, and Mrs. Gurdon took
me to a very nice ball at Mrs. Custance's, where I danced
all the evening with Sir Robert Buxton, Mr. Charles
Fremantle, Major Paynter, Mr. Gurdon, etc.

" Friday, June 26. — Jeanie and I sat out in the Park,
where it was cool and shady. After a pleasant, sociable
little dinner, the Mainwarings called for me at 9.30, and
off we went to this long-talked-of Guards' ball, which
was given to the Prince and Princess of Wales in the
Exhibition galleries of last year. A more magnificent
one has scarcely ever been given in this country. A
picked guard in scarlet uniform extended all along the
front of the building and up the stairs ; even the cloak-
room, with its dainty maidens in white muslin and
Guards' ribbons, was exquisitely appointed. In a
flutter of expectation up we went, and passed through a
tapestried hall into a scene of Eastern magnificence. A
lofty saloon was transformed into an enchanted garden
of tall palms with fountains rising out of brilliant
masses of flowers and fairy bowers of shells, ferns, and
crystal basins, all reflected in mirrors along the walls.
This paradise was enlivened by the flitting to and fro of
our gallant hosts in that uniform which must ever be soi
dear to my heart. Lord Strathallan, who remembered'
my father, was very kind to me, and took me in to tea.

1 863] THE GUARDS' BALL S9

in a room between the ball and supper rooms. While
we were there the Prince and Princess went in to supper.
As they drew near, the curtain was withdraw^n, and a
magnificent trophy of armour with the star of the
Brigade in the centre, above the gold-laden table, was
seen down the whole length of the gallery. Supper was
on the most sumptuous scale ; the walls gleamed with
arms, and champagne cup flowed from taps into gold
and silver goblets. But in the ballroom the only orna-
ment was a trophy of flags — the very same that were
borne all through the Crimea — opposite the dais, above
a bust of the old Duke. Oh ! I felt thoroughly in my
place among them all, and was pleased to find my
claims recognised by Lord Strathallan. After this, I
danced with Major Paynter and Arthur Birch, and
was much amused by Sir Robert and his queer ways.
Lord Kirkcaldy was also most kind — there is nothing
like old friends."

CHAPTER V

Richmond Park, Dunwich, and Osborne

1 863-1 864

Louisa returned to Richmond Park after her gay
season, to find plenty of society in this neighbourhood,
and enjoy herself as much as ever with her old friends.

" Friday, July 17. — The Melvilles called to ask

me to join their party to a camp meeting that evening,

so after syringing fruit trees all the afternoon, I drove

over late, had a merry schoolroom tea and croquet

afterwards, and started about nine for Wimbledon, where

the usual Volunteer meeting has been going on. We

left the carriages at the Windmill and walked round

between the lines of tents to a hollow in the south of

that great duelling rendezvous of days gone by. There

several thousands of spectators were ranged round the

big fire, which flared up now and then, throwing a

lurid glow on the sea of faces, and brought out the

picturesque groups of the Victorias who, mingled with

Guardsmen, were keeping up the fire. We all sat on the

ground, a few chairs being the only distinction reserved

for the ladies of Lord Elcho's party, which included the

Duchess of Sutherland. There was nothing to keep

order but Lord Elcho's word and the good feeling of the

people, but there was not a single disturbance. We had

some capital singing from Lord Feilding, Lord Bury,

Mr. Harris, etc. ' Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled,'

' Villikins and his Dinah,' ' The young man from the

country,' and the choruses, taken up by the mass of

people, were really grand. We also had some niggers

and some beautiful glees from the Artists' Corps — in

1 863] JENNY LIND 6i

short, the bonhomie of the whole thing was delightful,
and the punch which was handed round made it still
more of a jollification.

" Monday, July 20. — Lady Leven and Madame
Goldschmidt came to pay a long-promised visit. The
latter is certainly one of the most charmingly suggestive
people I know. We talked a great deal of the charac-
teristics of various nations. She says one great failing
in the German character is want of Scheue, w^hich I
translate reserve ; also that the elaborate education of
German women, far more thorough as it is than that
of English girls, avails them little, because it is never
carried into practical life, but is swamped in household
cares. In short, while feeling with me the indefinable,
irresistible charm of German thought, she declares it is
much better felt at a distance, and that German women
are most unsatisfactory to live with, in spite of their
large funds of intellect and knowledge. As to the
Americans, she confirms Mrs. Trollope's opinion that
they simply have not an idea how to behave. With all
this licence, she believes the morals of the upper classes
are pure, and a separation is almost unheard of. Her
own people, she thinks, in many things resemble us, and
possess in common with us that reserve which she calls
' the crown of life . ' For the rest , the childlike simplicity
and undeveloped character of the Swedish women,
which I can fancy being very charming, is the result of
a life of less high-pressure than ours. Of their scenery,
too, she spoke with enthusiasm : of the long winters with
the sparkling snow and dark pine-woods under the
glorious moon, the rushing spring and the summer
nights when it is never dark — all the wondrous poetry,
in short, of those stern, sad Northern climes. She
spoke of Frederica Bremer as a most remarkable person,
infinitely superior to her works. My whole conversa-
tion with her was indeed most interestine-.

" Friday, August 21. — A wonderfully long day. I

was awake and on the go from 7 a.m. to 5 a.m. this

morning. We started early for town, and in spite of the

dreariness and desertion of the great city were rather

62 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, OSBORNE [chap, v

amused by our wanderings. We sat some time with
my aunt, Lady Ridley, who was most kind and affection-
ate, and — O joy ! — presented me with twenty pounds.
This will set me right for a long time. We came down
by 4.50, dined with Mr. and Mrs. Mainwaring, and went
to a dance at Hampton Court given by Lady Isabella
St. John. Seldom, if ever, have I enjoyed anything so
much. We were just the right number of people and a
nice set — pretty girls, gentleman-like men, and capital
valsers. I danced every dance but one, which I sat out
as I was so tired, and for that might have had four or
five partners. And then — O joy of joys ! — we stayed for
the cotillon, which I had never danced before. What a
charming dance it is ! There is so much variety, and so
many opportunities of doing good-natured, unselfish
things. I went dancing on in a perfectly frantic
manner with Sir Malcolm MacGregor, who was remark-
ably pleasant, finished the cotillon with me, and saw
us into the carriage."

A few days after this, Louisa joined her now invalid
cousin Edith at Dunwdch, and to use her own expression,
" dropped into Dunwich ways as if I had left it only
yesterday."

" Saturday, September 5. — Dear St. John's twenty-
second birthday. How we are all growing up ! I
ran down to the sea, and watched the breakers that
were coming in grandly under a grey sky. Quite late
I had a few minutes' talk with dear Edith. I confessed
my wrong feelings of impatience at her illness. She
told me that she too had them to contend with, but
that now God's purpose was very clear to her. Oh !
she looked so lovely as she lay. there under the shaded
light, speaking these solemn words quite simply and
gravely. God's ways are indeed blessed to her. It
makes me feel very small — me the spoilt child of the
world — to hear and watch her. . . . Dear child, I can
see so plainly that God is leading her with His own
hand away from this world and all connected with it — j:
her interest in it all has so palpably diminished.

" Wednesday, September 30. — Dear Edith has been

1 863] REJECTED SUITORS 63

warning me again of an old fault — looking down upon
people who are not quite equal to me in refinement
and intellect. I know I do, and I know I ought not.
I wonder whether there is any use in struggling against
a growing sense of one's own mental superiority?
(What an ass I shall think myself for writing this,
ten years hence !) I suppose one remedy would be
a course of study, which would show one how very
little one really knows. I am sure my essay upon
Marie Antoinette ought to put me down a peg ! Any-
thing so crude and ill-digested I never read. I long
for intercourse with someone infinitely superior to
myself — not exactly what I had last week at Stanmore
[a country house where she had lately been staying and
where she had received another proposal], because a
man who is making up to a woman necessarily flatters
her vanity and self-love by the mere fact of doing so,
but someone even more superior than Edith."

This last-named suitor was in many respects an
eligible parti, and the renewal of his proposal soon
compelled her to make a final decision. The worldly
advantages of the marriage and the high regard which
she felt for him and his family naturally made her hesi-
tate, but mature reflection satisfied her that her feeling
for him, considered apart from his position, was not such
as to justify her in accepting his hand and heart, and
she held firmly by her original resolve. She had hardly
done with this suitor before a third presented himself.
" Well, Miss Loo," she writes in her Journal of

' December 6, " what and who next ? Three offers in one
year — this is really too bad. But I must be serious.
God knows it is no light thing to refuse a man's true
and honest love. Mamma and I drove over to luncheon
with some friends at Southwell, and took a walk on the

I cliffs with them afterwards, and then and there Sir

J R told me what he had long felt and desired.

I was not altogether unprepared, as some months ago
his mother had a regular maternal-matrimonial inter-
view with my mother, asking if I were engaged and
if her son had any chance. Since then I have carefully

64 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, OSBORNE [chap, v

avoided the gentleman in question, but at least the
matter is settled now, and we parted good friends,
agreeing to meet in the future as friends and nothing
more. I am sorry for his mother, who had evidently
set her heart upon it ; but he, I trust, will soon be
consoled."

An invitation to Osborne from Princess Helena was
Louisa's next excitement, and early in the New Year
she started gaily on her journey to the Isle of Wight,
only grieving to leave the dear-loved cousin who was
fading slowly out of life.

" Dunwich, New Year's Eve, 1863. — I rushed down
to the cliff for a last look at the rolling sea, and saw
the breakers rolling in grandly before an east wind,
and then came home to Edith. I have just been reading
Tennyson's lines to her, ' Ring out the old, ring in the
new,' but as I gazed on Edith's altered face I asked
myself whether it will please the Almighty Father to
spare her to another New Year's Eve. He knows, and
He knows best.

" Osborne House, Tuesday, January 5, 1864. — I found
the Queen's messenger at Waterloo Station, and waited
about an hour at Southampton till Prince Leiningen ar-
rived in the Elfin and took me across to Cowes, where
a carriage was awaiting me and took me to Osborne
in a few minutes. The housekeeper showed me to my
room, whither one by one came Princesses Helena and
Louise, Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold — the latter
delighted to see me, and not a bit shy. At six we went
down to the Council-room to hear a lecture on the
' Origin of Language ' by Professor Max Miiller. Lady
Caroline Harrington, Lady Churchill, Countess Bliicher,
Mrs. Bruce, Miss Cathcart, Sir Charles and Miss Phipps
Sir Thomas Biddulph, Sir James Clarke, Major Elphin-
stone, and Dr. Holzmann were all present. The Queen
with her half-sister. Princess Hohenlohe, and the
children soon appeared. She shook hands with me,
and sat down to hear the lecture. It began with an
endeavour to trace the primeval language by observing
the first utterances of children secluded from human

1 864] PROFESSOR MAX MtLLER 65

companions. Then followed a recapitulation of much
that one has read, tracing back all the European and
Indian languages to a common source — the Aryan
language, which was spoken, the Professor thinks, four
thousand years ago in the heart of Asia. Of course the
lecture was adapted to the children's comprehension,
and he certainly has a very pleasant, clever face and
a charming delive^^^ The lecture over, I was talking
to Princess Louise in her room, when the door opened
and one of my terrors, the pages, appeared : ' Miss
Bowater, you are invited to dine with the Queen.'
I rushed off to dress, and by the Princess's advice, put
on my ' christening robe,' with white flowers and plain
gold ornaments, and went with Princess Helena to
the empty drawing-room in the other house, where the
two Princes and Lady Churchill joined me. About a
quarter before nine the Queen came down with Princess
Hohenlohe and Princess Helena, and we followed her
into a large dining-room, where our small round table
seemed nearly lost. She looks well, and still wears her
widow's cap, with the hair turned back, which suits
her. The servants are in red liveries with crape round
their arms, and the hatchment is still up here although
it has been taken down at St. James's. Nothing could
be kinder than she was, asking after Mamma and Edith,
and not talking much to me herself, but encouraging
the boys to do so. They were very droll, especially
Prince Arthur, and made her laugh very much. After
dinner. Lady Churchill and I joined the Household,
and poor Major Elphinstone on his crutches hooked
himself into the seat next me for the rest of the evening,
but gained little by that, as I was awfully heavy in
hand. Colonel Ponsonby was added to the party, and
most agreeable he was, talking of Canada and St. John,
whom he said they were all proud of, because he beat
the Indians in running !

" Wednesday, January 6. — I walked with Princess
Helena, joined in the Princes' dancing-lesson, and
spent the afternoon sitting with Princess Louise, Princess
Hohenlohe, Lady Caroline, and Countess Bliicher, a

»^

66 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, OSBORNE [chap, v

dear old soul. After tea I played duets with Princess
Helena, and dined with the Household. Lady Granville
was there, and I sat between the Major and Professor,
both very agreeable neighbours. The others struck
me as cold and stiff. ' Ecouter et se taire, observer et
laisser faire ' is the motto here. We had another
lecture, and a game at snapdragon with the boys, which
was great fun.

" Thursday, January 7. — I played duets with Prin-
cess Helena, and shared the dancing-lesson, after which
I had darling Prince Leo to myself, and found him
quite unchanged. But I am forgetting the great
event. There was a Privy Council, attended by Sir
George Grey,Mr.Villiers (the Great Unwashed), and Lord
Granville, and they all came to luncheon. A little man
glided into the seat next me and entered into conver-
sation wath me, asking me about the ladies of the
Household, whom I preferred, etc., and finally we found
ourselves discussing the peculiarities, superiorities, and
inferiorities, etc., of women. When the Cabinet had
departed, I inquired who was my neighbour. ' Helps,'
was the answer. I was electrified ! To think I had been
talking to a man in whose works I so delight, without
knowing it ! It was just a chance I did not quote
Friends in Cotmcil to him. But on thinking over
what he said it quite confirms the idea I gleaned from
his book that he despises women. Professor Max
Miiller, Major Elphinstone, and Prince Arthur left,
and I dined with the Household. Lord Granville was
most amusing about spirit-rapping and Sir Bulwer
Lytton, etc. I was especially tickled by the coolness
with which he said, ' I bet anything Derby puts the
Duke of Richmond into the next Cabinet.' He seems to
think it very likely that King George of Greece will
come to grief, and hears that he only accepted the
throne to get away from a disagreeable captain !

" Friday, January 8. — I played with Princess Helena,
and had a great dancing-lesson from the two nice Miss
Lowes. Alter luncheon I took an hour's solitary con-
stitutional in the kitchen garden. Later on we had

■i:

1 864] A PRINCE'S BIRTH 67

the usual social tea in Princess Louise's room, and
Fraulejn Bauer read Perthes to Princess Helena and me.
The Princesses are quite charming, as usual. Prince Leo
assisted at my toilet, after which we had a grand ball,
and the Queen was present for a short time. She was
YQvy kind, talking to me, and calling me * Louisa.' Sir
Thomas and Lady Biddulph and myself dined with the
Queen, and in the middle Her Majesty received a tele-
gram. iVfter dinner, Princess Helena whispered to me,
' Alix is unwell,' About eleven o'clock Mrs. Bruce and
Sir Thomas were suddenly summoned, and at the end
of a few minutes the latter walked into the drawing-
room and announced in a loud voice, ' The Princess of
Wales has a fine boy ! ' Great, of course, was the
excitement and delight. The following telegram from
the Prince of Wales to the Queen was handed round :
' Dearest Alix was safely delivered of a fine boy at
nine o'clock this evening. Both mother and child are
doing well ; her pulse is excellent, and there is not a
single unfavourable symptom.' The whole house w^as
in a bustle, preparing for Her Majesty's departure,
while everybody speculated as to what had or had
not been done, under these unforeseen circumstances.
The event had not been expected till March, and the
Princess, who was in the best of health, had been out
walking in the grounds at Frogmore that afternoon,
watching the Prince skating on the lake.^ It turned
out afterwards that only Mr. Brown from Windsor
was present, Dr. Sieveking arriving five and Dr.

^ The premature birth of the infant Prince, happening as it did just
when war between Germany and Denmark had been declared, was the
subject of a well-known parody in Punch, which happily explained the
popular feeling :

" O hush thee, my darling, thy sire is a Prince,
Whom Mamma beheld skating not quite five hours since,
And Grandpapa Christian is off to the fray
With the Germans, who'd steal his nice duchy away.

But slumber, my darling, the English are true.
And will help him, for love of Mamma and of you !
The Channel fleet's coming, with powder and shot.
And the Germans must run, or they'll catch it all hot ! "

68 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, OSBORNE [chap, v

Farre ten minutes after the event, upon which Sir
Charles Phipps declared Dr. Farre ought henceforth
to be called Dr. Farther. Fortunatel}^, Lady Maccles-
field— herself the mother of a large family — was present,
and made a capital nurse. She washed the baby, and
wrapped him up in three yards of flannel from Cayley's
shop at Windsor, so little were they prepared 1 Luckily,
Lord Granville was staying in the house, and Sir George
Grey arrived at ii p.m. Well, anyhow I shall have
cause to remember the birth of the heir to the throne
of England. May God preserve both him and his
parents !

" Saturday, January 9. — The Queen, accompanied
by Princesses Helena and Beatrice, and attended by
Lady Churchill, Mrs. Bruce and Sir Thomas Biddulph,
Sir Charles Phipps, and Dr. Holzmann, departed early.
She left a message for me, desiring that I should remain I
till Thursday — very kind, I am sure, and though it is
a bore losing my ball, yet I should have been very sorry
to see no more of Princess Helena, and after all this is
an event in my life not very likely to happen again.
In our walk this morning, Princess Louise revealed that
when there was a vacancy among the maids of honour
she asked the Queen to appoint me, and Her Majesty
would have done this but for the rule that a maid of
honour must be a peer's granddaughter. Anyhow, it
is flattering to know this, and I am not sure that it
would not be rather dull work. Miss Cathcart departed
this morning, and in the afternoon Miss Lyttelton ^
arrived for almost her first waiting. She was as shy
as possible, so remembering what my own feelings were,
I went to try and make friends, and thought her very
nice. We all dined together in the Queen's dining-room.
Anything half so stiff you never knew ! Princess
Louise, myself, and Miss Lyttelton enacted the three
diiferent degrees of comparison, — shy, shyer, shyest,
— and Colonel Ponsonby was just as bad, which is a
shame for so old a courtier. I like him so much, and

^ The Honourable Lucy Lyttelton, daughter of Lord Lyttelton, after-
wards married {1864) to Lord Frederick Cavendish.

1 864] AT OSBORNE 69

think it very lucky he is married. But we got on
better after dinner, when we sat in the ladies' drawing-
room, which Princess Hohenlohe thought warmer.

" Sunday, January 10. — A letter from Princess
Helena, begging me to remain till Saturday. I am
glad of this, as it makes it more worth while losing the
ball, and I shall see Princess Helena comfortably again.
We ail went to church at Whippingham, and had a sermon
from Mr. Prothero : it was bitterly cold. Afterwards
I had Prince Leo to myself for a long while — dear little
man, he is quite unchanged. In the afternoon I helped
Princess Louise with photos. We dined together again
and had much better fun, Princess Hohenlohe bidding
me talk German to poor ' Bufflein ' (Prince Leopold's
tutor, Herr Buff), and I got on capitally with him, to
everyone's surprise, and think he is an ill-used little
man. His extreme shyness makes him unpopular
here, and they take so little notice of him I think it
makes him worse. To-night we were much less stiff —
in fact, rather a jolly party. Princess Hohenlohe asked
me to play, having kindly ascertained from Princess
Louise that I should not mind this very much. Poor
little Princess Louise ! she loves coming out of her dull
schoolroom, and she is such a dear little thing. I am
growing very fond of her.

" Monday, January 1 1 . — I rode with Princess Louise
and Miss Lyttelton on three perfect ladies' horses.
* Bridesmaid,' which I had, has a charming mouth,
and we came round by Norris Castle. Mrs. Ponsonby
and Lady Biddulph dined. Mrs. Ponsonby sang most
delightfully, and I never saw a man more in love with
his own wife than he is. Miss Lyttelton and I started
some squabbles, and shall, I foresee, differ on most
subjects. She is deeply religious, and has a strong
orthodox bias and some prejudices, combined with lots
of good sense and a dash of intolerance. I like her very
much ; she is so pretty and pleasing, and decidedly
clever, although she neither plays nor draws nor
speaks German. (Oh, mother, I am eternally grate-
ful to you for having made me a good German

70 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, OSBORNE [chap, v

scholar !) A budget of letters — not a good account
of Edith from herself. Her handwriting is fearfully-
changed, and I cannot help feeling very anxious about her.

" Tuesday, January 12. — I walked to Barton Manor
with Princess Louise, and sat with Fraulein Bauer,
whom I like very much, for some time. Prince Leo
took me to see the French governess, and played to me
so nicely on the piano. I\Irs. Ponsonby dined, and we
had another stiff evening.

" Wednesday, January 13. — At breakfast Countess
Bliicher talked a good deal about Schleswig-Holstein.
Princess Louise, Miss Lyttelton, and I walked in spite
of the rain to call on Mrs. Ponsonb}^, and after luncheon
I had my precious little Prince with me for some time.
The Oueen arrived from Frogmore a few minutes earlier
than was expected. She had not been in the house
half an hour when a letter was brought me, which I
read in the Princesses' room, and which conveyed but
too surely to my mind what would be the answer to
the telegram which I instantly dispatched. Nothing
could exceed the affectionate kindness of those dear
girls. I kept up prett}" well through dinner, and a
few minutes before twelve received the following
telegram : ' All is over. Come to-morrow.' I felt
and still feel stunned.

" Thursday, January 14. — I breakfasted in my own
room, and remained with the Princesses and Prince
Leo the whole morning ; their kindness I can never
forget. Indeed, everybody was kind — Lady Churchill,
Lady Caroline, Countess Bliicher, Fraulein Bauer, Miss
Lyttelton — all. But what an ending to the visit to
which I had looked forward so much, and at which she
rejoiced for me ! I left Osborne by the Messenger's
boat at 1.30, and arrived in Arlington Street at 6.30.
I am thankful Mamma and Philip are there.

" Dunwich, Friday, January 15. — I left town early,
and arrived here about two o'clock to find aunt. Mamma,
and Philip, all of course in sad distress. My precious
Edith passed calmly and peacefully away to her rest a
few minutes after twelve on Monday the nth. Of course

1 864] SAD NEWS 71

they could not let me know before, and it was most

considerate to write that preparatory letter, but still

it is very painful to think that I should have been

riding about and dining with large parties when my

sweet child was lying dead. Still, it has all been very

merciful. She was unconscious from an early hour on

Monday, and literally fell on sleep, without a groan

or a struggle. I am so thankful, too, that dear Philip

was here. He arrived quite unexpectedly on Saturday,

something, he knows not what, having made him change

all his plans and start in a hurry. If one had to choose

one of the brothers, it would have been him. She

received the Sacrament, as she had long looked forward

to doing on Sunday, and Philip says, was very cheerful

afterwards. I have no doubt the intense cold of last

week accelerated her death, but God knows it is mere

selfishness to repine at her release from this life of

suffering. I can scarcely yet realise that she is gone,

still the thought which for years has been constantly in

my mind will assert itself : * I must tell Edith that —

Edith would say this.' It is a loss which leaves me

very lonely, for the friend of childhood and youth can

never be replaced. And yet through all I feel sure

- 'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.'

** Monday, January 18. — The last sad ceremony is
over, and our beloved Edith has been laid in the ruins
of the old Saxon chapel, by the side of the sister whom
she never knew. Her pure spirit is at rest. I went
into her room, where everything remains just as she left
it, and almost felt that I was talking to her. It was a
mild, springlike day, and I had a budget of kind letters
from Court. I cannot resist copying these lines by
Lady Emily Ponsonby, which Miss Lj^ttelton has sent
me :

' In suffering and in dreariness,
In sickness and in weariness.

Mortal decay,
Upon her restless bed,
Turning her aching head,
At morn she lay.

72 RICHMOND, DUNWICH, OSBORNE [chap, v

In sight of angel throngs,
FilUng with their sweet songs

The vault of heaven.
In peace that knows no care.
No change, or want, or fear,

She lies at noon.

Seems not the transit strange ?
We cannot grasp the change

To so much bliss.
Grudge not the wasting powers :
The painful, patient hours,

They lead to this.' "

CHAPTER VI

A Gay Season

1864

The death of this dear-loved cousin was a great shock
to Louisa, but she had many consolations. " We are
parted outwardly," she wrote ten days after Edith's
funeral at Sotterley, where everything reminded her
of her loss, " but for such love as ours there can be
no real separation. Her love still holds me fast and
watches over me as it were a guardian angel." In due
course her youthful vigour and spirits reasserted them-
selves, and she spent a busy year, throwing herself
with all the old eagerness into her accustomed pursuits.
As in 1863, most of the season was spent with Mrs.
Newdegate and her son in Arlington Street or at Harefield
Place, near Uxbridge, while the late summer and autumn
were divided between Sotterley and a round of visits,
ending as usual with Christmas at Arbury. Mrs. Newde-
gate treated her as a daughter, and always enjoyed her
company, alike in Arlington Street and in her country
houses at Arbury and Harefield Place, Middlesex. An old
General, who lived near this last-named house, still re-
members with pleasure the " beautiful young creature "
who sometimes came to the village church with Mrs.
Newdegate and her son, and was the object of general
attention as she sat in the high family pew, surrounded
by the monuments of Newdegate ancestors. Both the
society which she met at Mrs. Newdegate 's house and
her friendship with the Princesses served to deepen her
interest in politics, which each year take a more and

more prominent place in the Journal. The question of

74 A GAY SEASON [chap, vi

Schleswig-Holstein excited her greatly, and she followed
every step of the war between Germany and Denmark
with close attention.

" Sotterley, February 3. — The Austrians and Prussians
have crossed the Eyder, — their Rubicon, — the first
shots have been fired, the first blood shed. Who can
estimate the importance of this event, or the extent
of its influence upon the future destinies of Europe ?
Never was there a more complicated question, never
one in which right and money were more evenly balanced
on either side. You meet no two people whose opinion
on the subject is the same. (What a wretched attempt
at a leading article I am writing !)

"3 Arlington Street, Friday, April 15. — I took ad-
vantage of a tete-a-tete with Charley at breakfast to
hear his opinion of the Danish business, which is simply
that the national agitation in Germany is entirely got
up by the Jesuits !!!... In the evening Mrs. Newde-
gate repeated my speech of the morning : ' If you all
think the Danes right, why don't you go and help them ? '
So it had to come out that I think them wrong, and we
had a long discussion ; but Charley is always gentle, and
they did not murder me. His notion about the Jesuits,
which he professes to have derived from a Danish
pastor and a Berlin lawyer, might alter the case, but
how the world would laugh ! However, he made an
honest, straightforward speech last night, saying that
we could not afford to have a German navy and the
Sound under the command of Germany. I call that
at least consistent and not humbug ! To-night we
went to a party at Frances, Lady Waldegrave's, and met
all the world plus his wife. I was introduced to Baron
Bentinck, the Dutch minister, and to the Duke of
Marlborough, who talked too much Toryism even for
Charley, about the divine right of kings and the duty
of submitting to the powers that be, and abused
Garibaldi like fun. I confess I am sick of the sound i
of his name — dear old fellow, I also saw Mr. Laj^ard s
of Nineveh.

" April 22. — Yesterday morning Charley went to

i4
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H
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O
C/3

1864] THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 75

see Garibaldi — an anti-Catholic move. Oh! it is
wonderful to watch the ins and outs of religious and
political questions. By the way, Garibaldi himself
left town to-day, whereof I am heartily glad. The
most absurd canards are about on the subject of his
visit. Only conceive the House of Commons having
wanted to rise to receive Garibaldi yesterday ! . . .
After dinner, to my great jo}', we went down to the
House and heard a debate on Colonel Bartelott's motion
to repeal a portion of the malt tax with our surplus
instead of that upon sugar. We were landed in the
Speaker's box, and with the greatest curiosity and
interest I looked down upon that assemblage which
controls the fate of England and through her that of
Europe. It struck me as comfortable, not imposing.
However, now when I read the debates, such ex-
pressions as ' below the gangway,' * the bar,' ' the
ministerial benches,' etc., will have acquired reality.
They were noisy enough when we went in, shouting
for ' Bass.' However, Milner Gibson spoke, and was
followed by Bass, Bentinck, Gladstone, — by far the
best, most fluent and eloquent speaker of the night, —
Disraeli, whom Mrs. Newdegate said she had never
heard speak so ill, and who, they vow, was ashamed of
himself. Then came the division, 347 to 99 — an over-
whelming majority for the Government . I did not under-
stand the question — a very complicated one — enough to
know whether to be glad or sorry, but they told me it
was a very curious night, and Charley w^as well pleased.
''April 25. — My birthday falls on St. Mark's Day — a
thing I never discovered until this my twenty-second eve !
— and the beautiful words from St. John's Gospel, ' I am
the true vine,' etc., come as a regular birthday greeting.
Could one wish for a better one ? My presents were
Goulburn's Personal Religion from dear Mamma, Helps'
Companions of my Solitude from the Wheatlej^s, from
Princess Louise a little china stand, and — last but not
least — from Princess Helena a portrait of my darling
father. How much this pleased and touched me I
cannot say — it was like a Gruss from his dear self.

76 A GAY SEASON [chap, vi

Dr. Giinther called to wish me joy, and walked round the
garden with us ; and so peacefully, yet joyously, sped
the day. And so begins a new year for me. I sat
over the fire, reading Helps' book and thinking —
thinking of the juste milieu in all things, and whether
there is not in every quarrel an element of right on
both sides, because each of us, poor finite mortals, only
seeing one side of Truth, thinks he has the whole. I
have long thought this with regard to religion, latitu-
dinarian as it may sound. And I see more and more
every day how it applies to politics and to all the affairs
of daily life. But perhaps it is well that this is not
always clearl}'' seen, because, if it were, little would be
done, and there would be few or no men of one idea,
like Garibaldi, who will sacrifice all to that one idea. . . .
Princess Louise announces Miss Lyttelton's marriage to
Lord Frederick Cavendish. He is a lucky man.

" May 3. — A few lines before I go to bed, to record
the events of the day, comprised in the one great fact of
the Drawing-Room. The dear Madre looked especially
well, and I well enough to satisfy her, which was what
I most cared for. It was a very different affair from
last year, and admirably managed. People talk of
nothing but Denmark, and indeed poor Denmark is
being so cruell}^ punished that I can side no longer
with German}^ and indeed hope and wish with the
rest of the world that we may take up arms in her
defence. Charley put a question to the Ministers as
to whether we are going to help Denmark, which was
ill enough received.

" Wednesday, May 11. — I went down home quite
early, to receive our dear little Prince, who came over
from Windsor, attended by Herr Buff, and spent a long
day with us. Dear little fellow, he looks very well and
is quite unchanged. I w^as surprised to find him a
Dane ! I hurried back to town, and found Charley very
full of a debate which had just taken place on the
Borough Franchise, a motion for the extension of which
was ousted by moving the previous question and de-
feating the Government by a majority of 56. Charley

1 864] MR. GLADSTONE tj

told me the gist of his speech, which was that as long
as 8,000,000 of borough inhabitants were represented
by 338 members to 11,000,000 of county inhabitants
represented by only 159 members, he would hear of
no other reform. But he did not tell me, what all
London was ringing with the next day, that Gladstone
had made a speech leading directly to universal suffrage
as a right. These are his words : ' Every man who is
not presumably incapacitated by some consideration of
personal unfitness or political danger, is morally entitled
to come within the pale of the institution.' Now that
from the Chancellor of the Exchequer is tolerably
strong. The question is. Was it a slip ? or is he bidding
for power? Palmerston is ill, and he is eighty. The
Whigs, I believe, are aghast ; the Tories are dying to
hound him down. C. N. says : ' No\ don't drive the
most powerful speaker in the House of Commons into
the arms of the Democrats.' Bright is reported to have
said : ' He goes beyond me.' Others say it is the most
wonderful thing that has happened since the da^^s of
Sir Robert Peel. Nous verrons.

" Thursday, May 12. — Lord Muskerry came to sit
with us in the evening, and sent us into fits with his
Irish brogue. He talked over the American question
with C. N. One cannot doubt that amongst them
slavery will come to an end, but the Union can never
be restored, and so one wishes this dreadful war would
cease. Therefore, say I, success to the Confederates.
In the evening we went to a great party given by Lord
Granville at the South Kensington Museum, to meet
the Prince and Princess of Wales, and a more thoroughly
enjoyable evening I never spent. There was plenty
of room, the courts were beautifully lighted, and one
roamed at will among the statues and orange trees
while the Royal Artillery played delicious music, and
we met people we knew in shoals. By and by the
Royalties came. We saw them to perfection — the
Princess looking bright and well — and followed them
through the picture galleries, where between pictures
and friends there was ww embarras de richesses I
7

78 A GAY SEASON [chap, vi

After supper the Royalties sat down to whist, the
Prince with the Duchess of Manchester, who looked
ver}^ handsome, and people stared at them and talked
with much contentment. All the beau-monde were
there ; in short, it was a wondrous fine party, and not
onh'- fine but pleasant, which is not always the same
thing.

" Richmond Parky Tuesday, May 24. — We drove to
Hampton Court, after a long gardening morning, and
luncheoned w'ith the Beresfords. In the afternoon we
played croquet with the Villiers, and to my great joy
won the game out of the very jaws of the evening.
Fred Villiers appeared on the scene, having just returned
from the seat of the war. He describes the Danes as
being in the most frightful state of depression. Sonder-
burg is quite ruined, but the Prussians have not touched
the Dybbol fortifications, and their exactions in Jutland
have been exaggerated. Most of the people understand
English or French, and he got on very well with these
two and his broken German. Dear old Phil arrived in
the evening, and we were very snug and cosy together.
He has been walking up and down Snowdon three times
in fifteen hours, forty minutes,

" Wednesday, May 25. — Mrs. Newdegate, Charley,
and Harry Boucherett (another cousin) all came down
to breakfast, which was very merry and successful,
the weather being lovely. Then, having started the,
three gentlemen off for the Derb}', we muddled about
all day and came up to town, to find ' Blair Atholl ' the
successful horse. In the evening we went to a concert
at Mrs. Vivian's, where we heard some very fine Italian
music which I did not care for, fine as Titiens' and
Giuglini's singing was. But we saw a number of
friends, among them Sir R., who was so attentive that
I foresee it will all have to be done over again. I was
perfectly civil, but picked up every stray man I could
find to talk to.

" Thursday, May 26. — I paraded about all the
morning with a footman behind me ; called on the Peels •
Boileaus, and Thornhills, and saw Emily Smith and hei

1 864] BALLS AND CONCERTS 79

fine boy ; had a pleasant practice at Lady Hogg's,
where I hooked an invite from Charley Fremantle to
his mother's concert. So to Lady Fremantle 's Mrs.
Nevvdegate and I did go, and heard some exceedingly
charming amateur music, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang,
which is splendid, and some of his part songs. Oh,
I do love that German music !

" Wednesday y June i . — We went with Nora Campbell
to a very fine concert at Mrs. Capel Cure's, where, to my
delight, I heard Grisi sing for the first time, quite
gloriously. Less to my delight were Sir R.'s attentions,
from which I in vain endeavoured to escape by flirting
with that very safe card. Major Paynter. . . . But oh ! I
am not happy. When I came in yesterday I found

Captain B 's card, and with it a copy of verses

saying that he had staked his all on this one chance.
Is not that enough to make one miserable ? He will
propose, perhaps, at Lady Hoare's ball to-morrow, and
my heart aches to think of it, for I love him as a sister
does a brother, but not as he would have me. And I
can't speak to anybody ! If dear Edith were only here I
She always wished me to marry, but I won't till I find
the right person. * That's flat,' as Lord Byron says in
his letters.

|l " June 4, 11.30 p.m. — I cannot go to bed without
first recording the events of this strange day. It
poured with rain. Mrs. Newdegate went out and

left me alone. Miss E , whose brother proposed to

me at Windsor, came and offered to take me to see
my cousin, Lou Ridley. I accepted, not without mis-
givings ; but we had not been there long when Mr.
E was announced. I do not think it was pre-
meditated on the girl's part, but oh ! how it grieves
me to see that he is still in the same mind. In very
ieed, I am not worthy of such love. He spoke of dear
Edith, and said he had learnt it accidentally, having
promised himself to ask no questions about me. Then
tie said, ' May I stay, or do you wish me to go ? ' I
:'eplied, ' Do precisely as you like.' However, he went
after a little while, which was charming of him. Miss

8o A GAY SEASON [chap, vi

E talked of her brother all the way home, and I

said much which can be better said through her than
to him. But he must not see me, and I must not become
her friend. After dinner we posted off to Lady Row-
ley's and heard more of that everlasting Italian music,
for which I don't care a brass button, and then we

posted away, finding vSir R B in the cloakroom.

He is not to be put off so easily, but I think he
sees my game. On to Lady Hoare's splendid ball, two
houses connected by a gallery — in short, one of the
things of the season. With my usual good fortune, I

danced every dance — one was with Captain B ,

who, as I feared, came there for the simple purpose of
meeting me. What am I to do ? I cannot be un-
kind to him.

" Monday, June 6. — We went to the Yorkshire ball, at
Willis' Rooms, which is supposed to have been very bad ;
but I did not care, as I met plenty of people to dance
with — Charley, Lord Valentia, Ronald Melville, etc.,

and Mr. E , to whom I really do not know how to

behave. He started with the assurance that he would
not bother me this season at all events ! And he is so

nice, I am very sorry. Mr. H runs in and out of the

house like a tame cat. He was here at luncheon, and
is coming back to dinner. They are verj'- kind to him,
and it is nice of Mrs. Newdegate, for I do not think his <
own people half look after him, and the consequence is
he knows not a soul in London and has rather a ton de
garnison, which, though it may be better than the
ton de bumpkin, not all m}^ love of red-coats can per-
suade me to admire. But I like him very much, and
think we shall have a very jolly party for Ascot. I
have bought a white bonnet, for which I gave a whole
pound. I think it is so plain and undemonstrative that
nobody can object to it — all white with a few lilies of the
valley. I am naughty enough to be very glad Captain

B is coming, but I must try and be a good child

and not flirt. It is no use worrying oneself about these \
men, for I can go nowhere without stumbling upon one ■
or other of them. It makes me sad sometimes, but the

1 864] AN ASCOT PARTY 8i

end of it is I give it up as a bad job and treat them all
in the same friendly, sisterly manner.

" Harefield Place, June 9. — We were all off for
Ascot early, and drove through Windsor Park to the
racecourse, where we took up a first-rate position op-
posite the Stand. We had great fun watching the
racing, eating luncheon under difficulties, seeing hosts
of friends, and amused with the endless divertisements
of a racecourse, portrayed a hundred times by Punch,
from the ' c'rect card ' to the man who smashes stones
with his bare hand. Scottish Chief won the Gold Cup
easy. It is such a long race that one has time to ob-
serve the intense excitement of the * ring.' That is
the worst of racing, but I am glad to have seen it all
once. The Royal Family, including my Princess, were
all there. Our return was easily accomplished. But
oh ! Captain B and Mr. H were both there.

" 3 Arlington Street, June 10. — Dear, kind Mrs.
Newdegate came to my room quite early and warned

me to be careful about Captain B , whom she sees

clearly means business. I tried, accordingly, to be very
careful, and succeeded in pleasing her at all events.
She seems so fond of me, it is quite delightful, and I am
sure I return it. All the week I have felt afraid of being

out of the frying-pan into the fire with Mr. H , who

is staying here and plays croquet with me every morn-
ing ; and Mrs. Newdegate told me what I suspected was
quite true, and that he had confided his feelings to her.
It really is too absurd. We all returned to town after
luncheon, and I went with Mamma and Charley to the
ball at Buckingham Palace. Somehow I had not
thought much about it beforehand, having so many
other things to think of, and I was really taken aback
by the splendour of the spectacle. What pleased me
most was that Princess Helena, Princess Mary, and the
Prince of Wales all shook hands with us both. Sir

R B asked me to dance, but I had plenty of

partners without him. I wore my green gowm with the
blush roses, and Mrs. Newdegate insisted on sending for
a bunch to match for the front of my dress.

82 A GAY SEASON [chap, vi

" Saturday, June ii. — Three of my rejected suitors
were in the Park this morning, but, to my rehef, I steered

clear of them all. After luncheon, at which Mr. H

appeared, we went down to a party at Pembroke Lodge,
where I was surrounded by old friends, and Lord Amber-
ley was as attentive as usual. All this is enough to turn
m}'- head, but it is no doubt much better for me to have
it all out now than at eighteen. I shall soon have had
my fling, and hope it may please God to grant me a
happy meeting with one whom I can truly love.

''June 20. — I dined tete-a-tete with my cousin,
Harry Boucherett, who was most agreeable. I am not
sure that I don't like him best when he talks sense.
We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of
living alone, and the reason why the young care so much
more for poetry than the old. In short, we grew quite \
metaphysical. C. N. N. was busy fighting the Gaol Bill.
I went to fetch Mrs. Newdegate from her dinner at Mrs.
Grey's, and came in for a bit of a very pleasant party.

Colonel F was there, returned from Paris, where

he has left that movable commodity, his heart ! I
can see, however, 'twill come across the Channel after
him ere long, I dare say. At the last party where I met
him he never left my side, and yet, fascinating as he is,

I do not believe he is worth one half of Captain B .

Lady Mordaunt has actually sent a card for her ball, |
for Mr. Newdegate and Miss Bowater, and upon Mrs.
N. writing to say she thought there must be some
mistake, as my mother did not consider her son a
sufficient chaperone for her daughter, she sends a card
for Mrs. Newdegate without a word of comment or ex-
planation. But not to go would be to punish our-
selves ! However, last night Charley pitched into Sir
Charles, wjio, of course, vowed it was a mistake. An-
other amazing event is that Lord Henniker is going to
present to-morrow at the levee — how can I write the
name ? — Madame de S^vigne's expressions on the Grande
Mademoiselle's marriage would hardly be too strong !
He is going to present — that hater of everything con-
nected with the Court ; that persistent fugitive from

1 864] MR. NEWDEGATE 83

Society ; above all, that poor invalid whom we ought
to be nursing — my Uncle Frederick ! And all because
it is said that the Prince of Wales is going to give a
great entertainment to the Jockey Club. Well ! wonders
will never cease !

" June 21. — This afternoon we heard Trebelli sing
Gounod's Serenade and some Spanish songs quite beauti-
fully at a concert at Mrs. Packe's. Afterwards we drove
about and found a great crowd in the Park, the Queen
having come up and held a reception, after which, to
everybody's joy, she actually drove through the Park
in an open carriage. She bowed and smiled, and seemed
quite overcome by the cheering. No wonder ! But oh,
I am so glad ! We went to Lady Mordaunt's ball, such a
good one — lots of room and lots of partners ! Colonel
Francis was my vis-h-vis in one quadrille, and squeezed
my hand most affectionately whenever we met, but went
away without asking me to dance, whereat I was goose
enough to be much disappointed. None the less I en-
joyed myself immensely.

" June 23. — After dinner this evening, Mrs. Newde-
gate and I set off on our long drive to the ball at Straw-
berry Hill. But the ten miles' drive seemed like two,
so agreeably did she talk of politics, education, and other
matters. She told me, amongst other things, how much
Charley has had to suffer from the independent line
which he has taken. Lord Derby and Mr. Disraeli, she
declares, have done their best to ruin him. Indeed, I
never heard a man speak in stronger terms than he did
at breakfast to-day of the suffering his enemies have been
able to inflict. ' They have buUied my mother ; if I had
had a wife, they would have crushed her ; if I had had a
mistress, if they could have hit on a blot in my life,
it would have been all up with me ! ' Once Lord Palmer-
ston offered him a peerage, which he promptly refused.
He is a noble character, with all his eccentricities, and
sacrifices everything to what he thinks right. I have
been reading his articles in the St. James's Chronicle aloud
to his mother at his request, and cannot help being
pleased at the confidence and consideration with which

84 A GAY SEASON [chap, vi

he treats me ; but he shan't make a Tory of me, if I can
help it !

" In due course of time we landed at Strawberry
Hill — Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill — and were
wandering through its crooks and crannies into the
brilliantly lighted ballroom. Of course I danced all
night — with Mr. Fane, Sir Malcolm MacGregor, Mr.

Dugdale, Mr. Farquhar, Captain C (with whom I

had a grand squabble, ending in a flirtation — prenez
garde!), Mr. Campbell, Ronald Melville, Sir Charles
Mordaunt. Altogether it was a charming wind-up of
my season, and the coloured lamps which illuminated
the grounds had faded before the daw^n ere we started
for Richmond. So now farewell to my gaieties. It
has been a very pleasant time, and I think I have learnt
something.

" Richmond Park, June 28. — After luncheon we went
to the Star and Garter, to join the Kenyon and Rowley
water-party. We rowed about most of the afternoon,
and then sat down to a great dinner. I was between
Harry (my guest) and Sir Charles Mordaunt, out of
whom I got more political information than he got out
of me. It is a wonderfully interesting time. The con-
ference came to an end on Saturda}^ hostilities recom-
menced on Sunday, and Alsen was taken on Monday.
The papers were laid before the House on Monday
evening, accompanied by ministerial statements from
Lord Palmerston in one House and Lord Russell in the
other, and listened to with breathless attention. On
Tuesday, great Conservative meetings were held at
Lord Salisbury's and Lord Derby's, but C. N. N. did not
attend either, and, in spite of Sir Charles, I do not believe
the split in the Conservative party which foiled the
attack of a fortnight ago is made up. However, on
Wednesday, Mr. Disraeli gave notice that on Monday
he will move an address, expressing the regret of the
House that England's menaces are not to be carried
out, and blaming the foreign policy of the Government.
On Thursday, Mr. Kinglake gave notice of an amend-
ment, expressing general satisfaction at the preservation

1 864] DEBATES ON DENMARK 85

of peace. Whether C. N. N. means to move another
amendment, * I dinna ken.' But on Monday comes the
tug-of-war, and it is all intensely interesting. I have
wandered far from the Richmond water-party, which
ended in a dance and was altogether very good fun.

" Saturday, July 2. — C. N. N. moves an amend-
ment to Disraeli's motion, proposing that the in-
tegrity of Denmark should be guaranteed on the
terms proposed by the neutral powers, i.e. the line of
the Schlee and the Dannewerk. But he won't carry
that, or I am much mistaken.

" July 5. — The great debate began last night.
Disraeli and Gladstone fought a regular duel, with all
the powers of wit, deadly sarcasm, and withering irony.
Mr. D.'s logic is very good, and I do not think Mr. G.'s
pulling it to bits very effective. D.'s peroraison is
magnificent, were it sincere ; but his weak point is that
he will not commit himself to any line of policy, and here
G. has him well. Charley and Kinglake move their
amendments in good, sensible, but not brilliant speeches,
and General Peel makes a downright, honest, bulldog
kind of speech.

" July 9. — A majority of eighteen in favour of the
Government. Well ! I am glad on the whole. But
the part Charley took in the recent debate, when his
own amendment had been rejected in not supporting
the Conservatives, has raised a great storm dowfi in
Warwickshire and given him much trouble ! From
his own point of view, of course, he was quite right,
and I must say England has behaved atrociously to the
Danes. The German question has assumed a new phase,
and Austria and Prussia are playing a bold game."

Early in Juh^, Miss Bowater returned home well
satisfied with her lively season and determined to devote
her leisure to self-improvement. But she had hardly
settled dow^n in her quiet Richmond home than her
peace of mind was disturbed by a proposal from Captain

B , the one of all her suitors whom she most liked

and respected.

" Monday, July 14. — I had settled down quietly to a

86 A GAY SEASON [chap, vi

working morning in the schoolroom, when post arrived.
I scanned my pile of letters, and, strange to say, mistook
the writing of one which had been forwarded from
Harefield, and did not open it till the last. When I
did, it made my heart beat and my limbs tremble,

for it contained a proposal from Captain B ,

almost stern in its depth and earnestness of affection,
such as he may well say I shall not soon find elsewhere.
God knows if I did right in declining it as gently but as
decidedly as I know how. Even if Mamma approved —
and she is strongly averse to the idea of marriage with
an officer in a marching regiment — I do not think my
decision ought to have been otherwise. I cannot feel
for him as he does for me, and he ie worthy of some-
thing better than I can give him. But it has cost me
very much, and at times I feel as if I had flung my
happiness away. May God forgive me if I have flirted
with him. It is an awful thing to have such influence
over a man's life, such a decision to make. Writing
this letter occupied the whole morning, and I walked to
Norbiton to post it with a heavy heart. How Mamma
can treat it so lightly I cannot divine ! I almost wish
I had not told her. My heart aches sadly for him, and
it is of no use for her to tell me not to worry.

" Wednesday, July i6. — The early post brought me

what I expected, a letter from Captain B . It is

a comfort to me that he says he did not expect any
other answer, but I cannot help fearing that he thinks
I gave him encouragement. Perhaps this is true. It
was so difficult, with the whole neighbourhood looking
on. However, I feel far happier than I did yesterday,
and when we do meet there must be a total change of
manner.

" Monday, July i8. — We were all of us electrified
by the announcement of Lady Florence Paget 's mar-
riage, last Saturdaj'^, to Lord Hastings. If a shell had
exploded in the midst of London society, it could
hardly have astonished it more than this ! For it is
not a month since the town rang with the news of her
engagement to Mr. Chaplin. I went to a croquet party

1 864] A RUNAWAY MATCH 87

at the Old Palace. Nothing talked of but Lady
Florence ! It appears she was at the Opera on Friday
night with Mr. Chaplin, and on Saturday morning
walked through Marshall & Snelgrove's shop, stepped
into Captain Granville's brougham, and drove off to
church to be married. I don't envy the feelings of any

of the trio. Even Captain B must feel that his

fate, trying as it may be, is infinitely preferable to
either that of Mr, Chaplin or Mr. Heneage, who three
days before his marriage with Lady Adela Hare dis-
covered that it was his money, not himself, she cared
for. Poor Lady Florence, hers is indeed a sad story, and
not yet all told, I doubt.

"Saturday, July 23. — I went with Mary Wheatley
to an opera concert in the Crystal Palace, which I
thoroughly enjoyed. It was so cool and quiet, the
orchestra was perfect, and Mario, whom I heard for
the first time, sang in exquisite taste. ' Si la stan-
chezza,' from the Trovatore, was unforgettable, and
one was not bothered by a futile attempt to combine
music and society ; and though I had rather have
heard a symphony of Beethoven or a part song by
Mendelssohn, taken altogether it was very charming.
We were met with a telegram announcing the death of
my poor aunt, Laura, Lady Ridley. No one could wish
to prolong a life like hers, and it is sad to think that
her daughter, Sarah Cookson, who died two days before,
had not seen her mother for nearly thirty years. Of
her ten children, none but Sir Matthew will mourn her
loss. Ah ! family quarrels are sad things. But she
was a most kind friend to us, and I shall miss her very
much. As we drove home, it crossed my mind that
my grandmother used to talk of a certain ;^20,ooo
which might come to me at Aunt Laura's death. The
thought flashed across me, if that money comes, there
would be no obstacle to my marriage wdth Captain

B . But then I felt No ! I shall see the place all

my life, by the trees on this side of Pembroke Lodge.

" August 4. — Sir Matthew came down about 11 a.m.,
accompanied, to our surprise, by Matt. He brought me

88 A GAY SEASON [chap, vi

my aunt's two legacies, i.e. ;{^200, which she sealed up
for me on my last birthday, and the gold repeater which
she once told me was dear Papa's gift to his mother.
I wish she had added the portrait of Mrs. Bowater by
Romney, which he left her with the miniature, but
otherwise I am quite content. Had she left me more,
I should have felt she was wronging her own children.
With Matt I was charmed ; he is a clever and accom-
plished youth, and we had a great deal of agreeable
conversation during their short visit. . . . Well, I
muddle on somehow. Query, Is not life a muddle ?
Could one organise it ? I wonder. I must read Helps
on that subject."

CHAPTER VI I

A Visit to Balmoral

MAY-JUNE 1865

In the spring of the following year, Miss Bowater, to
her great delight, received an invitation to accompany
the Queen to Balmoral for three weeks, and on the
19th of May 1865 she went down to Windsor to join the
Royal party.

" Friday, May 19. — I left home for Windsor, and
did not half like parting from the Madre, but got over
the ynauvais quart d'heure of arrival extremely well,
and was soon chatting with these dear Princesses.
The Drawing-room, it seems, was quite a full one, and
Princess Helena played her part admirably, but is
terribly knocked up with it. Soon after five we dined in
a room commanding the loveliest of views. The Duke
of Argyll took me in ; the Duchess of Atholl, Mrs. Bruce,
Miss Lascelles, Sir Thomas Biddulph, General Grey,
Lord De Tabley, Mr. West, Colonel Ponsonby, and
Mr. Sahl, made up the party. Immediately after-
wards I drove with the Duchess and Mrs. Bruce
to the G.W. Station, and punctually at seven the
Royal train started. It was lovely all the way to
Oxford, of whose spires we caught a passing view ;
then the shades of night settled slowly down over the
rich and riant landscape, and it was quite dark before
we reached Leamington. At Banbury, some voices
sang ' God save the Queen ' and ' God bless the Prince
of Wales.' At Stafford came tea, and then the Black
Country, with its chimneys sending up flaming tongues

to heaven, after which we turned in for the night and

90 A VISIT TO BALMORAL [chap, vii

made ourselves comfortable on the sofas of our saloon.
Before reaching Carlisle, the grey dim dawn had risen,
and here and there, through the rolling mists, I caught
sight of a purling brook gurgling over the stones. The
Borderland suggested Fergus Maclvor and Madge
Wildfire and ' The sun shines fair on Carlisle wall.'
Then I fell asleep again, and woke with a start to find
mjT^self in Scotland, among high, bleak hills, with sheep
straying up and down in the cold mists, and here and
there a shepherd wrapped in his plaid, surveying us
from under his bonnet. Perth was reached about nine,
and was more welcome as meaning breakfast than
from any historic associations. Then on again, past
Scone and Lord Southesk and Lord Strathmore's
places to the Bridge of Dun, where Lord Dalhousie
met us, and then on to Aberdeen. I only woke in
time to see the pretty bit along the coast, where the
blue sea comes close in under the rocks. After this
we turned sharply to the west, and began to ascend the
Dee valley. At Aboyne we left the railroad, and had
twenty miles to drive. We passed Abergeldie, and
landed here about four o'clock, not sorry to find myself
at the end of such a fatiguing journey, and to hear the
gurgling of the Dee as it rushes over its grey boulders,
instead of the polka which the steam-engine would
play.

^^ Balmoral, Ballater, N.B., Sunday, May 21. —
It seems like a dream that I should be six hundred miles
away from Richmond Park, where I was writing bravely
thirty-six hours ago. I did not see the Queen on our
journey till we reached Aboyne, where she shook hands
as we got out of the carriage. I was glad to see that
her widow's cap had given place to a narrow white
frill under the bonnet ; the Duchess, however, is still
in weeds. But last night, Mellish was in the midst of
lacing my dress when rat-tat at the door. Mellish
went to open it, and in walked — the Queen, come in
from a walk with Princess Helena, ' to look after me,
as she had promised,' she said. The room was in
frightful confusion, and I so scared that I hardly know

1 865] SUNDAY AT BALMORAL 91

what I said or did, but I hope I behaved pretty, and
Her Majesty was most kind and anxious to set me at
ease. This morning I went out walking with Princess
Helena, and in the afternoon, accompanied Mrs. Gordon
to the top of the Cairn above the house. Such a
delicious walk, first up among the birch trees, where
the ground is covered with anemones and all kinds of
wild flowers, and then emerging among heather and
grey boulders, to gain a lovely view of the whole valley,
with the Castle at our feet, and behind us Lochnagar,
towering in majesty with its three snow-clad summits.
I should have liked to go to church, but this glorious
Nature made it feel like Sunday. This house is very
nice, simple, and pretty — not like a palace at all. There
are a dining-room, billiard-room, library, and drawing-
room en suite. The Queen dines in the library, and
we go there afterwards. It is a charming room, and
any lady may take out any book she likes, by putting
her name on a slip of paper in its place. We are a
very jolly party, cheery and pleasant. Mrs. Gordon I
like extremely. General Grey is a host in himself, full
of fun but a man of very decided opinions, not to say
prejudices. Still, there is something very lovable
about him. He is very wroth because ' little MacCullum
More,' as he calls the Duke, won't talk politics with him.
The Duke like a wise man, having left all such thoughts
behind, is devoted to birds and beetles and sich-like.
We had a grand discussion at dinner about whortle-
berries and all the different varieties — cran-, crow-, bil-,
bla-, dog-, meal-, and bear- berries ! They are almost
as bad as the Lochs and Bens and Craigs and all the
unpronounceable names of the places about here.

" Monday, May 22. — After a great deal of dis-
cussion, an expedition, consisting of General and Mrs.
Gordon, Mrs. Bruce, Colonel Ponsonby, and myself,
was arranged to the Falls of the Gharb-allt. The day
was lovely, the air balmy with the fragrance of birch
and pine, and just clouds enough to lend softness to
the shadows. After driving six miles up the river, we
crossed the bridge of Invercauld, and came into the

92 A VISIT TO BALMORAL [chap, vii

Forest of Ballochbuie, which was lovely with the sun
gleaming through the tall pines upon the bright green
carpet of moss and leaves. We crossed the Gharb-allt
— a large burn which comes tumbling in sheets of foam
over huge masses of granite — and climbed the hill, until,
getting clear of the Forest, we had a lovely view over the
vale of Invercauld, and saw the long ridge of Ben-na-
Biurd, with its snow sparkling in the sun. We re-
turned by this side of the river, through the forest of
Balmoral, which to my mind has been ruined by the
Prince Consort's objection to thinning trees, and saw a
number of roes bounding to and fro. In the afternoon
I played duets with Princess Helena, and dined with
the Queen, General Gre}'", and Mrs. Bruce.

" May 24. — ^The Queen's birthday ! May God bless
and preserve her ! Prince Arthur arrived yesterday.
He has grown so handsome — and only think ! he has
brought me a beautiful olive-wood book-slide from
Jerusalem. I spent the day walking and playing with
Princess Helena, who took me to see the Queen's room
and her presents, all the children's work, drawings, etc.
Portraits of the Prince are everywhere ; to me this would
be almost painful. In the afternoon General and Mrs.
Gordon, the Duke and I set off on an expedition to the
Linn of Dee, followed by the rest of the party. We
drove through the Forest, by Braemar Castle, to Castle-
town, where we changed horses, and w-ent on up a wild
glen, leading across a desolate tract of country, to Mar
Lodge, and at length reached the Linn, a narrow passage
between the rocks through which the Dee rushes, like
a true mountain stream, changing from clear green to
snow-white foam and black pools below. Lord Byron
narrowly escaped being drowned here when he was a
boy. He fell into the stream, and was only saved by
a servant who seized him by the neck and dragged
him out. We scrambled about the rocks, and had a
beautiful drive home, with the mountains looking hke
bits of dreamland in the sunset, and the pine woods
bathed in golden light. We saw — or rather the Duke
saw — the oyster-catcher by the Deeside, and the wood-

1865] THE PRINCE CONSORT'S CAIRN 93

cock and curlews in Ballochbuic Forest, and he pointed
out the flat layers of slate which distinguish the Linn
from the granite rocks all round.

" May 25. — This afternoon there was a grand tea
for the school-children, in honour of Her Majesty's
birthday — a pretty sight enough, with the Queen sur-
rounded by her children and ladies grouped under the
trees. Quite late, I rode with the Gordons and Majoi
Elphinstone to the top of Craig-Lauriben, where is the
Prince Consort's cairn. In August 1862, the first visit
which the Queen paid to Balmoral after the Prince's
death, she and six of her children placed stones on this
cairn, carved with their initials. The text inscribed on
the tablet was quoted by the Princess Royal in a letter
written to her mother shortly after her father's death :
' He being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a
long time. For his soul pleased the Lord ' (Wisdom
iv. 13).

" May 26. — I was rather alarmed by orders to drive
with the Queen after breakfast. Princess Louise came
with us, and once we got off it was not so bad. Nothing
could be kinder than Her Majesty was, or lovelier than
the views in the Forest and glen of Felagie. The
Queen did not talk a great deal, but was in capital
spirits, and is looking very well. It is such fun to hear
her talk to the gillies, John Brown and John Grant,
who are certainly most important personages here.
In the afternoon I was packed off to ride with General
Gordon and Colonel Ponsonby to Alt-na-Guisach. Up
Glen Gelder we went to the very foot of Lochnagar,
the wildest, most desolate scene I ever beheld, and then
up a path cut in the hillside, till we reached the snow-
line and saw patches of it all around us, and came down
by Glen Muick to the pretty cottage where in happier
days the Queen and Prince occasionally spent the
night. We returned by the green hills known as the
Coyles, after an extremely enjoyable ride of sixteen or
seventeen miles.

" May 27. — The gentlemen very kindly insisted on
taking me with them to the Linn of Muick, through
8

94 A VISIT TO BALMORAL [chap, vii

yesterday's glen, to the waterfall down in the woods,
and then on to Birk Hall, a pretty little place belonging
to the Prince of Wales, with a lovely view over Ballater
and the blue hills beyond. We came home by Aber-
geldie Castle, and I had a long and interesting talk with
Major Elphinstone on Goulburn's sermons, science and
revelation. Indeed, I often wish I had six pair of
ears to listen to all the conversations that take place
here. A great discussion has been going on about
American affairs. The Duke is a strong Northerner,
and said yesterday he did not think they would attack
us ; but to-day I hear him and General Grey talking of
a dispatch from Mr. Adams touching the Alabama,
which they think looks ugly. General Gordon is an
excellent cicerone, having known all this country for
more than thirty years, when it belonged to his uncle,
and he is so proud of it I think he likes to show it
to anybody who admires it as much as I do. General
Grey keeps us all in fits, and quarrels amicably with
Mrs. Bruce on every possible occasion. I am glad to
hear Papa liked him so much, and want to give him one
of my photos. Such a bunch of lilies of the valley he
gave me this morning ! We have taken lately to spend-
ing our evenings in the billiard-room, and have grand
games at bowls or curling on the billiard-table — a capital
game, of which I hear the Prince Consort was very fond.
Carl Haag, the painter, has arrived, a clever little man
who has plenty to say for himself, so much so that som^
of our friends mean to put him through a process of
snubbing, and which I must own he richly deserves.

" Sunday, May 28. — We went twice to the little
Scotch kirk at Crathie, and heard two fine sermons
from the famous Dr. Caird, who arrived last night, and
is the most Puritanical-looking party I ever saw. I do
not at all dislike the Scotch service, except having to
stand when one prays. Dr. Caird 's prayers are ex-
ceptionally impressive, but one must always be at the
mercy of the * meenister ' ! The ' discoorse ' this
morning was from S. Matt. v. 17. He began very
politically, by drawing a distinction between Conserva-

1 865] PRINCIPAL CAIRD 95

tives and obstructers, Reformers and destroyers, and
then proceeded to show that Our Lord could not be
anything but the fulfiller of the law, because Omni-
potence itself could not make a noble action base or a
base one noble. The analogy he drew was from that
grand principle of submission to Nature's laws, which
the Duke of Argyll has so splendidly developed in his
papers. Indeed, we were all struck by the similarity
between the two, and I was naughty enough to remark
that the morning sermon, appealing to the intellect,
was intended for His Grace, and the afternoon one,
addressed to the feelings, was evidently meant for Her
Majesty. The afternoon text was, ' Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added unto you ' — added, either by your
being made independent of them, or by their acquiring
a depth and meaning that they never possessed before.
He drew one or two touching pictures of loneliness —
the last of a once gay and happy household, sitting
alone in the old home and longing * for the touch of
a vanished hand.' Yet even this loneliness, he said,
is nothing to being without God in the world. I thought
of Pascal's ' Je mourrai seul ' and Keble's ' Why should
we faint and fear to live alone ? ' The language was
really very fine, and perhaps on the whole I liked the
afternoon sermon best, since it left us all more silent,
less inclined to argue, or, as the Duke put it, ' made us
feel bad.' Dr. Caird and the Duke talked of Renan
and Strauss in the evening, both of whose books, it
seems, are much read by the younger Scottish clergy.

" May 29. — Princess Helena and I had a glorious
ride after breakfast, up Bowment's Moss by a tremend-
ously steep path, with lovely views of the mountains
along Deeside. So steep was the path that we were
obliged to lead the ponies down, and returned by Glen
Gelder, just in time to escape the rain, which set in
violently and put an end to my going out this afternoon
with Her Majesty. I dined with her and the Gordons,
and played bowls as we do every evening.

" June I . — Colonel Ponsonby departed this morning,

96 A VISIT TO BALMORAL [chap, vii

leaving me as a legacy some capital doggerel verse
about all the Craigs and Bens here and our expeditions.
It was cold and gloomy, and I spent most of the day
pla\''ing duets with Princess Helena and Mrs. Gordon,
not forgetting the Guards' Waltz wdth Prince Arthur.
The great news to-day is that Miss Lascelles is to marry
Lord Edward Cavendish. It sounds a very nice arrange-
ment, but of course everybody here is very sorry to
lose her. The Duke and I are becoming fast friends ;
he is such a pleasant little man. I have been writing
to thank Colonel Ponsonby for the ' Rhyme of Loch-
nagar,' and General Grey stood godfather to the letter,
i.e. read and enclosed it in his own, so I think that
made it all proper. Lord Charles Fitzroy arrived. It
is three years since we parted at Dover. He asked
tenderly after Mamma, but looks aged, I think.

" June 3. — I started at tw^elve with Mile Norele and
the three children for a day at Loch Muick. We rode
down to the loch, which, gleaming blue among the green
hills, looked like anything but the ' lake of sorrow ' ;
ate our luncheon sitting on the heather, and walked
along a path cut in the hillside to the head of the loch.
The weather was delicious ; the birches hung over the
water, the broom was golden on the hillside, and the
blue water rippled against the rocks, clear as crystal.
After a short rest at a cottage at the head of the loch,
just where the Glassalt comes tumbling over the rocks,
we rode back the same way, and after tea at the hut,
drove home by the Linn of Muick, where we stopped to
gather primroses. It was altogether a most delightful
day. It was great fun to see Princess Beatrice bullied
by her brothers, and a great pleasure to be with my
own boy. He is quite unchanged and to me very dear,
but I can see that Prince Arthur throws him into the
shade, with his good looks and winning ways.

" Whit-Sunday, June 4. — The weather, I am glad to
say, has improved, and to-day it is quite lovely. If
the rain had continued, Her Majesty would have gradu-
ally laid up all her children and attendants. Mrs.
Gordon is confined to Uer room, and Princess Helena,

1 86s] LIFE IN THE HIGHLANDS 97

Prince Arthur, and I all have colds ! Mrs. Gordon won
the Derby lottery. I am afraid we had a great deal more
excitement about that than about the birth of the small
Prince,^ but I am glad to say the accounts of the Princess
are excellent. Princess Helena and I walked up Craig
Gowan directly after breakfast, and sat there, enjoying
the peaceful, lovely landscape, while the words of to-
day's Collect rang in my ears : ' Grant us by the same
Spirit a right judgment in all things.' In the afternoon
I walked to kirk with Lord Charles and Mrs. Bruce. A
drowsy sermon sent me to sleep. This to me is the disad-
vantage of the Scotch Church . The Duke, General Grey,
Major Elphinstone, and Prince Arthur went to fish in the
Dee. We were a small but jolly party. Lord Charles made
himself very pleasant, and we played a spelling game.

" June 5. — At 4.30 I started with Her Majesty and
Princess Helena for the Sluggan, and rode up a fine wild
glen until near the top of the hill we were stopped by
a large patch of snow. We had to lead our ponies round
it, to gain a view into the next glen, where the sight of
Ben-na-Biurd, towering up into the sky, inspired Princess
Helena with a plan for another excursion to-morrow.
Then we sat down to tea — the snuggest, cosiest little
party possible — the Queen so kind and good-natured as
to make me feel quite at my ease. Her Majesty having
duly ministered to the wants of the gillies, we pro-
ceeded to sketch the mountains to the south-west, and
then set out on our homeward ride. That ride I can
never forget. It would be impossible to describe the
colouring of Lochnagar under the setting sun. It was
one of those dreams of beauty one sees scarcely twice
in a lifetime. My father, Edith, all came to my mind.

' Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean !
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart and gather to the eyes . . .
In thinking of the days that are no more.'

No less delightful was the drive home. It was half-
past eight when we got back to the carriage, and we

' His Majesty King George v., born at Marlborough House on June 3, 1865.

98 A VISIT TO BALMORAL [chap, vn

bowled home at a tearing pace behind the four greys.
Such a sky behind us, and such reflections in the Dee !
I dined quite alone with the Queen, the Princesses and
Prince Arthur, but it was not a bit formidable !

" June 6. — Princess Helena, Prince Arthur, Mrs.
Gordon, and I set out for Ben-na-Biurd (3940 feet high) at
eleven. We drove to the same point above Invercauld,
mounted our ponies and rode up the Sluggan, and then
through a narrow glen where we saw a large herd of
deer standing or lying in the snow which filled up the
opposite crevice of the mountain. Nothing could be
more picturesque than the cavalcade, ponies, gillies and
all, winding along this steep ascent over the rocks.
Soon the path ceased, and the riding got worse and
worse, while the views behind us became more and
more glorious, range beyond range of blue and purple
hills rising one above another with shadows flitting
rapidly across them. All too rapidly, alas ! for by the
time we had reached the huge patch of snow we see
from Invercauld, it began to rain. We sat down to
luncheon, hoping it might clear, but it did no such thing.
However, we were not to be beaten, so off we marched
across the snow. Princess Helena, Prince Arthur, and I,
in charge of the great John Grant, and precious hard
work we found it, both on the snow and over the loose
stones at the top. At last we reached the Cairn on the
highest point of Ben-na-Biurd, and caught glimpses of
lofty ranges of mountains looming grey and mysterious
through the mist, which lifted now and then, only to
close round us more pitilessly than ever. Anything
more absurd than we all looked, tumbling and struggling
stick in hand over the loose stones, our skirts limp and
clinging (I was fitted out in an old one of the Queen's,
which buttoned up in the most comfortable way), and
rivulets streaming from our hats, it would be hard to
imagine. ' I calkeehlate we were considerabeel wet ' I
However, by the time we reached the ford over the burn,
the rain ceased, and we rode down the glen, and were at
home by 7.30, well pleased with our day — ducking and
all!

1 865] A PICNIC ON LOCH MUICK 99

" June 7. — We were all glad of a rest after the fatigues
of Ben-na-Biurd, but in the afternoon I had a charming
expedition with the Duke and Duchess, General Gordon
and Mrs. Bruce, to Loch Muick, where the General and I
mounted our ponies and scampered up a wild Highland
glen to the Dhu Loch, a tiny lake high up in the moun-
tains. To-day the sun shone brightly on its dark water,
and the burn which comes straight down from the rocks
was like a line of silver. We found the rest of the party
scattered about, enjoying the calm beauty of the
evening, and had great fun over tea, cooking the fish
which the Duke had caught in the loch, broiled on the
hot embers of our fire, and watching the evening effects,
which are lovelier in the Highlands than anywhere else.
All the way home the Duke and Mrs. Bruce quoted
poetry, d, I'envi Vun de Vautre. He is a devoted
Tennysonian, General Grey is as vehement against him,
and it is such fun to hear them squabble away. I must
say, however, that the General recites by far the best.
His Grace's manner is, to use the Queen's mild ex-
pression, ' unfortunate,' or as Lord Charles puts it,
* it all comes out of his boots.' I was photographed
this morning in my brown gown with my lilac hat, which
the Queen is kind enough to call very becoming ; but I
doubt if it will come out well, there was such a wind !
Lord Charles and I are rapidly becoming fast friends,
and I am glad to find that he does not dislike me, as I
fancied at Cannes. When he heard me regret that by
staying here a week longer I should miss two balls, he
said Mrs. Gordon must take me to Lady Louisa Pennant's
ball instead, and would call for me after dining at
Camden Hill with the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.
Is it not kind of them both ? So he is writing to her,
and I have arranged to stay in Arlington Street for
that night. Later. — Matters are simplified by the Duke
asking me to dine with the Gordons. He also invites
us to Inverary, whenever we come to Scotland.

" Sunday, June 11. — An interesting conversation at
breakfast between the Duke and Dr. Macleod, who
arrived last night, about the Holy Land, Abraham's

loo A VISIT TO BALMORAL [chap, vii

well, etc. I walked with the children and Mademoiselle,
— poor Prince Leo in his little carriage, but very cheery, —
and had a scramble to get to church, where Her Majesty
came. The sermon was from i Thess. v. lo, on the
intimate union between the Church militant and the
Church triumphant. There was much in it that I liked,
but much also which trenched on very uncertain ground.^
Still, I had rather ' sit under ' him than under Dr. Caird
— -this great, big, burly, good-humoured, large-hearted
* Norman.' To-night he has been reading Wordsworth
aloud to us most beautifully, and I am longing to know
his poetry better. How much I shall have to digest
when I get home ! The Duke has been making me read
his letter in the Scotsman on the origin of the American
War, ' in hope of curing me of my Southern pro-
clivities ' ! Mr. Theed is here, the sculptor of the
beautiful marble statue of the Prince Consort, at the
foot of the Queen's staircase. He has come to see about
placing a bronze replica of this on the banks of the Dee,
but to judge by the cast, which was put up yesterday
on the rocks, I hardly think it will look well out of doors.
"June 12. — Music and drawing all the morning,
then in the afternoon we drove out by Aberarder and
Felagie and waited some time in the Forest, listening to
the soughing of the wind among the larches and the wild
cry of the hawks, and turned into a beautiful green ride
above Invercauld, with views of the rushing Dee, through
a foreground of birches, juniper, heather, and deer. Then
came tea and sketching, and a delightful drive home
through the Ballochbuic. Oh ! it was great fun, and I

* In More Leaves from the Journal of a Life in the Highlands, p. 214,
the Queen writes : "Sunday, June 11, 18G5. — At 12, I went to the Kirk
— a great effort — with the girls and the Duchess of AthoU. I had only
been once at the end of our stay last year in October 1864, and
it made me very nervous. Still, as no one expected me to go, it was
better so. Dr. Macleod performed the service very impressively. The
sermon was from i Thessalonians v. 10. No one reads the Bible better
than he does, and his prayers were most beautiful. In the one for me,
which he always words so expressively and touchingly, he prayed for
Alix and her dear babe very beautifully. The singing and the whole
service brought tears to my eyes. I felt so alone. AH reminded me of
former blessedness,"

1865] A MERRY PARTY lOi

am only sorry that this life is coming to an end. I have
never laughed so much in my life as since I have been
here. The Duchess, for instance, is perfectly killing.
Her story of the coaching notice which she saw posted
up at Dunkeld sent us all into fits the other evening :
* The Duchess of Atholl (this being the name of the
coach) leaves the Duke's Arms (the inn at Dunkeld)
every lawful morning at 6 a.m.' She and I have one
great subject in common. We drive about these forests
marking and thinning in imagination with unsparing
hands. Then the scenes that take place in the char-^-
bancs, on our homeward drives, are wonderful ! To-
night there was the Duke reciting Wordsworth, * out of
his boots,' General Grey repeating ' Tam o' Shanter '
behind to Dr. Robertson the factor, and Mrs. Bruce
shrieking * Drag ! ' in front. The Duchess and I laughed
till we cried.

''June 13. — To-day we all mooned about in a de-
liciously purposeless way, like babies, enjoying ourselves.
I had much discussion with Major Elphinstone, and
afterwards with him and the Duke, about Byron,
Wordsworth, and Raphael. Also about Goulburn's
Personal Religion. I don't altogether agree with the
Major's theory that we think too little of ourselves,
still it is immensely interesting to hear their opinions.
I ended the evening by a grand confidential discourse
with Lord Charles about the Household — Co well, Bruce,
Phipps, Grey, Biddulph, etc. I am so glad he likes me
— for the sake of auld tang syne !

" June 14. — I sat out with Princess Louise all the
morning, which I was glad to do, as I have seen so little
of her this time. When I came in. Princess Helena
brought me a beautiful shawl- and brooch, de la part de
S.M., and we sat together writing in my room and
talking of the charming little conspiracy which the
Duke, Lord Charles, and the Gordons have brewed for
me next week. After luncheon I sat quiet, being under
orders to go out with Her Majesty, Princess Helena, and
the Duchess. At 4.45 we drove to Invercauld, where we
mounted our ponies and rode up to the ' Gate,' which I

I02 A VISIT TO BALMORAL [chap, vii

have visited three days running ! Here we had tea,
and the Queen took me on with her about a mile, to
look down another beautiful glen looking eastwards,
toward Mount Keen and the Coyles. I had been
afraid that this tete-a-tete with Her Majesty would
be formidable, but it was not, as she rode in front,
only addressing an observation to me now and then,
and I was quite content to be left to myself and
look for the last time on the hills I have learnt
to love so well. Returning to the Gate, we sat down
and sketched, but rather to my regret were soon joined
by the others, and drove swiftly home. Lochnagar
was steeped in a lurid crimson glow, and the sun
went down in a flood of gold behind Ben-na-Biurd. I
dined with the Queen and the Duke and Duchess,
and the}^ talked of the Emperor of the French, whom
Her Majesty pronounced to be pleasant socially, but
dangerous politically. After dinner, I played and won
our last game at bowls. I think we all regret the end
of our sejour here. At night Mrs. Gordon, Princess
Helena, and I had a long talk in my room about unbelief,
etc. Strange what phases of this we all pass through !
But, as Mrs. Gordon justly observed, it is with nations
much the same. Still, I feel more and more that few
of us enter sufficiently into the spirit of the words,
* Except ye become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven.' And so ends
Balmoral life. It has indeed been a most delightful
time.

"June 15. — I walked up to the flagstaff on Craig
Gowan by myself, for a last sniff of Highland air, a last
look at the mountains. It was very quiet and delicious
up there. I left Balmoral at twelve with Mrs. Gordon
and Mrs. Bruce, getting beautiful views of ' dark Loch-
nagar ' on the drive down to Aboyne, and admiring the
wealth of wild roses and heather along the road . We left
Aboyne about two, and troubled our heads little about
the scenery after that. At Perth we had a last dinner
all together, and the Duchess and Mrs. Bruce left us. I
have a pleasant recollection of blue hills in the clear

1 865] RETURN FROM SCOTLAND 103

twilight, and after tea at Carlisle I slept till Mrs, Gordon
called me to look at the sunrise. Leamington saw me
astir, and Oxford up and dressed and enjoying the lovely
summer morning. At nine we reached Windsor, and
having taken leave of the Princesses and Princes,
of Major Elphinstone and the Gordons, who were kind
to the last, I drove down to the station in a Royal
chariot, postilion and pair, and found myself safe at
home by i p.m., after an absence of exactly one month.
But for my darling mother, I should be very sorry to be
back.

" Sunday, June 23. — And thus abruptly and
hurriedly I took leave of my dear old Journal, the
faithful companion of fifteen months, spent amidst
an immense variety of scenes and companions, some
evanescent and hardly worth recording, others imprinted
for ever on my mind. Yet my condition remains un-
changed, my heart untouched, calm and fancy free.
So be it, if such is the will of God, who links or severs
the destinies of mortals here below. To do my duty in
that state of life to which He has called me, to live
up or at least to try by God's help to live up to the
definition of religion which I gave the other day under
the green birches, on the grey stones of a Scottish
hillside, i.e. ' the love of God,' — such, amid many
short-comings, is my fixed resolve. For the rest — ' Wie
Gott will.' ''

CHAPTER VIII

Balls and Weddings

1865-1866

* 3 Arlington Street, Tuesday, June 25. — My last volume
began in Passion Week ; this commences on the
morning of a Drawing-Room day. However, it is
likewise the return to ordinary life, after dear, dear
Balmoral, where my heart still lingers among the
mountains, while my head has not yet recovered from
the whirl of the last week. Last night I went with
General and Mrs. Gordon to dine with the Duke and
Duchess of Argyll, and a very pleasant evening we had.
Sir David and Lady Baird, Mr. Howard, and Sir Kenneth
Mackenzie being the only additions to our five selves.
The Duke, Mrs. Gordon, and I sat together, and were
very jolly. I heard from dear Princess Helena. My
heart is still on Lochnagar. The Drawing-Room was
thin and uninteresting. Princess Helena and I very
nearly laughed at each other, but just didn't, and
made low curtsies instead.

" June 29. — 1 dined with the Nugents and went
on with them to the ball at Lady Louisa Pennant's —
the plan brewed so long ago in the Ballochbuic Forest !
. . . But rest — rest- — rest ! that is what I want, after
two months of constant society. Rest and time to
think. . . .

" Richmond Park, Sunday, July 9. — I have lived
in such a whirl lately, and feel I do not think enough
of the inner life. Dear little Sophy Melville sets me
a capital example there, though I cannot quite agree
with her that a pink gown is inconsistent with the

1C4

1 86s] STOKE ROCHFORD 105

' sobriety ' of dress recommended in the Bible. ... I
wish for two things — a little more money, and a husband.
But I often wonder whether, after all, I shall be called
to a single life. It requires courage, but St. Paul
tells us that it is the most blessed. I do not wish for
it, but still I trust I may never be led, from fear of it,
to make a marriage without affection. That must be
lowering to the whole tone of the mind. But sufficient
unto the day ! "

The autumn was spent partly in Suffolk, where
long rambles along the cliffs at Dunwich and quiet
hours in the old home at Sotterley revived Louisa's
spirits, and she thoroughly enjoyed her usual tour
of visits and gaieties in the winter months. Belvoir
Castle, Elyand Lincoln Cathedrals, Boston and Grantham
were among the interesting places which she visited,
while she greatly enjoyed ten days at Stoke Rochford
in the company of her new friend Miss Edith Turnor.
" For that dear, almost sacred, name sounds on my
lips once more, and another Edith has come to bless
my life." Miss Tumor's charm and intelligence had
long attracted her, and the two girls now became fast
friends.

" Tuesday, November 28. — To-day was very wet, but
we had much pleasant talk with Mr. Turnor about
politics and the study of mathematics, and with Edith
about herself, etc. We agreed, for one thing, that nothing
would induce either of us to marry a clergyman. These
are my reasons. First, I should not like always to be tied
down to one spot. Secondly, that as a body I do not
like the clergy, and should dislike extremely to be
obliged to live among them. I say this not from
any disrespect to their office, but I think they are as
a rule dogmatical, narrow-minded, and very disagree-
able.— L. BowATER. * I most completely and entirely
endorse the above, and have the greatest objection to
the sight of a rook except on his perch — alias in the pul-
pit. Of course there are some exceptions, but I think
very few. — Edith Turnor.'

" Wednesday, November 29. — A last pleasant talk with

io6 BALLS AND WEDDINGS [chap, viii

Edie. In the afternoon a ride with Mr. Turner, Edmund,
and Edith to Woolsthorpe, to see the house where Sir
Isaac Newton was born. It is a quaint little old manor-
house, standing in the midst of the village, almost
invisible from the main road. We entered through
the kitchen, which is low, with heavy beams, as it may
have been in his day, and stumbled up a dark little stair-
case to the room where he was born. There is a quaint
carved oak cupboard by the fireplace, and over the
mantelpiece the date of his birth and a line from Pope :

'God said, Let Newton be, and there was light.'

The little study is even more interesting. One could
fancy the silent, shy boy poring over his books there.
Outside the house is covered with ivy, the little old
stone mullions peeping out, and at the back there is
a sundial carved by his own hand. Altogether, I am
glad to have seen the place, though all feelings of
pilgrimage to a shrine were dispelled in a breathless
gallop against the strong south wind — the pony pulling
with all his might. . . . x\nd so ends a very happy,
enjoyable visit. I have grown to love Edie very
dearly — the Sleeping Beauty, whom life and the world
are slowly awakening. May the enchanted Prince
soon come and touch the chord that will rouse her
from the dreams of childhood and make of her the
perfect woman ! "

From Stoke Rochford Louisa went on to Arbury,
where she spent a happy month with her relatives,
talking politics, attending meetings, and going to
dances and Christmas entertainments. At Stoke a
year before she had enjoyed her first day's hunting —
" been introduced," as she puts it, " to the noble sport
of fox-hunting," which was afterwards to become one
of her regular occupations in Northamptonshire. At
Arbury she frequently rode to covert with Mr. Newde-
gate, mounted on a fiery chestnut mare named Firefly,
which she was proud of being able to manage. During
this visit to Arbury, Princess Helena's marriage to
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein was announced

1 866] PRINCESS HELENA'S MARRIAGE 107

in the papers, and Louisa received " a cliarming letter
from the Princess, teUing me of the great happiness
which was in store for her." Her excitement was still
greater when, on her return home early in March,
she heard of the engagement of her intimate friend
and constant companion, Miss Bella Mainwaring. Miss
Mainwaring lived at the Old Palace, Richmond, a
fragment of Henry vii.'s famous Tudor house, and with
herself and Lady Sophia Melville formed a circle of
friends which Louisa was fond of calling the Trio.

" March 28, 1866. — The spell is broken ! the Trio
is to be dissolved, the triangle will be a triangle no
longer. We had scarcely returned from church, when
Bella drove up, escorted by a gentleman whom, on my
running down to the gate, she introduced as General
Milman. Suspecting nothing, I took her into the
drawing-room, when she began excusing herself for not
having written in so confused a way, that I at once
exclaimed, ' You are not going to be married ? ' ' Yes,'
she replied, ' to General Milman ' ; and the next instant
she informed me that the wedding is to be in May, that
I am to be her bridesmaid, and that in July she goes
to Mauritius for five years. I did not know whether
I stood on my head or heels ! However, in five minutes
I was dressed and driving back to spend my afternoon
with them at the Old Palace. He is twenty-four years
older than she is, but very gentleman-like and pleasing,
and desperately in love. She is very happy and very
much in love. It has just given her the ballast she
wanted, and I never saw her appear to greater advantage.
Presently AthoU Forbes turned up, and we trotted
round the garden, while the General indulged in the
most lover-like raptures, and I felt extremely puzzled
by the novelty of the situation. And me? I must
not think of myself yet ! Indeed I cannot bear to
think of the blank it will leave in my life. . . . Dear
Bella has indeed been one of the stanchest and truest
of my girlhood's friends.

" April 3. — Sophy and Bella came to luncheon, the
latter in a tearing state of excitement, but she soon

io8 BALLS AND WEDDINGS [chap, viii

left, and I had a long, long talk with Sophy, resulting
in the melancholy conclusion that although we should
be quite willing to marry our respective lovers, if they
had j(^ 1 0,000 a 3^ear, we are not unhappy to feel that
under present circumstances marriage is out of the
question for either of us, and that consequently this
cannot be the true sort of love. Perhaps that may yet
come ! Anyhow, it is a blessing that Sophy is not going
to be married ! If I must lose one, I'd sooner it was
Bella.

" May 8. — Dear Bella's wedding-day. I can hardly
realise that it is all over and that Bella Mainwaring
exists no more ! The day was cloudless, and by eleven
we were all assembled at St. Matthias, the new church
at Richmond. The eight bridesmaids— Sophy Melville,
Alice Drummond, Annabel O'Grady, Helen Burton,
Theo Dallas, two Miss Milmans, and m3^self — wore white
muslin trimmed with blue sashes and Cluny lace,
wreaths of white daisies and lovely bouquets of
stephanotis, pink geraniums, and fern. Bella looked
extremely handsome in her white satin and veil, and
behaved so exactly like the ordinar}^, everyday Bella,
walking about showing her presents and introducing
people, that you could hardly believe she was the
bride. One o'clock brought the breakfast, with shoals
of men, and I was soon floated off on a tide of fun and
chaff. After going to feed, I was sitting under the
portico, engaged in a lively discussion with Mr. Bowles
(an * Owl ') and two or three other men on the respective
merits of music and poetry, when suddenly they melted

away and left me alone with Captain C , who,

to my utter amazement, took the opportunity of pro-
posing. I was never so much astonished in all my
life ! For though other men and girls have often
chaffed me about him, I never thought for a moment
he was in earnest, and even now I can't believe it.
The form was much as usual. I answered him quite
firmly, but was not the least discomposed, and we were
mterrupted by the departure of the happy pair, which
was an orthodox scene. Then came croquet and

1 866] THE REFORM BILL 109

dancing, when he renewed the subject, and I flatter

myself that I closed it for ever. No ! Captain C

does not care — nobody ever will care — for me half as
much as Captain B ! "

Meanwhile, political events were absorbing a large
share of Louisa's thoughts. Every day she read the
parliamentary debates on the Reform Bill and filled
her Journal with comments on the speeches delivered
from both sides of the House.

" April ly. — The Reform debate continues. Sir
Hugh Cairns 's speech was very striking, that of Sir
Edward Bulwer Lytton one of the best I have yet
read. I am, I own, hugely interested in this matter,
I don't like the Bill at all, for I object strongly to the
indiscriminate lowering of the franchise, without any
safeguard against the effect of a more wholesale transfer
of power than was effected by the Reform Bill of '32.
And it seems to bar the way to the kind of fanc}^
franchise which alone can admit the Mwrepresented
classes without swamping those already represented.
As to Mr. Gladstone, nothing can well be more mis-
chievous than his conduct and speeches at Liverpool,
But the way out of the mess is not at all clear. What
I hope is that the Bill will pass the second reading and
be shelved in Committee. Yet I should be very sorry
to see Reform shelved altogether. And what is painful
to me, no party seems to be acting honestly unless it
be the Rads, who say openly that they regard this
only as a stepping-stone to more. What will be the
end of it ?

" April 30. — I have not recorded Mr. Lowe's speech,
one of the finest in the debate. He describes the
franchise most justly as the means to an end and not
an end in itself, that end being good government. Mr.
Disraeli's speech is a very clever one, but I think his
strongest point is where he demonstrates the effect
of including the large populations which have grown
up without the present borough boundaries in the
county constituencies. C. N. N. is never tired of in-
sisting on the present anomalies of county constituencies,
9

no BALLS AND WEDDINGS [chap, viii

which certainly seem to require attention. I am
astounded to hear that the clubs described in the two
last Owls'^ really exist. Lady Burrell {nee Pechell)
is a ' Jolly Dog,' with her attendant cur (Mr. Harvey
Pechell), ' Fred Scuffleton ' is Freddy Villiers, and
'Augustus Cotillon ' Augustus Lumley. I am falling
into the Walpole-Berry style, though with small hope
of emulating either. That last sentence was evidently
written for a posthumous public. After the Duke of
Argyll's suggestion last year, who knows what may
be the fate of these pages ?

" 3 Arlington Street, May 5. — I was wholly stunned
* by an invitation from dear Princess Helena to Balmoral.
It will be charming to see her comfortably before her
marriage, and to be at dear Balmoral again, although
I am sorry to lose the season. We attended the Queen's
Court at Buckingham Palace, for which tickets were
issued by the Lord Chamberlain, the number limited
to two hundred and fifty. It proved much like an
agreeable evening party, with plenty of room to move
about. The rooms are handsome. We passed through
three saloons and crossed the gallery into the Green
Room or Throne Room, the ballroom of my young
days. Her Majesty was very gracious. She spoke to
Mamma and shook hands with me, as did all Royal-
ties, i.e. Princess Helena, the Prince of Wales, Princes
Alfred and Arthur, and the Duke of Cambridge. Pour
le reste, we saw nobody particular, but spoke to Lord
and Lady Exeter, General Grey and Sybil, the Ladies
Cornwallis, and dear Mrs. Gordon. I am wretched to
hear she is not going to Balmoral. People were well
dressed ; still there was nothing ver}'^ remarkable about
them, excepting the diminution of crinoline, after its
eleven years' reign — since the visit of the Empress of |
the French in 1855.

" May 10. — In the evening I went with Mrs. Newde-
gate and Harry Boucherett to Her Majesty's to see Tke\
Huguenots. It is certainly a fine opera, and Titiens and
Rokitansky both sang gloriously, the latter beating thej

1 A newspaper ol the day.

1 866] FINANCIAL PANIC iii

new tenor Mongini into little bits. Charley was to
have filled the fourth place in our box, but of course
could not get away from the House, and I was glad to
have no other man, and could not have flirted in any
comfort, as we were exactly opposite the Royal box,
in which were the Prince and Princess of Wales, with
Mrs. Hardinge and Major Teesdale. In the next box
was the Duchess of Manchester and Lady Westmore-
land, and beyond that Lady Hastings, Lady Constance
Grosvenor, Lady Dunmore, the Duke of .Sutherland,
Lord and Lady Royston. They all paid each other
visits in turn, and it was very amusing to watch them —
as good, in fact, as a second opera ! The Princess looked '
far the prettiest of all. Poor Lady Hastings had such a
sad, unhappy look on her face, it quite haunts me !

" May II. — There is, we are told, the greatest fear
of a commercial panic in the city, and if one house goes
there will be a tremendous smash. Last night I heard
that one of our biggest tea merchants had crashed.
From Vienna jewels are being sent over in shoals. Lord
Dunmore was offered a magnificent parure for £4000 by
a Bloomsbury diamond merchant, and when he refused,
received a telegram from Vienna to say he could have it
half-price. To-day we hear that Overend & Gurney
have failed for 7(^13,000,000, and there is a rumour that
the London Joint Stock Bank has stopped payment.
All these things make me very glad that Mamma's
fortune is not paid off.

" It was too wet to ride, so I went with Lady Leven
and Sophy to the Royal Academy, but the crowd was
intolerable and the pictures for the most part abomin-
able. We had scores of visitors all the afternoon, and
went to tea with Mrs. Hibbert in Rogers' old house in
St. James's Place. His library is still quite untouched,
and there is a charming view over the Park. Harry and
I dined in Hill Street with his great friends, Mr. and
Mrs. Hugo Meynell,^ whom I have long wished to know,
and spent a delightful evening. After that we went

^ Hugo Meynell-Ingram of Hoar Cross, Temple Newsam, married 1863
Hon. Emily Wood, daughter of Lord Halifax, and died 1871.

112 BALLS AND WEDDINGS [chap, viii

to see The Rivals at St. James's Theatre. I can't help
laughing when I think of my sage reflections on that
play when I saw it at Richmond eight years ago. Now
I certainly do not see any harm in it, and I fully ap-
preciate the wit and humour wherewith it abounds.
I am glad to hear from Princess Helena that she and
the Princess of Wales greatly admired my gown at the
Court.

" May 14. — After a quiet Sunda}^ with Mamma, I
came up to town and was astounded and rejoiced to see
in the Times that the Queen has given up Balmoral and
is to go to Cliveden instead. In Arlington Street I
found a letter from Princess Helena to say I am to go
there. In the evening, after hearing that the Redis-
tribution Bill had passed the second reading, I went to
Lady Farquhar's ball, which was a capital one, just
the elite of our own set, and I knew every third person
in the room, and danced with Ronald Melville, Mr. Fane,
Willy Gurdon,Sir Charles Mordaunt, Robert Drummond,
Arthur Monck,and Matt Ridley, with whom I have set up
a pleasant cousinly flirtation. He is rather handsome
and exceedingly clever, but I foresee that on closer
acquaintance we should quarrel. Our mutual conceit
would clash, and then he has the extremely decided
opinions of a very young, clever man, who has lived in
an intellectual set at Oxford and has not yet mixed
enough with the world to learn to say, ' I don't know —
I am not sure.' But I do enjoy discussing books with
him — Swinburne's Atalanta, Ruskin, etc. Captain

C was there, but happily only bowed to me in the

distance."

CHAPTER IX

Windsor and Cliveden

1866

*' Windsor Castle, May 19. — Princess Helena welcomed
me on my arrival, and took me out for a long drive all
round Virginia Water and the Rhododendron Walk —
too beautiful it is in the first glory of spring. She
entered at once upon the subject of her marriage, and
talked in the simplest and most natural way of her
affection for Prince Christian. Both the Queen and
the Crown Princess are devoted to him, and even the
Prince of Wales, who from political reasons naturally
at first disliked the idea of the marriage, says Prince
Christian is so good and excellent he cannot possibly
object to his union with his sister. vSo I can only re-
joice in her happiness. Thank God ! Our diniier-party
consisted of Mrs. Bruce, Miss Macdonald, Lord Charles
Fitzroy, Lord Caithness, Colonel Liddell, General Grey,
Sir John Cowell, and Dr. Jenner. I sat between the
General and Lord Charles, and was very happy. In the
evening we were joined by the Duchess of Atholl, the
French Ambassador, and M. le Prince de la Tour d'Au-
vergne. Sir Thomas Biddulph, and Lord Clarendon, who
was most entertaining, and delighted me by saying that
the Danes were wrong in the first place, to say nothing
of their folly at the time of the Conference in London,
when they might have obtained much better terms if
their demands had been more reasonable. Lady Claren-
don is here too, very handsome and attractive. The

French Ambassador is very dark and very fat, much

113

114 WINDSOR AND CLIVEDEN [chap, ix

younger than I expected, and a thorough gentleman,
which is more than can be said of most Ambassadors
during the present regime in France. Princess Mary's
marriage is to take place on the i ith of June. Everyone
says she will be the Queen of English society and means
to reform its tone. But people are afraid there may be
some difficulty as to her money ; it is feared that in the
present excited state of politics the Government may
be attacked even on that subject.

" JVhit-Siinday, May 20. — We went to services at
ten and twelve, in the private chapel, and I spent the
afternoon walking on the Slopes with Princess Louise
and talking to dear Princess Helena. I have the most
charming little bedroom and sitting-room with a piano
in it, up in the Lancaster Tower, looking over the
Long Walk, and am very snug there all by myself,
reading, writing, and playing ! I dined with the Queen,
who was most kind ; but it is a very stately business,
and only the Duchess was there besides. She lunches
and dines in the Octagon Room. We breakfast
there, and lunch and dine in a room on the other side,
but we are a very small party.

" May 21. — I sat with Princess Helena, who is very
busy and much worried by the warlike reports which
Lady Caroline Harrington brings from Berlin, where she
has been sent to look after the Crown Princess. At five
I drove with her and the Queen by Frogmore and the
Mausoleum to Virginia Water, where we mounted our
ponies and spent an hour or more, very pleasantly,
riding about in the beautiful woods, where it was
sheltered from the east wind.

" May 22. — Rather a dull day, as Princess Helena
went up to town, to have luncheon at Marlborough House
and go to the Flower Show with her brothers. But I saw
dear little Prince Leo in Mile Nordic's rooms, where we
have planned a daily meeting after luncheon ! He
looked very well, in spite of his lameness, and played
very nicely on his flute. I dined with the Queen ; Prince
Alfred, who is to be called ' Duke of Edinburgh ' after
Thursday, was added to our party and made it much,

1 866] AT WINDSOR 115

more lively. He is certainly very good-looking, and
has beautiful large blue eyes, like Princess Mary. I
am afraid the Queen is ver}'' unhappy about foreign
affairs. To-day's news is very warlike, and there seems
considerable fear of a revolution in Berlin. The
Royalties were much crowded at the Flower Show, the
great attraction being the Prince of Teck, who seems
to have excited universal admiration among the ladies.
Colonel Home Purvis told Mrs. Bruce that the more he
saw of him, the better he liked him. But poor Princess
Mary appeared at the Flower Show with very red eyes,
and had been crying, we hear, because she is told that
if war breaks out her bridegroom will have to fight- —
which does seem too bad !

" May 23. — I spent the morning walking round
Frogmore with Princess Louise. The sun was warm
and everything in blossom, and to me the place seemed
quite delicious. Only think of Prince Louis being
obliged to join the Austrian Army, while the Crown
Prince takes the command in Silesia. Here every-
one is much annoyed at the Duke of Saxe-Coburg
having asked for a Prussian command, and placed
his army at the King's disposal. I think I had
rather give up a bit of a kingdom like that than
sacrifice the position of head of the Liberal party in
Germany ! I sat with Princess Helena while Mr.
Thorney croft worked at her bust, which is getting
more like her, although 1 am not sure that it is
altogether good. That done. General Grey came to
luncheon. He is a host in himself, and was most
amusing, repeating lines from Burns which are very
appropriate at the present time :

- And a' ye bonny blossoms,
God mak' ye a' as gude as braw,
And send ye lads in plenty !
And oh ! ye British public, know
That kings are unco' scanty.
And German princes tho' they're sma'
They're better just nor wanty ! '

The Drawing-room which most of the party went up

ii6 WINDSOR AND CLIVEDEN [chap, ix

to attend, was a fertile topic of discussion. Everyone
was eloquent on the subject of Lady Dudley's beauty
and wonderful pearls, and people waited to see her pass
after she came out of the throne-room.

" May 24. — The Queen's birthday ! The bells rang
and a salute was fired in the Long Walk. The Prince
and Princess of Wales and Prince Alfred came down to
luncheon. There was a grand disturbance, because
nobody knew when they were to arrive, and conse-
quently no one was there to receive them but Lord
Charles, and that quite accidentally. We had Lady
Macclesfield at luncheon, and I have quite lost my
heart to her, and remember having always heard
Mamma say how charming the Grosvenors were. Miss
Macdonald and I walked down into the town, and
met Prince Edward and Eliza Alexander, who are here
with the regiment for three months. We went on to
Frogmore, the only sheltered place, but it must be very
hot in summer and damp in winter. There is a pretty
drawing-room, beautifully fitted up in white and gold
and grey by the Prince and Princess of Whales, but most
of the rooms are small and open into a corridor, which
makes them dark. Still, it is a very pretty place. After
dinner, the Queen sent for the ' three ladies ' (the
Duchess always dines with her) into the corridor, and
was very gracious, shaking hands with Miss Macdonald
and myself, and kissing Mrs. Bruce. Prince Edward
also dined with her, and joined us in the evening, looking
very big. He took a hand at whist, so I sat out and
watched the General play — a good lesson for me.

''May 25. — Dearest Princess Helena's birthday!
May God indeed send her the choicest blessings, and
cause the bright promise of her present life to ripen
unblighted by time. It was celebrated by a tea to the
servants' children, held in the Conservatory. Never was
there such a successful fete ! We all assembled there
at five, and the Queen actually walked through, and
then dancing began, and for the first time she looked
on — an immense step gained. We all joined in it. I
thoroughly enjoyed a good country dance, and so I am

1866] AT CLIVEDEN 117

sure did we all. Princess Helena danced with Lohlein the
Prince Consort's valet, Princess Louise with Mr. Stirling,
Princess Beatrice with Major Elphinstone, Prince Arthur
with one of the dressers, and Miss Macdonald and I
each with a page. It was the greatest possible fun, and
the Queen remained on a dais at the end, looking on with
real amusement, till twenty minutes to eight. ' God save
the Queen ' was played, and they all cheered her when
she went away, and she looked so much pleased, while I
had the advantage of seeing a good deal of my dear
little Prince. The Duchess and I dined with her in
the evening. All the children were there, as it was a
birthday, and dear little Princess Beatrice (who is in
great force, in spite of the whooping-cough) proposed
' dear Na's health ' (her name for Princess Helena) ' and
many happy returns of the day, as it is her last birthday
at home,' a sentiment which was received with shrieks
of laughter, resulting in asimultaneousburstof whooping-
cough from Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, and Prince
Leopold. It was a horrid shame, but it was impossible
to help laughing ! I never was at such a merry dinner
in the Oak Room, and the Queen was most gracious,
and came and talked to me for some time after dinner.
" May 26. — This morning Princess Helena gave me
a dear little thermometer in an ormolu horseshoe, ' in
order,' she said, ' that Lady Bowater may not be afraid
of your keeping your rooms too hot.' But I don't think
that is one of Mamma's bugbears. At 3.30 we started
for Cliveden, in three carriages — the Queen, Princess
Helena, and the Duchess in the first, attended by Lord
Charles on horseback; Princess Beatrice, Prince Leopold,
and the two governesses in the second ; and Princess
Louise, Miss Macdonald, and myself in the third. The
drive was pretty enough, but when we reached Cliveden
our exclamations of delight were unbounded, and we
rushed about like wild things. Anything more beautiful
than this place it would be hard to find ! The house
stands on the top of a high ridge, and from my window I
look down on a smooth terraced lawn, gay with rose cam-
pions and blue forget-me-nots, and on the hanging woods

ii8 WINDSOR AND CLIVEDEN [chap, ix

of Cliveden and Taplovv, with the river winding below
through the meadows like a silver ribbon. Very soon
after our arrival, we all — the Duchess, Miss Macdonald,
General Grey, Lord Charles, and myself — ran down to
the river and, seizing on a boat, had a most delicious row,
exploring some of the many little creeks, which with
their bulrushes and flags and the shadows and reflec-
tions in the water would send an artist into raptures.
The place formerly belonged to Sir George Warrender,
from whom the Duchess of Sutherland bought it, and
soon afterwards the house was burnt down. The present
building was only begun in 1851, and is a large Italian
villa, beautifully fitted up and full of beautiful things.
It is much more cheery than Windsor and much easier
to get out of, and in this weather it is too delightful to
escape from these great state rooms, without a single
book or newspaper to look at. Here every room is full
of books, and our dining-room opens into a conservatory,
which is a blaze of pink and white azaleas. The grounds
are quite beautiful, and remind me very much of Drop-

more.

< (

Sunday, May 27. — W^e had a delightful walk through
the Cliveden and Hedsor grounds to a dear little village
church, and had a nice service and good sermon on the
text, ' He that hath My commandments and keepeth
them,' etc. All the Royalties, as General Grey naughtily
expresses it, ' were pagans ' to-day, and for some un-
known reason did not go to church. In the afternoon
I drove with the Queen and Princess Helena, all through
the grounds at Dropmore, which are gay with azaleas
and rhododendrons in blossom, to Burnham Beeches,
which is just a bit of forest with a few picturesque old
beeches scattered about. We came back through
BeaconsfieW, altogether a charming drive, and the
Queen was very lively and talked more than usual."

The next week was spent in pleasant drives in the
beautiful Thames valley, in the company of her beloved
Princesses, in boating expeditions and long walks
in the woods, then in the glory of the spring-time.
The weather was radiant, and Louisa enjoyed herself

1 866] CHARLES KINGSLEY 119

thoroughly. The last Sunday was marked by the
presence of Charles Kingsley, which is duly recorded
in her Journal.

" Sunday, June 3. — Mr. Kingsley read the service
to-day in the Queen's dining-room. It was very short
— only the Litany and Communion Service, with a
short sermon on the text, * Say not thou. What is the
cause that the former days were better than these ?
for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.* The
burden of the song was that this nineteenth century,
with all its imperfections, is better than all that ever
went before it, and that we should make a great mistake
if we tried to exchange. The language was good, and
the sermon very different from those one generally
hears, but I don't think it was heart-searching, or
likely to do one much practical good. H.R.H. the
Duke of Edinburgh rode over to luncheon, so we had
Mr. Eliot Yorke to amuse us, and I frittered away the
afternoon between him and the Princesses. We had
meant to walk to Hedsor Church — V.V., as General
Grey puts it : G.V. we call it sometimes, for he never
will do anything but just what he pleases. The other
day he went to Windsor, and instead of coming back
to dinner, sta3''ed to dine with his own people and did
not return till past eleven, and there were the Queen
and Princess Helena sitting up for him with a pile of
dispatch-boxes, which arrived by messenger from the
Foreign Office just after dinner. I fear the news is
very bad again, and it is really too much for my small
mind to have the war and Reform Bill to look after at
once. It shows, however, that reading the Times is
as good as being at headquarters, for the first leading
article in yesterday's paper contained precisely the
same news as reached the Queen at 9.30 on the previous
evening. Mr. Kingsley dined with the Queen and
joined us later, and made himself very pleasant during
the short time that he remained. He told us all to
read Madame TMrhse^ which he calls ' a perfect idyll.'

" June 4. — The last day at Cliveden ! I went out

* A French story by Erckmann-Chatrian.

I20 WINDSOR AND CLIVEDEN [chap, ix

directly after breakfast with Princess Louise — dear
little thing, I have seen a great deal of her this time
and we are capital friends. But the Queen overtook us,
and picked us up to go and perform a grand ceremony
of planting an oak in one of the more retired avenues.
Never, I should think, were those quiet glades so gay,
for Princess Beatrice and Miss Bauer followed in an
open phaeton-and-pair, and Prince Leopold and Mr.
Stirling in the pony-carriage. To me the Queen was
most gracious, as she has been all through this visit ;
but all the same I was not sorry when it was over, and
we all dispersed. Princess Louise and I took a charming
drive through Hedsor Park, and after luncheon I sat
first with Princess Helena and then with Princess
Louise till 4 p.m., when we had agreed to have another
game of croquet with dear Prince Leo. Our pleasure,
however, was sadly spoilt by the dear boy having an
attack of faintness which alarmed us all. Happily he
recovered quickly, and the Queen, who was going out
driving, did not know of it till her return. I dined with
her, and was afraid that she might blame us for plajdng
croquet on so hot a day ; but she was kind and gracious
as ever, and took leave of me in the kindest way. At
night I had a long talk with the dear Duchess, of whom I
have seen a great deal this time, and who is always
most kind to me.

" June 5. — I took leave of the Princesses before
breakfast, and started directly afterwards for Windsor,
and was home with the dear mother by luncheon-time.
I talked and slept all day, and in the evening drove up
for the Palace ball, which was about as amusing as
usual. I saw shoals of people, danced every dance, and
met Edith Turnor, Mrs. Gordon, etc. Princess Mary
asked us to come and see her presents at St. James's
Palace, which we did the next day. There was a large,
pleasant assembly, and lovel}- cadeaux, especially a
necklace of crystal flies given by the Duke of Edinburgh.
Her Royal Highness was exceedingly kind and civil,
but I was dead tired, and refused to do anything else
but go home to Arlington Street."

CHAPTER X

Politics and Society

1 866-1 867

During the next two years Louisa Bowater's life was,
as, looking back on this period in her Journal, she
pronounces, comparatively uneventful. She rode and
danced, read and wrote, and enjoyed dinners and balls
as much as ever. Her friends were more numerous
than ever, fresh suitors presented themselves constantly
and were freely discussed in the pages of her Journal.
But none of these made any lasting impression on her
heart. On the whole, the man who exercised the
greatest influence on her at this time was her cousin,
Charles Newdegate. Much of her time, as before, was
spent in Arlington Street or at Harefield or Arbury,
and her growing interest in politics was largely due to
his society, while her regard for him and her affection
for his mother deepened each day that she spent in their
company. A few extracts must suffice as specimens
of the many interesting events recorded by her busy
pen.

" 3 Arlington Street, June 7. — Mrs. Newdegate and I
went to the House and heard some rather dull speeches
on the County Franchise, from Mr. Liddell,Mr. Adderley,
Mr. Stanhope, and Sir GeorgeGrey. Mr. Walpole's amend-
ment, proposing £20 as the franchise qualification in-
stead of £14., was lost by 13, the Opposition having
weakened themselves by a motion brought on earlier
in the evening by Lord Stanley without any notice, to
take the Redistribution Bill before the Franchise Bill.
The Whigs, meanwhile, affect a virtuous indignation ;

122 POLITICS AND SOCIETY [chap, x

and so they fight and squabble, and the true interests
of the country are neglected. Ugh ! I am sick of the
whole thing !

" Harefield Place, Sunday, June lo, 2 a.m. — I don't
feel the least inclined to go to bed, and shall amuse
myself b}'^ writing an account of our evening at Lady
Emily Peel's. Lady Waldegrave had a rival party, so
the members of the present and of the ci-devant Govern-
ment were not very civil to each other. We went very
early to Whitehall Gardens, followed Lady Ely upstairs,
and found a large dinner-party. The Duke of Cambridge
was standing near the door talking to Lord Dudley,
whose pretty bride sat on the sofa behind in white satin
and lovely diamonds. In the middle of the room the
Bishop of Oxford and Lord Derby were deep in con-
versation, and were shortly joined by Lord Chelmsford
and vSir Robert himself, who went about bowing and
smirking ; he may be excellent, but he has very bad
manners. Smaller fry followed — though 'Jacob
Omnium'^ scarcely comes under that denomination.
Then, in quick succession, came the Clarendons, Lady
De Grey, Lady Churchill, Lady Burrell, Lord and Lady
Queensberry, Sir Francis and Miss Grant, Adderleys,
Henniker, and Boscawens — in short, it was a very fine,
very Tory party. In the cloakroom we met Mr. Norton,
at whom I stared with great interest, and Lord
Houghton, to whom I was introduced. Meantime
Charley had been dining with the Newspaper Press
Fund. Lord Granville was in the chair, and annoyed
Charley by describing him as a great Conservative, in
opposition to himself as a Liberal. It is very amusing to
live even on the outskirts of ' the circles of power.' Oh !
how ambitious I should be if I was one of them ! I was
very sorry to leave town, but it is delicious here. Now
to bed and to put by such thoughts for Sunday. The
nightingales will sing me to sleep.

" 3 Arlington Street, June 12. — We went to Lady
Dartmouth's ball, a great crush at first, but afterwards
there never was such fun. Almost every man I knew in

' Matthew James Higgius.

1866] DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT 123

London was there, and I did not think it was left in me
to enjoy a ball so much. I talked politics as usual with
Sir Charles Mordaunt. His tone is very different to
what it was at Lady Farquhar's a month ago, when,
according to him, the Tories did not choose to take office.
Now he thinks the party is going to smash, and he
says that neither he nor C. N. N. have a chance of
winning their elections with the £14 franchise.

" June 19. — We were astounded by the news of the
Government's defeat by 11, in consequence of which
they have decided to resign. The question was such a
comparatively trifling one, whether the borough qualifi-
cation should be stated according to the rental or the
rates. The Queen is at Balmoral, and the whole affair
is very inconvenient. She ought not to have gone.
I had a long letter from Princess Helena, who is much
worried about the war and the illness of the Crown
Princess's youngest boy.

" June 20. — The Prussians have overrun almost all
Northern German}^ without opposition. We live in
wonderfully exciting times.

" June 26. — We drove into the city to leave cards
at the Mansion House, and found the Lady Mayoress

* receiving,' a rare chance for me, and admired the fine
but rather dark rooms, fitted up with old-fashioned
magnificence. Charley came up and reported that the
ministers were out. Gladstone made a very temperate
speech, while Lord Russell and Lord Derby pitched
into each other upstairs. To-night at Mrs. Packe's ball
I danced with Mr. Gladstone's secretary, Willy Gurdon,
who seems glad his chief has resigned, and says they will
come in all the stronger in six months. But, on the
whole, nobody seems to care much.

" June 27. — We dined with Mr. and Lady Harriet
Ramsden in Portman Square, where a Mr. Pennington
took me in, but I got into talk with my other neighbour,
who said almost directly, ^ ' Is that Mr. Newdegate ? '

* Yes.' ' Oh, I'm so glad ! I have long wanted to know
him. I must have a discussion with him after dinner.*
' What about ? ' I asked, premising that Charley

124 POLITICS AND SOCIETY [chap, x

was my cousin and guardian. ' I want to know why
he so persistently attacks the Roman Cathohcs.' * Are
you one ? ' * Yes ; I belong to one of the oldest Roman
Catholic families in England.' ' Ah ! ' I said, ' he
likes them a great deal better than he does the recent
perverts.' ' Well, he has a strong collaborateur in Mr.
Whalley.' ' Mr. Whalley,' I retorted, ' is no friend
of his.' Then on to a thousand other subjects,
scampering over the ground, ejfleurant everything —
French society, German novels and metaphysics, Schiller
and Goethe — and I was not surprised to find that he had
been brought up in Paris and taken his degree there.
Ere long we exchanged names : mine conveyed nothing
to him, but his — -Jerningham — took us at once into
Norfolk. Then I bade him attend to his other neigh-
bour, and we agreed to meet at Mrs. Paynter's ball.
After dinner he got his talk with Charley, and later
in the evening I sat out with him at the ball for twent}''
minutes, fighting the Roman Catholic subject. He
tried in vain to persuade me that * the end justifies the
means ' was an exploded doctrine, but had me more in
a corner touching convents, of which I know too little
to speak. He said he did not like them himself, but
complained that Charley was hard and bitter, although
every one allows him to be honest. I told him that there
must be war between us, as the Roman Catholics were
so aggressive, and that the British public was asleep
and wanted rousing, and that the Jesuits' view of
implicit obedience rendered them not responsible
and therefore doubly dangerous. Of course the end
of the talk left us just where we were, but it was
intensely interesting, and altogether a curious adven-
ture .^

" July 4. — I sat at home all the morning reading

^ Sir Hubert Jerningham, born 1842 ; entered the Diplomatic Service,
1866 ; served in Paris, Vienna, and as agent at Belgrade, 1878 ; Governor of
Mauritius and Trinidad, 1 887-1 889 ; died in London, April 3, 1914. Sir
Hubert was the author of Life in a French Chdteau, and of several other
books, and was considered, with Lord Chief Justice Cockbum and Lord
Granville, to be one of the three finest French scholars of the day in this
country.

1 866] CHARLES NEWDEGATE 125

George Eliot's (Miss Evans) new novel Felix Holt, the
Radical. Wonderfully clever it is, reminding me of the
best Dutch pictures. Her studies of middle and upper-
lower class life are admirable. Charley knew her well,
and says that all her life she has been mortified by
her want of beauty. This, I suppose, explains why
many characters in her books — Hetty, Esther, etc. —
are lovely but not always wise. I had a long argument
with him to-day on the Schleswig-Holstein question.
All turns upon this : Did the Duke of Augustenburg
sell his rights to the Duchy to Prussia, or not ? The
best informed people say that he did not. Meantime,
Charley wishes success to the Prussians, and his wish
is gratified, as we have just heard of their great victory.
After tea we had a long chat about his political position.
It fills me with profound admiration when I realise
how his whole life has been one long sacrifice to duty.
His life all work, mine all play — what a contrast ! And
yet I can't help it. But I wish I could find a principle
to guide one in judging of the doctrine of nationalities.
One is very anxious that Venice should belong to Italy,
Schleswig-Holstein to German}^, and then why should
not Ireland be free ? I mean logically. It is hard to
draw the line between a just resistance to oppression,
and rebellion.

" Thursday , July 5. Marriage of Princess Helena. —
I was up betimes and got into my wedding clothes at
once, and was off by 10.30 to Paddington Station,
where Lord Alfred Paget handed me out of the carriage,
and I found myself in Lady Augusta Stanley's charge.
The station was gay with uniforms and ladies in full
evening dress, but we soon found seats in a compartment
of the special train, with Mr. Disraeli and Lord Eversley
in the next. They were busy discussing the Austrian
reverse, but we could not hear much of what they said.
The streets of Windsor were gaily decorated as we
drove up to the Grand Entrance and marched through
St. George's Hall to the top of the equerries' staircase,
where Miss Maude and I were separated from our
chaperons and shown into the White Drawing-room.
10

126 POLITICS AND SOCIETY [chap.x

Here we found a number of invited guests, including
the mothers of the bridesmaids and others, who were
not to take part in the processions. The Duke of
Argyll and I had a great greeting. He was full of
the war news. The Austrian army, it seems, was com-
pletely routed at Koniggratz, and there is now nothing
between the Prussians and Vienna. 'Tis but a few
weeks since people were saying there was nothing
between the Austrians and Berlin. And all this
Benedek has thrown away. Ere long we were sum-
moned to the Chapel, where I found myself in a line
with Miss Seymour, Miss Maude, Miss Wood, and Sybil
Grey. Opposite us were seated the whole of the ex-
Ministry, who do not give up their seats till to-morrow.
Lord Derby, General Peel, and Mr. Disraeli were the
only representatives of the new Cabinet, the latter
sitting next but one to Mr. Gladstone. It was a
curious study of faces, and very suggestive was the
fact that Baron Brunnow and Count Bernstorff never
ceased talking. Poor Count Apponyi, the Austrian
Ambassador, sent an excuse. And now a flourish of
trumpets and a grand march announced the approach
of the first procession, that of the Royal Family,
headed by the Maharajah, in gorgeous Indian array.
He was followed by the Princess of Leiningen, the
Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Louise, and Prince
Leopold, able to walk, I was glad to see ; Prince Arthur
and Princess Beatrice, the Duke of Edinburg-h and
the Princess of Wales, and the King and Queen of the
Belgians — an Austrian archduchess, who must have
felt very heavy-hearted. Another pause and a burst of
martial strains heralded the bridegroom's approach.
I looked anxiously at the Prince to whom my darling's
destinies are to be committed, and when he rose from
his knees he stood exactly facing us. It is a fine
manly presence and an open face, younger and better-
looking than his photos lead one to expect. He turned
many eager glances towards the door, and soon the bride
advanced slowly, with flushed cheeks and eyes bent
on the ground, looking very handsome. The Queen

1 866] MARRIAGE OF PRINCESS HELENA 127

and Prince of Wales supported her, and her train was
borne by eight bridesmaids : Lady CaroHne Gordon
Lennox, Lady Margaret Scott, Lady Albertha Hamilton,
Lady Laura Phipps, Lady Alexandrina Murray, Lady
Ernestine Edgcumbe, Lady Muriel Campbell, and Lady
Mary FitzWilliam. I listened with beating heart to the
solemn words of the service. Both ' I wills ' rang out
clear and distinct, the Queen gave her daughter away,
and all was completed. It gave me pleasure to see the
Prince kneeling with one arm on his mother's chair, and
to see the hearty embraces between the bride and her
mother and brother. Then the procession wheeled and
passed out, and we found ourselves back in the drawing-
room, where Major Elphinstone came and talked freely
to me in the crowd. Presently we were told to go in to
see the Queen, who was in the next room. I wanted to
wait for Lady Mary Hood, but General Grey pushed us
on, so I took heart of grace and followed Miss Maude
to the door. People were shy, and ranged themselves
on each side, instead of going up to the Queen,
who stood in the middle of the floor evidently in a
state of despair. Suddenly she caught my eye and
beckoned me forward, so I went, made two curtsies,
shook hands with her, and got a cordial grasp from
Princess Helena, with a ' Thanks very much,' in reply
to my whispered greeting, and found myself alongside of
Lady Augusta, nearly tumbling over Prince Christian
en route. But I never was more frightened in my life.
The Royalties soon retired, and I had a bow from
Prince Alfred and Prince Arthur, and took a good look
at the King of the Belgians, who is much changed from
the fair stooping youth I remember as Due de Brabant.
The Queen is plain and not graceful. Now came a
move for luncheon, and to my great surprise and
delight General Peel took me in. Didn't I feel cock-a-
hoop ! I am not sure that the scene in the Waterloo
Chamber was not the prettiest of all — plenty of space,
a buffet round three sides of the room, and the sun
streaming down on gay uniforms and dresses. I saw
no end of friends, including Mr. Stirling, who came

128 POLITICS AND SOCIETY [chap, x

and talked to me of Prince Leo, and then went back
to town with Lady Augusta and the Dean."

The autumn was once more spent in a round of
visits, ending with a month at Sotterley and Christmas
at Arbury, where Louisa enjoyed meeting her old
friend Miss Tina Montgomerie, the companion of many
happy days spent under the same roof.

" Arbury, December 14. — Once more the anniversary
of that sad day comes round, and even in the midst
of gaiety one's thoughts turn to the Sunny South and
that slowly darkening room. None the less I am
happy, happier than I ever thought I could have
been. Dear Papa would have been glad of this. We
went a huge party to Gopsall ball, which was very
lively, although not so smart as last year. It is curious
the revolution that is taking place in dress and how
we are going back to Empire fashions. Lady Mary
Hervey was the handsomest girl in the room.

" December 15. — The hounds met at Arbury, but it
was a pouring wet day, and we saw nothing. The
party all dispersed, except four pleasant men — Colonel
Wynne-Finch, Sir Theodore Biddulph, Captain Rowley,
and Mr. Boughton Leigh, a snug combination, which
Tina and I appreciate. Are we rivals ? I sometimes
think it. I can never visit the Gallery without a pang,
when I remember that first visit to Arbury which
brought me a friend, in Tina — and a lover ! To-day
my dreams are changed. He no longer occupies the
prominent place which he did in my thouglits. Will
the other dream come to anything ? Is it for his
happiness or for mine? — and more than all, do I care?
does he think of me ? The gentlemen hunted, and we
walked to Astley and had a long, long talk, ending by
touching on the subject which so deeply interests us
both. I could not help admiring her unselfishness
when she said, ' The question is, would marriage
be for his happiness?' Is she fond of him, I
wonder ?

" December 28.^ — Yesterday we rode to Coventry,
which looked very picturesque with its quaint old towers

1 867] AT ARBURY 129

and market-place lined with stalls of ivy, holly, and
mistletoe, Peeping Tom at the corner, and the tall spires
rising through the fog. To-day Tina and I drove to
the meet at Fillongley, a very pretty village with a fine
old church and yew tree. Dear Tina departed in the
afternoon, to my great regret,

" December 29. — I rode about with Charley, and had
a long, long talk with him about the Roman Catholics
and his lifelong struggle against them. * It is hard,'
he said, ' to be obliged to fight so constantly, but that
is God's will, not mine. I have never suffered a personal
interest to stand in my way.' That explains much.
I can hardly trust myself to write what I think of him.
Wild dreams again ! He is persuaded that the Roman
Catholic Emancipation Bill led to the passing of the last
Reform Bill. ' The Jesuits,' he declares, ' wish to have
absolute power, and when the people find that, they will
take the power more and more into their own hands,
and the consequence will be revolution and democracy.'
Apropos of John Bright 's firm having thrice been
prosecuted for disregard of the Factory Acts, Charley
lamented the inconsistency of so-called patriots, and
gave it as his opinion ' that no one who read history
could be sanguine. It gives one such an idea of the
finality of things.' But is it really so ? Surely the
human race, take it for all in all, has advanced, is
advancing, and will advance. It makes me feel how
little I go to the root of things or judge them on fixed
principles. Read — think — read — that is the only way
to improve.

" Willingham, January 5, 1867. — A long talk with
my cousins, Jessie and Louisa Boucherett, about the
enfranchisement of women, for which they are most
anxious. They told me some curious facts — the right
of women to vote in Yorkshire under the House of
Lancaster, their present right to vote in Sweden and
Austria (much good it has done them there !), their
right to vote in parts of France before the Revolution
— a right of which they have since been deprived.
Apparently aristocracies are more favourable to women's

I30 POLITICS AND SOCIETY [chap, x

rights than democracies. I am not quite sure about
it, and fear that in Roman Cathohc countries female
franchise would only give more votes to the party of the
priests. Women are such fools, I believe even here half
of them would vote as their parson or apothecary bade
them. Jessie says, * Enfranchise them, and they will
obtain a better education.' I should be tempted to
get the education first. I finished Madame Therese,
which Mr. Kingsley so strongly recommended. I quite
see its perfection from the artistic point of view — the
perfection of extreme simplicity. I also see another
thing. It points out the good and noble side of those
ideas about les droits de I'homme which were after-
wards so much trailed in the mud of the Revolution
that their original beauty was altogether lost, and we
fail to comprehend the enthusiasm which they at first
inspired in many good men and true.

" Stoke Rochford, January i6. — We all went out to
look for the shooters, and had enormous fun, tramping
about in the snow and going off into shrieks of laughter,
as also over a noisy round game in the evening. It is
good to be young and foolish sometimes. In the after-
noon I put on skates for the first time since 1859, and
got on pretty well, considering. All the shooters came
down, and the scene was gay and picturesque in the
snow. Still more enjoyable was the late walk home
through the still, calm air by the light of a brilliant
moon. I sat by Mr. Heathcote and talked German to
him, he being half a German by birth, and got on to
Prussian politics. Lady Mary Turnor (Edmund's wife)
is quite charming — so bright, clever, and sensible. He
is indeed a lucky man.

' ' January 2 1 . — We were kept in all day by the snow
— playing battledore, writing, talking, playing whist,
and roaming about the beautiful library, seeking honey
from many a flower — a rare dissipation for me ! In
the evening had a long chat with Edith — she is a dear
little thing, and I am sorry, very sorry, this visit has
come to an end.

"38 Beaufort Gardens, March 12. — A letter from

186;] BIRTH OF PRINCESS CHRISTIAN'S SON 131

Lady Susan Melville, written at Princess Christian's
desire, with a very alarming account of the poor
Princess of Wales. Meanwhile, the political w^orld looks
dark and gloomy. Ministers shilly-shally with Reform,
there is a Fenian rising in Ireland, — martial law
to be proclaimed after two years' peace, — the Eastern
question lowering ! Only Germany prospers.

" April 15. — Last night's post brought the welcome
news of dear Bella's having a son, born on February 26}
This morning I hear that dearest Princess Christian is
safe with a son, born at 5 p.m. yesterday. It was
curious my getting news of these events two days
running. God bless both the young mothers and their
bairns.

" April 22. Midnight. — I positively cannot go to
bed without writing a few lines to record my impressions
of Mrs. Scott Siddons, whom we have just seen at the
Haymarket as Rosalind in As You Like It, and in
two scenes from Romeo and Juliet. I scarcely know
which I admired the most. Her exquisitely lovely face
lends itself equally to Rosalind's archness and to Juliet's
despair. I only quarrel with the scenes — it should be
the whole play. But she must take the town by storm.
It is unworthy of the Times not to recognise it.

" Richmond Park, May 2. — I am sorry to leave
London, but it is charming to be at home again, and
I cannot describe what a delight this weather is to me
— the delicate tints of the green, the hazy blue of the
distance, the lark by day and the nightingale by night.
I saw the poor imbecile wandering about, and even he
seemed happy. Then I had a curious encounter with
an old man who looked like a watchman and came and
sat down by me. A troop of children gathered round
us, and a casual remark on the beauty of the weather
led insensibly to a long conversation on Scott and
Irving, in whose works he seemed extremely well read.
At night we went to Lady Harberton's ball, which has
created great excitement, and proved a grand succes.
All the pleasantest people in the neighbourhood were

^ Miss Mainwaring, married to General Milmaa in iS66.

132 POLITICS AND SOCIETY [chap, x

there, enough for spirit and not too many for dancing,
lots of men, and ever^^thing well done. I danced all
night without stopping. ... A charming, happy letter
from my dear Princess and an invitation to Arlington
Street from Mrs. Newdegate. I finished Le Conscrit.
It gives a most vivid idea of the miseries which these
poor people endured in 1813, but is not as pretty as
Madame Therkse "

CHAPTER XI

London, Suffolk, and Frogmore

1867-1868

" 3 Arlington Street, May 18. — Mrs. Newdegate, Harry,
and I tried hard to understand last night's work
in the House. It has resulted in the abolition of that
wretched Compound Householder, whom we have been
at such pains to realise, and a return to direct personal
payment of rates — i.e. household suffrage pure and
simple ! What would have been said to this two years
ago ? I am very angry with Mr. Gladstone for con-
descending to threats of agitation. George Ridley says
household suffrage is a return to the ancient basis of the
Constitution. But in what altered conditions !

" May 22. — We went down home for our usual
Derby Day party, and found it very pleasant but
bitterly cold. We heard the result on our return to
town, — 'Hermit,' 'Marksman,' 'Vauban,' — whereby Mr.
Chaplin, Sir F. Johnstone, and Captain NichoU land
;£25o,ooo — downright wicked, I call it. Lord Hastings
says he shall win again in 1869.

" May 29. — I went to the Academy with Mrs. Newde-
gate, and was pleased to find that my taste coincides
in a great measure with hers. Goodall's ' Rachel '
and Frith's ' King Charles the Second's Last Birthday '
divide the popular favour ; Landseer's picture of the
Queen on horseback, with John Brown holding the
bridle and the Princesses in the background, creates a
good deal of comment, but does not please me in the
least. Mr. Weigall has painted a speaking likeness of

Lady Rose, and there is a portrait of ' Herr Joachim —

133

134 LONDON, SUFFOLK, FROGMORE [chap, xi

a lamplight study,' by Mr. Watts, which in richness of
tone recalls the Old Masters. We went to the Feildings'
party, which was almost too small, but very pleasant,
Lady Sherborne and Ida singing charmingly, and Sir
Hope Grant accompanying on the 'cello. St. John
joined us here, and went on with us to Mrs. Weguelin's
ball — the cheeriest, j oiliest, merriest concern I have
been at for long. St. John went on swimmingly. I
danced with him and C. Heathcote, Edward Ridley,
etc., and Alpin took me to supper. Altogether I enjoyed
it to an absurd extent.

" June 5. — A pouring wet day, which gave one time
to write letters. In the evening to three parties. Lady
Boyne, Mrs. Adderley, and the Ridleys, where all the
cousinhood were collected, and very charming it was
to see that splendid house open once more and
the whole family assembled under its roof. The
papers full of alarming accounts of robberies com-
mitted in broad daylight in the most public thorough-
fares .

" June 6. — We rode with Robert Gurdon, J. Anger-
stein, etc. In the afternoon paid twenty-one visits
without finding anyone at home. Dined with the
Melvilles, and sat by Mr. Gumming Bruce, a most agree-
able old gentleman. No subject amiss to him — societ}',
politics, art, he talked about all agreeably and well.
He said of C. N. N. that someone had lately remarked
that he had more of the Demosthenes element than
anyone in the House, the only fault of his speaking
being that it was often too grandiose, * always Caesar
saving Rome.' He told me a capital story of the
Duchess of Gordon, when valsing was first introduced.
When Mr. Whitbread remonstrated with her on allowing
so indelicate a dance, she replied, ' Why, Mr. Whitbread,
I thought you were the last person to object to the
liberty of the press.'

" June 25. — I went to Ella's with Mrs. Hoare.
Rubinstein played grandly, but the only piece I cared
very much for was the Adagio from Beethoven's
Quartett in G. At night to the Palace ball, which

1 867] A PALACE BALL 135

was quite unusually pleasant, less crowded, more
dancing, and everyone looking uncommonly well.
Royalties were few and far between, but Princess
Louise looked very pretty and shook hands cordially,
so did Princess Louis of Hesse. I danced with Mr.
Abbot and Mr. Stirling, and had a long talk with the
latter, — poor little man, he is so sorry to have left Court,
— also with Charley, a quadrille half a mile long, and
went to supper with him. Lady Adelaide Talbot
looked lovely, and Lady Alice Hill very handsome,
flirting with Lord Kenlies ; and Miss Wilbraham, Miss
Napier, Miss Grant, Edith Turnor, and a number of
pretty women were there.

" July 5. — Yesterday at the Levens' breakfast
everyone was talking of the alarming accounts from
Mexico and the probable postponement of the Review\
This morning we found the sad news was but too true.
Poor Kaiser Maxl^ true, he was a usurper, but a usurper
seeking to restore the blessings of peace and settled
government to a countr}' which for twenty-five years
has been a prey to the most fearful anarchy. Of course
it would have been wiser for him to have retired with
the French troops, but one cannot help admiring the
gallant, chivalrous spirit which fought so bravely to
the last. And that poor Empress — bereft of her
reason ! It is too sad. In the evening, we dined with
Sir George Chetwj-nd, and I sat next to Mr. Clements,
who is private secretary to Colonel Taylor. It amuses
me to see how these people, Mr. Clements and Charley
Fremantle,^ worship Dizz3\ It makes me fancy there
must be something more about him than one gives
him credit for. Perhaps, however, it is only that, as
Mr. Clements observed, he knows how to govern men,
and Gladstone does not. Mrs. Newdegate does not
think Gladstone honest. I do, though it seems odd

^ Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, brother of the Emperor Francis
Joseph, elected Emperor of Mexico, 1864, deposed and executed by
rebels, June 19, 1867.

'Hon. Sir Charles Fremantle, K.C.B., third son of ist Lord Cottesloe,
private secretary to Mr. Disraeli, 1 866-1 868 ; Deputy-Master of the Mint,
1 868-1 894 ; born 1834, died 1914.

136 LONDON, SUFFOLK, FROGMORE [chap, xi

that his own father and brother should have thought
so ill of him. But of Dizzy's principles I have no
opinion. See the dirt he has eaten this session ! Only
a fortnight ago he declared that if the House of Commons
decided to give an additional member to six large towns,
the Government must reconsider the whole Bill and
their position. Of course some people were fools
enough to believe him, and give him a majority of 8 !
And the following week he himself gives the additional
member to four out of the six towns. I should like to
know what mighty difference there is between four or
six towns having an additional member to authorise
such a line of conduct ! C. N. N. is much disap-
pointed at the rejection of the Cumulative Vote, brought
forward by Mr. Lowe — a rejection due to unworthy

party motives. . . . Colonel G 's presents, letters,

visits, and constant attentions worry me greatly. We
do not know what to make of them, and it becomes
every day more difficult to choke him off. Our friend
James Hewett was married on Thursday to that nice,
pretty Miss Hodgson. God grant it may turn out
happily, but it was an ill omen, the news of his brother's
death coming in the midst of the breakfast. Ah me !
'tis a strange world we live in.

" July 12. — I went to Mrs. Hardy's in Carlton
House Terrace to see the entrance of the Sultan — an
exceedingly fine sight it was. From Buckingham
Palace to the Horse Guards the line was kept by the
Guards, whose scarlet uniforms looked well against
the bright green of the trees, while the grey towers of
Westminster were immediately opposite. I could not
help thinking how astonished some of those who sleep in
the Cathedral would have been to see the Commander
of the Faithful passing, not as a captive, but as an
honoured guest through the heart of London. The
procession was imposing, state coaches and Royal
liveries, and an escort of Blues escorting the carriage
containing His Imperial Majesty and the Prince of
Wales. Big Ben boomed out as he passed, and he
acknowledged the salutes of the crowd, which, was

186;] THE SULTAN IN LONDON 137

neither very dense nor very enthusiastic, by raising two
fingers to his forehead.

" July 1$. — At 4 p.m. I was suddenly summoned
back to town by a telegram from Harry, to go to the
Opera for the Sultan's state visit. I rushed up, but it
was alread}^ late. I got into the string at St. James's,
Piccadilly, and never arrived till after the Royal party.
However, it was a brilliant sight, the Royal box being
placed in the centre of the house, immediately facing
the stage and reaching up to the top, under a canopy
surmounted by a crown. The Sultan sat in the middle,
with the Prince on his right and the Duke of Cambridge
on his left. His little son was in the next box, and a
brilliant suite of both nations . The house was crammed,
the most conspicuous figures being Madame Musurus,^
the wife of the Turkish Ambassador, and Lady Dudley,
who wore the most magnificent diamonds and emeralds
which I have ever seen. The opera was Masaniello,
a very pretty spectacle, with plenty of gay choruses
and a good deal of dancing. We had only three acts,
and then * God save the Queen ' was played, and they
clapped the Sultan, who advanced to the front of the
box, smiling and bowing and laying his hand on his
mouth. He is an uninteresting-looking m^an, with a
fat, roundish face, and a dark beard and moustache.

" Meanwhile, a scene of another kind and of far
weightier import was going on at St. Stephen's. The
Reform Bill has passed the third reading. This volatile
world is thinking too much of Turks and Belgians ^
to attend to such grave matters, but it is a night to be
remembered. This country is entering on a new era,
and though we may hope and earnestly pray that all
may yet be well with us, and that Mr. Lowe's and Lord
Cranborne's lugubrious predictions may not be realised,
it is beyond all human foresight to tell what will be
the results of this session's work. One thing is certain,
that all confidence in the heads of the Conservative

^ Madame Musurus died on the following Friday, at the India Office ball.
^ A corps of two thousand Belgian Volunteers came over on a visit to
London in July, and were present at the Wimbledon Review.

138 LONDON, SUFFOLK, FROGMORE [chap, xi

party must be at an end. As far as they are concerned
the results of the session may be summed up in General
Peel's bitter words : ' There is nothing so insecure as
a security, nothing with less vitality than a vital point,
and nothing so elastic as the conscience of a Cabinet
Minister.'

" Richmond Park, Saturday, July 20. — Harry
Boucherett came to luncheon, and escorted us to the
Camp at Wimbledon, where Princess Mary of Teck gave
away the prizes very gracefully, assisted by Lord
Spencer, who this year succeeds Lord Elcho as Chair-
man of the National Rifle Association. At the con-
clusion of this ceremony the Sultan arrived, and his
whole procession drove in front of the Grand Stand —
where we sat — to the Cottage. Then he mounted a
milk-white Arab charger, superbly caparisoned, and
rode down the lines, accompanied by our Princes and
the Duke of Aosta, and attended by a brilliant staff.
They took up their position by the flagstaff, where the
Duchess of Cambridge and her daughters, Princess
Mary and the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg, and
Duchess of Aosta were seated, and the march past
began. First came our Belgian guests^ with their priest,
their vivandiere, and their gigantic drum-major — a
smart-looking body of men enough ; then the Artillery
and Household Cavalrj^ the Third Hussars, and four
battalions of our beloved Guards, Grenadiers, Cold-
streams, and Fusiliers. It was a glorious sight ; they
marched past like a solid wall, with their fine bands
playing, and it sent a thrill through one to look at
them. Then came the long, long stream of Volunteers,
grand also, not only in outward strength and appearance,
but with a moral grandeur of their own — making us all
feel proud of a country which can send forth such an
army of unpaid soldiers. It was indeed a memorable
sight, and as one looked at the Sultan and his Cir-
cassians and Albanians in their white burnouses and
turbans, one felt as if the whole thing had w^alked out
of the Arabian Nights and might incontinently vanish.

** July 22. — Dear Mrs. Newdegate left us, after a

186;] A BYRON STORY 139

two days' visit, which has been a great treat. Among
other interesting things, she told us a curious story
of Lady Byron, which throw^s some Hght on the strange
history of her separation from her husband. Mrs.
Henry Tower (from whom Mrs. Newdegate heard it),
a cousin of Lady Byron, was stajdng with her at her
mother's place, Kirkby Mallory, in January 18 16, six
weeks after the birth of her child, Ada Byron, when
a woman asked to see Lady Byron, and handed her a
packet of papers. The contents of these papers Lady
Byron never communicated to her cousin, but when
Mrs. Tower came to her room afterwards she found
her in a state of the greatest distress. When, at a later
period. Lord Byron wished to induce his wife to live
with him again. Lady Byron took these papers to the
Lord Chancellor, whose comment after reading them
was, ' Lady Byron is quite right, there can be no suit.' "

After another visit to Arbury, where Louisa made
friends with Mr. Cecil Parker and Mr. Thurlow Astley,
and enjoyed a lively dance at Mr. Dugdale's at Merivale,
she went to spend the w^inter with her uncle and aunt
at Sotterley. Here she took up parish work vigorously,
held evening classes, trained the choir and played the
harmonium in church, and arranged school-treats with
renewed enthusiasm. A few shooting-parties and the
company of her favourite cousin, St. John Barne,
helped to enliven an otherwise quiet time, and her
leisure hours were devoted to French literature, of
which she never tired,

" Sotterley, Friday, November 22. — Parliament met
on Tuesday, but what they have done as yet I hardly
know. I have so many irons in the fire — a working-party
for East London, teaching in the school, canvassing, play-
ing chess every evening with my uncle — I have no time,
and am getting into a chronic state of overwork . Colonel
Charteris and Colonel Baring, who came to shoot the Big
Wood, departed, both very pleasant men, and the latter a

great flirt. Colonel G , too, left, but not till he had

taken a walk with me and frightened me nearly to death
with his affectionate manner, poor dear old gentleman !

MO LONDON, SUFFOLK, FROGMORE [chap.xi

" December 12. — A most horrible Fenian outrage, in
the shape of an attempt to blow up Clerkenwell Prison
and rescue the Fenian prisoners. It failed as far as
they were concerned, but spread death and destruction
around. Six or seven people were killed, and thirty
seriously injured. In truth, I do not know what we
are coming to — the state of the country grows more
serious every day. The alarm is universal in London,
and more than thirty thousand special constables have
been sworn in.

" Sotterley, January i, 1868. — St. John arrived from
Osborne, where he was ordered, at ten minutes' notice,
with a hundred men, to guard Her Majesty from an appre-
hended Fenian plot. It appears these men had really
formed a conspiracy to carry her off, and being on guard
at such a time, as St. John observes, is anxious work.

" January 24. — On entering the dining-room this
morning, I was shocked to find Mamma bathed in tears.
My uncle was my first thought, but it was even worse
— dearest Mrs. Newdegate is gone from among us. We
were so utterly unprepared for the blow that it seems
to stun one, and I can hardly realise it. She was quite
well last week, but had a shivering fit and took to her
bed on Friday. On Tuesday a change for the worse
took place, and she died at seven. Oh, what a loss ! To
me she was a second mother, and next to my own darling
mother there is no one in the wide world whose loss I
could more deeply deplore. And I am but one among
so many who will mourn for her. She filled a great
position nobly, and was as fearless in her pursuit of duty
as she was kind, generous, and large-hearted. As to
Charley — to him it is an incalculable loss, and his grief
is almost too sacred to be dwelt upon. Never was
there such a beautiful relation between mother and
son. Well may Mrs. Clerk write to me, ' We are all,
rich and poor, panic-stricken.' One comfort I have in
looking back: I do not think I ever grieved her. I
think she was really fond of me, and once she went so
far as to tell Mamma that she wished I would ' set my cap
at Charley,* as she would like to have me for her

1 868] VISIT TO FROGMORE 141

daughter. It is gratifying to know this, for I never
thought she wished it. That, however, will never be.
Dear, dear Mrs. Newdegate ! Well, hers has been a
long, useful, and happy life, and now she is gone to
that rest for which no one was ever better prepared.
But oh — poor Charley !

" February 28. — I was totally flabbergasted by an
invitation to Frogmore for this day week. Much as I
like going to stay with my Princess, I am really sorry
to leave the work here, which has been very satisfactory.
Thank God for a pleasant and I hope useful winter,
in spite of the one dark cloud which has overshadowed
these last weeks. Now for a very different phase of life !

" Frogmore House, March 6. — This afternoon I drove
to the equerries' door of Buckingham Palace, and was
conducted the whole length of the building, to my
dearest Princess, who received me in her own kind and
cordial manner. Prince Christian soon joined us, and we
three drove together through the Park to Paddington,
where I was deposited in a saloon carriage with my
dear Duchess of Atholl, Lady Clifden, Miss Stopford, and
Lady Caroline Barrington. At Windsor, Prince and
Princess Christian, Colonel Gordon and I drove straight
here, and Princess Christian herself installed me in my
pretty little room looking out on the water in front
of the house, with Mellish next door and Baby on the
other side. Our dinner-party consisted of Mr. Duck-
worth, Mr. Sahl, and Mr. Woodward, and was very
agreeable. Both the Prince and Princess are so good-
natured, and set everyone at ease. Mr. Duckworth is
young and good-looking, and very fond of Prince Leo —
who sent me many affectionate messages. Only think
what he told me about old Lady Smith of Lowestoft.
She wrote a critique of the Queen's book to a friend of his,
who thought it so wonderful for an old lady of ninety-six
that he sent it to Mr. Duckworth, to show to the Queen,
who was charmed. But poor old Lady Smith was
much disconcerted when she discovered what had
been done with her letter. We spent the evening over
photos and autographs, of which both the Princess and
II

142 LONDON, SUFFOLK, FROGMORE [chap, xi

Prince Leo are making collections. It might have been
an ordinary country house-party !

" March 7. — I breakfasted en famille with the Prince
and Princess, and spent the whole morning hard at work
gardening with her — planting violets and pinks, hoeing,
raking, and watering ! After luncheon, drove up to
the Castle with the baby, a splendid boy, and went to
see Princess Louise and Prince Leo, who has grown
tall and Slance, but looks fearfully thin and transparent.
There is an almost unearthly look about him, as if he
would not abide long here ; but this may only be my
fancy. In the evening I drove up to the Castle with
Colonel and Mrs. Gordon, who are kindness itself to me,
and make me feel I shall always be grateful to anyone
of the name of Gordon, Prince Christian told me to
ask the Duchess of AthoU to look after me, but I was all
right. We dined with the Household — a very large party.
I sat between Major Elphinstone and Mr. Sahl, and
after dinner we were joined by Prince Christian atld
Prince Arthur, who is exactly the height of Major
Elphinstone now, Lord Bagot, Lord and Lady Tanker-
ville, and Lady Clifden, who looked lovely, also came in,
and we played a round game,- a modification of Muggins,
called 'Keep your Temper.'

" Sunday, March 8.— We drove up to service in the
private chapel. A Mr. Rowsell preached extempore
on ' charity.' Afterwards I was very graciously re-
ceived by Her Majesty, who gave me a kiss and asked
after Mamma. I spent the time till luncheon with Prin-
cess Louise and the Princes, looking over autographs,
and we were as jolly as sandboys. After luncheon in
the Octagon Room, I came back with the Princess,
who presented me with the Queen's book, in which
Her Majesty had written this inscription : ' To Louisa
Bowater, in remembrance of Balmoral, from Victoria R.
March 8, 1868.' I am very much pleased. At four we
rushed up to St. George's, and had an unusually fine
service, with the Hallelujah Chorus by wa}^ of anthem, j
the solo parts sung by the most exquisite boy voices. '
The recollections stirred up by the sight of the historic

1 868] PRINCESS CHRISTIAN AT HOME 143

banners and the love of chivalry imparted by the
prayer, ' God save our Most Gracious Sovereign the
Queen and all the Companions of the Most Noble Order
of the Garter,' combined to render the service very
impressive, and the beautiful words of the Lesson rang
in my ear : ' Set your affections on things above, not
on things on the earth.' I dined alone with the Prince
and Princess, played chess with His Ro3^al Highness,
and had a long, long talk with m}'- beloved Princess, who
is just as dear as ever. The more I see of Prince
Christian, the better I like him. He is so pre-eminently
sensible, — the very thing for her generous, impetuous
nature, — and he is extremely kind-hearted, and most
universally liked. Major Elphinstone spoke most highly
of him last night . It is so pretty to see her little matronly
ways, ordering the dinner and attending to her house-
hold, and so wisely careful, which makes me respect
her all the more.

" March 9. — This morning Princess Christian went
out with the Queen, and I rushed up to St. George's, left
Mellish with the Duchess's maid, and walked home alone,
as it is selon les rbgles for me to go backwards and
forwards to the Castle alone. Colonel and Mrs. Gordon
came to luncheon — she is so nice and kind to me — and
the Duchess of Marlborough with Lady Cornelia Churchill,
who is very pretty and pleasing. Princess Christian
drove them back to the station, while I went up to the
Castle and took a charming drive with Princess Louise,
and had tea with her and Prince Leo. I dined alone
with the Prince and Princess, and talked chiefly of
politics — even of that delicate subject, German politics.
I like all he says, he is so wise and just ; and he is so
devoted to her, and she to him. There cannot be the
shadow of a doubt as to their perfect and entire happi-
ness.

" March 10. — Princess Helena was strumming valses
on the piano to me after breakfast when the door
opened and in walked the Queen, followed by Princess
Louise. Her Majesty was very kind, as indeed she has
been each time I have seen her. The Prince and

144 LONDON, SUFFOLK, FROGMORE [chap, xi

Princess went off at twelve to luncheon at Marlborough
House, and I went up to the Castle, where we had a
large and amusing luncheon-party — the Duchess of
Wellington, Lord Bagot who goes out of waiting to-day,
and Lord Skelmersdale who comes in, a very handsome
and agreeable person. Lord Bradford, and Mr. Gathorne-
Hardy, who came down for a grand ' function,* to use
the Court word, i.e. the presentation of an address to
the Queen on the subject of the Fenian outrage. We
waited in the corridor to see the City magnates arrive,
125 strong, which they did in three fine coaches and a
long procession of Windsor flies. Poor people ! they had
exactly fifteen minutes for luncheon and three for the
presentation of their address, as it was not read, so
their loyalty was scarcely appreciated as much as it
might have been, but some of them were allowed to
see the rooms ; so we skedaddled, and I waited in Miss
Stopford's room till the rain was over. We dined with
the Queen, rather a large party — Sir Thomas and Lady
Biddulph, the Duchess, Lady Clifden, and Dr. Robertson
of Balmoral. It was decidedly lively for Court, and
I was amused talking to Lord Skelmersdale and Lady
Clifden, who are both charming, and so pleasant to look
at. The Queen was most gracious to me, as usual, and
expressed her regret to hear I was leaving to-morrow.

" March 1 1 . — And so ends another Court visit. The
Princess told me when I arrived that the nth was the
first anniversary of the death of Prince Christian's
mother, so he might prefer to be alone, and they both
took the kindest and most cordial leave of me. It has
been a most charming visit, without a contretemps of
any kind ; and it is the greatest pleasure to see my
beloved Princess so thoroughly happy, with a devoted
husband and one who is so pre-eminently sensible and
kind-hearted. I feel thoroughly satisfied and very
grateful."

CHAPTER XI I

A Visit to Silesia

1868

" Richmond Park, Saturday, July 4. — Strange that on
the fourth anniversary of the reception of a letter which,
to say the least of it, has tinged my thoughts for the last
four years, another important communication should
reach me. Princess Christian asks me to go with her
to Germany for seven weeks at the end of this month.
So flattering and delightful an offer was of course
instantly accepted, and I look forward with unmingled
satisfaction to the trip.

" Osborne, Cowes, Isle of Wight, July 25. — I came
down here via Surbiton and Southampton, met Colonel
Finch on board the steamer. He made himself very
agreeable — got me a fly when we landed, and told me
that Mr. Disraeli was coming here to-night. I was
shown to my room by a pampered menial in red, who
brought me some tea, and Princess Christian and Lady
Augusta Stanley came to see me before dinner. I
dined with the Household. Our party was neither
large nor lively, and included two of Prince Louis's
gentlemen and the Princess's lady, Fraulein von Graney,
who is very nice and kind . Lady Clifden, Lady Augusta,
and Mr. Disraeli joined us afterwards. The latter is
evidently an original, to judge from the scraps of con-
versation which reached my ears : ' Passion and fashion
are the two things which divide human nature,' * When
you do away with the indefinite, you destroy the romance

of life,' and some remarks on travelling in the days of

14s

146 A VISIT TO SILESIA [chap, xii

Roderick Random, in a waggon, being much more
amusing and improving than it is now,

" Sunday, July 26. — We have just been listening to
a very good sermon preached by Mr. Prothero, at service
in the house, before a very small party. Neither the
Queen nor Princess Louis was there, but I saw Prince
Leopold, much grown and looking very well. It is a
beautiful day, and the Queen breakfasted out of doors.
Princess Louise came to see me, and I gave her the
autographs, which pleased her very much. At tea I saw
Princess Alice's three dear little girls, such pretty
children — Victoria, Elisabeth, and Irene, a two-year-
old child. ^ Dizzy did not show all day, but at dinner
I had the luck to sit by him. He was very sententious
and pedantic, I thought, affecting to be superior to
hunger, which he called a savage passion ; but I liked
what he said of Prince Christian, that he combined tact
with a deep, slow-moving mind, and agreed that he was
both sensible and good-natured.

" At ten o'clock the whole Household assembled at
the Queen's Entrance, and Her Majesty and all the
Royalties came down to see us off — our part}' consisting
of Prince and Princess Christian, Mr. Sahl and myself.
Prince Louis of Hesse and Prince Arthur accompanied
us on the barge to the Admiralty yacht Enchantress ,
which was anchored in Cowes road. It was like a
Venetian scene, rowing in the still starlight night, and
the splash of the oars and the lantern-light falling on
the bronzed faces of the sailors reminded me of the
lovely spring twilight when we landed at Osborne six
years ago.

" On board the ' Enchantress,' July 27. — When I woke
we were oif Eastbourne. It was a most lovely day, and
the white cliffs of Dover looked beautiful as we steamed
past them and made for Ostend. We sat on the bridge
all day reading and working, and I wrote a letter to

^Victoria, born 1863; niarried Prince Louis of Battenberg, 1884.
Elisabeth, born 1864; married Grand Duke Sergius of Russia, 1884.
Irene, born 1866; married 1888, Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of the
Kaiser.

1 868] TRAVELS IN GERMANY 147

mother under difficulties, using the paddle as a desk,
while Princess Christian held my paper. We landed
at 5.30 p.m., travelled by Bruges and Ghent to Brussels,
where we had an hour to wait, and trotted out over a
fine * Place ' to supper at a restaurant, where the Prince
and Mr. Sahl were busy mixing the salad. At 10 p.m.
we went on by Aachen and Diiren, reaching Cologne
on a glorious summer morning.

" Central Bahnhof, Cologne, Tuesday, July 28. — We
had some difficulty in getting rooms, but I ended in
getting two hours' delicious sleep on a pile of feather-
beds on the floor, and felt as fresh as a four-year-old
when I woke. Prince Christian and Mr. Sahl took me out
at twelve to see the Cathedral, which is certainly wonder-
fully fine, especially the west front, where you see the
new and old part of the building side b}'- side, the grey
weather-beaten stones with tufts of grass here and there
contrasting with the whiteness of the new work. I was
struck with the deep devotion of the people attending
Mass, and saw the Schatzkammer with the richly worked
shrine of the Three Kings, and the great painting known
as the ' Dombild,' representing the Adoration of the Magi,
with the patron saints of Cologne, Ursula and Gereon.
A Prussian General, who was Colonel of the Prince's old
regiment, came to dinner, a pleasant old gentleman,
covered -with decorations — which, however, do not count
for much here — and buttoned up to his throat in uniform.
We left the hotel at three, driving round the Dom, and
suddenly through a quaint old archway I saw a swift-
flowing green stream — it was the Rhine. Our journey
lay along its banks at first, but we changed at Giessen,
and the railway made a great bend round a valley
studded with picturesque villages. This was the former
territory of the Duke of Nassau, and a good deal of bitter
chaff passed between the Herrschaften and Mr. Sahl
touching the treatment he has received from the King
of Prussia. The transition must be very painful to
many, but the gain to Germany as a whole is undeniable.
After Giessen came Marburg, with the beautiful church
and castle which was the home of St. Elizabeth of

148 A VISIT TO SILESIA [chap, xii

Hungary ; then Luther's Eisenach. But by this time it
was quite dark, and as nothing was to be seen we sang
and made ourselves very merry by the way. Soon after
one, we reached Gotha, where we were met by Prince
Christian's elder brother, the Duke of Augustenburg,
whose name is familiar as the claimant of the Schleswig-
Holstein duchies, of which Prussia deprived him. He
brought us to his house, where his wife, the daughter of
Princess Hohenlohe and niece of our Oueen, received
us in the most friendly manner, and after a comfortable
high tea we were glad to go to bed.

" Augustenburgisches Palais, Gotha, July 29. — I spent
the morning in my rooms, going down to luncheon at
one and to dinner at five, after which we took a drive by
Goldbach, all through this fertile valley, bounded by the
blue hills of the Thiiringerwald. The villages are dirty ;
the men wear blue blouses, and the women carry baskets
on their backs, like the Boulogne fishwives, and seem
to work very hard. Princess Hohenlohe, the Duchess's
mother, whom I once met at Osborne, is sta^dng here
and is particularly pleasant ; and there are four charming
children — Princesses Victoria, Carlina (short for Caroline
Matilde), Louise, and Prince Ernst Giinther.^ I have
made great friends with their little Swiss governess.
Mile Bost, and see a good deal of her.

" July 30. — At 12.30 we all drove to Rheinhardts-
brunnen, a Jagdschloss belonging to the Duke of Coburg,
about nine miles from Gotha, at the foot of the Thiirin-
gerwald, which has been lent to the Crown Prince and
Princess of Prussia, who are staying here for six weeks.
It is an exceedingly pretty little place buried in trees,

1 Augusta Victoria, born 1858; married William 11., Emperor of Ger-
many, 1 881.

Caroline.born i85o ; married 18S5, Frederic, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-
Gliicksburg. Her daughters — Victoria, married 1905, Charles Edward,
Duke of Saxe-Coburg, son of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany ;
Alexandra, married Prince Augustus of Prussia, 1908 ; Helena, married
Harald, Prince of Denmark, 1909.

Feodora-Louise, born 1866; married 1889, Frederic Leopold, Prince
of Prussia.

Ernst Giinther, present Duke of Schleswig-Holstein Augustenburg,
born 1863; married 1898, Dorothea, Princess of Saxe-Coburg.

1 868] GOTH A 149

something like Balmoral, and as we drove into the
courtyard we saw a dead stag lying on the pavement,
shot by the Duke, who is here for a day or two as his
niece's guest. It was shy work being launched into such
a large party of strangers, but all the Crown Princess's
ladies and gentlemen w^re most kind to me and made
me cordially welcome. They were already at luncheon
when we arrived, and made me sit down by Herr
von Seckendorf, a Prussian officer who had been
attached to our Abyssinian expedition and told me
much that was interesting. Count Kalckreuth, a dis-
tinguished painter, and his daughter. Countess Anne, a
nice little thing of sixteen. Count Eulenburg, Countess
Reventlow, who is the Lady Caroline Barrington of
the Household, and Mile d'Harcourt were among the
party. After luncheon, Countess Briihl took me a beauti-
ful drive up into the hills, which are clad to the very
summit with magnificent woods — such Scotch firs as
I have never seen in England mixed with maples and
sycamores, and here and there great rocks like those in
the Happy Valley at Cannes, with clear streams running
between the red stones — as one of the ladies put it,
' ein echt classischer IVald.' We returned to the Castle
about seven, had a fussy sort of high tea, after which I
was presented to the Crown Prince and Princess, who
were both extremely kind and spoke quite affectionately
of dear Papa. The Princess remembered how he used to
carry her about in his arms, and the Prince says he knew
him as early as 1 85 1 . I hope to see them again at Pots-
dam, where they return next week, when we go to Berlin.
The Crown Princess wants us to go and stay there, but
as the palace they occupy there belongs to the King of
Prussia, his leave must be asked, which my Prince and
Princess will not hear of, and considering the present
state of things one can hardly wonder. We left about
8 .30 and drove back to Gotha, after a very enjoyable day.
I forgot to mention that we also saw the Duke of Coburg ;
he is not particularly good-looking, and not at all like
the Prince Consort.

"July 31. — Directly after breakfast I marched off

150 A VISIT TO SILESIA [chap, xii

with Mellish to the Schloss, a large ugly building,
finely situated on the top of the hill round which Gotha
is built, and commanding beautiful views of the sur-
rounding mountains. It contains a fine collection of
paintings, including a curious screen of 1526, with most
realistic renderings of New Testament subjects, one of
which, the Parable of the Mote and the Beam, struck me
especially. In the Kunstkammer upstairs are many
interesting relics — an ivory praj'^er-book exquisitely
bound by Cellini which once belonged to James i,, a
ring of Mary Stuart's, the Duke of Alva's dagger,
the hat, gloves, and boots worn by Napoleon at Tilsit,
and a wonderful cabinet of Chinese and Japanese
antiquities. This Castle is not inhabited by the Duke
of Coburg, who during the six months which he spends
here lives in another palace, near our house. In fact,
the place swarms with palaces and shady Alleen, which
with the pretty green boulevards make Gotha a very
pleasant town. In the afternoon I took a walk with the
little girls and Mile Bost, through the Orange Garden,
to Friederichsthal, a pretty little palace occupied in
1862 by our Queen. The Crown Prince came to dinner,
and was full of fun. One curious scrap of conversation
I overheard. They had been talking of coronations,
and Prince Christian remarked that King Christian ix.
of Denmark had never been crowned. ' It is true,'
replied the Crown Prince, * I wonder why ? ' ' He had
no time,' put in the Duke of Augustenburg quickly ;
' your father spoilt his appetite for that ! ' In the
evening some Gotha people came to tea — a Herr von
Holzendorff, whose daughters were full of enthusiasm
for England, and one of w'hom sang very prettily with her
mother, a pupil of Mendelssohn. We were rather jolly
at our side table, and I was glad to see another little
specimen of German life.

" Sunday, August 2. — I have had two rather dull
days, as Prince and Princess Christian go to Rheinhardts-
brunnen every day, and the evenings are not particularly
amusing. To-day I went to the Lutheran Church in
the Castle with Mile Bost, and heard a very good sermon

1 868] AT WEIMAR 151

on ' Judge not, that ye be not judged.' After luncheon,
we had a dehcious drive with the young Princesses,
and some people out of the Duchies came to dinner.
It is touching to see the devotion of these Holsteiners
to the Duke. It puts me in mind of the Jacobites and
Charles Edward.

" August 3. — Countess Briihl came over early from

Rheinhardtsbrunnen and took me by train to Weimar.

We passed the strong fortress of Erfurt, where Luther

lived in the Augustinenkloster, and the picturesque

castles of the three Gleichen, from which Count Gleichen

takes his name, and reached Weimar, which is just

such another pretty little tow^n as Gotha, only that it

lies in a hollow, instead of being on a hill. Count

Kalckreuth and his nice little daughter met us at the

station, and lionised us in the most friendly way. We

visited Schiller's tiny little house, passed Goethe's,

which unfortunately is not shown, and the Theatre

where so many immortal works saw the light — a wretched

little building. The town is rich in statues — we saw those

of Schiller and Goethe, standing hand in hand, as well as

those of Herder and Wieland, who both lived here. We

visited the Stadtskirche, which has several portraits of

Luther, and the Palace, which contains priceless treasures

of art, including ten of the original drawings of the

Apostles' heads in Leonardo's * Last Supper,' and a fine

collection of drawings by Raphael, Michelangelo, and

Leonardo. Last of all we drove to the Friedhof, or

cemetery with the Grand Ducal vault, where Goethe

and Schiller are buried. Our hospitable friends took

us back to dinner in their own abode, — a flat in a big

old house once occupied by Marlborough, with a lime

avenue before it, — and after a good rest we returned to

Gotha, greatly pleased with our day.

" August 5. — We all drove out into the mountains
and walked through the Thiiringerwald to Rheinhardts-
brunnen, getting lovely views of the Inselberg, the
highest peak of the range, and sat out under the trees
at the inn, like ordinary mortals, drinking our coffee.
We got back to Gotha about eight, and found the

IS2 A VISIT TO SILESIA [chap, xii

evening a little long, for at i a.m. we left the Augusten-
burg Palace and travelled by night to Berlin.

" British Embassy, Berlin, August 6. — I slept all
the way, and saw nothing of the country but one or two
old castles in the moonlight. Lord Augustus Loftus,
the British Minister, met us at the station, and took
us to the Embassy. One of the Crown Princess's ladies
came to drive about with the Princess on a shopping ex-
pedition, so I was free, and after a scrub and an hour's
sleep, Adele Arnold, my old Sotterley friend, took me for
a drive through the Thiergarten, a sort of combined Hyde
Park and Bois de Boulogne, and then all along Unter
den Linden, which is certainly a very fine street. At
the east end are a number of stately buildings : on the
right the King's Palace, Opera House, and Crown
Prince's Palace ; and on the left, the University, Arsenal,
and Guard House, with Ranch's imposing monument
to Frederick the Great in the centre. Adele dropped
me at the Crown Prince's Palace, w^here I lunched with
the Household, while my Herrschaften were lunching
with the Crown Prince, who since he dined with us at
Gotha on Friday had only been to Ems to dine with
the King, to Coblenz to breakfast with the Queen, to
Bonn to receive a D.C.L. degree and take part in the
festivities on the Jubilee of the University, to Hanover
for a public banquet, and to Stettin on military business.
A pretty good round ! However, there he was, as fresh
as a lark and as merry as a cricket, when after luncheon
we set out with him as our cicerone to see the sights.
We drove in two Court carriages (the first decent turn-outs
I have seen in Germany) first to the Gewerbe Museum,
a sort of South Kensington Museum, in which the Crown
Princess takes great interest, and then past the Schloss,
a huge pile of buildings in the Lust Garten, to the Fine
Arts Museum. This is a handsome building outside,
but still handsomer inside, with a grand double staircase
adorned with frescoes by Kaulbach. We walked through
the Sculpture Gallery and Egyptian Museum, but did
not attempt to look at the pictures. What struck me
most was the size and space of the Galleries and the ,

1 868] BERLIN AND POTSDAM 153

beauty and appropriateness of the decorations. Our
collections may be as fine or finer, but we do not half
do j ustice to them . After this we drove by the unfinished
Rath-haus, a handsome red-brick building in Italian
style. Everything at Berlin, I notice, is either Italian
or Greek — there is nothing Gothic.

" I was not sorry when at last we returned to the
Embassy, for I was almost giddy with all I had seen.
We dined at eight, and were a snug little party — only
the attaches, Mr. Plunkett and Mr. Lascelles with his
nice little wife, a daughter of Sir Joseph Olliffe, the
physician to the Embassy at Paris. Lady Augustus is
at Baden, and Berlin is as empty as London in August.
Only Lord Augustus annoyed me by insisting on dragging
forward the Schleswig-Holstein question and saying
he wanted justice done to the Danes, by giving them
back North Schleswig — a great want of tact and good
taste when the Prince and Princess were his guests !

" August 7. — We left Berlin for Potsdam at ten, and
were met at the station by the Crown Prince and Princess,
two or three gentlemen, and kind Countess Briihl, who
started with me and Mr. Sahl at once on a lionising
expedition. First we visited the Orangery, a handsome
Italian building in the style of the Medici Villa in Rome,
with pretty views over the terraced gardens which
have been so marvellously created out of the barren
sandy soil. Then we drove to Sans Souci, passing the
famous Windmill, and saw the rooms once occupied
by Frederick the Great, and left untouched, with the
clock still pointing to the hour of his death. A portrait
of him on the wall struck me immensely by the air of
strong determination and the keen blue eyes which
seem to look one through and through. We crossed the
Havel and drove along its banks to Babelsberg, the
present King's favourite plaything — and a charming
toy it is ! Every tree has been planted by his own
direction ; the grass is kept like an English lawn, and
the views over the river and lakes are delightful . Within,
it is furnished in the simplest way. The King has just
a camp-bed, and the walls of his rooms are hung with

154 A VISIT TO SILESIA [chap, xii

military prints. I was amused to see a large map of
the campaign of 1866 ! The Crown Prince told me that
our Queen was delighted with the place when she stayed
here in 1 8 5 8 /and made several very pretty sketches in the
gardens. We drove back to Potsdam through the Park,
past Glienike, the home of Prince Frederick Charles,
the Red Prince, who played so distinguished a part in
the late war, and were thankful to reach the New
Palace and sit down to luncheon. They were all so
kind and pleasant, and after luncheon took me all over
the Palace, which was built by Frederick the Great at
immense cost, after the Seven Years War, to prove to
the world that his resources were not exhausted. In
one of the state apartments we fell in with the Crown
Prince and Princess, who were most kind and good-
natured, and told Countess Briihl to show me their own
rooms. She has grown stout, but has the same round
bright face, and her voice is exactly like the Queen's.
He is a charming man, so frank and genial, and
he looks so well in the dark blue uniform faced with
red, and white duck trousers, which he and all his
gentlemen wear. Everybody goes about in uniform
here, and every second building you see is a barrack.
The Crown Prince and Princess's rooms are very pretty
and comfortable. Her audience-room is lovely, all
fitted up with blue and silver ; and his big writing-table
amused me, with a high stool in front, like that of a
clerk in a counting-house. After that, we visited the
Friedenskirche, which was built, on the pattern of a
basilica surrounded with cloisters, by the late King,
who is buried here. A little chapel close by contains
the grave of the Crown Princess's little son Waldemar,
who died just before the war. There was a sleeping
head of the child, quite buried in flowers. As we drove
to the station I had an animated discussion with a
Lieutenant von Magdeburg, who escorted us, on
Macaulay's sketch of Frederick the Great, with which
to my surprise he was well acquainted. He fired up
indignantly when 1 expressed my entire agreement
with our historian's condemnation of that King's father,

1868] PRTMKENAU 155

Frederick William i., and defended his cruel treatment
of his wife and children with a heat which I could not
have shown if the character of any of the Georges had
been attacked ; but, as Countess Briihl remarked to me,
these are sacred traditions for the Prussians. I must
say I think few young English officers that I know are
as well read in German as the Lieutenant is in English
literature.

" Schloss Prinikenau, Waltersdorf Schlossen, Saturday,
August 8. — Last night Her Majesty's Mission saw us
off from Berlin station at 11 p.m. We had a very hot
journey, passed Frankfort in the moonlight, changed
at Haasdorf, and reached Waltersdorf this morning at
5 a.m. Here an open carriage met us, and we had a
pleasant drive over flat country, half marsh and half
forest, until we came suddenly upon an extremely pretty
Castle, surrounded by other houses, in the midst of a
fine wood. Here the old Duke's daughters and Prince
Christian's sisters, the Princesses Augusta and Henri-
ette, received us, and I was thankful to go to bed in my
pretty little room. This property, I learn, was bought
by the Duke, when he was compelled to leave the
Duchies in 1853, as a shooting-box, and has only gradu-
ally become his home. The marshy land has been re-
claimed by a judicious system of drainage and irrigation,
neat farmhouses have been erected, and the condition
of the peasants greatly improved. The Castle lies
between the village and the wood, and consists of
several different houses. I live in one of these with my
Prince and Princess, and we trot over to the Duke's
house, the Castle proper, for luncheon at one and
dinner at five. A public road runs between our house
and the courtyard of the Schloss, and flocks of sheep,
carts, and droves of pigs are constantly passing by, and
in the evening the village children often come close
up to the windows and stare at us. In fact, it is the
most primitive and patriarchal kind of life I ever saw.
At I p.m. we crossed the courtyard to luncheon in the
Schloss, and I was presented to the Duke, a very
courteous and gentlemanlike old man — rather an invalid.

156 A VISIT TO SILESIA [chap.xii

His three daughters, Princesses Augusta, Amelia, and
Henriette, are each kinder and more amiable the one
than the other, and I especially like the 3'oungest one,
Henriette, who reads a good deal and is very intelligent
and sensible.^ After dinner, we went out for a long drive
in open carriages — the only thing to be done in this
intense heat — and had a thorough farming expedition,
The Duke is a great farmer, and breeds horses and
cattle on a large scale, and is proud of his fine race of
horses, half Arab and half Percheron — a French breed.
All the women work in the fields and go about barefoot,
with large straw hats and very short skirts. The carts
are mostl}^ drawn by bullocks. There are no gates or
hedges, only now and then a ditch divides the fields.
The wages, as a rule, are two Thalers or six shillings a
week, but this includes the rent of their very miserable-
looking cottages."

The next four weeks were spent at Primkenau,
where Louisa was treated with the utmost kindness by
the Princesses of Holstein and their ladies, and saw an
interesting side of German life. But it was, as she often
repeats in her letters and Journal, in many respects a
dull life, and the extreme heat made it almost impossible
to take any exercise or even sit out before evening.
Occasionally she took early rides with one of the
Princesses in the beautiful Oberwald surrounding the
Schloss, and enjoyed driving a pair of pretty little pie-
bald ponies bred on the Duke's farm, while Princess
Christian drove in a carriage drawn by a pair of gre5''S.
Sometimes a few neighbours came to dinner, and
once or twice heated political discussions took place, to
which Louisa listened with keen interest. On Sunday,
August 23, an address of welcome to Prince and Princess
Christian, which was to have been presented on their
arrival had it taken place at a less unearthly hour, was
finally delivered, and by the Princess's desire Louisa wrote
the following account of the ceremony to the Queen :

" About half-past six, the procession approached,

1 Princess Henriette, born 1833; married 1872, Dr. Jean d'Esmarch
of Kiel.

1868] A GERMAN FETE 157

headed by the town band, followed by the Schiitzengilde,
the Biirgermeister, and thirty young girls dressed in
white with red and blue scarves, to represent the
English colours. Seventy had wished to take part in
the procession, but, alas ! enough white muslin was not
to be had in the neighbouring town. Fortunately the
sun shone, and the scene was a very pretty one. When
all had taken their places, the schoolmaster's daughter
presented the Princess with an immense bouquet of
white roses, scarlet geranium, and heliotrope, and recited
a marriage ode, composed by the pastor's son for
the occasion. The Biirgermeister then made a speech,
expressing the pleasure which the news of Prince
Christian's marriage had given the inhabitants of
Primkenau, and their regret at being unable to express
their satisfaction at the time of the Princess's visit last
year, on account of the Duchess's death a few weeks
before. A loud ' Hoch ' was then given by all present, and
the Prince expressed his thanks and those of the Princess
in a few short, well-chosen words, after which a hymn
was sung. Then the old Captain of the Schiitzengilde
came forward, and apologising for a third expression of
welcome by the old German saying, ' Alle guten Dinge
sind drei,' congratulated the Prince as a member of their
fraternity, and added that he hoped His Royal Highness
would prove as successful in life as in sport, and would
not fail to attain perfect happiness. A ' Hoch ' was then
given for the Duke as head of their ' Gilde,' and for the
ducal house, to which the Duke responded very briefly ;
and the Prince and Princess walked round and spoke to
several of the people, whose evident attachment to the
ducal family it is very pleasant to see.

" Friday, August 28. — Princess Augusta's birthday,
50 there w^as much giving of presents, health-drinking,
etc., and I had a lovely bracelet from my Prince and
Princess. They do seem such a happy, united family
party, it is quite a pleasure to see them. We all went
in spite of rain and cold to watch the shooters and have
luncheon with them — and a very merry one it was —
at one of the farms, called the Adelaiden Au, where a
12

158 A VISIT TO SILESIA [chap, xii

small room has been built for this purpose. A Kiel
Professor, Herr Mikkelsen, was my neighbour, and
amused me very much, although I think he is a little
inclined to evolve camels from his inner consciousness.
Perhaps we all of us are. He is writing a life of
George i.'s unfortunate Queen, Caroline Matilda.
Princess Augusta gave a most interesting account of
the interview which she and Princess Amelia had with
the King of Prussia at Baden last summer, and how
they pitched into him. Certainly the whole family
has been most extremely ill-used by him, especially
as he always professed such affection for them, and
began by acknowledging their claims. Doubtless the
annexation of Schleswig-Holstein will be better for
Germany in the long run, but there has been a deal of
dirty work to achieve it. The other evening I had a
long talk with Princess Augusta, in which she en
deavoured to convince me that it was not for Germany's
advantage that the little Courts should be swept away
and the privileges of the nobility diminished ; she even
declares that in the Duchies, for instance, people
look for the coming of the French as a deliverance
But all this is hard to believe. Heavy taxation and
other hardships there must be, no doubt, but better
Germany as she now is than as she was in the beginning
of this century.

" August 31 . — A lovely morning after the rain, and I
took a walk by myself in the Oberwald, examining the
beautiful trees which grow with such wonderful luxuri-
ance in this sandy soil, and wondering if our system
of forestry is the right one. In the evening we drove
to a long-talked-of party at Count Lohgau's at Reuthe
We started before 6 p.m., and did not return till i a.m
I never was more amused. There were about fifty
people — some marvellous figures — and a few Prussian
officers. We began with some music, which was
wonderfully good for this out-of-the-way part of the
world. Then came dancing, two polkas, far bette;
danced than we in England can dance it, and thre
quadrilles with a most complicated last figure, directe

1 868] A GERMAN DANCE 159

by a Prussian officer with spectacles and stentorian
lungs. Excepting the Duke of Augustenburg, who
came with us, I knew none of my partners ; but here
it is the fashion to dance what are called ' extra- tours.'
Anybody may come up and making a bow to your
partner, twirl you off for a turn and bring you back to
him. I enjoyed it, as the men were all alike to me, and
I love dancing, but it would be a great bore if one had
a really pleasant partner. After the dancing came
'supper, which was very funny. We sat down to little
tables without cloths, and helped ourselves to plates
and knives and forks from trays which were handed
round. An interminable number of dishes followed, and
bhe whole thing lasted an immense time. But that did
not matter, as we were so jolly at our table and made
a furious row. Count Ranzow, my partner, is most
amusing, and made noise enough for two ; and I never
would have believed that Fraulein von Krogh, the
Princesses' companion, had it in her to ' chaff ' so well.
Princess Christian looked so nice, and it is a pleasure
:o watch her constantly-changing expression.
I " September 2. — I spent the morning copying a letter
from the Queen to Princess Helena, to be sent on to the
Crown Princess, giving an account of her ascent of
:he Righi, which she enjoyed thoroughly. The heat
las been intense at Lucerne, but it is cooler now, and
Her Majesty is very well and in great spirits. Five
.vretched Prussian officers came to dinner, looking very
niserable, and Fraulein von Krogh being ill in bed, a
/oung Fraulein von Buchwald and I had to manage the
:ea, which was rather fun, but not altogether easy in a
:ountry where the men never dream of helping you, and
)nly make endless bows.

" September 6. — And now the last day has come,
md to-night we start for home. Although quiet, it
las been a pleasant s6jour, and I can never forget all
:he kindness that I have received in Germany. Much,
00, I have seen and learnt during the past weeks, and
r shall always look back with pleasure to my Silesian
^isit."

CHAPTER XI I I

Sir Rainald Knightley

1869

The year 1869, which was destined to be so momentous
a one in Louisa Bowater's hfe, opened under somewhat
gloomy auspices. The death of her kind relative,
Mrs. Newdegate, and the consequent cessation of her
pleasant visits to Arbury and Harefield, and of her
gay seasons in Arlington Street, made a considerable
change in her circumstances. At the same time, the
end of the year 1868 saw the last of her yearly visits
to the old home at Sotter.ley.

" Monday, December 7. — Prince Christian says he
thinks a Journal is a bad thing, because in the heat
of the moment you record things which had better
be forgotten. Maybe ! nevertheless, to-day's record
must be written. Family troubles have compellec
my mother to come to the irrevocable decision — which
had 1 been a free agent should have been made long
ago — that this place must see us no more. I don'f
deny that I feel it deeply, more deeply than I coulc
have believed possible, but so it must be : the comfort i;
that Mamma sees it quite as I do. And so the happ}
life here is over for ever ! The bitter thoughts wit!
which 1 started on my morning walk faded before th^
serene beauty of the day, which succeeded a night 0!
fearful storms, and it was with a calmer feeling that '
looked round on the beloved landscape. Ah ! well-a ._
day ! Doubtless it is best so — God will find other worlj
for me to do. . . . I do try to do the little things tha
come in my way, but oh I it seems so sad to think 0

x6o

Sir Kainald Knighillx, Bart.
1869.

[To /ace />. 160.

1 869] CHRISTMAS AT SOTTERLEY i6i

the mass of want and misery there is in the world and
to be able to do nothing,

'^Christmas Eve, 1868. — Another Christmas at
Sotterley and the" last! I little thought, when eight
years ago we spent our Christmas alone together —
Mamma and I — that thus it would be. I don't feel very
Christmass}'-, and yet as long as my sweet mother is
spared to me the world can never be very desolate.
The wind moans and whistles sadly, and I do not feel
attuned to the angels' song. God comfort all who
are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other

: adversity.

" January 2, 1869. — I took leave of poor old Hannah,

' and said good-bye to several of the old friends whom
I have known from early childhood. It seems very
hard to leave these poor people with no one to look
after them ; but God's ways are not our ways, and He
will doubtless provide for them, and give me other
work to do. We leave early to-morrow for Norfolk.

^ And so ends life at Sotterley.

II " Weeting, Brandon, January 7. — Certainly this is
ja very amusing party — quite out of the usual Norfolk
groove — Mr . and Mrs . Gurdon, Colonel and Mrs . Gardiner,
Count Maffei and Lord Henley, whom we met last year at
Haddon. I walked with Colonel Gardiner, Mr. Gurdon,
' and the children to join the shooters, and watched a
)very exciting ' hot corner,' and had a pleasant chat
, and much chaff with Lord Henley on the way home.

I" January 8. — I had a most charming walk with
Colonel and Mrs. Gardiner all across country to join
the shooters on the other side of the Ouse ; and the
5ky reflected in the water, with the river winding away
. into the distance, and groups of tall Scotch firs scattered
about, while the afternoon sun lighted up the red
louses of Brandon, formed a picture worthy of one of
Seorge Eliot's novels. It was quite dark when we
'eturned, and I sat by Lord Henley again at dinner,
md listened with amusement to a conversation be-
:ween him and Count Maffei on proposing and being
'efused ! ! ! — a matter of which I have had some experi-

i62 SIR RAINALD KNIGHTLEY [chap.xiii

ence, although I naturally kept my own counsel. Count
Maflfei was also very interesting about the impending
appointment of a new Italian Minister, saying that it
was of the utmost importance to a new country like
Italy to be socially as well as politically represented
in this country.

" Richmond Park, March 13. — I was much shocked
by the news of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein's death.
I feel so sorry for those poor Princesses, hurrying the
one from England and the others from Pau, to arrive
only in time to see their father die. It takes my
thoughts back to Primkenau — to the last drive on the
last evening, and to the pleasure that it was to him to
see all his children around him. How well I remember
the way in which he paced up and down the gallery
one evening, cursing Bismarck, and lamenting the
folly of his son in ever putting trust in his promises.
Certainly he was a fine old gentleman. We drove in
the Hammersleys' beautiful open carriage, which they
have kindly placed at our disposal while they are at
Brighton, and called on Lady Alice Peel at Marble Hill,
the abode of George 11. 's mistress, Lady Suffolk, and
one of the few remaining villas which the last cen-
tury made famous or infamous. Lady Alice was most
interesting, and amused us with a story of ' Lady
Beaconsfield,' as Mrs. Disraeli is now styled, taking her
home in her carriage from the Drawing-room, after
Lady Alice and Lady Salisbury had been discussing
if they would speak to her ! I had no idea the split
in the Cabinet of 1867 was carried as far as that."

Louisa's interest in politics remained as keen as
ever, although she seldom now had the opportunity
of discussing these questions with Mr. Newdegate.
Her remarks on the admission of John Bright into the
Cabinet are characteristic of the period, liberal as she
considered her own opinions to be.

" December 4, 1868. — Ministers have resigned ! The
decided Liberal majority, 112, — chiefly, however,
furnished by the borough, — made it evident that there
must be a change before Christmas, so Mr. Disraeli has

1869] A NEW CABINET 163

adopted the wise and dignified plan of resigning at
once, and Mr. Gladstone was with the Queen for two
hours yesterday. And that artful dodger, Dizzy, has
got his wife made Viscountess Beaconsfield, so he keeps
power and she gains rank. I really give him great
credit !

" December 12. — The new Cabinet is formed, and
the Right Hon. John Bright has been not sw^orn of Her
Majest3^'s Privy Council, but has made the affirmation
required by law. Alas, poor Queen ! However, may-
be he will be more moderate when shackled with the
responsibilities of office. The other members of the
Cabinet are not very Radical. Mr. Lowe is Chancellor
of the Exchequer ; Lord Clarendon goes to the Foreign
Office ; the Duke of Argyll is Secretary for India ; Lord
Granville, Colonial Secretary ; Mr. Cardwell, Secretary
for War ; Mr. Bruce, Home Secretary ; Sir W. Page
Wood, Lord Chancellor ; Mr. Goschen, Poor Law ;
Lord Hartington, Post Office ; Mr. Childers, Admiralty.
Well, pray God it may go well ! We live in anxious,
troublous times."

Her affection for the members of the Royal Family
was undiminished. She records the birth of Princess
Christian's eldest son with joy, and thanks God for the
safety of her beloved friend. A month later she heard
of Prince Leopold's Confirmation with deep interest,
and read Archbishop Tait's beautiful charge on this
occasion, which the Prince had sent her, with a heart-
felt prayer that its " noble aspirations for his future
career may be realised."

On the 29th of March she officiated as bridesmaid
at the marriage of her friend Lady Julia Melville to
General Robertson, and made the now habitual re-
flection that she herself seemed destined for a single
life. She frankly admitted that she would have pre-
ferred to be married had the right man presented
himself, but at twenty-seven she hardly thought
this to be likely. She had, as we have seen, refused
many offers and never regretted her decision, and
although in one case she owned that her feelings had

i64 SIR RAINALD KNIGHTLEY [chap, xiii

been at the moment touched, she remained heart-whole.
She Httle dreamt when, on the day after the Roe-
hampton wedding, she accompanied her mother to pay
a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Gage at Firle, that she was about
to meet her future husband.

" Firle Place, Lewes, Ttiesday, March 30, 1869. — We
left home early and went up to London Bridge, whence
we had a charming trajet, through very pretty country,
to this delightfully quaint old place at the foot of the
Downs — a great rambling house with a central court-
yard, a splendid hall and fine picture gallery. A
most agreeable small party — our kind host and hostess,
Mr. and Mrs. Gage, her brother. Sir Rainald Knightley,^
and Sir Thomas Munro, two exceedingly pleasant
men, with whom I thoroughly enjoy mental trotting out.

" Friday, April 2. — The morning was devoted to
croquet, which we plaj^ed insanely all yesterday in
the teeth of a cold east wind. In the afternoon we
had a charming walk to the top of the Downs behind
the house. We could not see the view, but it was
great fun scrambling down, and I had much talk with
Sir Rainald. I wonder if I begin to understand him?
He strikes me as a very good average sort of man :
clever, without being a genius ; good, without having
a very high standard — in short, not unlike myself.
I wonder what his faults are? Mr. Thomas arrived,
and nearly killed us with his Sussex stories of stool
ball — a curious game, not unlike cricket, which the
women in this part of the world play. Oh dear ! how
I wish I could remember what I read ! I stumbled so
fearfully over Madame des Ursins, in our conversation
at dinner, and I did think I knew her !

" Saturday, April 3. — We travelled up as far as
Croydon with Sir Rainald and Mr. Thomas — a most
amusing journey. I seldom remember so agreeable
a party, and am quite sorry the visit is over. We
got home by 3 p.m., and I devoted myself to copying
some interesting notes which I read at Firle on Brown-
ing's ' Childe Roland to the dark tower came.' It is

* A day to be kept for all time. — L. K.

1 869] COURTSHIP 165

wonderful how they clear up its meaning, though I
doubt if the best sort of poetry ought to be a sealed
book to all but the very choicest spirits. George
Ehot's ' Spanish Gypsy ' is, I confess, far more to my
mind."

That first meeting at Firle made a deep impression
on the girl's mind, and she returns to it in her Journal
at intervals all through the next few weeks.

" My head very full of last week," she writes on
April 15, " but I must not dwell on it too much. . . .
Nora Campbell told me of Sir Rainald's long devotion

to Lady . It is a touching story, and 1 like all I

hear of him."

One day at the end of April Louisa caught sight of
Sir Rainald in the Park, and was much provoked because,
seeing a crowd of men round the carriage in which she
was sitting, he only bowed and passed on. A month
later, she and her mother came up to spend a month
with a cousin. Miss Wheatley, in Beaufort Gardens,
and met Sir Rainald several times. He called on Lady
Bowater, joined Louisa out riding in the Park most
mornings, and danced with her at the Palace ball.
Political interests drew them together, and the Irish
Church Bill, which had lately been brought forward
by Mr. Gladstone, was the subject of many of their
conversations.

" June 19. — A charming ride in the morning, and a
long talk with Sir Rainald about last night's division
in the House of Lords. There was a majority of
33 in favour of the second reading. The Bishop of
Peterborough's peroration was certainly magnificent.
Lord Derb}'' says it has never been surpassed during his
long parliamentary career ; Lord Ellenborough, that
there has been no such speech since the days of Plunkett.
Certainly there never has been a question in my time
v/hich has agitated the upper classes so much, but still
I hold to my opinion that it is a simple act of justice
and earnestly trust that the Bill may pass. Sir Rainald
has done his best to induce Lord Salisbury to vote in
its favour, and, humanly speaking, this has decided the

1^6 SIR RAINALD KNIGHTLEY [chap, xiii

fate of the Bill and avoided a fearful collision. But
many good men and true look on this as an act of
sacrilege, involving the country in a downward course
of irreligion. And yet ! do not justice and truth go
before everything ? and may we not on our side sa}",
' Pais ce que dois, advienne que pourra ' ? God alone
can know what were Mr. Gladstone's motives for
bringing it forward . I wonder if he has misgivings ?
Expediency would have been best consulted by leaving
it alone.

" June 2j . — My thoughts were busy with the im-
portant event apparently impending in my life. I am
anxious and nervous about this week, yet why be so ?
All is in God's hands : He will guide all as is best.

' I see my way as birds their trackless way. . . .
In some time, His good time, I shall arrive ;
He guides me and the bird. In His good time ! '

" June 28. — We went to a breakfast in Buckingham
Palace Gardens, at which the Queen herself was present
and the Viceroy. It was a pretty sight and a fine party,
but — tell it not in Gath ! — very cold and very dull.
The Queen did not speak to us, and Sir Rainald was,
to say the least of it, very odd, very different from what
he has been. I can't make him out.

" July 2. — I rode with Miss Mordaunt, and Sir
Rainald joined us. We had the pleasantest talk that
we have yet had — all the uncertainties of the last two
days have quite vanished. Dear mother is so good.
That is the worst part, but I think, with God's blessing,
we shall be very happy."

Several pleasant rides and political discussions
followed. Then came a large dinner-party, after which
Louisa had a long talk with Sir Rainald, and a ball at
Mrs. Angerstein's, which she enjoyed more than any
other of the season, and ended b}^ going down to supper
with him. On Lady Bowater's return to Richmond
Park, Sir Rainald came down with his sister, Mrs.
Gage, to a large croquet party, and invited Louisa and
her mother to pay a visit to Fawsley, his country place

1869] BETROTHAL 167

in Northamptonshire, during the second week in August.
This time there could be no doubt as to his intentions.
" To think," adds Louisa, in recording the fact on
July 17, " that probably the greatest event in my life
will be decided in less than a month."

On the loth of August she accompanied her mother
to Fawsley, and describes the beautiful drive from
Weedon and through the park to the fine old house,
which Sir Rainald had recently enlarged and restored.

'^Fawsley, Daveniry, Wednesday, August 11. — We
took a long and charming ride in the morning round
this beautiful park, w^ith its woods and glades, deer,
water and distant views, and had much pleasant talk,
though upon everyday subjects. In the afternoon we
played croquet. Sir George Osborn and his daughter
arrived to luncheon, Lord and Lady Listow^el came to
tea, and Charley Newdegate arrived to dinner. I sat
between him and Sir Rainald — a curious combination.
All seems to me to be passing in a dream. I am not
excited, only quieter than usual, but very happy.

" Friday, August 13. — No, I can't write any de-
scription of to-day, but I have plighted my troth to
Rainald Knightley, and from the very bottom of my
heart I pray God that He will help me to be a good
wife to him. He is so good and nice, I am sure we
shall be happy together. There is but the one wrench
— of leaving Mamma. It was all settled coming out
of the dear little church here, which Rainald took me
to see this morning.

" August 14. — The Osborns departed, to our great
joy, and we had a long, long talk, and a delightful ride
in the afternoon. What have I done to deserve such
love, such happiness ? I can only pray God to help
me to be a little worthy of it. There is not a word he
says that does not realise my highest ideal. And the
Gages are so kind.

" Sunday, August 1 5 . — A very, very bright and sunny
bit of life. The agitation of the last few days has a
little bit subsided, and every hour makes me know him
better and love him more dearly. We had such a nice

i68 SIR RAINALD KNIGHTLEY [chap, xiii

walk together all round the lovely Dmgle, where the
sun was shining through the trees, as it will, I hope,
shine into our lives. Church was not till late in the
afternoon, but it was very nice to tread that little path
again and in God's own house to pray for a blessing on
our new life.

"August i6. — Papers and carriages! — sublunary,
practical considerations, but very pleasant ones withal.
He is so kind, only too much inclined to spoil me and
waste money upon me. We had some nice walks
besides, and long, happy talks.

" August 17. — Another happy walk and talk before
we left. He is so nice and good — well, I can't write
about it, so it is no use trying. We came home.
What a change since we left here I

" Richmond Park, August 18. — I was hard at work
all the morning, writing letters to announce the happy
event. I really do not know how to be happy and
thankful enough — there never was anything so perfect
as it all is — as he is. I only hope my head will not be
turned ! I am not worthy of such happiness, but it
comes from God . I only hope it will not make me selfish.
Dear Mrs. Gage has been so good to me — she must feel
it, but she is so unselfish ; and Mr. Gage and Mr. Knightley
are so kind too. Never was anyone more affectionately
welcomed .

" August 19. — I had m}^ first letter from him —
such a nice one — and answered it. I hope he will like
mine. I am getting a little more used to my happiness
now — but oh ! it does seem so wonderful. I destroyed all

memorials of my foolish old penchant for Captain B ,

and have told Rainald all about it, except the name.

" Auoust 21. — Letters! letters! letters! — and
another charming one from him. Lady Leven came
in the afternoon, and brought me my first wedding
present. I sometimes still feel as if I must pinch
myself, to be sure it is really me ! "

The next week Sir Rainald Knightley spent a few
days at Thatched House Lodge, and Louisa enjoyed
showing him her favourite haunts. Together they

1 869] WEDDING PREPARATIONS 169

rowed on the river and drove or walked to Hampton
Court, Coombe Wood, and White Lodge. When he
left for Scotland she was surprised to find how much
she missed him, and how she hungered for his letters,
and began to wish for October 20 — the date on which
her wedding day had been fixed. A busy month
followed, during which crowds of visitors found their
wa}' to Richmond Park. Princess Mar}^ and Prince
Teck, Lord and Lady Russell, and many other old friends
came to wish Louisa joy, and presents from Princess
Louise, Prince Leopold, the Duke of Grafton, and
many of the Ro^'al Household arrived. Earl}'' in October
her " absent Knight " returned to town, and she spent
her days shopping with him in town and walking
about Kensington Gardens, or riding in their former
" happy hunting-grounds " — Rotten Row.

" Such lovely things he gives me ! " she writes, — " a
dressing-case, sets of pearls and diamonds, — all quite
too beautiful. I hardly feel as if they ought to belong
to me. To-day he brought with him a beautiful pair
of carriage-horses, which he has bought for me, and we
went together to Heal's after furniture. I felt so odd,
choosing and ordering things, for he doesn't help one
bit ; and then we walked home to Beaufort Gardens
through the closing twilight, arm in arm. Oh dear !
this is such a happy time — happier than my brightest
dreams could ever have pictured it ! "

" Richmond Park, Sunday, October 17. — The last
Sunday of my maiden life. All day j^esterday I was
very busy tearing up and arranging old letters, finishing
all my preparations. It is rather sad closing the old,
happy life. But next Sunda}-, please God, I shall kneel
beside my husband at His altar and consecrate our
new life to Him. Now I look back, I see how God
has been training me all along for the work He intended
me to do in life. I have been waiting, how often
impatiently and faithlessly, with little of that con-
centration of pui-pose of which Stopford Brooke speaks so
well in a sermon which I read this morning. Standing
on the eve of a new life, I dedicate my future to Him

I70

SIR RAINALD KNIGHTLEY [chap, xiii

to-day. May He teach me to be a loving, obedient
wife, a kind, wise mistress ! Ma}^ He — I know He will
— give me strength to do my duty in the state of life
to which He has called me !

"... It is the last day — dressmaker, shopping,
signing settlements, arranging presents which poured
in all day, and finally exhibiting them to any number
of people. Such was its outward history. Within, I
am perfectly calm, peaceful, happy, thankful ; and my
darling mother bears up bravely. I cannot write more
—MitGott:'

CHAPTER XIV

Marriage

1869

On the 20th of October 1 869 Louisa Bowater was married

to Sir Rainald Knightley in the church of St. Peter,

Eaton Square, from the house of her cousin, Martin

Smith, in 13 Upper Belgrave Street. The wedding is

best described in her own words.

" Fawsley, Wednesday, October 20. — Our wedding

day ! The new Ufe has begun, our solemn vows have

been pHghted before God's holy altar, and my darling

Rainald and I are man and wife. Now — odd as it

seems — my Journal must be true and faithful still, and

give an account of our wedding day. A glorious day it

was, sunny and bright as heart could wish — a glad omen,

I verily believe. I did not feel in the least nervous —

at least I felt there was too much to be done and thought

of, to allow myself to give way. My exquisite wedding

bouquet was a present from dear Princess Christian,

as well as the lace veil which I wore. When I was

dressed and waiting, the band of the Scots Fusiliers

marched past. It was a most curious coincidence, like

a greeting from my dearest father, and it brought tears

to my eyes. Martin Smith was most kind, and came

to fetch me when all was ready. Of course Uncle

Frederick Barne, who gave me away, behaved in an

eccentric manner ; but my bridesmaids were all there

to time, and looked very pretty and nice in their pink

frocks. They were Fanny Corbet, Tina Montgomery,

Susan Rowley, Julia Angerstein, Evelyn Bathurst,

Helen Ellice, Frances Vanneck, Caroline Duncombe, and

171

I ^2 MARRIAGE [chap, xiv

Mina Nugent. I had a long time to wait first for
Rainald and then for Mr. Knightley and Mr. Story ,^
who married us ; but I did not regret this, as it gave me
plenty of time to collect my thoughts. Dear Rainald
was ver}'' nervous, Mr, Knightley still more so. I felt
so perfectly happy in my choice that I could repeat
the solemn words quite steadily, although Mr. Knightley
went so fast, it was very difficult. It was very soon
over, and Mamma, Uncle Frederick, Charley Newdegate,
Mr. Gage, and Sir Thomas Munro witnessed the marriage.
The next half-hour was rather trying, going about
talking to people. I seem to have seen most of my
old Sotterley friends — Ad^le Arnold, Lucy Wormald, and
St. John. At one they all went in to breakfast, and we
retired to a snug little luncheon upstairs. At 2 p.m.
we went down, took leave of a few, very few, people,
my darling mother bearing up beautifully and dear
Tina being most helpful — and were off, the group of
pink bridesmaids looking so pretty on the steps. The
N.W.R. were most polite, giving us a saloon carriage
all to ourselves. Lord Denbigh came and congratulated
as we started, which also recalled dear Papa, and then
away we sped to Blis worth, where a special engine
brought us to Weedon. Here our new carriage was
awaiting us, and at Dodford the Daventry volunteer
corps was drawn up and gave us a heart}^ cheer. Our
progress through Newnham was a small triumph, bands
playing, bells ringing, arches of evergreens and flags
and loud cheers all the way. The tenants, about
thirty in number, very well mounted, were drawn up
at the park gates, and escorted us to the house, the
foot-people racing alongside, tumbling over each other
in the fern in all directions. The bells of the dear little
church that we love so well rang merrily, and all the
school-children were drawn up in front of the house. As
the carriage stopped, the tenants formed up outside
the portico, and a very pretty and touching address

^ The Rev. Valentine Knightley, Rector of Preston Capes and Char-
welton (1836-1878), and Rev. W. Story, Rector of Fawsley, both cousins
of Sir Rainald.

1 869] AT FAWSLEY 173

was read. My darling husband spoke well and clearly
in reply, and did not break down as I feared he would,
for he felt it deeply, and his golden heart was indeed
touched. The children strewed flowers at my feet as
I stepped out of the carriage and we passed in, and
so ended the long, trying, but happy day, and Rainald
and I entered on our new life in our own home. May
God bless it to us !

" Fawsley, October 25. — The days go by so quickly
it is hard to keep account of them. But it is very nice
being quietly at home after all the excitement of the
last few weeks. Of course one feels rather shy and
strange, but dear Rainald is so thoughtful and con-
siderate that I shall soon feel quite at home. We take
walks round the Dingle and all about this beautiful
park, and have paid visits to the gardeners' and wood-
men's cottages, and went all through the hothouses
with the very loquacious head-gardener, and saw the
nursery, which would fill mother with envy and is in
beautiful order. So indeed is everything about the
place, although I plague Rainald's life out with chaff
for his ignorance of the cottages and farms, and most
of his own concerns. Yesterday we drove in Rainald's
American spider to Canon's Ashby, a most deliciously
quaint old place with a very fine church, and met the
owner. Sir Henry Dryden, a still quainter person, with
blunt, rough manners, and such queer old-fashioned
clothes, looking exactly as if he had stepped out
of Dickens's novels. To-day I have entered on my
housewifely duties and been all over the house with the
housekeeper, Mrs. Eaton, and an upholsterer from
Daventry, arranging, contriving, and glorying in my
new domain. I felt myself to be my mother's own
daughter ! I hope the workmen who are still busy
decorating the new rooms will be gone in a day or two,
and then we can arrange the furniture and chintzes, etc.
Rainald went to Daventry on justice business this
morning — absolutely the first time we have been
separated for half an hour. I was much gratified by
a most kind and gracious letter from the Queen with
13

[ 74 MARRIAGE [chap, xiv

a very pretty turquoise and diamond locket, containing
a photo of dear Prince Leo, with a lock of his hair and
underneath ' From V. R., October 1869.' ^ I have been
strolling about alone, and enjoy feeling myself the
mistress of this beautiful place. There are lovely walks
and rides in all directions, and I have been riding one
of Rainald's hunters, which carries me very well, in the
afternoons, or driving my new pony-carriage, which is
charmingly light and easy. Last night we talked politics,
and Rainald showed me the correspondence about
last year's election, in which he was very badly treated,
also Lord Derby's letter of 1866, offering him the
Under-Secretaryship of Foreign Affairs, ' the best thing
out of the Cabinet,' which he refused because he would
not serve under Disraeli. He told me of his attack on
the Whig Government that year and of a lucky hit
which he made in comparing the Premier to a tipsy
man, clinging to a lamp-post, unable to advance, fearing
to retreat, unable to stand, yet afraid to fall. He said
it set both sides of the House in a roar, while Mr. Glad-
stone sat scowling with rage, quite unable to see the
joke. He also showed me a curious letter from Lord
George Bentinck, giving the whole history of his resigning
the leadership of the Conservative party, on the Jew
Bill in 1848, and another from Lord Cranborne, the

1 The following is the text of the autograph letter addressed to Lady
Knightley on this occasion by Her Gracious Maiesty, Queen Victoria :

" Balmoral, October 22, 1869.
" My dear Louisa, — I was unfortunately not aware that your
marriage was to take place before the end of this month, and therefore
delayed sending you my offering. This morning I see that your marriage
took place on Wednesday, and I hasten to write these lines to wish you
every possible happiness in your married life for many, many years to
come ! I need not say that I shall ever take the warmest interest in
your welfare. The accompanying locket contains the likeness and hair
of Leopold, the poor little boy whom you were so kind to, when God took
your dear fathers both away on the same day. I hope you will often
wear it, in recollection of him and me. You will be glad to hear that he
is particularly strong and well — unberufen, as the Germans say. Your
dear mother will, I fear, miss you dreadfully. Hoping ere long to have
the pleasure of seeing you and your husband, — Believe me always, dear
Louisa, yours very affectionately, Victoria R.

" Pray send me your photograph, as well as Sir Rainald Knightley's."

1 869] NEIGHBOURS— RICH AND POOR 175

present Lord Salisbury, anent the Reform Bill of 1867,
in which he says that 'John Bright has been haranguing
Beaumont on the dangers of household suffrage and this
democratic Bill ! ' It is curious to see how they all seem
to treat Delane, the Editor of the Times, as a power in
the State."

The hunting season opened early in November, and
meets of the Pytchley, Bicester, and Duke of Grafton's
hounds w^ere the leading events of the winter at Fawsley,
Lady Knightley began by driving her husband to the
meets, and before long took to riding to hounds herself,
and became Sir Rainald's regular companion in the
hunting field. Another occupation which proved of
absorbing interest was the state of the cottages on the
estate, to which she early turned her attention.

" November 18. — Rainald and I walked to Down
Farm directly after breakfast to look at a cottage
where some people called Ames live, which has only
two bedrooms and where a third is wanted. Imagine
how much I felt in my element ! I hope we shall be
able to make a tidy job of it. But I am not quite
happy in my mind about these poor people, since, as
they live in a ' shod,' i.e. a cottage attached to an
outlying farm, the farmer, not unnaturally, objects to
their keeping a pig. I was glad to find out, however,
that they have two sons living at home, one earning
fifteen shillings a week as blacksmith here, the other
working as a shoemaker at Badby. ... I must say the
people here are much better off than wdth us in Suffolk,
and you see big flitches of bacon hanging up in every
kitchen. But I fear it will be some time before much
can be done here in the way of cottage-building, the
farms absorb so much money, and even now all the
cottage rents are spent in repairs."

Lady Bowater, to whom her daughter confided her
new anxieties, offered to bring a little book of Lord
Cawdor's on Housing with her to Fawsley, a proposal
which Louisa welcomed eagerly, being, as she says,
" always on the look-out for hints." But Sir Rainald
added a postscript — half in jest, half in earnest — to his

176 MARRIAGE [chap, xiv

wife's letter, begging Lady Bowater on no account to
bring Lord Cawdor's book, adding : " Louisa's bother
about Ames's cottage has cost me thirty pounds already.
She and her cottage improvements are the plague of
my life ! "

" November 19. — This afternoon we drove out in
what Rainald calls ' prelatic pomp,' to return visits in
the neighbourhood, and found every single mortal at
home. Rainald 's face of utter despair was very
amusing. I am afraid our near neighbours, as I
have seen them so* far, are indeed ' nigh-bores.' I
never saw a less promising set. But I dare say I shall
find some people worth knowing. When we return
from the round of visits over which Rainald is already
groaning, I must go and see some of the poor people and
begin to know them, which I have not yet had any
opportunity of doing."

Two da^^s afterwards Sir Rainald and Lady Knightley
left home to pay visits to old friends in Suffolk, and she
had the great pleasure of taking her husband to see
Sotterley on the way to Lord Stradbroke's house at Hen-
ham. After a day or two at Claridge's Hotel, they went
on to Longleat, where Lady Knightley found plenty to
interest her in Lord Bath's noble house with its pictures
and splendid librar}^ A visit to the Duke of Beau-
fort at Badminton was followed by a few days at her
" dear old Arbury," where she had the joy of meeting
her mother, and onl}- longed that Mrs. Newdegate could
have been present to share in their happiness.

** Saturday, December 18. — We left dear Arbury with
regret, but oh ! with what exquisite happiness did
we find ourselves once more in this beautiful home —
all the new rooms we have furnished ourselves waiting
for us, and presents and letters without end. This first
return home was indeed a happy one.

" December 22. — I was hard at work all day, arrang-
ing books and furniture, up to the last moment, when
I had the pleasure of welcoming the dear mother to my
own home ! Dear Mary Wheatley arrived soon after-
wards. It does seem so natural and pleasant to have

1 869] THE KNIGHTLEY FAMILY 177

them here. The ground is covered with snow, and
there is a sharp frost. A real Christmas scene !

" December 23. — The whole evening was spent in
the servants' hall, assisting in the distribution of dear
Rainald's charities to the inhabitants of these six
villages — Charwelton, Hinton, Woodford, Badby,
Newnham, Everdon, and Preston. The system is
admirable, and has gone on for generations, and it was
pleasant to see the poor women trotting off with bundles
of calico, flannel, and blankets. In the afternoon
arrived Sophy and Henry Gage, their boy Harry, Sir
Thomas Munro, and Val — a charming family party.
My dear old Philip also came.

" Christmas Day. — Our first Christmas together !
It seems so strange to think that this time last year
we did not even know each other by sight. Certainly
this is far the happiest Christmas I have ever spent.
How shall I ever be thankful enough ? Was ever
mortal so blest as I am ! Everything this world can
give is bestowed upon me, and it all flows from my
husband's love, and that is the gift of God. Work
too He has given me — the work I have wished for so
long. Oh, may He also give me grace to do it faith-
fully! My heart is full. I cannot WTite all I would."

These passages from Lady Knightley's Journal show-
how complete her happiness was in these early days of
her wedded life. Marriage not only satisfied the crav-
ings of her heart ; it placed her in a position for which
she was admirably fitted, and above all it supplied the
opportunities for work which she had long desired.

The family into which she had married was one of
the oldest and proudest in Northamptonshire. The
Knightleys traced their descent lineally from Sir Rainald
de Knightley, who came over with the Conqueror and
s mentioned in Domesday as " lord of the manor of
Knightley in Staffordshire." They settled at Fawsley
n the reign of Henry v., and in the course of a few
years became the owners of no less than thirty-three
Tianors in Northamptonshire. The oldest part of the
louse goes back to the first half of the fifteenth century,

1/8 MARRIAGE [chap, xiv

and the kitchens and noble hall with its fine oriel date
from about 1500. Early in the sixteenth century, a
Sir Richard Knightley married the daughter of the
Duke of Somerset, who was Lord Protector during the
minority of Edward vi., and became notorious for his
championship of the Puritan cause. The " Martin
Marprelate " tracts, the first of which appeared in 1588,
the year of the Armada, are said to have been issued
by a secret press set up at Fawsley in a small chamber
above the oriel window of the great hall. His de-
scendant, another Richard, inherited the Puritan tradi-
tions of the family and was a strong supporter of the
Parliamentarian party. An interesting record of proceed-
ings in Parliament from 1623 to 1640, in his hand-
writing, is still preserved at Fawsley, and has been
partly printed by the Camden Society. Man}'^ con-
ferences between the chief Parliamentarian leaders took
place at Fawsley, and during the Civil Wars a printing
press is said to have been set up once more in the secret
chamber. Sir Richard's eldest son married a daughter
of Hampden, but opposed the King's execution and took
an active part in the restoration of Charles 11., who
knighted him at his coronation. These historic memories
were of the deepest interest to Lady Knightley, who
devoted herself eagerly to the study of the Knightley
pedigree and portraits, and made many fresh dis-
coveries in the family history. The leading part which
the Knightleys had played in more recent county politics
was to her a still greater source of pleasure. From
1852, when his father, the venerable Sir Charles Knight-
ley, retired from Parliament, Sir Rainald had been one
of the representatives for South Northamptonshire, a
post which he filled during the next forty years. Lady
Knightley, we have seen, had been keenly interested in
politics from her childhood. Now she threw herself
with ardour into all her husband's pursuits, and afforded
him invaluable help in his public career.

On the other hand, the situation was in many
respects a difficult one, and all her courage and wisdom
were needed to overcome the obstacles in her way.

1 869] HUNTING AND POLITICS 179

Life at Fawsley was fashioned on the most antiquated
pattern. As DisraeH wrote of his Buckinghamshire
home : "It was sylvan and feudal," Sir Charles
Knightley had been a typical country gentleman of the
good old days. He farmed his own land, brewed his
own ale, and reared a famous breed of cattle known by
the name of the Knightley shorthorns. After he gave
up his seat in Parliament to his son in 1852, he lived
altogether at Fawsley, surrounded by the members of
his family. His wife, Selina Hervey, granddaughter
of the first Earl of Bristol, had died in 1856, but his
only daughter, Sophy, who married Lord Gage's son
in 1840, made her home at Fawsley during most of
the year, together with her husband Mr. Gage and their
only son, Harry. Two nephews who had taken orders
and held family livings — Valentine Knightley, rector
of the neighbouring parishes of Preston Capes and
Charwelton, and William Story, who was at the same
time rector of Fawsley and curate to his Cousin Val —
made up the party, while Mr. Gage's old friend, Sir
Thomas Munro of Lindertis, also spent the winter at
Fawsley and brought his horses with him for the
hunting season. Fawsley, situated as it is in the
heart of South Northamptonshire, was an admirable
hunting centre, and, after the fashion of their neigh-
bours, all the men of the party rode to the neighbouring
meets of the Pytchley, Bicester, Warwickshire, and
Duke of Grafton's hounds. Sir Rainald himself always |
said that he began to hunt at the age of six, and never
left off till he was seventy-six. As in many other of our
remote country districts, the feudal system still pre-
vailed to a remarkable extent on the vast estates which
had so long been Knightley property. Women and
girls dropped low curtsies, men and boys touched
their caps and pulled their forelocks at the sight of
any of the quality. Doles of warm clothing, boots and
shoes, flannel and calico, sheets and blankets were dis-
tributed in the great hall every Christmas. A fat ox
was killed, and joints of beef were given to labourers
and cottage tenants. But of the real existence of their

i8o MARRIAGE [chap.xiv

poorer neighbours and dependants, of their habits and
thouglits and ways of Hving, the inmates of the big
house knew nothing. It was much the same with their
more well-to-do neighbours, the smaller gentry and
clergy of the neighbourhood. Once a year a haunch
of venison from Fawsley Park was sent to each of these
as a graceful recognition of their existence, and before
an election Sir Charles himself drove round in his
high phaeton and called at all the principal houses to
ask the owner to do him the honour of recording his
vote in favour of Cartwright and Knightley, the Con-
servative Members who had represented the county
for many years. Sir Charles kept this practice up to
the time of his death, when he was over eighty, and
drove round in his American spider, attended by a single
groom, to canvass his old constituents on behalf of
his son Rainald, who was about to take his place. There
are many Northamptonshire folk who still retain a lively
recollection of the fine old man as he was in these last
days of his life. I remember myself how my brother
and I used to be taken as children to have luncheon
and play with his little grandson, Harry Gage, and a
very awe-inspiring function it was. We were solemnly
ushered into Sir Charles's presence, and followed the
little procession, led by the bent, silver-haired old
man, who walked leaning on a gold-headed cane and
supported by his daughter, a gentle, sad-faced lady,
into the dining-room. Tall liveried footmen stood
round the table, the old butler behind Sir Charles's
chair, and a haunch of venison on a massive silver dish
was always set before him. We were naturally very
shy on these occasions, and our elders were very silent.
The Gages said little ; Mr. Knightley, in our eyes a very
formidable personage, never opened his lips ; and Sir
Charles generally contented himself with patting my
brother's head and giving me a kindly smile. But
what made up for all was the sight of the glorious
riband border, for which in those days the gardens of
Fawsley were famous, and which attracted visitors from all
the countryside . I can still remember the glowing colours

i869] SIR RAINALD'S CHARACTER i8i

of the long rows of hollyhocks, gladioli, brilliant Mrs.
Pollock geraniums, blue lobelias, and yellow calceolarias,
between the grass w'alks and ponds, surrounded by the
red-brick walls of the old kitchen garden.

When in 1864 Sir Charles died, full of years and
honour, the famous riband border was broken up. A
troop of gardeners were dismissed, and thousands of
geraniums and lobelias were given away. The house
was shut up. Mr. and Mrs. Gage settled with old
Lord Gage at Firle, and Sir Rainald went to live in town.
Up to this time he had always said that it was im-
possible to marry, since, as he explained to his old
kinsman, Lord Cottesloe, if he left Fawsley it would
break his father's heart, and if he took his wife to live
there it would certainly break her heart. But now he
felt that it was incumbent on him to marry for the
good of the family. So he determined, first of all, to
improve the house at Fawsley and adapt it as far as
possible to modern requirements. With this object, a
whole suite of new living-rooms facing south and an
entrance porch were added, which certainly increased
the comfort of the house if they could scarcely be said
to add to the beauty of the old Tudor buildings. Then,
with his sister's help, he deliberately looked about him
in search of a suitable wife. In a fortunate hour he
met Louisa Bowater, and wooed and w^on her for his
bride. Many of her friends wondered how this brilliant,
handsome, and much-admired girl could be content to
marry a man who was more than twenty years her
senior and who had little that was likely to attract her
fancy. Sir Rainald was a singularly silent and reserved
man, with none of the geniality which had made his
father so popular with his neighbours and constituents.
Tall and dignified, wdth fine features, iron-grey hair,
and a slight stoop, he was an aristocrat to the tips of
his fingers. But his courtly manner and distinguished
bearing attracted Louisa from the first. He talked
well when he chose to exert himself, had a consider-
able knowledge of French literature, and was a great
authority on whist His abilities commanded the atten-

1 82 MARRIAGE [chap, xiv

tion of his colleagues in the House of Commons, and
his utterances, although rare, were always thoughtful
and to the point. As an old county member and a
foremost representative of the large landowners in the
Midlands, he was treated with respect by successive
ministers and was distinguished for his personal devo-
tion to Lord Salisbury and his aversion to Mr. Disraeli,
whom to the end of his life he regarded with deep-rooted
distrust. Mr. Gladstone always said that he considered
Sir Rainald to be one of the cleverest members of the
old Tory party and beyond doubt the most dexterous
debater in the House. His fastidious taste and pride
in his ancient lineage often excited the mirth of his
opponents, and on one occasion, when he was sitting in
the smoking-room of the House of Commons descanting
on his favourite topic, Sir William Harcourt exclaimed,
in the words of Bishop Ken's evening hymn :

'- And Knightley (nightly) to the listening earth
Repeats the story of his birth ! "

Such were the husband and home with which Lady
Knightley 's destinies were henceforth associated . Happy
as she was in her new surroundings, dearly as she loved
her husband, her keen perception quickly realised the
defects of the system to which she now belonged. Its
narrowness and exclusiveness repelled her from the
first. " We live in a groove here," she exclaims re-
peatedly in these early years of her married life, " and
this is a bad thing for us all." With her love of reading
and travel, and her eagerness to acquire fresh knowledge,
she could not long remain content with this narrow
circle. She used to declare laughingly that when she
first came to Fawsley no one read any newspaper but
the Morning Post, and that the only magazine ever
seen on the drawing-room table was the Quarterly
Review. But she quickly changed all this, and was
soon able to introduce at least a measure of sweetness
and light into her new home. The neighbours might,
as she remarked, be an unpromising set at first sight,
but closer acquaintance revealed the existence of more

1869] LADY KNIGHTLEY'S INFLUENCE 183

than one whom she felt to be worthy of respect and
whose friendship she became eager to cultivate. " I
like to go to Edgcote," she writes a year after her
marriage, " and see the Cartwrights. These girls read
and think, and it does me good to see them and discuss
books and music with them and hear them play, which
they do quite admirably, I must say." She never forgot
hearing Schumann's " Warum ? " played at a rain^^
garden-party at this particular house, and declared that
it gave her a new idea of the power and meaning of
music. But whether her neighbours were dull or
interesting, clever or stupid, Lady Knightley was de-
termined to have a share in their joys and sorrows,
and if possible make Fawsley a centre for rich and
poor alike. This was no easy task, and many years of
resolute and persevering effort were needed before it could
be accomplished. But from the moment of her marriage
Lady Knightley 's charm and goodness made themselves
felt by all those with whom she came into contact.
This radiant young bride, beaming with happiness and
goodwill, brought a new element into life at Fawsley,
and her coming was welcomed by all ranks and classes.
From the first, as we have already seen, she threw
herself into the lives of farmers and labourers on her
husband's estate, and used her influence to improve
their condition. " Louisa loves all this ! " Sir Rainald
remarked one day to a guest who was tramping over a
ploughed field to visit a farm : " I hate it ! " Church
life, again, was at a very low ebb in these villages.
" Sundays here," she wrote soon after her marriage,
" are very unsatisfactory." As long as Sir Charles
lived, both his nephews, the rectors of Charwelton and
Fawsley, had made their home at the big house, but
when Dr. Magee became Bishop of Peterborough he
insisted on these clerical gentlemen residing in
their respective parsonages and attending to their
parochial duties. But how lax this observance still
remained may be realised from the fact that on Sundays
only one service was held in Fawsley church, and that
this was alternately Matins at 12 and Evensong at

1 84 MARRIAGE [chap, xiv

12.15, while Holy Communion was celebrated four times
in the year.^ Lady Knightley's deeply religious nature
was sorely distressed at this state of things, and she
did her best to improve the services as far as this was
possible. She started classes on Sundays, read with
her own young servants, and set to work to train a
choir. She made a point of never missing the weekly
practices when she was at Fawsley, and took the keenest
interest in the task. " Our first performance in church ! "
she writes on March 26, 1870. " It went off much better
than I had expected. I really think we have the making
of a very nice choir, and I only hope the singing, which
makes them all come to church, will not have the
effect of diverting their attention from the service."
But she found little sympathy with these aspirations
in her husband's family. Both Sir Rainald and his
sister, Mrs. Gage, a genuinely pious and devout woman,
had been brought up on strictly evangelical lines, and
disliked all innovations in the services to which they
were accustomed, and it was many years before the
church services at Fawsley were conducted in a manner
congenial to Lady Knightley's feelings.

1 A friend of Lady Knightley's who was a frequent guest at Fawsley
gives a graphic account of the Sunday services. After taking morning
service at Charwelton, where he was curate to Mr. Valentine Knightlcy,
Mr. Story would appear at the house about noon, to collect a congregation.
Anyone who felt inclined to attend service, then accompanied him to
church, where he proceeded to read Matins and deliver a sermon in a
monotonous voice, without any attempt at punctuation. On one occasion
he complained of a sore throat, and Sir Charles, who was then living,
desired him not to preach a sermon. However, his voice improved, and
he was on his way to the pulpit, when the old clerk rushed forward with
outstretched arm and, seizing him by the gown, cried out, " Sir Charles
says ye mayn't ! " The Rector withdrew obediently, and no sermon
was preached that day.

Sir Charles KNiGHiLtv, Bari.
1813.

(From a miniature at Fawsle}-.)

[To face p. 184.

CHAPTER XV

Hatfield and Brook Street

1870

Politics, as we have seen, had occupied much of
Lady Knightley's time and thoughts in her girlhood,
and her marriage brought her into intimate contact
with the leading statesmen of the day. One of the
first visits which she paid with her husband, in the winter
of 1870, was to Hatfield.

" Friday, February 4. — How little 1 imagined,
when gazing at this fine old house from the railroad,
that I should ever find myself a guest beneath its
roof ! However — to proceed soberly — dear Sophy Gage
and Henry left us directly after breakfast, and we
travelled by the old familiar way of Leighton and
Luton, catching a glimpse of the dear mother at Wheat-
hampstead. We walked up from the station with Lord
Carnarvon, and by degrees made out all this immense
party — beside the Carnarvons, Mr. and Mrs. Gathorne-
Hardy, Count Streleczki, Mr. and Mrs. Froude, Lord
Percy, Mr. John Murray, Mr. Fergusson (author of the
Handbook of Architecture), Lord Verulam, Sir Henry
Drummond Wolff, Lady Alderson and two daughters,
a Mr. and Mrs. Drew, and Dr. Frankland, an eminent
chemist. I sat between Lord Percy and Lord Salisbur}^,
and after dinner talked to Mr. Froude, who is certainly
very agreeable. He gave a most extraordinary account
of dinners in old days at Lord Houghton's, and of
Swinburne standing on a sofa, reciting some of his
most passionate verses, ' making himself as wicked

as he knew how,' and of Ruskin saiUng up to the

185

1 86 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap, xv

poet with outstretched arms, exclaiming, * Exquisite !
divine ! '

" Saturday, February 5. — After breakfast, I went all
over this very fine house — one of the finest, in some
respects, which I have ever seen. The gallery is a
dream, and the armour}^ below also very fine, and
the pictures — chiefl}^ family portraits — most interesting.
Afterwards I pottered about with Mr. Fergusson, look-
ing at the Old Palace in which Queen Elizabeth lived,
which is now turned into stables, but has a quite
magnificent hall. It really requires all one's eyes and
ears, for meantime Rainald and Mr. Hardy were sparring
very amusingly over politics — Mr. Hardy reproaching
him and Lord Salisbury with preferring to keep up
personal enmities, instead of sacrificing them for the
good of the party, to which Rainald retorted, ' Oh ! if
you had gone when he did, that Reform Bill would never
have been passed.' In the afternoon we drove to the
Vineyard, a quaint old garden near the river, with yew
hedges, putting me a little in mind of Sans Souci. At
dinner I sat between Lord Carnarvon and Mr. Murray,
both of whom I found very agreeable, as also Sir Henry
Wolff, to whom I talked afterwards. Lord Cairns came.

" Sunday, February 6. — We all went to the parish
church, where we heard a very young sermon from a
very young clergyman — not a wise sermon, perhaps, in
view of his congregation, but honest, modest, and, as
Lord vSalisbury added, ' original,' besides having the
merit of keeping us all awake. The rain drove us back
from our walk this afternoon, but at tea we had some
pleasant discourse from Mr. Cyril Graham about the
religion and language of the native Indians who inhabit
the Hudson's Bay territory. They speak no less than
forty distinct languages, and singularly enough among
their traditions is that of Cain, whom they believe still
to exist as a being ten feet high, of most malignant
temper. I again sat between Lord Percy and Lord Salis-
bury, and talked a good deal to the latter about the
condition of religious thought in this country. He
thinks we are rapidly approaching a state of religious L

i87o] LORD SALISBURY 187

chaos, what will come after it is hard to say, and with his
far-reaching, statesmanlike eye, he seemed to pause and
look on into the future. He was rather consohng about
Education ; and also spoke of Dean Stanley, whom he
does not think very profound, and the Archbishop of
Canterbury (Dr.Tait), whom he defines as being very just,
capable of seeing both sides of a question, but also very
imperious. The Bishop of Peterborough (Dr. Magee) he
described very contemptuously as 'an excellent speaking-
machine,' adding that his speech on the Irish Church
possessed every element of a fine speech save one — it was
not in the least the speech of a Bishop. That quality, he
added, was possessed by the Archbishop's speech on this
occasion. In the evening we had conjuring tricks, etc. It
is pleasant to see how utterly unaffected Lord Salisbury
is, ready to laugh at anything, how fond he is of his
children, too, and how much he cares for what is right.
We had evening service at 6 p.m. in the private chapel,
and very impressive it was. In short, I think — in fact
I am sure — I never enjoyed a visit so much. It is
indeed rare to meet so many clever, remarkable men
at one time, yet they none of them seemed to clash,
but all enjoyed themselves equally."

From Hatfield Lady Knightley accompanied her
husband to town for the meeting of Parliament, and paid
a flying visit to her old home and to Frogmore, where
she lunched with Princess Christian, who entered most
cordially into her friend's new-found happiness, and
then returned to Claridge's Hotel for a couple of nights.

" Wednesday, February 9. — In the evening we went
to a very amusing party at Lady Cork's, my first d^but
en femnie mariee. Everyone was particularly civil and
pleasant, and I think I shall get on. There were a great
many celebrities — Lowe, Goschen, Childers, Sir Roundell
Palmer, Sir Roderick Murchison, Lord Houghton, etc.
Mr. Lowe was particularly amusing, saying that Dizzy's
speech last night, on the state of Ireland, was a very
feeble affair — ' Bite deeply, or bite not at all ! ' At least
he was reassuring as to the future of Ireland ; and
altogether I enjoyed myself immensely."

1 88 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap.xv

The next two months were spent at Fawsley, where
the building of a new farmhouse, the instalment of a
schoolmistress at Badby, and the training of the village
choir made Lady Knightley busy. Sometimes she
drove to hounds, sometimes took long walks with hei
husband in rain and snow to inspect farms or visit
outlying cottages. " But whatever we do, all our life
is sunshiny, thank God for it ! " she writes. Occasion-
ally some county function demanded the Member's
presence, and then his young wife always accompanied
him.

^'Fawsley, March i. — Rainald and I made a very
early start in the high dogcart, and had a pleasant drive
of fifteen miles, through Preston, Canon's Ashby,Moreton
Pinkney, Weston, and Helmdon to Brackley, a townlet
reminding me of Beaconsfield. We went at once to
the newly restored Chapel, founded by the Knights of
St. John of Jerusalem, now the property of Magdalen
College, which was formally reopened to-day. The
full Church service was refreshing, and I liked Mr.
Thicknesse's sermon on ' The poor have the Gospel
preached to them.' As he spoke of close parishes
and village schools, of bad cottages and the alarm-
ing aspect of affairs, warning us, the prosperous ones
of earth, to fight against these evils lest our national
greatness and virtue should crumble to decay, one felt
nerved and encouraged to do one's very best. At
luncheon I sat between him and the Duke of Grafton,
and had a good deal of interesting talk about the Educa-
tion Bill. Lord Ellesmere, the Bishop of Peterborough,
Mr. Thicknesse, and the President of Magdalen all spoke,
and then we adjourned to the parish church, where the
Bishop consecrated the new burial-ground and gave an
address which, although very eloquent, disappointed
me by its lack of serious thought, reminding me of Lord
Salisbury's ' excellent speaking-machine.' The drive
home over rolling stones, in pouring rain, was hardly
pleasant."

A second visit to Claridge's, although chiefl}^ spent
in house-hunting, was made memorable by another

1870] MR. GLADSTONE 189

party at Lady Cork's, where Lady Knightley was
introduced to Mr. Gladstone.

" Claridge's Hotel, March 9. — I went to Buckingham
Palace and spent an hour with dear Princess Christian,
We dined with the old Duchess of Cleveland, which was
not lively, though I was pleased to meet Lord Hotham,
such an old friend of my dear father, with whom he went
out to Spain in 181 2. On to Lady Cork's, which was
very amusing. I was especially interested in a con-
versation between Rainald and Mr. Gladstone, who was
most particularly courteous and pleasant. He began by
remarking on the change in social intercourse since he
first entered Parliament in 1832, when, he said, it was
limited by politics, whereas now all parties mix freely.
Then they talked about the Irish Land Bill, which he said
he and his colleagues had endeavoured to make as
distinctly Irish as possible, so as to preclude all notion
of it being applied to England. Rainald remarked
that the scale of compensation was too high, upon which
Mr. Gladstone replied, as he has since said in his speech
on the conclusion of the debate, that if the Bill passed,
it would add seven years' purchase to the value of land,
and that the hardship of being turned out bore far more
severel}^ upon a man who paid ;i^io a year than upon
one who paid ;^ioo. Of course I listened with all my ears,
and eyes too. He is a plain man, but has a wonderful
brow and piercing e^^es. The beauty of the evening was
Lady Wentworth — a clergyman's daughter married last
August to ' Ada's ' son. A sweet, innocent face — may
it long remain so ! I looked at Lord Wentworth with
great interest, remembering my father's school-friend-
ship with his grandfather, Lord Byron, and the letter
which Lady Milbanke wrote to my grandfather. Admiral
Bowater, from vSeaham, announcing her daughter's
marriage to the poet. . . .

" March 17. — We have taken 18 Upper Brook
Street from Easter till Michaelmas. May God's blessing
be upon the event which we hope will take place
there !

" March 23. — I had rather an unhappy, worrying
14

190 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap, xv

day. An interview with Dr. Farre damped instead of
confirming the hopes in which we have been so sanguinely
indulging. The suspense and anxiety are very trying,
and even worse to me than my own is my darhng's
disappointment. May God give us strengtii to resign
ourselves to His holy will, and to be thankful for the
many blessings we enjoy, even if it should please
Him to withhold this — the crown of all ! I went to
the Palace to see dear Princess Christian, who was
kind as ever, and in the evening to Lady Margaret
Beaumont's ball. Shall I, or shall 1 not, record with
what results ? I think I will, for I do not wish to
forget that, if Rainald was cross, for the first time in
five months, it was entirely my selfishness and thought-
lessness which made him so. For these there was no
excuse, while his vexation was more than palliated by
a long day of worry and disappointment. But it is all
right now.

" March 24. — My darling's morning greeting was
more than enough to compensate for last night, and all
is sunshine again. We dined with Lord and Lady
Donegall in Grosvenor Square, and had an agreeable
party. My neighbour, Lord William Osborne, amused
me much with his stories of Lord Lytton, the old
Duchess of Cleveland, etc. ; and Mr. Montague CoiTy
was also very pleasant.

" Fawsley, March 29. — We all went to Daventry
steeplechases. Dear Sophy Melville and I in my pony-
carriage, the rest of the party — Lady Francis Gordon
and her daughter, Mr. Cheney, the Tomlines, Sir Thomas,
Mr. Edgell, and Philip — in the omnibus with four horses.
It was an amusing day altogether, and I enjo3^ed
walking about with Rainald and making acquaintance
with his farmer-friends. The last race was tremendously
exciting, ending in a dead heat at the end of four miles.
Lord Donoughmore, Val, and William Story dined, and
we had great fun at a round game.

'^ March 31. — A lovely morning! I drove Lady
Alwyne Compton to the meet at Shuckburgh, and
seldom enjoyed anything more. She goes at once into

i87o] BISHOP MAGEE 191

the category of the very choice spirits of this earth,
who act on one mentally and morally as a tonic, and
are as good as they are clever. We talked much of art,
which has, I feel, this winter occupied a smaller place
in my life than it ought to. I must give myself up to
it more in the summer. It is quite curious how well
we agree about everything. Rainald, Sir Thomas,
Sophy, and I played croquet, — a delicious little party, —
and the evening was pleasant with three such agreeable
men . ' '

In the following week, a large party arrived for
Northampton Races — a proceeding with which Lady
Knightley owns she was frankly bored. " I hate
races ! " she writes. But the second day was enhvened
by the arrival of the Bishop of Peterborough, who,
much to the general consternation, came to hold a
Confirmation at Badby in the race-week, and paid his
first visit to Fawsley. To the surprise of the whole
party, he proved a most agreeable guest, and laid the
foundations of a lasting friendship with Lady Knightley.

" April 6. — The Bishop followed us up here after
the Confirmation, w^hich Sophy Gage and I attended,
and we found him an immense acquisition to our
party, so very agreeable and easy to get on with,
full of good stories — in short, exceedingly pleasant.
He talked a good deal about Education, and thinks the
Irish plan works ver\^ w-ell. This would save an in-
finity of trouble, as the system must be more or less
alike in both countries, and denominational education
in Ireland means Ultramontane education.

" April 7. — Before breakfast I took the Bishop to
the church, with which he was much pleased, and I am
quite sorry his visit should have been so short. All
our guests departed, save Henry and Sophy — which
was an immense relief. The exertion and strain of so
big a party is very great, and none of the lot suited me
particularly. But we did an immense amount of
civility in the way of asking people, and it was quite
the right thing, this first year, to take a good party
to the Races. We shan't do it again in a hurry ! "

192 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap, xv

Easter was spent at Firle, where, to her daughter's
joy, Lady Bowater was also asked, and Sir Thomas
Munro made up just the same party as that of the year
before, when she met Sir Rainald for the first time.

" Firle, Easter Day, April 16. — This day seemed
to breathe the spirit of those beautiful lines from the
Christian Year :

' And there are souls that seem to dwell
Above this earth — so rich a spell
Floats round their steps, where'er they move.
From hopes fulfilled and mutual love.'

All together — dear little Harry for the first time —
we knelt together in the primrose-decked church to
receive Holy Communion, dearest Rainald remember-
ing how last Easter Day he had pra3"ed that he might
find the right wife ; so that we may humbly hope our
happiness is even more than in the common sense God-
given.

"... All these days have been most enjoyable, the
brightest sun, the bluest sky, tempting one to be out
the whole day, doing nothing but read and play croquet.
A very bright and sunny bit of life. . . .

" Richmond Park, Monday, April 25. — My twenty-
eighth birthday, and I may truly say the happiest I
have ever spent since the famous fourteenth one —
fourteen years ago. We left Firle with much regret
after a very happy week, went to London and inspected
our Brook Street mansion, with which we are much
pleased, and paid a visit to Hatchard's, where Rainald
gave me no end of charming books, the Idylls of the
King, all Miss Austen and Sheridan, besides a new
parasol — the very same present dear Papa gave me
fourteen years ago. Then we came here by the old
familiar route, down to this dear old home. It is such
a pleasure to be here again with the dear mother and
to revisit all the familiar holes and corners.

"18 Upper Brook Street, April 28. — We took leave
of dear Mamma after our happy little visit, and came
up here, where I was busy the rest of the day, settling

1870] A LONDON SEASON 193

into our new abode — which will, 1 hope, be a happy and
eventful home to us."

The season which followed was a gay and pleasant
one for the \^oung wdfe. She thoroughly enjoyed the
pleasures of London society, and dined out with her
husband and went to balls without, " strange to sa^'',"
she remarks, " feeling the least wish to dance." But
she saw a great deal of her old friends, and was never
so happy as when she could drive her mother out in
her " beautiful new carriage," or better still, spend the
day with her at Richmond. Sir Rainald knowing her
love of riding, gave her a " delicious little horse,"
which rejoiced in the name of " Meggie," and on which
she rode most days in the Park, with or without him.
They gave a few dinners at home, which no one enjo3^ed
more than Lady Knightle}' herself, who delighted to
collect congenial persons, and made an admirable
hostess. Sir Rainald was fond of plays, and took his
wife to all the best theatres, especially the Robertson
plays. Caste, School, etc., w^hich were then the great
fashion. On Sunday mornings, Lady Knightley
generally took Sir Rainald to hear her favourite
preacher, Mr. Stopford Brooke, whose thoughtful
sermons she had alwa3^s appreciated, while in the after-
noon they often went to hear Mr. Brookfield. A few
passages from the Journal are given below :

" May 27. — Rainald and I went to luncheon with
the Speaker, and saw all over the House of Lords,
which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Speaker's dining-
room is one of the most fascinating rooms in London.
You see the traffic over Westminster Bridge, yet never
hear a sound. You gaze down upon the river, and see
St. Paul's in the distance, while opposite, St. Thomas's
Hospital is rapidly approaching completion. We
admired the mosaics in the Central Hall of the House
of Lords and the small frescoes in the Corridor, and
peered into the actual House, where the Lord Chan-
cellor was hearing appeals, saw the Queen's Robing-
room, which has some fine oak-carving, and descended
: into the Crypt, where the Abbots of St. Stephen's are

194 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap, xv

buried, which has lately been restored, and is used as
a chapel. After looking at the statues of statesmen
in St. Stephen's Hall, we took our departure, well
pleased with our day and our guide, Mr. Edward
Denison, the Speaker's brother.

" Faivsley, Saturday, June 4. — We left London
about twelve, travelled down with Major Whyte-
Melville — a most amusing companion — and arrived
at this dear old place on a lovely summer evening,
the thorns still in full bloom, the air sweet with their
perfume — everything in the greatest beauty. Together
we strolled about — oh ! so happily. The sky is so
blue, the sun gleams so brightly through the full fresh
foliage of leafy June, the air is so pure — I never saw
the place look so beautiful. And I am so happy
with my darling. I do not feel our one trial so deeply
as he does. His deep love for me, I believe, helps
him over what he must, to a certain extent, feel as a
want of sympathy in my sunny but shallow nature,
which ever turns away from all that is painful. I
often feel that I am not worthy of him, but I do love
him with all the power I have, and I think he knows
it now, although the other day I dragged out of him
that he had long thought my feeling for him was only
liking, fondness, not love. But it is love — the deepest,
truest, best I have to give.

" Castle Ashby, Northa^npton, Tuesday, June 7. —
Another bright and sunny bit of life ! We left Fawsley
early, and were here soon after twelve. Dear Lady
Alwyne received us ; and Lord and Lady William,
Lady Marian Alford, Miss Mary Boyle, and the poor
invalid. Lord Northampton, make up the part}^ We
wandered about the gardens, feasting our eyes on the
wealth of roses, and resting by the fountain in the
conservatory garden, which, in its deep rest and shade,
is unlike anything else I know. After luncheon, we
drove up the avenue and through the woods, which
a little bit reminds me of the Thiergarten at Primkenau
— oh ! how long ago that seems now. We visited
the two giant oaks, Gog and Magog, W'hich stand in

i87o] CASTLE ASHBY 195

a field near a farmhouse, with a few other equally
ancient trees and a great ring of wood all round. Lady
Alwyne then took me over the house. There is — as
at Longleat — a quaint old library at the top of the
house, and a fine room called ' King William's dining-
room,' otherwise the interior is chiefly remarkable
for its rich, luxurious, and artistic atmosphere — bright
touches of colour and a wealth of flowers and books
everywhere bearing witness to the refined and cultivated
tastes of the whole family. Sad it is, in the midst of
these delights, to see the shrunken, attenuated form
of the man who owns them all, doomed to a life of
pain and privation. Yet as I sat by his chair to-
night and listened to his explanation of the exquisite
designs which he has made for a dressing-case for
Lady Brownlow and his other beautiful drawings, I
could not help seeing how art brightens and cheers
his existence. The day ended with service in the
lovely little church, which seemed to give reality to
the unseen communion which links heaven and earth
together.

" Fawsley, June 8. — Only too earty we had to
tear ourselves away from this ' Earthly Paradise,'
and drive to Northampton, where I had to appear at
my first public meeting. However, as it was merely
to give away prizes for patching and darning to small
girls, I did not much mind, and should not have minded
at all if it had not been for the vote of thanks. It is
not pleasant to have civil speeches made about one
to one's face, before two hundred people ! After it
was over, we went to see the famous Round Church,
built like the Temple Church, in imitation of the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, and came back
to play croquet in the warm summer evening.

"18 Upper Brook Street, June 10. — I did not stir
out all day, being entirely occupied in doing the flowers
for our dinner. However, I had Soph}^ Melville to
help me, so didn't mind, and later Mary Wheatley
and Nora Campbell came in. Our dinner consisted
of Lord and Lady Cork, Lord and Lady Ellesmere,

196 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap.xv

Mr. and Lady Margaret Beaumont, Lady Francis
Gordon, Lord Sligo, and a few others. It was very
cheery, and went off well ; and Rainald was very well
satisfied, which was a great thing. I went on to Lad}'-
Margaret Charteris's ball, which was very pretty,
very smart, and very enjoyable. I am getting to know
people well enough not to feel forlorn. I feel the
world before me * like an oyster,' and am deter-
mined to open it — though not with my sword, and the
slight difficulty one experiences only makes me more
determined not to be beat.

" June i6. — I went with Sophy to hear the debate
on Education in the House of Commons, and most
amusing it was. Mr. Gladstone made a long, confused,
diffuse speech. I thought it was mj^ stupidity which
prevented me from understanding it, but I soon found
other people were in the same case. Afterwards we
discovered that its purport was to accept Mr. Cowper-
Temple's amendment that no Catechism or distinctively
denominational formularies should be taught in the rate-
founded schools, and that the voluntary schools should
be independent of the new School Boards. As soon as
he sat down, up sprang Dizzy, and in the cleverest,
most aggravatingly-amusing speech, avowed his utter
inability to comprehend the proposed changes. An
animated discussion followed, which ended in the debate
being adjourned till Monday. We trotted back to
Whitehall, where I dined ; and the evening was enlivened
by a magnificent thunderstorm, which lighted up the
Towers of Westminster quite beautifully.

" Sunday, June 19. — I spent the morning quietly,
sitting out in the garden — ^which does not sound like
London, although the blacks destroyed the illusion — and
reading Regit d'une Sceur, which grows more and
more touching and heartrending. Ah me ! I feel
now, as the Queen says she used in happier days, so
sorry for a widow. I know that was the thought that
passed through Rainald 's mind yesterday, when we
were looking at Millais' picture of ' The Widow's Mite,'
in the Academy. In the afternoon we went to Grosvenor

1870] DEAN GOULBURN 197

Chapel to hear Dean Goulburn, towards whom I feel
almost as if he were a friend — from knowing his books
so well. He preached what Rainald called * a sensa-
tional,' but what I thought a very excellent sermon on
' Inasmuch as ye did it not,' bringing out very forcibly
the actual guilt of sins of omission, as shown by the
three parables of the foolish virgins who took no oil,
the unfaithful servant who hid his talent, and the sheep
and the goats. Indolence towards self, towards God,
and towards our neighbour, how little do we contemplate
it in this awful light ! Oh ! may God deepen the
impression these solemn words made on my mind, that
I be not carried away bv this pleasant, luxurious, idle
life !

" June 22. — The heat was tremendous, and I only
drove about with my dear old companion and governess,
Agnes Lentz — a thing we have talked about doing for
fourteen years ! We went to see Mr. Murray about
the Maintenon letters, which I copied from the MSS. in
my father's possession and sent to him. He says they
have not been printed, but that Lord Stanhope thinks
too much of this lady's correspondence has been already
given to the world for their publication to answer.
Mr. Murray, however, intends to submit them to the
Due d'Aumale, with a view to their being printed by
the Philobiblion Society, of which he is the head, and
also recommends me to communicate wdth the French-
man who is now editing Madame de Maintenon 's letters
in Paris.

" June 24. — We had a very enjoyable expedition
down to Windsor for the Queen's breakfast. It poured
with rain all the morning and all the wa}^ down, but by
the time we had wandered round the state apartments
it cleared, and by degrees a bright stream began to
trickle slowl}^ dowm the staircase outside the White
Drawing-room — the gay colours which are so much
the fashion contrasting well with the grey stone of the
Castle. The weather afterwards became lovely, and
it really was very pleasant. The British public chose
to grumble, but I think they enjoyed it, all except the

198 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap, xv

wretched peers and commons, who had to return almost
as soon as they got there, for divisions on Irish Land
and Education. Dear Prince Leo was too ill to do
more than look on from a terrace.

" Sunday, June 26. — I was off betimes to breakfast
with Nora Campbell and hear Mr. Liddon preach at
St. Paul's, Knightsbridge. His text was : ' He that
seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels
of compassion from him . . , how dwelleth the love of
God in him? ' The first part, on the necessary inter-
dependence of the love of God and man and the im-
possibility of loving an abstraction labelled God, was
very fine. The second part was a lecture on Political
Economy and Pauperism, especially applied to demolish- |
ing what I have always felt but could not prove to be
the false doctrine of maintaining that increased luxury
and expenditure on the part of the upper classes is
good for the lower. Certainly, morally, it is bad for
both. Still, altogether I don't like him as well as
Stopford Brooke.

''July I. — I started earl}' with Mr. Heathcote,
Mar}^ Wheatley, and Nina Packe for a sketching ex- |
pedition to Windsor, which, alas ! was ruined by a heavy
storm. We dined with Lord William Osborne, and
went on to Sir Dudley Marjoribanks' fine new house
in this street, where was all the world. It is very
handsome certainly, especialh'' the staircase, and I
think the public ought to be much obliged to him for
adding a really fine house to the few there are in this
monotonous city of ours. Now I want to see Dorchester
House.

" I am a good deal annoyed, I must confess, by
Lady Holland having only asked us to her last two
breakfasts. It is a trifle in itself, but shows very
plainly the way the current flows, and that instead of
having, as I hoped, succeeded in society, I have failed,
at all events for this season. It is foolish to care so
much, but I do. Perhaps the mortification is good for
me, and I certainty should not mind so much if it did
not mortify Rainald too ! Yet when one reads Le

i87o] MR. STOPFORD BROOKE 199

RSgit d'une Scaur, and breathes that purer atmosphere,
one can only despise oneself for clinging so desperately
to this foolish world.

" /"6^ 3- — Nora came to breakfast, and as in old
times we set forth early to hear Mr. Stopford Brooke,
and were amply rew^arded. It was on the woman with
the alabaster box of ointment and Judas 's protest
against the waste. The lesson deduced was that it is
downright wrong for artists and poets and men to whom
the power of discovering and expressing beauty, and of
raising, refining, and beautifying men's lives, has been
iriven, to leave this their own work and waste their
energies on the war with material evil, which is quite
a right work for others. Incidentally, he said a great
deal about the degree of expenditure which is right for
food and dress, and the motives which should govern
all expenditure. Like Liddon, he inveighed against
the false political economy which upholds luxury
because it is good for trade. Somehow, curious as
some of the sermon was, it made one feel stronger and
better for one's work, anxious to regulate one's ex-
penditure aright, to spend wisely, feeling that even in
things which are not immediate charity one may be
doing work for God. I am sure he would appreciate
the tone of the Northampton family.

" July 6. — We went late in the afternoon to Holland
House, which has long been the object of my ambition.
Imagine, so to speak, in the heart of London, a delicious
old Elizabethan house, with a fine avenue of elms, and
a park which entirely shuts out the world, a garden —
oh ! but a garden one sees in a dream, so exquisite in
colour, so delicioush" framed in by quaint hedges with
tall white lilies gleaming against them, and the rich
red of the house as a background — a garden in which to
sit and dream away the happy hours, and where one
would not be the least surprised to see a fairy spring
from the white bells. Even the people, bright as
were the dresses and pleasant the society, seemed
almost de trop. Rainald introduced me to Mr. Delane,
the Editor of the Times — a mighty power in the State.

200 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap.xv

We went to the Palace concert, which is always enjoy-
able, and I liked hearing Mile Nilsson sinjij, ' Kennst du
das Land ? ' out of Thomas's opera, Mignon. Lady
Marjoribanks' ball in that beautiful house was also
extremely pleasant. I do like going out ! I hope not
too much .

" Saturday, July g. — We went to Lord's for the
last day of the Eton and Harrow match, which
was tremendously exciting — the closest match known
for years, Eton winning by only 21 runs. The
scene afterwards would have amazed a foreigner !
Everyone shrieked and yelled violently, while the
victorious Eleven were hoisted — a remarkably honour-
able, but I should think very unpleasant process. All
along of eleven little boys having beaten eleven other
little boys at a game probably quite incomprehensible
to two-thirds of the spectators !

" July 13. — I went off very early with Mamma
to see the opening of the Thames Embankment, It
was a gay and pretty spectacle, and the Embankment
will be an immense gain to London. We went to
Holland House, which was charming as ever, so fascinat-
ing indeed that we did not get home till late, and found
the Cavendish-Bentincks had already sat down to
dinner, much to Rainald's disgust. I sat between Mr.

Leopold Rothschild, who was pleasant and Lord K

who was dull, hut we talked across to Mrs. Cavendish-
Bentinck and Mr. Cheney, and altogether I enjoyed my
dinner and a party afterwards. Evidently Apollonia, as
Dizzy calls her in Lothair, understands Society. I
went on to Lady Otho Fitzgerald's for five minutes — a
dull part}^, but worth going to for the sake of the picture
framed in b}^ the open window of the Towers of West-
minster with the full moon hanging immediately over
them. It carried one's thoughts — oh ! so far away !

" Knole Park, July 14. — This is a day which must
be chronicled before I sleep — it has been so bright and
beautiful. I left London at twelve for Sevenoaks,
and a drive of little more than a mile brought me to
this really magnificent old country house, with its

i87o] KNOLE AND IGHTHAM 201

courtyards, arcades, and quaint low rooms. The party
consisted of the Duchess of Montrose, Sir Frederick and
Lady Elizabeth Arthur, Mr. Primrose, Mr. Cornwallis
West, and Prince Lichtenstein — ' un gentil petit prince,'
an attache of the Austrian Embassy. The three young
men were nice enough, especially Mr. West, but the
rest not simpatici. We strolled about the garden,
admiring its dazzling flowers, tall overarching trees and
deep shady glades, and I sat out under the limes, heavy
with bees and blossom, to sketch a bit of the oldest
part of the house, with its black and yellow gables and
lattice windows. Later, we set forth in a cavalcade of
pony-carriages, which reminded me of Silesia, to drive
down some of the long grassy glades and then through
shady lanes and hop-gardens to the most delightful old
place that was ever heard or read or dreamt of — Ightham
Mote. Deep down in the valley the old house stands,
built round a courtyard gay with creepers and sur-
rounded by a clear deep moat. Beyond is a smooth
bowling-green, bounded by grassy terraces, with tall
white lilies and a yew hedge shutting out the world.
We spread our tea on the banks of a little stream under
a fine cedar, and I longed for a more sympathetic party
to share my delight . Mr . Cornwallis West , my charioteer ,
was the only one at all in harmon}^ with the place !
Afterwards, Lord Buckhurst drove me back to Knole by
an even prettier way, through woods and glades in-
numerable. We dined in the long gallery of James the
First's da3^s, lighted by old silver sconces ; and Rainald
and I gazed long on the moonlight in the courtyard
from our latticed window before ending this ever-
memorable day.

" July 15. — After breakfast. Lord Buckhurst took
us all over this most interesting old house. We saw
the state bed-chamber of James i., with its beautiful
repousse silver mirrors, sconces, dressing-plate and
silver table. Another room had been fitted up with
Venetian chairs and tapestry for the reception of some
Venetian ambassador. One gallery was hung with
portraits by Mytens, another with paintings by Sir

202 HATFIELD AND BROOK STREET [chap, xv

Joshua, another with portraits of wits and poets of the
two last centuries — Ben Jonson, Dryden, Pope, Garrick,
Locke, Newton, etc. I particularly admired a portrait
of the Earl of Surrey, and one of Sir Thomas More,
ascribed to Holbein, with a wonderful look in the eyes,
as if he were gazing into another world. There are no
less than fifty staircases, springing up in every corner ;
and there is a chapel, hung with curious tapestry of
Tudor times, and with a group of small figures given by
Mary Queen of Scots. But what I can never forget when
I think of Knole is the startling news which reached us
there. We were standing in the great hall — Rainald
and I, Lord Buckhurst and Prince Louis — when a servant
ran in with the Morning Post in his hand, and we read
the words : ' War inevitable.' Comment is useless,
save to say that I think a more unjust and unpro-
voked war never stained this earth. Reluctantly we
tore ourselves from this beautiful old-world place and
returned to town. Rainald went down to the House,
and found Mr. Gladstone replying to Mr. Disraeli's
question as to the foreign news in a very despairing
tone. Later in the afternoon, Nora came in with
the actual Declaration. Public opinion in this
country is strangely divided. ' I hope those rascally
Prussians will be beaten,' is the cry of the
common herd. The more thoughtful ones see the
wickedness of the way in which it has been rushed
into.

" July 17. — Mr. Stopford Brooke gave us a sermon
entirely upon the war — too much so, I thought — and
violently anti- French. As I came home I met Mr.
Gladstone in Berkeley Square, walking along with his
head thrown back and his lips compressed, evidently
far from pleased.

" July 20. — We w^ent quite late to Holland House,
which is always a pleasant gathering. I trotted about
independently, having got to know the greater part of
le beau monde one meets there. It would be curious to
count up the number of new acquaintances that I have
made this summer. There were a great many Royalties

1870] HOLLAND HOUSE 203

at to-day's party, and I noticed His Royal Highness

the Prince of Wales conversing with Mr. Gladstone for

nearly half an hour. Somebody suggested that Lord

Houghton, ' the cool of the evening,' be requested to

step up and ask what they were talking about ! Later,

I went with Lady Alwyne Compton to a small party

at Mrs. Cavendish-Bentinck's, to meet Mile Nilsson,

the Swedish prima donna,wh.ose pretty manners charmed

us. The Dukes of Manchester and Wellington and Lord

Longford carried her off to play whist, so we saw but

little of her ; but Mrs. C.-B.'s salon is always pleasant.

" July 25. — There is great excitement to-day at

the publication in the Times of an alleged Projet de

Traite between France and Prussia, proposing to add

Belgium to France to compensate for Prussia's recent

annexations, and compel the King of Holland to sell

Luxembourg to the Emperor. Bismarck swears he

had this in Benedetti's handwriting, but great stress

is laid on the bad French and the fact that the King of

Prussia is named first, as it is diplomatic etiquette to

name one's own .Sovereign first. At all events, it seems

a pit}^ such a document should have been published

just now. The dispatches relating to the declaration of

war are sad reading. Bismarck and Napoleon seem

equall}^ to blame.

" Richmond Park, July 28. — We left Brook Street
with mixed feelings. It has been a very happy time,
but I could not help thinking of the hopes with which
we took possession, and which were so soon dashed to
the ground. Otherwise I have had enough of London,
and am glad to escape to the rest and quiet of this dear
old home."

On the 2nd of August Lady Knightley left her " dear
old home " for her " dear new home." The return to
Fawsley, she owns, was a little painful. " We had so
fully hoped to come home three ! But with so many
blessings we ought not to murmur if one is withheld,
and I really think every day we are more and nearer
to each other."

CHAPTER XVI

Harrogate, Scotland, Osborne, and Burghley

1870-1871

The year 1870 was rendered memorable in European
history by the Franco - German War, and Lady
Knightley's Jom^nal reflects the anxiety with which
the startling events of that summer were followed in
this country. The usual family party, consisting of
Mr. and Mrs. Gage, their son Harry, and Sir Thomas
Munro, spent August at Fawsley, and were joined by
Lady Bowater, After her gay season. Lady Knightley
thoroughly enjoyed what she calls the happy-go-lucky
idle country life— croquet or driving every afternoon,
whist every evening, the newspapers being the only
excitement.

" August 8. — News of a great victory gained by the
Crown Prince over Marshal MacMahon at Weissenburg,
while on the same day (August 6) the Prussian centre
under Steinmetz repulsed the French before Saarbriick.
Paris is in the greatest consternation, while the Emperor
telegraphs, ' Tout pent se reparer.' We live in stirring
times. Anyhow, I had rather see the French beaten:
than the Prussians.

" August 10. — Our first big garden-party. We asked!
everybody we could think of for miles round to croquet
from four to seven, and they came to the number of
about a hundred. We had a band and refreshments!
in the old hall, and it all went off very well.

" August 20. — Croquet the whole morning, which I

won't do again. It is so idle. Drove Mamma to Canon's

Ashby, which was a perfect picture of olden time, with

204

^
^

1870] THE WAR OF 1870 205

its quaint gateways and terraces and bright flower-
beds. The war news is most exciting. The accounts
of the fighting near Metz have been most conflicting,
each side claiming the victory ; but there can be no
doubt Marshal Bazaine was routed in a tremendous
battle near Gravelotte, and is now besieged in Metz
and cut off from the rest of the army. Meantime
preparations are bemg made for the defence of Paris
under General Trochu, the Ollivier ministry having fallen
after the defeat of Worth, since which we have heard
little or nothing of the Emperor. Private accounts
represent the spirit of the common people as very bad,
and France is evidently on the brink of a revolution.
How will it all end ? Meanwhile the sum of human
misery is fearful to contemplate, and one can think and
talk of little but the war. Henry and Sophy are so
strongly Napoleonic, it is often difficult to keep the
peace. I am very sorry for the French, Emperor and all,
but should have been more sorry for Germany.

j " Arbury, August 29. — We managed to have a parting
game at croquet, Rainald, Val, Harry, and I, and came
on here after luncheon with the Gages. The place is
looking so pretty, I hardly recognised it in its summer
attire. But one does miss dear Mrs. Newdegate dread-
fully !

I ** August 30. — We all went to Birmingham for the
Elijah, which I enjoyed immensely. Nowhere is it
given in greater perfection than here, where it was first
performed in 1846, conducted by Mendelssohn himself.
It always strikes me afresh as singularly dramatic.
Perhaps the finest of the choruses are * Thanks be to
God ' and * Behold God the Lord passeth by,' while I
enjoyed every note of * Lift thine eyes ! ' and ' O Rest
in the Lord.'

i " August 31. — We played croquet all the morning —
the weather being most enjoyable, and the place looked
lovely. We drove in the afternoon to a harvest-home
at Astley, at which I danced vigorously and listened
to a capital speech from Charley. He began seriously
by saying how thankful we ought to be, even if the
15

2o6 HARROGATE [chap, xvi

pastures are burnt and the hay crop is short, that our
fields are not trampled down and our homes destroyed
by hostile armies, and ending jocularly with a reference
to my marriage and his own bachelorhood.

" September i. — We were all off early and heard the
Messiah to absolute perfection. Alas ! how^ painful
is the contrast between the words, ' Peace on earth,
goodwill toward men,' and the news which reached us
just as the oratorio was beginning : ' Total defeat of
MacMahon.' A battle seems to have been raging for
four daj^s between Sedan and Montmedy, along the
banks of the Meuse, in which MacMahon was totally
defeated, while at the same time Bazaine's sortie from
Metz appears to have been utterly frustrated. In
our eagerness for news, we six ladies — Lady Manners
and her daughter, Mrs. Gregory, Julia Boucherett,
Sophy, and I — actually stormed the Stock Exchange,
where none but members are by right admitted. But
these events are far the most remarkable that have
occurred since 1815."

It was at Harrogate, where Sir Rainald and Lady
Knightley spent the next month, drinking the waters,
that the news of Sedan reached them.

" Queen's Hotel, Harrogate, September 3. — ^We were
busy settling down in our rooms and seeing a doctor,
when Home (the butler) rushed in with a telegram :
* Emperor Napoleon surrendered to King William — the
whole army of Sedan capitulated.' Such astounding
news absolutely takes one's breath away, and one can
form no opinion of the course events are likely to take.
How little we anticipated such a catastrophe on that
memorable 14th of Jul}^, only six weeks ago, when in the
old hall at Knole we learnt that war was inevitable.

" September 5. — Events succeed each other with
such startling rapidity that it is almost impossible to
keep pace with them. The Observer begins a striking
article with the words : ' On Friday, July 15, the
Emperor declared war against Prussia ; on Friday,
September 2, he surrendered to King William.' Al-
though we knew it by twelve on Saturday, it was not

1870] SEDAN 207

till I a.m. on Sunday that at a special sitting of the Corps
Legislatif, the ministers, Count Palikao and General
Trochu, announced to Paris the greatest disaster that
has ever befallen her arms. The net result is that they
have accomplished a revolution, happily so far blood-
less, and proclaimed a Republic — whereupon the brutes,
fools, idiots, fell into a state of exuberant joy ! This
with masses of their countrymen slain, and an enemy's
army marching on Paris. The Emperor is gone to
Wilhelmshohe, near Cassel, where I hope the Empress
has by this time joined him. Good heavens ! what a
fate ! A most interesting letter from Russell gives
particulars of the surrender. Late on the afternoon of
■the ist the Emperor wrote to the King : ' Mon frfere :
N'ayant pu mourir a la tete de mon armee, je depose
mon ep^e aux pieds de votre Majeste.' Firing im-
mediately ceased, but, the French army being entirely
surrounded, the King of course insisted on an uncon-
ditional surrender. And so the night passed — what a
night it must have been ! At early morning, the Emperor
came in his carriage to seek an interview with Bismarck,
at a cottage door. Later he saw the King, and finally
departed for his German prison. Oh, if it would only
bring peace ! I began my water-drinking and walking
before breakfast, and don't on the whole dislike it.
We took a walk to a height from which we had a most
lovely view of the country round with the grey houses
and spires of Harrogate in the foreground — very Scotch
in colouring and quite distinct from the yellow-brown
of Northamptonshire and the ruddy hues of the southern
counties. I really think we shan't be so much bored
here after all."

In pursuance of this resolve, during the next three
weeks Lady Knightley explored the charming neigh-
bourhood of Harrogate with her accustomed energy.
In company with Lord and Lady Lyveden, and one or
two other friends, she visited York Minster, Fountains
Abbey, Ripon, Bolton Abbey and Wharfedale, Temple
Newsam and Harewood House, The beauty of these
Yorkshire dales, with their leafy woods and running

2o8 SCOTLAND [chap, xvi

streams and purple hills, delighted her, and the wonder-
ful collection of Turners at Farnley Hall were a revela-
tion. Leaving Harrogate at the end of September, Sir
Rainald and Lady Knightley went on to Sir Thomas
Munro's place, Lindertis, near Kirriemuir, visiting
Edinburgh and Holyrood on the way. Here Lady
Knightley was thoroughly happy. The freedom of
life in the Highlands, the long rambles in the deep
glens and along the wooded mountainside, golden and
russet with autumn tints, recalled old days at Balmoral.
She took excursions to Glamis Castle and Airlie, and
played battledore and shuttlecock on rainy days with
the young Munros. At Tullyallan, near Stirling, where
the travellers paid another visit on their way south,
she found a very amusing party, including M. de la
Vallette and Mrs. Norton.

" October i6. — This party is certainly an odd one.
M. de la Vallette and Mrs. Norton have not met for
years. On their first acquaintance, she stared so hard
at him that he asked for an explanation, and she
answered : ' I see in your eyes that you will die a
violent death.' Upon which he replied, much annoyed :
' Madame, j'ai toujours su que vous ^tiez enchanteresse,
mais je ne savais pas que vous ^tiez aussi sorciere.'
' Si vous saviez,' he added, in relating the story, * les
Amotions que cette femme m'a caus^es.' I had a charm-
ing letter from Prince Leopold, announcing Princess
Louise's marriage to Lord Lome. I am sure I trust
it will be for her happiness. M. de la Vallette told us
the story of General Bourbaki, whom a Polish gentle-
man got out of Metz, pretending that he came from the
Empress, and bearing as his credentials a photo given
him by the Prince Imperial of the inn at Hastings where
he was staying. When Bourbaki reached Chiselhurst,
and found that the whole thing was a trick, he was
ready to blow out his brains ! M. de la Vallette thinks
it was a ruse to implicate the. Empress in a plot with
Bazaine. He added that the General had done all in his
power to prevent the declaration of war, but was not
allowed to go to Paris to take part in the deliberations."

1870] MR. MOTLEY 209

A week later, Lady Knightley met Mr. Motley, the
historian, at Bretton Park, Mr. Beaumont's place,
near Wakefield, and had a very interesting conversa-
tion with him.

" October 22. — We began by talking of Enghsh places,
and ended in the one all-engrossing subject — the war.
We discussed the Bourbaki myster}^ and then he told
me all the story of the Empress's flight from Paris on
the celebrated 4th of September. She left the Tuileries
on foot, immediately after luncheon, attended only by
Madame le Breton, without any preparation for her
departure, merely snatching up a hat and grey shawl
which lay on a sofa in her boudoir. They got into a
■fiacre, followed for some way by a man who recognised
them but did not betray them, and having only four
francs between them, drove to the house of Dr. Evans,
an American dentist, where they passed the night.
Early the next morning, the}^ drove about forty miles
out of Paris, in his private carriage, and after sleeping
at some small village inn finally reached Trouville,
where Mrs. Evans was staying. Dr. Evans took them on
board Sir John Burgoyne's yacht, in which they crossed
the Channel, and after a very rough passage arrived at
Ryde earl}'- on Thursday morning."

The autumn and winter were spent at Fawsley,
where Lady Knightley had the pleasure of welcoming
her Boucherett and Corbet cousins at Christmas, and
Lady Bowater came to join the usual family party.
She took organ lessons, attended choir practices, paid
frequent visits to Badby tenants and cottagers, and
accompanied Sir Rainald regularly to the hunting
field, mounted on her new mare Meggy. Public
events occupied much of her attention. She waxed
indignant at Prince Gortschakoff's circular announcing
that Russia held herself free from any obligation to
keep the Treaty of 1856 — a most violent proceeding,
which, to her mind, Lord Granville hardly answered
with sufficient spirit. The siege of Paris and the
subsequent disorder of the Commune filled her with
deep compassion, horror, and dismay.

2IO SIEGE OF PARIS [chap, xvi

" November 2 'i^. — The investment of Paris continues.
We hear occasionally by balloon from the besieged
city, which has been tranquil since October. But they
have already arrived at eating dogs and cats. The
accounts of successful sorties are so conflicting, it is
difficult to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion. I
have been reading Sir Henry Bulwer's Life of Lord
Palmerston and the eighteen years during which he
held the seals of the Foreign Office. I wish we had him
now, with his bold, plucky bearing. Certainly I must
do the Emperor the justice to say that he has been a far
better friend to England than any previous Govern-
ment of France. I think and hope the Russian affair
has blown over, but we shall see what comes of the
conferences. But oh dear ! I have had a dreadful blow.
Bismarck has written a circular in which he announces
that, owing to some alleged infringement of neutrality
on the part of Luxembourg, he no longer considers
himself bound by the Treaty of 1867, which, when
Prussia's susceptibilities were aroused by France's
attempt to buy that Duchy from the King of Holland,
was entered into by all the Powers to secure its neu-
trality. This most unprovoked breach of good faith
puts an end to my sympathies with him."

A visit to Ickworth in December w^as interesting on
account of the Knightley connection with the Herveys,
and the opportunity which it afforded of seeing Bury
St. Edmunds with its ancient Priory and memories of
Abbot Sampson. The party itself was a pleasant one.
" Certainly," she remarks, " four prettier women than
Lady Bristol, Lady Buckhurst, Lady Mary Hervey, and
Mrs. Forbes are seldom got together. To-day Mrs.
Forbes received a telegram announcing the death of her
father, Mr. Dudley Ward, which was of course a shock,
although hardly a sorrow, as she had only seen him once
since she was ten years old. We were struck by the
singular coincidence that after luncheon we had all
been gathering rosemary and talking of its meaning.
I had been thinking of Cannes and the rosemary arbour
there."

i87i] LORD STANHOPE 211

With Lord Stanhope, the historian, who was one of
the guests. Lady Knightley struck up a fast friendship,
which lasted until this nobleman's death and proved a
source of great pleasure to her in after years.

" New Year's Eve, 1870. — There is always something
solemn about the end of another year, especially one so
laden with sorrow and suffering as this has been to many
thousands, nay millions, of our fellow-creatures. Cer-
tainly, as far as Europe is concerned, this has been the
most eventful year since 1 8 1 5 . For us it has been a
very happy one, though marked by the downfall of the
hopes which made that fortnight at Firle the happiest
of my life. But in this, as in all else, may we say
from our hearts, God's will be done."

In the midst of these happy Christmas festivities
great consternation was caused by the arrival of a
Royal invitation to Osborne for Thursday the 29th, a
most inopportune event. Sir Rainald absolutely
refused to take so long a journey for only two
nights, in such bitter weather. Lady Knightley was
sorely perturbed, and divided between loyalty to Her
Majesty and duty to her husband, but in the end an
excuse was sent. Fortunately the invitation was re-
peated a week later, and she had the pleasure of re-
visiting her old haunts in her husband's company.

" Osborne House, January 5, 1871. — We left town at
eleven and had a prosperous journey and quite a pleasant
crossing, falling in with Mr. Baillie Cochrane and his
daughter, and the weather having suddenly become
quite mild, after this long and severe frost. We were
shown up to our rooms, where the two Princesses pre-
sently found me. I had a long talk with my own dear
Princess. We dined with the Queen, the party in-
cluding the Duke of Cambridge, Prince and Princess
Christian, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, Prince Leopold,
and the Duchess of Atholl. It was a very favourable
specimen of a Royal dinner, the Duke of Cambridge talk-
ing loudly and continuously and so making cover for the
others, and I sat between the young Princes, who were
both very pleasant. After dinner the Princes and our-

212 VISIT TO OSBORNE [chap, xvi

selves retired as usual to the council room, where we
found Miss MacGregor, Lord Alfred Paget, Colonel
Elphinstone, Colonel Ponsonby, Colonel Clifton, Dr.
Poore, and Mr. Collins, Dear me ! it all seemed so
natural, only being married makes it much pleasanter.

" Friday, January 6. — After breakfast Rainald and
I went out walking with Prince Leo and Mr. Collins,
and spent a good two hours roaming about the grounds
and inspecting curiosities in the Swiss museum, in-
cluding a mumm}^ brought from Egypt by the Prince
of Wales. It was an immense treat to see my own dear
little Prince so comfortable, more comfortable than I
have ever seen him since we left Cannes. He has
come out wonderfully, grown quite into a man, with the
precocious development of Royalty, aided by his own bad
health. Certainly he is a singularl}^ pleasant companion,
and is, I am glad to find, devoted to Princess Louise.
It seemed quite odd to be trotting about together again
— like old times. Princess Christian sat with me most
of the afternoon, and took me over to tea with Prince
Arthur and Prince Leopold, finishing with snap-dragon
as in old Christmas-times here. We again dined with
the Queen, and Lord Alfred Paget gave us some inter-
esting details of his visit to the Empress at Chiselhurst,
when he took her the news of the fall of Strasburg.
The Queen was most gracious, and altogether the visit
has been a remarkable success, to m}^ great joy, for
Rainald was quite ready to take huff, if there had been
anything to take huff at."

At the end of January, Sir Rainald and Lady
Knightley paid another pleasant visit to Lord and Lady
Exeter at Burghley House, in the north of the county.

" Biirghley House, Wednesday, January 25. — We
came here by Rugby in bitter cold, the frost having set
in with renewed severity, and walked about the quaint
old town of Stamford, before coming up to this mag-
nificent place, which certainly ranks with Hatfield
and Longleat among the finest houses in England. It
was built by John Thorpe about the same time for
Queen Elizabeth's Lord Treasurer Burghley. An enor-

1871T BURGHLEY HOUSE 213

mous party, thirty-four in number, and dinner in the
great hall was a very stately ceremony. About a
hundred of the neighbours came to a dance afterwards,
which I enjoyed thoroughly. The house-party con-
sists of Sir Stafford, Lady and Miss Northcote, Lady
C. Wellesley and two daughters. Sir Lawrence, Lady
and Miss Palk, Lady Penrhyn and Miss Pennant,
Lord Strathallan, Miss Drummond, Mr. and Mrs. and
Miss Pakenham Mahon, Lord and Lady Hatherton, Lord
Raglan, Lord Ranfurly, Lord and Lady Powerscourt,
Mr. Walrond, Colonel Lee Seymour, Mr. Montagu Corry,
Lord and Lady Brownlow Cecil, Lord Burleigh, etc. I
sat by Sir Stafford Northcote, and liked him very much.

" Thursday, January 26. — I drove with Lady Powers-
court, whom I like, and Lady Exeter, whom I don't
like, and stayed at home in the evening, while most
of the party went to a dance at Uffington, and played
whist with Lord Hatherton and Mr. Corry, which was
much better fun. In fact, the party was improved by
being halved. I hate such a mob — it is not society,
but is more like a big inn.

" January 27. — ^I went all over the house with Lady
Powerscourt. It is a fine place certainly, though I
prefer the outside of Longleat and the inside of Hatfield.
There are quantities of good pictures and china, many
portraits of Angelica Kauffmann, who spent some
months here and painted a fine head of Garrick ; but
what interested me most was Lawrence's full-length of
the Lord Exeter who married the village maiden of
Tennyson's poem, and of his wife, the lovely ' Cottage
Countess,' with their little daughter. My room, the
' Purple Satin Chamber,' is entirely hung with fine
tapestry, of which the house is full. In the afternoon
I walked with Lord Brownlow Cecil and Mr. Try on to
the kitchen-garden, which covers fourteen acres and is
managed by a very clever head-gardener. Afterwards
we took a fast, pleasant walk to Stamford. The Bishop
of Peterborough and Mrs. Magee arrived, and by good
luck I sat next him at dinner, and found him as agree-
able as ever.

214 BURGHLEY [chap, xvi

" January 28. — I sat between the Bishop and Sir
Stafford at breakfast and discussed the new. Education
Act. The Bishop dreads its ultimate effect in secularis-
ing, and fears there will be squabbles between the sects
on the Boards, and that for peace's sake the school-
master will leave off teaching 2iny religion at all. But
he agrees that at present the Act is doing an infinity
of good, and both he and Sir Stafford spoke very highly
of Mr. Forster, a most high-principled and conscientious
man.

" Fawsley, January 30. — -The capitulation of Paris
was signed on Saturday, together with a twenty-one days'
armistice for the whole of France. One cannot but
rejoice at the termination of a resistance which, heroic
as it has been, has been long known to be hopeless, and
involved such a fearful amount of misery. Sophy is in
a dreadful state of mind, quite curiously indignant, and
anticipating much danger to England from the Prussian
success.

" February 26. — Thank God ! peace was signed at
Versailles yesterday by Thiers and Bismarck, but upon
what terms ! Alsace and part of Lorraine, including
Metz, to be given up, a war indemnity of two hundred
millions to be paid by France, and the Germans to
occupy part of Paris. They are brutally hard."

CHAPTER XVI I

A London Season and a Foreign Tour

1871-1872

" Claridge's Hotel, March 7, — I spent the whole day on
the trot, shopping and looking at houses — a dreary
occupation. After much hesitation, we ate humble pie
and took Sir Edward Colebrooke's house, 37 South
Street, for the season. It is an excellent house, in a
charming situation, but the rent is very high. There
is much talk of Mr. Gladstone's strange appointment of
Mr. Goschen to succeed Mr. Childers at the Admiralty,
thus adding another to the many shuffles which have
taken place in the Ministry since July, without adding
any strength to the Cabinet. It is curious to see
perhaps the most popular Ministry there has been in
my time floating slowly to destruction. Gladstone gets
more and more irritable every day. But who or what
is to succeed him ? Had there been any cohesion in the
Conservative party, he would certainly have been
beaten on this foolish and mischievous secret West-
meath Committee — a cowardly attempt to shuffle the
responsibility which attaches to the Government on to
the House of Commons."

The season which followed was a very pleasant one.
Lady Knightley enjoyed society to the full, and she
remarks, " Now that I know all the smart people, it is
very jolly." A visit to the National Portrait Gallery
with Lord Stanhope as cicerone was one of its more
notable events.

"It is perhaps more historically than artistically

J interesting, but it is very pleasant to see what manner

21S

2i6 A LONDON SEASON [chap, xvii

of men they were with whom one becomes so intimately
acquainted in books. There is the Chandos portrait of
Shakespeare, with a forehead which reminds me of Lord
Salisbury ; a finely painted picture of Sir Joshua by
himself, with his hand across his forehead ; Walter Scott
in his study ; Hogarth at his easel ; Nelson's Lady
Hamilton — oh, such a lovely face ! — Waller looking
prim and starched, by no means as if he were writing
verses to Sacharissa ; Thurlow looking wiser than ever
man was — in short, to enumerate all would exhaust the
list of remarkable Englishmen. It was very interesting
going with Lord Stanhope, who is so full of anecdote
and information, and we were accompanied by Mr.
Scharf, the keeper of the gallery, a great authorit}^, Mr.
and Mrs. Edward Stanhope, and Mr. Banks Stanhope.

" Alay g. — I was all day at the Drawing-room — the
most crowded one I have ever seen since the Princess
of Wales's first. We had to go half-way down the
Birdcage Walk to get into the string and slowly past the
Horse Guards and down the Mall. The Queen stayed
to the very end, having no one to depute, for dear
Princess Christian is laid up with congestion of the
lungs. There was a wonderful display of lace and
jewels, but the pushing and squeezing were frightful.
There was a debate on Mr. Miall's proposal to dis-
establish the Church of England, for which I am sorry
to say eighty-nine M.P.'s were found to vote. Mr.
Bruce made a very shufiQing speech ; Mr. Gladstone an_
admirable one. If only he could be trusted !

"May 13. — ^Rainald went to the levee, and after-
wards we went together to Miller's about lamps. The
shopman gave a strange account of things in Paris, the
utter standstill to which everything has come, and told
us that out of twenty-five of their men who had been
with them some twenty years, no less than eight went
on strike the other day, simply because they objected
to working with a German who had been taken on -I
during the last few months — a perfectly quiet and
inoffensive man. The shopman himself remarked,
' Frenchmen were not foreigners ' — a strange turn for

i87i] THE COMMUNE IN PARIS 217

British sentiment to take ! We had a very successful
dinner — Lord and Lady Bristol, Lady Cork, Lord
Barrington, Lord and Lady Cawdor — and I went on bj''
myself to a very pleasant party at Lord Stanhope's.
He was very civil and made much of me, which is
always agreeable, and introduced me to the French
ambassador, the Due de Broglie, and to Mr. Lecky. I
like meeting remarkable people.

" May 17. — We dined with Mr. and Lady Elizabeth
V^illiers in Lady Jersey's old house in Berkeley Square.
It was a dinner of reconciliation, so I think it right to
go there, but it was painful to Rainald for more reasons
than one, and he shrank from revisiting the home of
his old love. Lady Clementina, where he had spent so
many happy da3^s. It was a very dull, bad dinner, too.
I sat between Lord Bagot and Sir William Ross, and was
a good deal bored, but enjoyed meeting Lord Charles
Fitzroy and his nice daughter. The Communists, who
are now masters of Paris, have pulled down the Column
on the Place Vendome, because, forsooth, it recorded
victories, and so hurt the feelings of other nations — as
the Spectator says, a * nobly childish ' sentiment. I fear
there are awful scenes going on in that doomed city.
The accounts of the horrors are too sickening. Rome,
Jerusalem, Babylon, fearful as was their destruction,
at least fell before an enemy, not before their own
inhabitants.

" May 21 . — Mr. Thomas came to luncheon, also Lord
Stanhope (for the third time), and, much to my surprise,
Mrs. Norton. However, they made themselves very
agreeable, talking, among other things, of dreams, which
recalled to my mind one that I had, a few nights ago,
so vivid and singular that I must record it. I dreamt
that I had been elected to the House of Commons,
though I tried in vain to recollect for what constituency
I was about to take my seat. The floor of the House
was covered with members, through whom I threaded
my way very shyly, following someone to a seat on a
bench below the front Opposition bench, but above the
gangwa}^, which I did not like, as it made me a supporter

2i8 A LONDON SEASON [chap, xvii

of Mr. Disraeli, and I looked about for Rainald, that I
might secure a seat behind him, thinking of him quite
in his right place. There were other ladies in the House,
but as I was the only M.P. they had to leave when
the debate began. I waited impatiently for this, and
wondered why I was not asked to take the oath. After
this my dream became more confused, the Queen came
down and hindered business, and I kept looking out o;
the window at her guard crossing Westminster Bridge,
and up at the new Speaker's Gallery, thinking, with the
inconsistency of dreams, how nice it would be to go and
listen to the debates there, while at the same time
was deeply impressed with the responsibility of my
new position. Suddenly I awoke and realised where
was, and began to ask myself if this were an omen of
the future.

" Whitsunday, May 28. — I went with Rainald to
Mass at the Roman Catholic church in Farm Street.
The music was splendid, and I liked the quiet time
for meditation. It made me feel that, however they
may differ from us on certain points, we are entirely
one in the great central doctrines of Christianity — ■
far more, indeed, than with many who profess to belong
to our Church. In the afternoon, Sophy took me to
the Chapel Royal, a sleep}'' service, which was a great
contrast to the devotion of the Mass at Farm Street.
But it is a fine hall, with a ceiling painted by Rubens,
and I can never forget that from its window Charles i.
stepped out upon the scaffold. As we walked home,
through the Green Park, we met Lord Enfield, who
told us the horrible news of the murder of Archbishop
Darboy of Paris— the third who had died a violent
death. For the last seven days, Paris has been the
veriest hell upon earth — an awful punishment for her
denial of God. -The Communists both in Versailles
and Paris are shooting men and women down by
hundreds. It is as bad as in the Revolution, and
with far less cause. Meantime, I am reading Carlyle's
French Revolution with deep interest.

" June 24. — I went off quite early to Buckingham

i87i] THE TICHBORNE TRIAL 219

Palace to see Princess Christian, and had a great lark,
as she insisted on coming home with me, startling
Rainald and taking a drive through the streets alone
vvith me. It was great fun, and I had Mamma in the
afternoon, and after dining with the Dartreys, I went
on to a smart little party at the Duchess of Marl-
borough's, to meet Prince Arthur, which I much
enjoyed. In fact, the public have at last been pleased
to come round, and I feel I have safely turned the
corner in society. I am glad for Rainald 's sake and
my own. I like societ}'', and to fail would be mortifying.
" June 26. — We had a most agreeable dinner at
Lady Molesworth's, quite the pleasantest I have had
this year — Carnarvons, Carj^sforts, Shaftesburys, Peels,
Stratford de Redclyffes, the Duke of Rutland, Marquis
d'Azeglio, Lord Lytton, Lord Stanhope, etc. I sat
between Lord Stratford and Lord Carnarvon, to whom
I am devoted. It is seldom one sees anyone so honest
and earnest, and I am sure it must do good. To a
party at Lady Charlotte Denison's. The beautiful
rooms were not too full, and I stood for a long time
talking to Mr. Lowe and gazing upon the lovely river
view with the lights of Westminster Bridge reflected in
the water.

" June 29. — I went with Rainald to hear a bit
of the celebrated Tichborne trial, which has been
going on for weeks, and seems likely to occupy many
more. I had never been in a Court of Justice before,
and was interested in realising the whole thing. I
have not the slightest doubt that the claimant is
a gross impostor, but Sir John Coleridge, who was
cross-examining him, seemed to do it in a slow, tire-
some way, while the man himself (although totally un-
educated) is evidently sharp and very self-possessed.
It will certainly rank among the causes cSlebres of the
century.

" July 5. — A charming dinner at Lord Stanhope's
I — Ashburtons, Listowels, Avelands, and Lad}^ Leconfield,
a wonderful reunion of beauty. I sat between Mr.
Cheney and Lord Ashburton.

220 A FOREIGN TOUR [chap, xvii

" July 6. — Yesterday Prince Arthur, whom I ran
against in the street, came to tea, and was very pleasant,
full of the Waverley ball, to which all the world is
going — he as Charles Edward, which I think a mistake !
To-day I had my dear Princess with her Prince and
Lady Susan to luncheon — a real pleasure.

" July 12. — I went wdth Rainald, Lady Francis
Gordon, and Lily to Holland House, which was most
delicious. All the rooms were thrown open, and we
wandered all over the charming house described by
Macaulay thirty years ago. We especially admired
the library, which he says combines the antique gravity
of a college library with the grace and wit of a drawing-
room, where the shelves are loaded with the varied
learning of many ages and many lands, and the walls
adorned with portraits of the best and wisest Englishmen
of two generations. The gathering to-day was not
unworthy of former times. The foremost lion was
the Crown Prince of Germany. Just a year has
elapsed since war was declared. What events have
taken place in the interval ! I had a warm greeting
from my old friend of Berlin and Gotha, Count Eulen-
burg, and shook hands with His Royal Highness. This
is my last party. I hate doing things for the last time,
I hate giving up this charming house, yet I never was
so glad to escape from London."

After drinking the waters at Schwalbach, by
her doctor's orders, Lad}^ Knightley and her husband
travelled by Heidelberg and Bale to Lucerne and
Interlaken, a trip which she enjoyed immensely,
never having been in Switzerland before. The beauty
of the Lake of the Four Cantons, the first sight of the
Jungfrau, an expedition to Andermatt and the Grimsel
Hospice, alone with her husband, all filled her with
delight. " I don't think," she writes, " anybody ever
had so much enjoyment crowded into one week as I \
have had in this last ! " And again, on the last Sunday
at Geneva, she writes :

" Hotel de la Paix, Geneva, September ii. — Rainald
called me at 5 a.m. to look at the Mont Blanc range,

iS/i] PARIS AFTER THE WAR 221

which, veiled in cloud last night, stood out clear and
sharp against the sky, while the yellow light of the
rising sun streamed up from behind, and a few rosy
clouds were reflected in the lake. It was a very lovely
scene to carry away as one's latest recollection of this
beautiful country, and I shall always look back on
this fortnight as one of the brightest and happiest
bits of my life. It is impossible to have seen Switzer-
. land under more favourable circumstances."

The homeward journey through Paris was full of
melancholy interest,

''Hotel Bristol, Paris, September 12. — Alas! we
had not far to go before we saw heart-rending proofs
of the destruction which has fallen upon this fair city.
In our short drive from the station to this hotel, we
passed the ruins of the Hotel de Ville, of the Ministere
des Finances, and, last not least, of the Tuileries them-
selves, besides many ruins of private houses at the
corner of the Rue Rivoh, to say nothing of the Colonne
Vendome, of which only the pedestal is left. And in
cruel mockery of all this desolation, on every public
building the words ' Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite ' are
scrawled, while on the smokened and blackened ruins
we read : * La Republique une et indivisible.' In every
photographer's window are endless pictures of the
ruins. A few caricatures of the Emperor and portraits
of his marshals are exhibited side by side with those
of Orleanists and Republicans. There is even a play
announced, which is called Le double Siege de Paris, and
objets made from fragments of Prussian shells are sold
in several of the shops. It is a strange people. No
photographs seem to be more popular than those of
the shooting of Monseigneur Darbo}' and his com-
panions. Next to those in popularity are S3'mbolical
groups of ' Alsace et Lorraine ' and of * France en
1870 ' as a pale, bleeding, dishevelled woman, sur-
rounded by Prussian generals, while others represent
the awful visions which are supposed to haunt King
William's slumbers, clamouring for vengeance. I was
rather pleased with a sacristan in Notre-Dame, who,
16

222 A FOREIGN TOUR [chap, xvii

after showing us a gorgeous cope given by Napoleon in.,
remarked, ' He did more for Notre-Dame than all
the other kings of France put together.' We took a
drive in the Bois de Boulogne, which is a melancholy
scene ! More than half of the trees are cut down, and
those which remain are more or less m.arked by cannon-
balls, as our cocher pointed out with apparent satis-
faction. He told us with much glee how * au temps
des Prussiens * he managed to draw double rations
for his children, how horses were requisitioned for sale
at f. 1.50 the kilo, how a donkey sold for a thousand
francs, etc. We went out by train to Versailles, passing
Neuilly with its broken bridge and ruined St. Cloud,
and stood at the foot of Louis xiv.'s statue, with the
inscription, ' A toutes les gloires de la France.* It was
there that, exactly a year ago, the German Crown Prince
distributed medals to his victorious troops. We
wandered through the stately gardens to Trianon,
passing through a part of the camp, where 80,000
troops are still quartered. Very dirty and d^'-^ary
looked the tents, depressed and downcast the n..n,
slouching about, without a vestige of smartness, with
all the life and heart taken out of them, apparently
without occupation or interest of any kind. ' Le
Petit Trianon ' seems to have passed unscathed through
all the storms which have swept over France, and
remains precisely as it was in the days when Marie
Antoinette used to take refuge here from the wearisome
grandeurs of Versailles. Here are her spinet, the
very pieces of music which she pla^^ed, her dressing-
table and jewel case, a bust of her son, the silk curtains,
but little faded, presented by the city of Lyons on
her marriage ; the satinwood chairs, tables, and bureaux
bearing her cipher — in fact, the whole atmosphere
breathes of the ill-fated Queen whose creation it was,
and whose memory still lives in this charming little
spot.

''September 15. — We left Paris without any other
incident to remind us of the recent invasion than
the sight of a few Prussian soldiers on guard at some

i87i] RETURN TO ENGLAND 223

of the northern stations, and arrived safely in London
soon after five. Gladly did we shake off the dust of
foreign shores, joyfully did we hail our own, and, much
as we have enjoyed our tour, I don't think anything
will tempt us abroad again for many a long year !
Oh dear ! the delight of being at home again, after
five months' absence — words cannot express what I
feel."

The chief event of the following winter was the
dangerous illness of the Prince of Wales, which stirred
the nation to its depths. Lady Knightley's intimate
connection with the Royal Family naturally made her
follow the course of the fever with profound anxiety.

" Fawsley, December 8. — I walked to Charwelton
after luncheon to look at some very unsatisfactory
pigsties. This illness of the Prince makes one feel
very anxious about sanitary reforms in every direction.
It is clearly to be traced, both in his case and in that of
Lord Chesterfield, whose death broke up our party at
Ickworth this week, to poison from the drains at Londes-
borough Lodge, Scarborough, where they successively
occupied the same bedroom.

" December 9. — A most alarming change for the worse
in the Prince's condition. The Queen, Princess Louise,
Prince Arthur, and the Duke of Edinburgh have all gone
down to Sandringham, and the case is said to be almost
hopeless, A telegram received at Daventry at 3.30 p.m.
said he was still alive. What an awful visitation !
God comfort that poor Prmcess ! I do feel for her
and the Queen and for them all. It is just ten
years since his father died. I could think of nothing
else.

" Sunday, December 10. — The Prince was still alive
at 7.30 p.m. last night. I have an almost superstitious
feeling that if he can survive this week, he will live.
Ten years ago, his father died on Saturday the 14th, at
II p.m. What a strange thing loyalty is 1 Here is a
man whom I scarcely know, yet, because he is the Prince
of Wales, I and thousands of others, who have not my
associations with his family and affection for them, are

224 PRINCE OF WALES'S ILLNESS [chap, xvii

watching as if it were at the sick-bed of a dear friend.
Oh ! how vividly it recalls that awful time at Cannes
ten years ago.

" December ii. — The Prince is still alive — yesterday
there was a slight rall}^, but this morning the telegram
is as bad as bad can be. The account of the poor
Princess slipping away for half an hour to church yester-
day is most touching. May God comfort her !

" December 12. — Thank God the Prince is still alive !
— at least, he was still alive this morning. The intense
feeling all over the country is perfectly beautiful, and
the united prayers offered up by the whole nation are
touching be3^ond words. vSophy and Henry arrived
about 3 p.m., and said that all along the line the excite-
ment was intense — heads hung out of the windows
at every station asking, ' Is he still alive ? Is there
another telegram ? What is the latest news ? ' If God
spares his life, he can never forget it.

" December 13. — ^But little change — but what there
is, is not for the worse. If he outlives to-morrow, I
shall believe that God has granted his life to the prayers
of the nation.

" December 14. — This day ten years ago the Prince
Consort died, and now his son lies at the point of death.
But thank God to-day's telegram is better. If he out-
lives the day, I shall believe in his recovery. It recalls
that awful time so vividly. And dear Princess Christian
is there.

" December 15. — We drove into Daventry, and were
rejoiced by a decidedly improved report of the Prince.
I do think he has turned the corner and will be spared
to say, like Louis xv., ' Qu' ai-je done fait pour etre
tant aime ? ' "

Two months later. Lady Knightley was present in
St. Paul's at the solemn thanksgiving service for the
Prince of Wales's recovery.

" Claridge's Hotel, Tuesday, February 27, 1872. — A
day long to be remembered in our annals — the nation's
thanks to God for hearing the nation's prayers. All
ordinary traffic was suspended and all the shops were

1 872] AT ST. PAUL'S 225

shut as we drove to the House of Commons. Here the
two Estates of the Realm embarked on board steamers
and sped down the silent highwa}', where the Embank-
ment, St. Thomas's Hospital, and the Houses of Parlia-
ment hold their own even against Somerset House,
Lambeth, and the Temple. The day was perfectly
fine, and the sun shone while we were in St. Paul's. It
was a grand sight, tier upon tier of faces rising on all
sides in that vast dome, which forms a better centre
than could be found in any Gothic church. Our wait
was a long one but full of interest, as we were surrounded
by all that is most distinguished and fairest in the land.
Lady Bath, Lady Cowper, and Lady Brownlow — to m^'"
mind three of the loveliest of women — sat opposite,
and ' Mr. Speaker ' was escorted to his chair of state in
front of us with great ceremony. It is indeed a proud
position to belong to the Commons of England, the most
distinguished body in Europe. The}^ are not all gentle-
men— why should they be, as the}^ represent the whole
nation ? — and I have no patience with people who are too
grand and too exclusive, forsooth, to sit among them.
Soon the Lord Chancellor came in, and then the organ
pealed out ' God save the Queen,' and we all rose to
our feet as Her Majesty came in. She looked ill and
worn, as if the intense anxiety had told upon her, and
may well have been overcome by the extraordinary
enthusiasm of the welcome which she received, I learn,
all along her route. The Prince looked pale and hollow-
eyed, as one might expect. He looked about a little
at first, but seemed suddenl}" to recollect himself, and
bent his head in deep devotion. The Princess looked
pale, but very charming in a bright blue velvet gown,
and Prince Leo had an expression of awe upon his face,
as if he felt the solemnity of the occasion deeply. The
service was short, and the most impressive moment
seemed to me that when the whole assembly sat hushed
to hear the Archbishop's sermon. Oh ! I think and
trust God's blessing is upon us, as a nation — little as we
deserve it ! "

CHAPTER XVI I I

Political Parties and Cabinet Ministers

1872-1873

" Burghley House, January 31, 1872. — -We arrived here
to-day, to find a tremendous political gathering, literally
almost the whole of the ex-Ministry, with the important
exceptions of Lord Salisbury and Lord Derby. But
the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, Lord and Lady
Cairns, Sir John Pakington, Mr. and Mrs. Gathorne-
Hard}?-, Lord and Lady John Manners, Sir John Hay,
Mr. Chaplin, Mr. Graves (M.P, for Liverpool), Colonel
Annesley, Lord and Lady Eustace Cecil, Mr. Ward Hunt,
Mr. Corry, and six of the family, make up a goodly
collection. They are all in great excitement, expecting
a stormy session, while the Alabama question is the
unknown quantity which may upset all calculations.
I sat between the Duke of Marlborough and Lord Cairns,
whom I found very agreeable. He told me a capital
story of Mr. Morris, Solicitor-General for Ireland. He
was pleading before ' Alphabetical Smith ' when the
latter interrupted him testily with — ' Mr. Morris, I
don't understand your argument.' ' So I presume, my
lord,' replied the lawyer, ' but I'll repate it till yer
doe ! ' Lord Cairns declares that he told Lord Derby
this story when he recommended Mr. Morris's appoint-
ment and that it tickled him greatly. I actually sat
down solemnly to whist with three ex-Cabinet ministers :
Mr. Gathorne-Hardy, Lord John Manners, and Mr.
Ward Hunt, and although in a great fright, got on very
well.

''February i. — The usual kind of country-house

316

1872] BURGHLEY HOUSE 227

day — stitch all the morning, after luncheon a visit to the
kitchen, a most lordly apartment with a splendid groined
roof and a picture of a huge ox, said to be by Rubens.
Then Lady Exeter, Lady John Manners, and I drove
into Stamford and ransacked an old curiosity shop,
where much to my delight I discovered a whole set of
china with the Bowater arms, which came from a Mr.
Sawyer, who was connected with our family. I invested
in it on the spot ! The Northcotes and Finches arrived —
Mrs. Finch, yiie Edith Montgomery, looking exceedingly
lovely. I sat between Lord John and Mr. Hardy and
discussed politics, and afterwards played whist with
Mr. Hunt, Mr. Chaplin, and Mr. Hardy.

" February 2. — I sat at w^ork steadily all the morning,
with much pleasant talk circulating round me, especi-
ally on Women's Franchise, of which I was rejoiced to
find vSir Stafford and Lady Northcote staunch supporters,
while Mr. Graves confessed that his colleague, Lord
Sandon, had been converted by his contact with Mrs.
Anderson and Miss Davies on the London School Board.
We paid a visit to the plate closet — and a most gorgeous
collection it contains, from Queen Elizabeth's exquisitely
fine silver filigree drying-plate to the gold breakfast
service in relief, bought in Rome before the present
Queen's visit. There w^ere some beautiful old chased
silver decanter-stands, silver wall-sconces, etc. We left
after luncheon, travelling as far as Rugby with Mr.
Graves, a shrewd, clever, sensible Liverpool merchant,
who is strongly in favour of the State-control of rail-
ways, which would, he declares, enable us to pay off
the National Debt. The Alabama question seems to be
uppermost in men's minds just now. The Americans
have certainly perpetrated a gigantic fraud, and our
Commissioners were idiots to be so easily imposed
upon.

" Claridge's Hotel, March 5. — After a morning spent
in house-hunting, I went to the House of Commons and
heard the debate on my beloved Education. Mr.
Dixon, the head of the Birmingham League, moved
a long string of resolutions condemnatory of the Act

228 POLITICAL PARTIES [chap, xviii

of 1 870. He spoke fluently, but not to the point, without
daring to bring forward the real object of all his efforts
and agitation — the exclusion from the schools of all
religious teaching. He was followed by Mr. Richards,
the member for Merthyr T^^dvil, with whom I was
much better pleased, for he spoke as if he honestly
believed that what he advocated was for the good of
the country. Then came Mr. Forster, who spoke as he
always does, in a straightforward, manly way, but said
that a general compulsory measure might be necessary
next year. I came back after dinner, and heard Dr.
Lyon Playfair and Professor Fawcett, who both made
good speeches, and saw the division taken about twelve
o'clock — 95 to 355. This was on the whole satisfactory,
although several voted in the minority of whom I
should not have expected it.

** Fawsley, March 20. — The House behaved very
idiotically last night, hooting and shouting like a set
of schoolboys and turning out the reporters. Sir Charles
Dilke had only three supporters ; but the business will
leave a bad impression on the country, I fear. All
about here, we are much worried by the agricultural
labourers' strike, instigated by Arch and a few others.
It is quite a new phenomenon in these parts, but cela
donne a penser. I read Burke's fine speech on Economic
Reforms, and thought how much times had changed
since his day, and what a contrast there was between
the spirit in which he brought forward his motion and
Sir Charles Dilke 's attack.

" 6 Great Stanhope Street, April 24. — We went to
luncheon with Lady Anna Stirling-Maxwell. Sir William
was most agreeable, and the house is full of lovely
things. I wonder how far it is right to spend so
much in that most fascinating form of refined self-
indulgence — Art ! In the afternoon we went to one
of the most agreeable parties I ever remember at
the Palace — entirely indoors, and everybody in high
good-humour — in short, a real success. I had great
fun ; for the Archbishop of York took me to have tea,
and, chemin faisant, I fell in with Prince Leo, so that

1872] THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY 229

between the two I was fairly puzzled, and was obliged
at last to say to Prince Leo, ' You know, sir, I can't
keep an Archbishop waiting with my cup of tea in his
hand ! ' So I went to fetch it, and then had a good
long talk with my dear Prince. After that, I had
quite an interesting conversation with Mr. Gladstone —
chiefly on the merits of tea, which he praises as the
best possible restorative, and says that he alwaj^s
drinks it when he comes in from the House, as well as
after his favourite physical exertion of cutting down
trees. He has certainly most agreeable manners, but
I still think a very sinister expression.

"St. iM ark's Day, April 25, 1872.— My thirtieth
birthday ! I can hardl}^ believe it. I feel still so young,
so jo^^ous and happy — younger in some respects than
I did five years ago. Yet it is an era in life — the close
of a decade. Youth, one may saj^ is over ; middle age
beginning. It was a very happy birthday. Rainald
gave me such a lovely emerald and diamond ring, and
we went together to see a charming collection of pictures
at Christie's. Mr. Gladstone told us of it yesterday,
and Sir Joshua, Turner, Crome, Linnell, etc., were
all well represented. At five I went to St. Peter's,
Eaton Square, and heard an admirable sermon from
Mr. Wilkinson, drawing both warning and encourage-
ment from St. Mark's character — bidding us rejoice
in every little cross in our self-indulgent, luxurious lives,
and at the same time speaking in words soul-stirring as
the trump of battle, of the certainty of victory that
awaits us if we fight on to the end, not in our own
strength, looking for our exceeding great reward. It
was a sermon to do one good in all the turmoil of this
busy world. Mr. Wilkinson certainly does appeal to me
with quite peculiar force. He has a wonderful power of
fitting into one's daily life, and I go to hear him when-
ever it is possible to get a seat in that crowded church.
I feel every day more strongly that it is not right to
spend one's whole life for three months simply for one's
own amusement. God help me with this workhouse
visiting which I am so anxious to undertake !

230

POLITICAL PARTIES [chap.xviii

" May I . — Rainald voted for the Women's Franchise
Bill, much to my joy. The more I think about it, the
more convinced I feel that it is only just women should
have the vote, and that many injustices under which
they labour will never be removed until they do have
it. Rainald met Lord Salisbury, who is full of the
idea of moving the rejection of the Ballot Bill in the
House of Lords, and strongly urged him not to do so
foolish a thing. Strange that so clever a man should not
know the feeling of the country t»etter ! Such an act
would only give a factitious popularity to a measure which
now needs but very little to become very unpopular.

" May 3. — A very amusing day ! Lord Stanhope
and Mr. Lowe joined us out riding, and I had a good
deal of talk with the former about the excavation of
the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, and then about Goethe,
whom he quoted freely. Then the King of the Belgians
rode up to Mr. Lowe, who, taking His Majest}^ for
Mr. Mundella, gave him about the most discourteous
reception ever experienced by a crowned head. It
was a funn}^ scene, and how Mr. Lowe did chuckle over
it when, after riding some time with the King, whose
identity he had by this time discovered, he returned
to us. Meanwhile King Leopold's attendant, Baron
Lunden, gave us a very amusing account of the late
carousal at Berlin on the Emperor's birthday, just as
I remember hearing Countess Savernia describe it, one
hot afternoon at Primkenau. Mr. Lowe and Rainald
then fell to talking politics, recalling the time when they
worked so hard together in 1866, and had so nearly |
created a strong Constitutional party to see it all de-
stroyed the following 3^ear, and selon eux the country]
ruined by Mr. Disraeli. I can fully enter into their
feelings, although how far the country is ruined remains]
yet to be proved ! ' But after that,' continued Mr.
Lowe, ' having done what I could for my countr}^ II
resolved to do a little for myself. I remember Lady
Lansdowne telling me that I could never again join
either party, but must remain " in a solitary cave,"
and so I might if I had been Marquis of Lansdowne, but

1872] LORD SALISBURY 231

being only a lawyer with a small practice, the case was
different.' There was a delightful honesty about the
confession, I must sa}^, but one could not help feeling
glad there should be some politicians, such as Lord
Lansdowne, who are both socially and pecuniarily
independent. Mr. Lowe and Lord Stanhope afterwards
had a discussion on literary monarchs, apropos of the
King of the Belgians presiding on Wednesday at the
dinner of the Literary Fund. It is curious how few
they were able to mention. Frederick 11., whose
fighting, however, was certainly better than his writing,
Nero, Claudius, Louis xviii., seemed to exhaust the
list. They might have added James i. of Scotland and
Charles i. In the evening we had the most successful
dinner, I think, that we have ever had. Lord and Lady
Salisbury, Lord and Lady Stanhope, Lord and Lady
Aveland, Mr. and Lady Margaret Beaumont, Colonel
Tomlme, Lord and Lad}^ William Osborne, Lady Don-
oughmore, and Matt Ridley, How the}^ did talk I
I got on a great deal better with Lord Salisburj^ than
I did at Hatfield, and found him most agreeable and
interesting. We talked of the Athanasian Creed, which
he thinks the Reformers ought not to have put into
the Prayer Book, although he doubts whether their
mistake can be remedied now. Of the Conservative
reaction, which he thinks is in some measure due to
the alarm caused by the Commons. Of Mr. Gladstone,
whom he does not appear to dislike as much as many
people do. Of Mr. Forster, whom he does not seem
altogether to trust, saying that we shall have rate-
schools all over the countrj^ in ten years, and then no
schools at all, owing to the opposition to Local Taxation.
Of the Women's Franchise, for which he would certainly
have voted had he been in the House of Commons :
he can see no reason against it, although he does not
consider it to be a pressingly needed reform at the
present time.

" May 6. — I went to the Drawing-room — truly a
dream of fair women ! Lady Brownlow, Lady Dudley,
and Lady Ilchester form a trio not easily to be sur-

232 POLITICAL PARTIES [chap.xviii

passed in any country or generation — -whatever one's
elders may sa}'^ ! Violent contrasts of colour seem to
be much the fashion, and unless managed with con-
svmimate taste and skill, are to my mind very ugly.
The prevailing rage for two shades of the same colour
also strikes me as very inartistic. It is curious how
very few people make any attempt to dress artistically.
I don't pretend to do it myself, but I flatter myself
that my gown, pink mth a black and pink train,
softened with white lace and long trails of horse-chestnut
blossoms, was effective and in good taste. It was a
long business, and the Queen had left when we passed,
which I did not much mind, as Princess Christian came
to take her place. I met her last week at tea at Emmy
Hamilton's, looking uncommonly well after spending
two months abroad.

" May lo. — Rainald dined with the Speaker, I with
the Petres — sat between Lord Calthorpe and Mr. Leopold
Rothschild, and was not particularly amused, except by
Lady Margaret Beaumont ; went on to a small party
at Bridgewater House, which is alwa3^s pleasant.
The hall is, to my fancy, the finest thing I know in
London, to say nothing of the pictures. Lord Granville
and Mr. Gladstone in deep confab upset a lamp
between them. Is it an omen of coming events ? To
a charming ball at Lady Bristol's, with — oh! such
flowers. The centre court was roofed in and turned
into a perfect bow^er, and there were very many pretty
faces ; but I don't much care for balls. Rainald moved
an amendment in the Report on the Ballot Bill last night,
— ' That the declaration of a voter that he cannot read
or write shall be enough for the returning officer to
mark his paper for him, without going to a magistrate,'
— and nearly beat the Government, 168-183. It is
pleasant to see him taking a real interest in politics.

" May 15. — ^Last night we dined with the Donegalls,
and I went to some charming music at Mrs. Loyd
Lindsay's, with lovely pictures and a few really pleasant
people scattered about — not placed formally and not
too many of them ! Halle and Madame Norman

18/2] MISS FOX'S WEDDING 233

Neruda played beautifully, and I had a little talk with
Mr. Gladstone and the Bishop of Peterborough. This
evening I went to a small but very new and amusing
party at Princess Louise's. I liked seeing her receive
for the first time. It seems only the other day we were
all girls together. At dinner at Colonel Tomline's
I sat between Gerald Lascelles and Mr. Hay ward — a
clever enough man, if what he says is to be trusted.
He told me a curious story about Lady Waldegrave's
influence with the Due d'Aumale, which is so great
that the Comte de Paris wrote to her only last week
to beg her to induce him to speak in the Assembly —
which he did two days ago.

*' June 27. — Off at cockshout to the Pro-Cathe-
dral at Kensington — a fine building of which one
little suspects the existence — to attend the wedding of
Prince Louis Lichtenstein and Miss Marie Fox, Lady
Holland's adopted daughter. We were invited by the
express wish of the bridegroom, with whom I made
friends two years ago at Knole. All the Royalties and
diplomats were present, and quite a crowd of smart
people. The lively little bride, with her black hair and
sparkling eyes, was a marked contrast to the Prince,
tall and brown-haired, with his pale, thoughtful face
and earnest expression. Lord Granville gave away
the bride, and Archbishop Manning, in white and gold
cope and jewelled mitre, performed the ceremony. I
was deeply interested in seeing him again, remembering
his visit years ago to that quiet little Sotterley Rectory.
He looked exactly like the Doge of Venice in the
National Gallery — hard, stern, and impassive ; but when
I saw him nearer I was struck by his worn and weary
expression. Has he found the Church of Rome a
gigantic mistake ? In his address, he spoke very strongly
of the indissoluble union of marriage, describing it as
a state full of duties and obligations, of joys and sorrows.
This young couple had launched their barque on a bright
summer sea, but they would soon be overtaken by
storms and tempests, and unless the Redeemer of the
world was in the barque that bore them, these storms

234 POLITICAL PARTIES [chap, xviii

and tempests would be too much for the frailty of
human happiness. Had the scandal of the day — ^the
escapade of that pretty Lady Wentworth, whose fair,
innocent face charmed me, I remember, little more
than two years ago — -given emphasis to his words ? I
could not help wondering.

" We all went on to Holland House, and well may
the Times say that all that is most distinguished in i
the society of England was there. We wandered about '
for some hours in that most interesting house and
garden, every inch of which is full of historic memories, :
and met many friends. I noticed Mr. Gladstone in '
earnest conversation with Lord Russell, looking radiant i
owing to the decision volunteered b3'' the Arbitrators \
in the Alabama case, that they cannot entertain the \
Indirect Claims. [

"June 29. — ^Last night Rainald made a short speech
on the Ballot Bill, which seems to have told ; for one
member after another came up this morning in the
Park to chaff and congratulate him about it. It was
on making use of the schools as polling-places. He
told them that in cutting out this clause, the House of
Lords had with perverse ingenuity contrived to take :
out almost the only good clause of an extremely bad !
Bill. This change would increase the expense of \\
elections, and enhance the difficulty of getting candi-
dates recommended by other qualifications than wealth.
' The Reform Bill of 1867,' he continued, * has produced
one result we none of us anticipated : we have now
the richest House of Commons we have ever seen,
but although it is certainly the wealthiest, I am very
far from saying it is the most eloquent or the most
intelligent.'

" July 4. — I drove with Mamma to Lad})- Leven's
breakfast at Roehampton, which was pecuharl}^ pretty
and successful on this lovely day. It seemed like a
bit of old times, roaming about that lawn, meeting old
friends at every turn, most of them with little ones
clustering around them. Ah well ! I must not repine.
One piece of news I heard which touched me more

1872] AT HOLMBURY 235

nearly than I had thought possible — my old lover,

Captain B , is said to be dying. Rainald was very

dear and kind when I told him about it, and full of
concern. In the evening, I went to a ball at Northum-
berland House, a very stately mansion of olden time,
with a beautiful gallery and many other rooms looking
on the gardens, which were gay with coloured lamps.
I shall have been in nearly all the big houses in London
this year.

" Holmbury, Dorking, Sunday, July 7. — -We came
down late yesterday to this most delicious little place,
and had a charming drive from Gomshall, the station,
through deep ferny lanes, over hills covered with furze
and heather, by picturesque red-roofed cottages, and
then such a view from the house, perched as it is on
the side of a hill and looking over a wide stretch of
richly wooded country. The party consists of our
pleasant host, Mr. Leveson-Gower, Mr. and Mrs. West,
Lady Alwyne Compton, Lord Arthur Russell, Mile de la
Peyronnet, and Mr. Cheney, and very well chosen it is.
To-day we drove to a quaint old church with Norman
arches and a pretty rectory hard by, sat out in this
delicious garden all the afternoon, and walked up the
breezy hill behind the house, covered with gorse and
heather.

" July 8. — We had a delightful ramble through the
woods, passing close to Wotton, John Evelyn's beauti-
fully wooded home. Never was there such perfect
country so near to London. It seems like a bit that
has been forgotten by the world. I could linger for
ever among these Surrey commons, with their waving
foxgloves, long trails of wild roses, climbing honey-
suckles, quaint farmhouses, rustic inns, cottages
smothered in roses, and water-meadows rich in meadow-
sweet ! Most reluctantly we tore ourselves away from
this paradise, and returned to smoky London with our
host.

" July 17. — I was very nervous and uneasy about
our first party. We went out riding, and kept quiet
later. Prince Arthur dined with us, and was very

236 POLITICAL PARTIES [chap, xviii

nice and friendly. We had the Spencers, Baths,
Bradfords, Listowels, Lord Sefton, Lord Burghley,
Lady Manners, etc., to meet him, and a small party
afterwards. They all knew each other, and it did
very well. I went on to Lady Penrhyn's ball, which
was very empty, and actually danced several times.
I am an old goose, but I do enjoy dancing for dancing's
sake I

" Dunwichy July 24. — Dear Edith's birthday 1 L
thought of her so much coming down here. Rainald
went off early to Lord Southampton's funeral, and
Mellish and I came down here, and found m}' uncle
and aunt, St, John and Constance,^ all kinder and
more cordial one than another.

" July 2y. — St. John drove me over to Sotterley
quite early, that I might have a long day there, and I
did enjoy it. It all seemed so natural that I could
not believe four years had elapsed since I was there
even for a day. The only thing that seemed strange
was the heat and the luxuriant summer foliage, having
never been there in July before. I went to see several
old friends, — one I found had died last week, — played
on the harmonium in church, and visited my dear father's
grave, where the growth of the trees more than any-
thing else reminds me of the lapse of time. As to vSt.
John, he is completely his old self, only more courteous,
more anxious to be kind and friendly than of yore.
It is a great pleasure to be here again. Each morning
I take an early walk by the sea, as I used to do in old
days, and sketching and chess fill up most of the day ;
and after tea I dawdle with my uncle over the purple
heaths I love so well. I have enjoyed my visit
thoroughly, and they have all been most kind to
me."

A month at Buxton that August afforded the oppor-
tunity for visits to Hardwick, Chatsworth, Haddon Hall,
and Bakewell, where the Vicar, Dr. Balston, formerly

^ Lady Constance Seymour, daughter of the Marquis of Hertford ;
married in 1871 to Lieut. -Colonel F. St. John Barne, late Scots Guards.
He died in 1898.

1872] ORWELL PARK 237

Head Master of Eton, took Sir Rainald and Lady
Knightley over the ancient church, " doing the honours
in the most friendly manner," and showing them the
famous runic cross and the Vernon Chapel with the
tomb of Dorothy Vernon, who ran away with John
Manners and took Haddon into the Duke of Rutland's
family. Lord Redesdale was their companion on
several of these excursions in the Peak Country, and
proved an admirable cicerone.

A visit to Colonel Tomline's, at Orwell Park, Ipswich,
was the chief incident of the following autumn. Lady
Knightley thoroughly appreciated her host's fine collec-
tion of paintings, and was taken a drive to Felixstowe,
then " a tiny watering-place in embryo, which may be
developed in the future."

" October 16. — This part}^ is too amusing. I long
for a really clever pen to describe it. Lady Cork
alone, with her unfailing wit, her continual flow of talk
and chaff, her endless stories, keeps one in fits of
laughter. She is never tired of recounting her battles
with Lady Waldegrave for precedence. On one
occasion, at Strawberry Hill, Lady Cowley was told
off to go before her with Count Apponyi, upon
which she hooked up ' Dot and go one,' as she called
Lord Grey, and bustled in first, to her hostess's great
discomfiture. Then there is the Duke of Somerset,
quiet, gentlemanly, full of information, but not very
ready with conversation. Mr, Milner Gibson is lighter
in hand than the Duke, and very easy to get on with.
One sees at a glance that he does not know what
principle means, but he is shrewd and clear-headed to
a degree. He disapproves highly of the retrospective
clauses of the Washington Treaty, and seems to doubt
whether the Alabama's escape was an infringement of
international law, as it then existed. He talked a good
deal about Disraeli, as did the Duke, and told me an
anecdote which shows how intensely he cares for the
Jews. When there was a question of Rothschild being
debarred from sitting in the House, on account of some
contract, he moved heaven and earth to influence the
17

238 CABINET MINISTERS [chap, xviii

decision of the Committee appointed to decide the
question — and succeeded.

" October 18. — In spite of a threatening morning,
the Duke of Somerset and I started soon after twelve
for Helmingham, of which I have heard so much all my
life. It is certainly a very perfect specimen of an early
Tudor house, entirely unspoilt, built round a courtyard,
with moat and drawbridge still in perfect preservation.
The rooms are small, but have a good deal of character.
In the library, Mr. Tollemache showed us a very choice
collection of Caxtons, including the first, the Treatise on
Chess, and some exquisite illuminated MSS : one of the
thirteenth century was a copy of King Alfred's trans-
lation of Orosius. We saw Queen Elizabeth's room,
and her virginal, as well as her portrait, which she
afterwards presented to Lord Dysart. Mr. Tollemache
also showed us a letter which he had just received from
Mr. Gladstone, enclosing a newspaper extract recom-
mending that each labourer should be given ten acres of
land, with which sage proposal Mr. Gladstone expressed
himself as much struck ! The Duke, who is by no means
devoted to his former colleague, marvelled with me
over the total ignorance of all knowledge of rural life
which this betrayed. Oh dear! I am so sleepy, I had
better go to bed, for I can't even write English, but
one does not go driving about every day with ex-Cabinet
ministers !

" Claridge's Hotel, March 7, 1873. — We went to
see the Old Masters at Burlington House, and Rainald
recognised an exquisite portrait of Miss Linley, after-
wards Mrs. Sheridan, by Gainsborough, which used to
be at Delapre Abbey. It is a sweet face, with dark
eyes, regular delicate features, and a mouth just ready
to break into smiles. Rainald used to say he would
never marry till he had found a woman like it I
Luckily for me he did not keep his word. Another
Gainsborough which interested me was the portrait of
a ' Lady in a blue dress,' which I find is the Mrs. Bowater
whose china I picked up so curiously last year at
Stamford .

i873] IRISH UNIVERSITY BILL 239

" Meanwhile the debate on the Irish University Bill
drags its slow length, and Rainald is sorely troubled
what to do. If, as seems probable, the independent
Liberals vote against the Government, the issue lies
mainly in the hands of the small section of independent
Conservatives, among whom he is a ruling spirit. Mr.
Hardy made a speech last night which certainly ad-
mitted of the interpretation that in the event of the
Ministry being defeated, he should refuse to take office
under Disraeli, and Rainald went to him this evening
and asked if that was his meaning. He pledged him-
self distinctly to that effect, so now Rainald can vote
with a clear conscience, without any risk of bringing
in Disraeli to carry more revolutionary measures than
ever 1 It has made his course plain, anyhow. He
dined with Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, and sat next
Lord Hartington, who seemed in a piteous state of mind
about the Government's prospects, and hinted that if
they w^ere beaten it was not unlikely that Mr. Glad-
stone himself would retire. A Conservative has been
returned by an immense majority (1354) for Mid-
Cheshire — the first county election under the Ballot.

''March 11. — At 3 a.m. this morning, after Mr.
Gladstone had summed up the debate in what Rainald
says was one of the finest speeches he has ever heard
him make, full of humour, pathos, tact , and good temper,
so that Rainald said ' it quite went to my heart to
vote against him,' Ministers were defeated by a majority
of three ! If Rainald had not been in town, this result
would not have occurred. It was he who read between
the lines of Mr. Hardy's speech the assurance which the
independent members needed, and by his interview
with him made assurance doubly sure. Lord Salisbury,
who is in a certain sense their leader, sent them word
to stay away ; and Lord Eustace Cecil, Mr. Beresford
Hope, and a few others did so. The rest minded
Rainald, and so turned the scale.

" March 12. — Of course we could think and talk
of little but politics. The House is adjourned till
Thursday, and Mr. Gladstone has had two interviews

240 CABINET MINISTERS [chap, xviii

with the Queen, who by great good luck is in town.
Beyond that, nothing is known. There is an admirable
leader in the Times, which might have been written
by Ramald himself, alluding pointedly to the ' under-
standing ' between the leaders of the Opposition and
the independent members.

" March 14. — Ministers have resigned, and Mr.
Disraeli has been sent for.

" March 15. — Mr. Disraeli has refused to form a
Government. It was, of course, impossible, after
Mr. Hardy's distinct pledge. Gladstone and Disraeli's
explanations are the chief topic of conversation.
Disraeli's speech, giving his reasons for not taking office,
is extremely clever and dexterous. For once he has
behaved in a statesman-like manner. I asked Rainald
to-day when he first began to distrust him. He said,
* Very soon after I first came into Parliament, I was
desired by the whip to do all I could to get our men to
vote against the Government on some question — not a
very important one — on which they seemed to me to be
in the right. However, I trusted our leader, and thought
he probably knew more about it than I did, so I did
as I was bid. When we got into the Lobby, we found
ourselves in a minority, upon which Disraeli said,
" There ! we've sacrificed our characters, and voted
wrong, and haven't beat the Government after all ! " '
Comment, I think, is superfluous.

" Faivsley, March 18. — Rainald was very much
annoyed by a printed notice, purporting to emanate
from the Badby branch of the National Agricultural
Labourers' Union, desiring him to raise all his labourers'
wages to 15s. a week with beer, or i6s. without, for a
day of ten hours, excepting on Saturdays, when they
are to leave at four o'clock. Similar notices have been
sent to every employer of labour, and he is the more
angry because he says the farmers have behaved with
great forbearance, paying good wages all through the
winter, so he thinks it most ungrateful of the men. I
regret it more than I can say, the more so as it will
prevent me from carrying out a scheme for a coal club

i873] THE LABOURERS' UNION 241

which I have been very full of. I can't do it without
the farmers, and I could not appeal to them for help
just now.

"April 15. — And so ends another winter at dear
Fawsley, in some respects the most satisfactory we have
yet had. May God bless and prosper all the various
works we have started, especially the systematic district
visiting, which has brought me into touch with all
classes of people in Badby and Charwelton, and gives me
some real insight into the lives of Rainald's cottagers."

CHAPTER XIX
Royalties — English and Foreign

1873

" Firle, Lewes, Sussex, April 17. — The usual happy
hoHday life here, which I alwaj'^s thoroughly enjoy,
especially after the hard work of the last few weeks.
The weather deliciously spring-like, and flowers every-
where. I pla3^ed croquet most of the day, and went to
evensong at six, which was very restful and pleasant,
and I felt I might well say a thanksgiving for the
weather and my holiday.

" Saturday, April 19. — Before I go to bed, I must
write an account of our charming day at Hurstmon-
ceaux, a place which Memorials of a Quiet Life has made
classic ground. We went by train to Hailsham, and
had a pretty drive through the Sussex lanes, just
bursting into leaf under the cloudless sky. We went
first to the church of which Augustus Hare tells us
that Julius would ' look across the Level to the sea,
against the shining line of which the gre^^ stunted spire
of the hill-set church stood as if embossed.' The
interior is very simple, its only feature a fine tomb, of
1534, to Lord Dacre. Just on the edge of the hill
stands the beautiful old yew tree with the three graves,
that of Julius Hare, Marcus Hare, and Mrs. Frederick
Maurice, and a little farther off the white cross with
its simi^le inscription : ' Maria Hare, Nov. 22, 1798 — "
Nov. 13,1 870. Until the Day break.' We walked down
from here to the magnificent ruin of the old Castle,
built in 1440, and of which Horace Walpole gives so

amusing an account, when he visited it in 1752. Then

242

1 873] HURSTMONCEAUX 243

it was perfect and inhabited, and many were the re-
proaches showered upon the memoiy of Mrs. Henrietta
Hare, who reduced it to its present lamentable condition.
The outline of the great hall and of the chapel and
most of the rooms can still be traced, and the beautiful
oriel window of the ' Ladies' Bower ' is still standing.
We had a charming luncheon in the ruins, and drove
round by Lime and the Rectory, to see the position of
houses where we have lately been dwelling so much in
thought.

"i Park Lane, Piccadilly, April 28. — There is
always a certain degree of solemnity in taking possession
of a new house : one never knows what may befall one
in it. We were very sorry to leave Firle, where we
have had such a happy time ; but we had a prosperous
journey, and I was busy all the afternoon, settling into
this most fascinating abode.

" May I . — A most extraordinary thing took place in
the House of Commons. The adjourned debate on
Mr. W. H. Smith's resolution on Local Taxation was
resumed. A tremendous whip had been sent out on
both sides, the House was crowded with more than
500 members, Mr. Disraeli wound up the debate in
most pugnacious terms, daring Gladstone to a division,
when lo and behold ! it all collapsed, because when the
question was put and the Liberals said ' No,' not
a soul on the Conservative side challenged a division.
Such a thing has hardly ever, if ever, been known in
Parliamentary history, and it shows how unanimous
was the opinion of the party against the course their
leader tried to impose upon them. Rainald has gone
about for several days saying it was madness to divide,
and the greater part of the world has come round to
his opinion. We should have been beaten by 90,
instead of winning by 100, as we did last year, so ill-
timed and ill-placed was the resolution, to the
principle of which — i.e. the necessity for some relief to
local taxation — we all agree.

" Sunday, May 4. — We walked to Whitehall, to hear
Bishop Wilberforce. It was a very interesting sermon

244 ROYALTIES [chap, xix

on St. Paul's word to the Thessalonians, ' Remembering
without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love
and patience of hope,' three things which ought to
characterise all Christian life. I was struck with one
remark he made — ' that the present age is so impatient
for results.' I must not expect Badby to mend its
ways in a year, or in many years. And then, oh !
who — at least not I — <:an say that they work faithfully ?

" May 24. — I walked into the Park with Rainald and
Harry Gage, to see the meet of the Four-in-hand Club.
It was quite like a scene in some foreign town — the
crowds of people wandering up and down on the grass
under the green trees in the bright sunshine, and strings
upon strings of carriages blocking the road in every
direction — ^the Princess of Wales driving by with her
own pretty, gracious smile, and then these beautifully-
turned-out teams bowling along.

" May 26. — I had a delicious ride with Rainald,
and Mr, Hardy joined us, which is always pleasant.
It really is worth almost any exertion to get that charm-
ing hour of air, exercise, and society. We dined at Lady
Stanhope's, a most agreeable party — Motle}^, Froude,
Hamilton Aide, etc. I sat between Edward Stanhope
and Mr. Froude, whom I found very amusing, although
we hardly agreed at all. I told him he was very
hard upon the landlords, which he did not like. He
maintains that people ought to be governed, not to
govern themselves, and says you don't take a vessel
out to sea and let the sailors vote every day how she is
to be managed, and that in the sam^e way the vessel of
State ought not to be at the mercy of the multitude.
He hates political economy from beginning to end, and
would like all the trades organised in Guilds, as in
old days, which at least ensured good work, and says
Trades Unions are only inarticulate endeavours after the
old organisation. He does not approve of the modern
idea that every man is as good as any other, and thinks
nothing will be mended till the present enormous in-
crease of expenditure on personal luxury is checked."

The visit of the Shah to London in the summer was

i873] THE SHAH 245

the occasion for great festivities ; most of the big houses
were thrown open, and Lady Knightley thoroughly
enjoyed the succession of briUiant entertainments in
the Persian monarch's honour.

" June 18. — We drove down to Carlton House
Terrace to see the Shah's arrival, which has sent the whole
of London clean out of whatever little mind it possessed.
Certainly it is a remarkable thing the way these Eastern
potentates are attracted by Western civilisation. First
the Khedive, then the Sultan, then the Shah of Persia !
We only want the Emperor of China and the Mikado
of Japan to complete it. Unfortunately, the pageant
was marred by a terrific thunderstorm, and the rain
came down in buckets as he emerged from the Horse
Guards. He was delayed first by a fog in the Channel,
then by the heating of a wheel in his train, so was more
than an hour late, and arrived without a scrap of luggage.
We dined with the Poltimores to meet Princess Mary
and the Duke of Teck.

" June 20. — A long and bus}^ day. We walked into
the Park to see the Shah, which we did with much
success — an ugly, sulky-looking individual he is ! In
the afternoon to the Heathcotes' very pretty amateur
exhibition of drawings, after w^hich I had a long visit
from dear little Lady Constance Lawley and an in-
teresting talk over home duties. Then came our
dinner, which we flatter ourselves was a great success,
in spite of the kitchen chimney taking fire in the middle
— which, however, we did not know at the time. We
had Princess Louise and Lord Lome, the Baths, Seftons,
Corks, Bradfords, Mahons, Lord Hartington, and Lady
Sophia Macnamara. Then off to the Guildhall, where
we arrived in a scrimmage of Royalties, just as the
Shah left ; but we had a good stare at him in the
carriage. The ball was a fine sight in that grand old
Hall, and I had a valse wdth Charley Newdegate.
i " June 23. — This Shah excitement makes one feel
horribly idle and desceuvrS. While I think of it, I must
record Lord Odo Russell's mot. Seeing His Persian
Majesty slightly overcome at one banquet, he remarked

246 ROYALTIES [chap, xix

to the French Ambassador, ' Oh ! la nuit tout chat
est gris.' In Paris the Shah was saluted by the
mob with nothing but ' Miau-miau ' ! This evening,
Mamma, Val, and I went to the Albert Hall, which the
hard-w^orked Shah visited in state. The whole of that
enormous building was densely crowded, tier upon tier
rising up to the top of the vast dome, while every
face was turned to the central dais. Certainly it
was a sight to remember ! — the Shah of Persia seated
between the Princess of Wales and her sister, the
Czarevna. The vShah has an intelligent face, and uses
much gesticulation. He talked a great deal to Princess
Dagmar, whose animated expression was pleasant to
watch. The Shah wore the famous diamond aigrette
in his cap, his coat was studded with pearls and
diamonds, and a great rope of pearls and emeralds hung
round his neck. When, at last, the whole assembly rose
for ' God save the Queen,' a strong magnesium light
w'as flashed down on the Royalties, making the whole
house as light as day — a very striking scene, which I
shall not easily forget.

" June 24. — We went to the Court Theatre to see the
Happy Land, a clever satire on the Government in
general and Messrs. Gladstone, Lowe, and Ayrton in
particular, which has acquired a wonderful popularity
by reason of the Lord Chamberlain having freely used
his scissors on the more personal portions and forbidden
the actors to make up their faces in imitation of Messrs.
Gladstone, Lowe, and Ayrton. On to Lady Man vers to
hear the Hungarian Band, which the Prince of Wales
heard at Pesth and induced to come over. They played
with wonderful verve and entrain, and keep marvellous
time.

" July 9. — We drove down to Lady Leven's at
Roehampton, a very pretty, pleasant party ; dined with
Lady Margaret Beaumont, and sat between Lord Eliot
and Lord Bute — a curious combination. I may not
agree with them in their High Church and Roman views,
but it is pleasant to feel one is with people who are
deeply religious and really do care for God. It does one

i873] GIRLS' PUBLIC DAY SCHOOL 247

good in this whirl of worldUness ! On to a smart little
party at Lady Bradford's, where I met Princess Mary ;
and then to Lady Listowel's, which was all garden,
moonlight, and music. It is such a pretty house — a long
vista of brilliantly lighted rooms ending in a conservatory
full of palms and flowering shrubs. Princess Louise and
Prince Arthur were there, and Princess Christian was at
Roehampton — really there is no end to Royalty this
year.

" July 1 4- — I went to a very pretty ball at Lansdowne
House, where the Princess and Czarevna were again
dressed alike, as they were at the Albert Hall and the
Palace concert. It is very pretty and nice of them, and
they seem such affectionate sisters. It amused me to
watch the Royalties dancing — the Prince of Wales
with Lady Cuckoo Bingham, the Princess with Lord
Dupplin, and the Czarevna with Teck. I also had a
long talk with the Duke of Argyll, whom I have hardly
seen since Balmoral days.

"July 17. — I spent a very pleasant morning with Lady
Frederick Cavendish, visiting the new ' Girls' Public
Day School ' at Chelsea and listening to an extremely
able lecture on Political Economy, given by the clever
little mistress, Miss Portal. It may seem nonsense to
teach girls such a subject, but I am persuaded that
no one could watch their eager faces, or listen to their
intelligent questions, without seeing that the}'' were
receiving a mental training of the most valuable kind ;
nor could one help feeling that some knowledge of the
principles on which the taxation of their own country is
managed must be far more useful than an acquaintance
with the exact functions discharged by Roman sediles.
I only wished that I had received such training in my
youth ! This whole movement for the education of girls
is no doubt an experiment, especially when one considers
the mixture of classes which it involves, but I sincerely
hope it will prove successful. I was very glad of a quiet
afternoon; and Rainald, who went down to Northampton
for the opening of a new cattle-market, returned barely
in time for our dinner, at which were present Lord and

248 ROYALTIES [chap, xix

Lady William Osborne, Lady Francis Gordon and Lily,
the Lowthers, Sir Thomas, Harry Gage, Major Whyte
Melville, Sir John and Lady Sebright, and Mr. Motley,
whom I found very pleasant, although rather too much
of the writer, too much inclined to lecture instead of
conversing, not remembering La Bruy^re's maxim,
' L'esprit de la conversation consiste bien moins a
montrer beaucoup d 'esprit soi-meme que d'en faire
trouver aux autres.' He expressed himself in the most
friendly terms as regards this country, saying that
a war between England and America was impossible.
I did not dare reply, as I should have liked, ' Of course
it is, as long as we concede everything you choose to
ask ! ' We talked a great deal of Education, which he
says is necessarily the basis of the whole State fabric
in America, since direct self-government by an ignorant
democracy would mean simple mob rule, and it is diffi-
cult enough to keep pace with the ignorance imported
by the ceaseless stream of immigration. It is entirely
free, and the State of Massachusetts alone spends as
large a sum annually on Education as that which is voted
by the House of Commons here. After dinner, I went to
a ball at Apsley House, which I was glad to see, although
it will not bear comparison with Bridgewater, Grosvenor,
or Dorchester Houses. Some of the pictures are very
good, and I was struck wdth the numerous portraits of
Napoleon, including a colossal statue at the foot of the
stairs.

" July 1 8. — To-night I went to a ball at Bridgewater
House — quite the prettiest of the many pretty fetes I
have seen this season. The flowers were so lovely, and
it was so delightful sitting in the arcades and looking
down upon the grand hall. The Prince and Princess
of Wales and the Czarevna, dressed alike as usual,
were there ; but I never even went near the ballroom,
and was quite sorry to tear myself away at 1.30 a.m.
I suppose there never was a year when so many of the
big houses in London were thrown open,

" July 19. — We took the most delightful excursion
to Ham House with Mr. Tollemache, his four chestnuts

Oriel Window, Great Hall, Fawslev.

\To face p. 248.

1873] BISHOP WILBERFORCE 249

bowling along in a way that made driving almost as
exciting as a good gallop ! The day was perfect for
the drive and the row up from Richmond, and the
quaint old place looked its best, with the sunshine stream-
ing under the great lime trees, and the old-fashioned
flower-borders with their delicious scent. A large
party from Sion came over to meet us, among them the
late Lord Chancellor, Lord Hatherley, whom I looked
at with great respect as the man who amidst all his
business avocations taught regularly in the Sunday
school and attends daily service in Westminster Abbey.
Ham House itself I know by heart, but I was delighted
Rainald should see it, and we did not return till past
nine — altogether a most enjoyable da3^

^^ July 21. — We were terribly shocked to hear of
the sadden death of the Bishop of Winchester, who
in riding with Lord Granville from Leatherhead to
Holmbury, to stay with Mr. Leveson-Gower, was thrown
from his horse and killed on the spot. No man was ever
better prepared to meet his end, and no one will be
more missed both in the Church and in Society. It is
very curious that he should die on those lovely Surrey
downs where we spent such a happy Sunday just a
year ago. I never heard him preach till this summer,
when, oddly enough, I have heard him three times ;
and only a fortnight ago, at Lady Margaret Beaumont's,
he shook hands with me at the top of the stairs, whether
mistaking me for someone else or because I was with
Rainald I cannot tell, but I was pleased, and told Rainald
at the time that I hoped to keep up the acquaintance.
And now he is gone — behind the veil.

" Richmond Park, July 25. — I am staying with the
dear mother, enjoying the country quiet and this dear
little home, and seeing any number of old friends.
To-day, Dr. Giinther and his wife (!) came to luncheon,
which seemed like a bit of very ancient history dug
up again, with a very modern bit patched into it. I
always like talking to him, he is so clever and intelligent.
But what oldy old days it recalls !

" Dalzell, Motherwell, N .B., September 2 $ . — Yesterday

2SO HAMILTON PALACE [chap, xix

we left Lamington, a most attractive little place in the
hills, and came on by train to this charming old Castle,
perched on the side of a wild glen and beautifully restored.
It is a pity that the smoke and chimneys all round spoil
it so much ! To-day, Mr. Hamilton took us for a most
fascinating expedition to Bothwell and Cadzow. It was
a hideous drive, through the almost contiguous towns of
Motherwell, Hamilton, and Bothwell, amidst a teeming
mining population, ill-housed and ill-clad, though earning
as much as ten shillings a da3^ We crossed the Clyde at
Bothwell Bridge, the scene of the battle in Old Mortality,
and saw the fine old ruined Castle, hanging over the
richly wooded banks of the Clyde. Opposite are the
ruins of Blantyre Priory and Cadzow Castle, the earliest
seat of the Hamiltons. We visited Barncleuth, a
quaint old tiny house with a charming old-fashioned
garden, terraced along the glen, with clipped yews and
sweet-scented flowers wandering at their own will — a
garden out of a story-book. Then, amidst the gnarled,
stunted trees of the old Caledonian forest, we saw a
herd of fifty wild cattle, splendid white beasts with
black ears and muzzles.

• Mightiest of all the beasts of chase
That roam in woody Caledon,
Crashing the forest in his race,

The Mountain Bull comes thundering on.
Fierce on the hunter's quiver'd band,

He rolls his eyes of swarthy glow.
Spurns with black hoof and horn the sand.
And tosses high his mane of snow.'

[Cadzow Castle, by Walter Scott.)

" September 26. — We ' did ' Hamilton Palace with the
Lambtons, who arrived last night. A dreary, hideous,
depressing pile it is, though crowded with priceless
art-treasures, beautiful cabinets which belonged to
Marie Antoinette and to Napoleon, and many fine
pictures. A Vand^xk portrait of Gustavus Adolphus
struck me particularly, and there are good Titians
and works by Florentine masters. But the truth is,
there is far too much of everything for real enjoyment ;

1 873] OXFORD 251

and then the pomp and vanity of it all, the living for
self and d3dng for self, seemed stamped upon the whole
place, most of all upon the huge Mausoleum, where the
last Duke but one rests, embalmed in the sarcophagus
of an Egyptian queen, on a splendid marble floor. It
gave me a cold shudder, and I escaped joyfully to the
pure air and sunshine, which thank God are common
to all men.

" Highclere Castle, Newbury, November 18. — Tired
as I am, I must write a brief record of this interesting
day. Rainald and I left home earl}^, and drove in the
dogcart to Banbury, where a brief half-hour took us to
Oxford, where Charlie and Harry Knightley met us and
showed us a good deal of the ancient University, Christ
Church itself with its three quads, curious old Cathedral
and magnificent dining-hall, and several other Colleges,
Magdalen, etc. Then away, with tired brain, to spend
an hour at Reading, owing to the breakdown of a goods
train in front of us, and arrive here just in time for
dinner. It is an interesting and suggestive party —
Count Beust, Mr. Browning, Mr. Townsend, editor of
the Spectator, who in five minutes got into a spar with
Rainald over his pet idol, Gambetta ; Mr., Mrs., and Miss
Holford, Mr. Cockerell, General Scott, etc. etc.

" November 19. — Talking to remarkable people is
certainly very hard work ! Here I have been divided
between Count Beust and Mr. Browning nearly all
day. The occupation, amusement, or whatever you
like to call it, has been a walk and luncheon at a little
house by a lovely lake. Mr. Browning is as different
from his poems as anything one can imagine — a loud-
voiced, sturdy little man, w^ho says nothing in the least
obscure or difficult to understand ! Count Beust is a
typical homme dii monde — pleasant enough, as Rainald
remarks, when you can stir him up, which is not always
an easy task. General Scott is a clever, sensible man,
a great authority on sewage. To-day Lady Dorothy
Nevill and Meresia have arrived, also Mr. Morier and Mr.
Henry Cow^per, whom I found very pleasant at dinner.

' ' November 2 1 . — Lady Portsmouth came to luncheon ,

252 ICKWORTH [chap, xix

and very charming I found her. Miss Holford, too, is a
nice, natural, and very pretty girl, whom I like particu-
larly. We all walked up to the top of the Beacon, to
see the fine views from the British Camp. Mr. Browning
talked a great deal of Carlyle, telling us how he will walk
and talk for two hours at a stretch, without letting
anyone else get in a word. I wish I had the pen of a
Boswell, to put down one-half of the things which I
have heard here — instead of which I must go to bed.

" Ickworth, Bury St. Edtnunds, November 24. — And
here I am at Ickworth, giddy and bewildered with
all I have done in this last week. After a few days in
town, chiefly spent in house-hunting, we came on here,
to find a very large party — Lady Howard de Walden and
her daughter, Lord and Lady Augustus and Lord John
Hervey, Lord and Lady Penzance, Lord and Lady
Ruthven, Mr. Manners, Colonel Annesley, Sir Charles
Ellice and his wife. I sat between Sir Charles Ellice and
Lord John, both of whom were very pleasant. We
discussed Mr. Disraeli's fine speech and the striking
sentence with which he concludes, saying that England
will soon have to take her stand on the principles of the
Reformation, in the fight with Ultramontanism, which is
about to invade Europe, and ' save civilisation from the
withering blasts of atheism and from the simoom of
sacerdotal usurpation.'

" November 25. — A most lovely day, and we went out
to luncheon with the shooters — the wives all trotting
after their husbands in truly conjugal fashion. Lord
Penzance, who by the way is very agreeable, would not
find much work here ! Lady Howard de Walden is one
of the very few women who visited the old Holland
House. She gave us an amusing account of the society
over which Lady Holland ruled with a stern and despotic
hand. Once she quarrelled violently with Lord George
Bentinck because he would not, at her command,
break off a conversation in which he was interested.
I sat by Lord Charles Bruce at dinner, and was delighted
to find him devoted to Mr. Wilkinson, and full of interest
in all good works.

1873] CHEVENING 253

" Chevening, Sevenoaks, November 29. — We arrived
here yesterday, to find another pleasant party — Colonel
and Mrs. John Stanley, Mr. and Mrs. Graham, Mr.
Delane, Dr. William Smith, editor of the Quarterly and
of all the Dictionaries, Lord and Lady Mahon, and Mr.
Weguelin. The political fighting that goes on is very
good fun, Mr. Weguelin being such a terrific Rad, and
Colonel Stanley an equally hot Conservative ! But the
pleasantest thing is seeing all the curiosities in this house.
Lord Stanhope showed us his gallery of prints and
famous autographs, including a beautiful little poem by
Macaulay, the original MS. of the ' Maid of Athens '
(' Girl of Athens,' Byron first called it), notes for a speech
by Mr. Pitt, a letter from Charles Edward in '45, another
from the Duke of Marlborough, etc. Then he took us
all over the libraries, which occupy a number of rooms
in the wing of the house. That of the first Lord Stan-
hope remains exactly as he left it. After tea, we had a
long seance over autographs and epigrams — altogether
it was very amusing.

" Advent Sunday, November 30. — Not a very Sunday-
like Sunday, but a very agreeable one. After morning
service, we admired Chantrey's beautiful monument to
Lady Frederica Stanhope, the daughter of Lord Mans-
! field and mother of James Banks Stanhope. She died
at the birth of her second son, and is represented with
the babe clasped to her bosom. It is the most lovely
thing in the world, and I do not wonder to hear that
the sculptor himself preferred it to all his other works.
It is, to my mind, infinitely more beautiful than the
Children in Lichfield Cathedral.

" After church, I listened with keen interest to a
long conversation between Rainald and Dr. Smith on
the state of the Conservative party, the missed oppor-
tunity of forming a strong Coalition in 1866, and the
personal antagonism between Lowe and Disraeli, which
was one cause of its failure. They further discussed
the probability of Lord Salisbury ever joining the Cabinet
with Disraeli in it. Incidentally it came out, in the
course of conversation, that Lord Carnarvon wrote
18

254 DR. WILLIAM SMITH [chap, xix

the article in July on the Lessons of the French Revolu-
tion, Dr. Smith himself the one on Grote, and Lord
Salisbury, as one had guessed, the political article last
October. Then we paid another visit to the library,
where we saw a number of Lord Peterborough's letters to
the first Lord Stanhope, and ended by taking a walk
through the park by an exceedingly pretty drive laid
out by the great Lord Chatham, who spent a summer
here and took great pleasure in many of the improve-
ments. In the evening, Mr. Philip Stanhope arrived
from Moldavia, where he has been acting partly as a civil
engineer, partly as a diplomatic agent. He says that
Russia is making stealthy strides in the East by means
of Panslavism, and thinks that in the event of a war all
the Christian subjects of the Porte, of whom there are
twelve millions in Turkey alone, would rise against her.
Altogether, this has been a most interesting visit, and I
can hardly believe that it is not a fortnight since the
day we left home.

" Fawsley, December 8. — We hunted with the Duke
from Hinton — one of those still, grey days, and a capital
scent. This evening I finished the Autobiography of
J. S. Mill, one of the saddest and most remarkable
books that I have ever read. Brought up from infancy
to look on Christianity as a superstition and too clear-
headed to console himself with le grand peut-etre, anxious
to make the good of others his object yet dimly conscious
of the lack of a supreme motive-power, the whole history
is a gigantic example of what a broken, distorted thing
can be made of life by the finest intellect without the
great key which alone can unlock the puzzle."

CHAPTER XX
A Conservative Ministry

1874

The great excitement of the coming winter was the Dis-
solution of Parliament, followed by a General Election,
a surprise sprung on the nation by Mr. Gladstone,
and to Lady Knightley's delight her husband was again
returned, together wTth Major Fairfax CartwTight, for
South Northamptonshire.

" Fawsley, Saturday, January 24. — I had just taken
up Grote 's History of Greece for half an hour to read before
luncheon, when Rainald startled us all by announcing,
' Parhament is dissolved ! ' This sudden and, I believe,
unprecedented coup de theatre has occupied all our
thoughts ever since. Mr. Gladstone publishes a very
long, very elaborate address to his constituents, in
which he certainly endeavours to be, like St. Paul, ' all
things to all men ! ' I think he tries to catch too many
kinds of fish, and will probably not succeed, although
his bait of repealed income-tax, reformed local taxation,
and other remission of taxes, is no doubt very glittering.
In other respects the address is a mischievous one,
full of impossible schemes mixed up with desirable and
needful reforms, while he pledges himself to nothing.
What a state of excitement the whole country will be
in for the next six weeks ! And oh ! what part in the
great drama shall we enact ? May we be guided to do
our duty, whatever it is !

" After writing this, Rainald and I had a long, grave
talk, Sunday morning brought a letter from Major

Cartwright, saying that he meant to stand again, and

25s

256 A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, xx

hoped his colleague would not fail him. In the end,
nw darling husband decided that it would scarcely be
fair on the constituency for him to retire on such short
notice, seeing that the elections must all be over in the
next fortnight. How thankful I am for this decision I
cannot say ; with brains like his, and with the insight
and influence which he possesses, whenever he chooses to
exert himself, it would be a thousand pities to let con-
stitutional indolence induce him to desert his post. The
country needs all her good men and true, I am sure, of
whatever party they may be. I think we should both
go mad over a real contest. Even this mild excitement
tires and worries us both a good deal.

" January 27. — Sophy and Henry and Sir Thomas
Munro all left at an early hour, and Nora Campbell
followed later to London. Rainald wrote his address,
and I copied it for the printers. It is very short and
simple, but manly and dignified. The nomination is
fixed for Monday, and on that day, if all goes well, —
and every day diminishes the danger of a contest, — it
will be all over.

^^ February i. — Rainald went off early to North-
ampton, and returned soon after 3 p.m. once more duly
elected M.P. for South Northamptonshire. Hurrah !
hurrah ! hurrah !

" February 7. — Last night I went with Val to a pretty
dance given by the Weedon officers, and we were all
greatly excited to hear of the Conservative gains in
London. W. H. Smith and Sir Charles Russell are
returned with enormous majorities for Westminster, and
Mr. Goschen only creeps in at the bottom of the poll for
the City, where Cotton, Twells, and Hubbard are triumph-
antly returned. The Conservatives win ten seats in
London alone, and a good man}'' all over the country.
Indeed, the long-talked-of reaction has proved itself in-
finitely more real than could have been anticipated, and
for the first time since 1841 the Conservatives will find
themselves with a real working majority in the House
of Commons. The causes of this extraordinary change
are hard to decide, but I think it is in a great measure

i874] LORD GRANVILLE 257

due to the disgust felt by moderate Liberals at Mr.
Gladstone's imperious proceedings.

" Thursday, February 19. — On Tuesday Mr. Glad-
stone went down to tender his resignation, and yesterday
morning the Queen sent for Mr. Disraeli. The great
news to-day is that Lord Salisbury has joined the
Ministry, I cannot help thinking that it is far grander
and more patriotic on his part to do so than to sacrifice
to personal dislike and distrust of Disraeli the services
which he must feel he can render to his country. Rainald
thinks otherwise, and is of opinion that for the country
it would have been better he should stand by and
criticise. That may be useful, but can hardly be the
highest function of the statesman. He puts Lord
Salisbury's action down to love of office and fear of
being left out in the cold. I, on the contrary, believe
it is inspired by the longing to try and save India from
this fearful famine, which he if any man can do.

" March 28. — We hunted with the Pytchley from
Stowe and came home at 6 p.m., having done nothing,
but I much enjoyed a long talk with Lord Granville
about education and books. He remarked that the
present intellectual position of Christ Church bodes ill for
the future of our upper classes. It is melancholy that
at our crack college it should be the thing to do nothing.
I bemoaned my inability to remember much of what I
read, to which he replied that he too had a bad memory,
but is satisfied that what one reads, although mainly
forgotten, still manures the mind. I was struck by
his diplomatic \\3.y of asking questions and finding-
out who people were, etc. Altogether I found him
extremely pleasant and light in hand. So ends my
hunting season. I have been out nineteen times.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, April 22. — We took possession
of our new house two days ago, but still have the house
full of workmen. Dined in Carlton House Terrace and
sat between Sir Matthew and Mr. Sclater Booth, the
new Local Government Board Secretary. He has an
idea that Dizzy does not tell the Times things, which
if true is very imprudent. On to Lady Derby's party

258 A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, xx

at the Foreign Office, a most horrid squash, much
worse than in Lady Granville's days. Mr. Lowe, who
had been dining at the Speaker's with the late Cabinet,
was very good fun about their fall. Rainald was very
naughty, chaffing Lord Salisbur}^ for having taken
office. He introduced me to Mr. W. H. Smith and Sir
Samuel Baker, both of them remarkable men in their
way. Mr. Smollett, the member for Cambridge, made
a savage attack on Mr. Gladstone in the House on the
late Dissolution. Certainly ' Trickster,' the term em-
ployed by Mr. .Smollett, is scarcely Parliamentary
language ; still I had rather be called that than to be
told, as Mr. Gladstone was by the Duke of Somerset,
that he had * licked the dust oft the feet of democracy.'

*' A4ay 4. — To-night I went to the French play with
Prince and Princess Christian, the Princess of Wales,
Colonel Teesdale,and Lord Dunmore. We saw Gavant
Minard, a regular Palais-Royal piece, which I did not
like much. Meanwhile Rainald was distinguishing
himself in the House. Mr. Hanbur}^ had proposed
a resolution pledging us to extend and consolidate our
power on the Gold Coast. Sir Wilfrid Lawson had
moved an amendment saying it was desirable we should
withdraw at once, which he refused to drop. It was
most undesirable that we should be committed to either
course, but no one saw any waj^ out of the difficulty
until Rainald jumped up and, in six sentences, listened
to with profound attention, after the previous speaker
had been drowned with cries of ' Divide, divide,' moved
the adjournment of the debate until July 3 1 . All parties
were charmed, and he carried the motion by three to
one. To-day men of all shades of opinion are congratu-
lating him, and it is very pleasant to see what weight
he carries with him on the rare occasions when he
chooses to speak or act.

" May 6. — To-day Rainald received an invitation to
dine with Mr. Disraeli, which sorely perplexed him. He
came, however, I think, to the right decision to dechne
very courteously in a friendly note, such as he has not
written to him for many years. To accept the invita-

1 874] THE BARKER COLLECTION 259

tion would be to hamper his power in the House of
Commons as an independent member, in which position
he can be of great use, while to decline in a formal
manner would mean closing the door upon all com-
munication for ever. But how much importance was
evidently attached to the matter is shown by the way
in which we were attacked on the subject by both of
his private secretaries, Monty Corry and Algy Turnor.

" May 16. — Rainald and I went to see a collection
of paintings and objets de luxe made by a Mr. Barker
who has died lately, at his house, 103 Piccadilly. From
the top to the bottom, the house was crowded with
pictures, chiefly pre-Raphaelite, rare china, and fine
.old furniture — but so crowded together that the only
wa}^ to make it comfortable would have been to turn
out half the contents ! We dined with Sir Stafford
Northcote, and I had the good luck to sit by Sir Garnet
Wolseley, the hero of the Ashanti expedition ! I found
him most easy and pleasant, bright, simple, and un-
affected. He says the Fantees were not as ugly as they
have been represented, and that they had generally
beautiful figures and sometimes small andwell-made feet,
very different from the flat foot of the negro. The great
height of the trees and the entire absence of animal
life were the two things that seemed to strike him most
in the Bush. He spoke most highly of Lord Cardwell,
and seemed to think his scheme for reorganising the
army will answer. He also talked a good deal of China,
and is satisfied that the Chinese are the people of the
future. Already, he sa3^s, they are breaking out ot
their boundaries towards Kashgar and have compelled
Mr. Forsyth to abandon his mission there. On to two
great squashes at the Duchess of Marlborough's and
Lady Salisbury's, where we found most of the ministers,
and Rainald chaffed them about Dizzy's clever speech
on the county franchise, which, while opposing the
lowering of it now, quite leaves a door open for him-
self to bring it forward some day. I seem to myself to
have been talking to distinguished people without end —
Lord Salisbury, Lord Strathnairn, the Bishop of Peter-

26o A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, xx

borough, Mr. Lowe, Lord Cairns, etc. I do enjoy it
so ! Lord Salisbury spoke of Sir Garnet as our general
of the future.

" Sunday, May 17. — In the evening we did what I
am not fond of doing on Sunday, dined out with the
Bradfords, a very small party, but a remarkable one, as
it included Mr. Disraeli ! It is very flattering to see the
anxiety which is displayed to bring about a rapproche-
ment between him and Rainald. It was evidently an
arranged thing, but in spite of the smallness of the party
not much came of it, and I do not think they exchanged
more than two or three sentences. He came and talked
to me after dinner. I thought him affected and sen-
tentious, as I did when I met him at Osborne in 1868, but
could have got on better if we had been left to ourselves.

" June 10. — In the evening we went to the palace
concert, and I had a good look at the Duchess of
Edinburgh. She is very like her brother, but so
gay and animated. As Princess Christian told me the
other day, the precedence about which there has been
so much talk has not been altered, nor could it have
been without an Act of Parliament. The Princess of
Wales and Princess Christian walked first, then the
Duchess and Princess Louise. While noting all this, I
had a long talk with Lord Cairns about the Public
Worship Bill. He is evidently out of patience with the
bishops, who are most difficult to deal with, and never,
he sa^^s, know their own minds for two minutes together.
I see the Bill is very unpopular, and much doubt it
passing. Lord Selborne, who put me into the carriage
to-night, is evidently unhapp}^ about it. All the world
is talking of the great marriage just announced between
Lord Grosvenor and Lady Sybil Lumley. I hope it
will turn out well. She is a lovely girl, and said to be
perfectly charming.

" June 12. — Our first dinner in this our own house
went off wonderfully well, although Lady Manners
failed at the last minute ! We had the Cawdors,
Adderleys, Buxtons, Gages, Hanbury Tracys, Lord
Manners, Lord Cottenham, General Airey, and Mr.

„i874] OSTERLEY 261

Browning, with whom I do not get on as well as I
should like. Then off to Dorchester House, where were
he and she of Edinburgh. I valsed w^th Lord Hertford
and several others, and enjoyed myself hugely, as I
always do at that beautiful house.

" Osterley Park, June 16. — We drove down here
yesterday to stay wdth the dear old Duchess of Cleve-
land, whom Rainald and I both like so much. The
house, which I remember seeing years ago, when I rode
over here with my father, is very quaint and finely
decorated in the best style of the last century. Lord
Jersey has 3000 acres here, which must be very valuable,
and the kitchen-gardens are let to a market gardener
at ;£i2 an acre. Lady Jersey and Mr. Brandhng, Lord
Alington,Matt and Polly Ridley, Reggie Villiers,and Lord
Zouche are here. To-day we drove in Lord Alington's
drag to Ascot, all through Windsor Park, but the intense
cold quite spoilt the races, and made one long for seal-
skins ! There were very few people, and no smart gowns
in consequence. Here is Horace Walpole's description
of Osterley, as he saw it a hundred years ago :

" ' On Friday we went to see oh ! the palace of
palaces — a palace sans crown or coronet, but such
expense ! such taste ! such profusion ! and yet half an
acre produces all the rents that furnish such magnifi-
cence. In short, a shop is the estate, and Osterley
Park is the spot. The old house I have often seen,
which was built by Sir Thomas Gresham, but it is so
improved and enriched that all the Percies and Seymours
of Sion must die of envy. There is a double portico that
fills the space between the towers of the front, and is as
noble as the Propylaeum of Athens. There is a hall,
a library, a breakfast-room, an eating-room, all chefs
d'oeuvres of Adam, a gallery 130 feet long, and a
drawing-room worthy of Eve before the Fall. Mrs.
Child's dressing-room is full of pictures, old filagree,
china, and japan. So is all the house. The chairs are
taken from antique lyres, and make charming harmony.
There are Salvators, Caspar Poussins, a beautiful stair-
case and ceihng by Rubens, not to mention a kitchen-

262 A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, xx

garden that costs ;£i400 a year, and a menagerie full of
birds that come from a thousand lands, which Mr.
Bankes has not yet discovered. Then in the drawing-
room which I mentioned, there are door-cases and a
crimson and gold frieze that were, I believe, borrowed
from the Palace of the Sun. The Park is the ugliest
spot of ground in the universe, and so I return comforted
to Strawberry.'

" Glowing as this description is, it is not in the least
exaggerated, and I seldom enjoyed anything more than
going over the house with the stately old lady who
inhabits it, and suits it so well. There is a boudoir hung
with the most exquisite tapestry, put up two years after
Horace Walpole wrote ; a state bed which the Duchess
occupies, embroidered in a way to drive the School of Art
mad with envy ; a dressing-room elaborately decorated
in the Pompeian style ; while every bit of door, shutter,
frieze, and cornice is finished in the same exquisite taste.
" July 12. — We went down by train to Hatfield, to a
grand fete given for the Prince and Princess of Wales
and their guests, the Crown Prince and Princess of
Prussia. Alas ! just as we arrived, the rain came down
in torrents, and entirely spoiled what would have been
a most charming entertainment. It cleared later fortu-
nately, but the grass was soaked, and one could not
wander about in the gardens as one would have liked.
I was in luck when dinner came, as Lord Strathnairn
took me in, and I sat between him and Lord Carnarvon,
and for the first time assisted at a real state banquet,
a very fine sight in the grand old hall. I talked to Lord
Carnarvon about Mr. Plimsoll's Bill, and to Lord
Strathnairn about the Public Worship, or, as Sir Thomas
Munro calls it, ' the Clerical Meeting's Bill.' The line
Mr. Gladstone is taking seems calculated to break up
the Liberal party still further, and Dizzy, it is supposed,
supports the Bill, to please the Queen, annoy Lord '
Salisbury and Mr. Hardy, and complete the disruptior
of the Opposition.

" July 13. — I went to Prince's to see the skating on
rollers which has become the fashionable amusement

874] END OF THE SEASON 263

t is a pretty sight, but not very good for the bodies or
linds of the youthful generation. The former are
iver-exerted, while the latter remain totally unculti-
ated. I wonder how long it will last ! On the way
;.ome I began to wonder if I had done anything to be of
Lse to anybody these last few months. It has been a
;ay, pleasant season, I have never enjoyed one more,
)ut I am afraid I have become very worldly and
leasure-loving. Rainald and I talked a good deal
bout expenses to-day. It is difficult to know how to
pportion one's expenditure, how much is inevitable,
nd how much may be fairly counted selfish. I am
fraid I feel responsible for much of our expenditure this
/■ear, i.e. on the house which w^e have bought and
urnished. Oh, how often I wish I had never set my
leart upon it ! We had some nice grave talk about the
uture world to which we are wending, and about v/hich
NQ know so little.

" Sunday, July 19. — I went with Rainald to Lady
Charlotte Schreiber's, to look at her almost unequalled
:ollection of Bow, Chelsea, Worcester, Plymouth,
Derby, and Bristol china, all beautifully arranged in
:hronological order. She and her husband thoroughly
understand it, and I was much interested in all they
told us. Flowers, birds, figures are the ascending
5cale as regards painting on china, and coloured ground
is preferable to white. Plymouth is the first English
|China made with hard paste, raised flowers on white
are characteristic of Bow% and the raised conches on
Chelsea are especially valuable.

" Monday, July 20. — I finished up the season with a
pleasant little party at Lady Henniker's, w^here, besides
talking to Lord Aberdeen and Lad^'^ Edith Ashley
about Plimsoll, I had a very interesting conversation
with Lord Selborne about the Public Worship Bill
and the prospects of the Church. He agrees it is
necessary that something should be done, but dreads
whither the ball now set rolling may go, saying he
should not wonder if blood were one day to be shed in a
1 religious war in this country. Really Charley Newde-

264 A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, xx

gate is not so far wrong after all 1 He told a curious
story of the present Bishop of London, Dr. Jackson.
The living of St. James's, Piccadilly, being vacant, Dr,
Blomfield offered it to a Mr. Harvey of Hornsey, who
declined it, but wrote : ' If you want a good man, take
Jackson, the under-master of the grammar school at
Islington.' The Bishop sent for him, heard him preach,
and appointed him then and there. Lord Selborne
also told me that Mr. Gladstone, after his fine speech
on the second reading of the Public Worship Bill,
exclaimed, ' I have killed that Bill ! ' Never was any
man more mistaken !

" Althorp, September i8. — We drove over here on
Wednesday, and went to Northampton yesterday for the
Agricultural Show. It was my first experience of a
public dinner, and a very long process it is, but I confess
to having been rather amused than otherwise, although
of course the exclusion of politics made the speeches
rather dull. This morning Lady Sarah showed me some ol
the most valuable books of the famous Althorp library
I believe it is the finest private library in the kingdom —
a Biblia Pauperum printed by Fust and Gutenberg, in
1455 ; several early Caxtons ; a book of Types from tht
Apocalypse printed from coarse blocks before movable
types were invented ; a Decameron, which was bought
in 1807 for £2260 ; a Book of Hours, which belonged to
a Spanish queen, with all manner of good resolutions
written on the fly-leaves ; and Aldines without end ! 1
had to hurry over it, for we came home to luncheon and
played croquet, alas ! for the last time. And so ends
another happy summer at home. Thank God for it ! "

Sir Rainald and Lady Knightley spent the next few
weeks on a round of visits in Scotland. They begar
with Lamington and went on by Dunkeld to Guisachan
Sir Dudley Marjoribanks' beautiful place in the High-
lands, where they were the guests of her cousin, Matthew
Ridley, whose name often figures in these pages, and his
wife. Sir Dudley's elder daughter.

** Guisachan, Beatily, N.B., September 23. — Tired as
I am, I must try to write a few lines about this most

i874] IN THE HICxHLANDS 265

mjoyable day, every hour of which has given me the
ieenest pleasure. After leaving Dunkeld, we dashed
;hrough the beautiful Pass of Killiecrankie, where the
Grarry rushes along its deep gorge, and by Blair Atholl
:o the wild Pass of Drumouchter, and then descended into
Strathspey and came down on the sea at Forres and by
3ulloden to Inverness and Beauly. There we left the
:rain and drove for twenty-three miles along beautiful
.vooded glens with glorious views of purple hills till
t was too dark to see anything, and very glad we were
:o get here at eight. The party consists of Matt and
Mary Ridley, Colonel and Lady Emily Gore, Mr. and
Miss Hughes, Lord Vernon and his daughter, Mr.
Mewton and Mr. Delane, who amused us with a queer
itory which he had picked up in the train that Rainald
A^as going to be made a peer.

" September 26. — We came here on Wednesday, and
:his is Saturday, night, and I have not written a line of
ny Journal. I feel as if I could not describe the ever-
ranging beauty of these mountains and glens, rocks
md waterfalls, these bleak moors and soft mossy woods
fAth. gnarled firs and slender birches. We ride and ride.
1 long to be alone and listen to what Nature has to say
n these wonderful solitudes. Yesterday we took a
Host delightful expedition over the hill to Affric, which
;its on its fir-clad isle between two still, clear lochs,
ihut in b}' high mountains. Lady Fanny Marjoribanks
md Lady Blandford were there, and gave us luncheon.
Mr. Newton, Mr. Delane, and the Vernons are gone, and
Lord and Lady Frederick Cavendish have arrived.
She is an immense addition to the party. I must
escind my former statement about Mr. Delane, who
certainly knows everything that happens to Dizzy, and
nformed us that he had heard some days ago that the
E*rime Minister was not going to Ireland, nominally

IDecause of a bronchial attack.
" September 29. — Every day we take rides in new
lirections through these beautiful hills and get exquisite
I /iews of blue peaks and sunny lochs and far-away
nountains standing out against the clear green of the

266 A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, x}

evening sky. Altogether I am very sorry to turn my
back on beautiful Guisachan, which I am never likeh
to see again, and both Ishbel Marjoribanks and Lad\
Frederick are very congenial companions and deligh
in this Highland scenery as much as I do.

" Glen Ferness, Dumphail, September 30. — We had i
charming drive to Beauly, and a long and rather drear}
one from Nairn to this place. Dear old Lord Levei
welcomed us most cordially. He is in his eighty-nintl
year, and I am glad to have managed a visit to him anc
Sophy. The Findhorn flows close to the house, betweei
rocky banks, richly wooded, with views of wild moor-
land and here and there glimpses of the Mora}^ Firtl
and distant hills.

" October 2. — In spite of a terrific gale — the baromete)
down at 28 — Sophy and I had a very pleasant drive tc
Cawdor Castle, looking across to the Moray Firth anc
Sutherland and Cromarty on the opposite shore. Wt
found Lady Cawdor, who took us all over this very perfect
specimen of an old Scottish castle. It has the usua
central keep with four turrets and a moat and drawbridge
and in the very centre of the house is the hawthorr
tree and the coffer in which the founder of the castk
was carr3ang his gold when he was told to build hii
house at the third hawthorn which he reached. King
Duncan is said to have been murdered in one of the rooms
here. I was greatly fascinated wuth the whole place, il
is so unspoilt, and I liked the old spiral staircases anc
the arras hanging on the bare stone walls.

" Fawsley, October 21. — Rainald went to Quartei
Sessions, and I trotted down to Badby, where as usua
I found plenty to do till luncheon, soon after which the
Bishop and Mrs. Magee arrived. In the evening I listenec
with great interest to a conversation between Rainalc
and the Bishop about the steps to be taken by Convo-
cation and Parliament as to the proposed alterations ir
the Rubric, as to legalising the eastward position, etc
The Bishop feels strongly the importance of the twc
bodies acting together, and deprecates Parliament
taking any action on its own account, as more likely

S74] BISHOP MAGEE 267

han anything to lead to Disestablishment. We had a
5W neighbours to dinner, and the Bishop, after his wont,
lade himself most agreeable, telling story after story,
"arlyle's definition of Dizzy and Gladstone amused me
specially : ' Dizzy prays morning and evening that people
nay not find out what a humbug he is ; Gladstone, that
le himself may not find out what a humbug he is.' He
ately heard a lady remark, after reading J. S. Mill's
iutobiography , ' What an extraordinary man ! He
ippears to have had no mother and no God.' Speaking
)f the sad fact that seventeen hundred men in North-
impton voted for Bradlaugh, he said that this was to
)e chiefly accounted for by the bad hands into which
wo of the chief parishes of the town had fallen — men
vho had been there twenty years and had done
lothing — and * the worst part is,' he added, ' that I as
Bishop can do nothing ! ' His remarks about speakers
n the House of Lords were particularly interesting.
He spoke of the sharp thrusts which Lord Granville
:an give from under his velvet paws, and expressed the
vvarmest affection and admiration for Lord Salisbury,
and, to my joy, approved entirely of his taking office.
He also said that the attendance at the House of Lords
had improved immensely since the new peers had been
made. Formerly, when important questions were dis-
cussed, often not half a dozen peers were present. In
talking of the clergy, he amused me by saying how
difficult it was to keep them straight on any point.
' The fact is, when the}'- get together, they are like wet
hay and begin to heat.' He also gave an interesting
account of the Metaphysical Society, to which he be-
longs. The members meet and dine together once a
month and hold a discussion on some given subject,
premising that no one is to be offended at what anyone
else says. A necessary provision, when you get together
Archbishop Manning, Mr. Froude, Mr. Greg, Mr. Roden
Noel, the Duke of Argyll, and two or three English
bishops and deans, and then proceed to discuss Miracles.
On that occasion he was very much struck with the
feeble nature of the anti-Christian arguments. But I

268 A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, xx

could write pages about the interesting and curious things
which he told us. He certainly is one of the most
agreeable people whom I have ever met, besides being
a man to whom I look up with the greatest respect,
because of his earnestness and sincerity of purpose.

" October 26. — We are both of us absorbed in the
Greville Memoirs, and seeing how interesting they are
makes me resolve to be more careful to put down the
various curious and amusing things that I hear. His
stories about William iv.'s undignified proceedings re-
mind me of one I have often heard Sophy tell, of his
coming to call on Sir William Fremantle, at Englefield
Green, perched on the box of his own carriage, that he
might see how a new pair of horses went ! Rainald told
me a curious story of Mr. Disraeli, how that after he had
written his Memoir of his intimate friend, Lord George
Bentinck, he went to Mr. Charles Greville, who had
always been on the worst possible terms with Lord
George, and asked him to review the book in the
Quarterly. Mr. Greville declined, alleging as his reason
the known enmity which had always subsisted between
them. A few days later he was surprised to receive
a visit from Mr. Delane with a similar request for the
Times. He again declined, giving the same reason,
adding, ' Mr. Disraeli cannot wish it, after what I told
him the other day.' ' Why,* said Delane, ' Disraeli
himself desired me to come to you ! '

" Between his interminable relations of party politics,
Mr. Greville gives one occasional glimpses of the horrible
state in which the people were at that time. Although
there is, no doubt, still ample room for amendment, I
am sure that things are much improved since those days.

" Etiston, Thetford, November i. — We arrived here
with the Sydneys and Lord Charles, the rest of the
party being the Duke of Cambridge and Colonel Mac-
donald, the Ashburtons, Lady Marian Alford, and Sir
R. Errington's elder brother, Mr. Stanley. All the
world are talking of the Greville Memoirs, and I was
amused to hear Lady Sydney say that Mr. Greville
had resolved never to record any gossip about the

i874] EUSTON 269

Royal Family, upon which the Duke exclaimed, ' Bless
my soul ! I think he has given us a pretty good dose
of it.' The Duchess of Grafton came to tea, and I
thought her very pleasing. It is a pity she does not
make more effort to appear, but she is no doubt very
delicate. The Duke of Cambridge was my partner at
whist, very good-humoured and jolly as usual. Lad}'
Marian Alford and Lady Sydney talk away together, and
relate much that is amusing, and I gaze my fill at pretty
Lady Ashburton. We discussed the article in the
Edinburgh on the Session. It is a regular party attack
on the Government, grouping all their blunders
dexterously together. But certainly the most extra-
ordinary thing was Mr. Disraeli's violent language
about Lord Salisbury, in the last days of the debate
on the Public Worship Act. Such language, I suppose,
was never used before by one cabinet minister about
another. Rainald says he has thought a great deal
about it, and I cannot imagine what his object, can have
been. Rainald 's position, I am sorry to say, becomes
daily more isolated, since on the religious questions,
which unhappily are becoming the burning questions
of the day, he cannot act with his former friends, Lord
Salisbury and Mr. Hardy, feeling as he does entirely
with Disraeli on these matters. I doubt if either he
or I shall long continue to care for our present position,
such as it is, in the world of politics and fashion. ^ I have
never really been ' of it,' and home duties and country
life become daily more attractive. But I shall not vanish
without a pang from London — the centre of everything.
" November 5. — The anniversary of Inkermann ! so
we drank to the health of the three who were present
on that great day, the Duke of Cambridge, Colonel Mac-
donald, and Lord Charles. How long ago it all seems !
and must be, since Lord Sydney has been telling us all
about his visit to St. Petersburg last year, to attend the
Duke of Edinburgh's marriage. The Czar there drives
about everywhere without an escort, and goes to the
theatre on gala nights with no escort but the man

* A true enough prevision. — L. M. K., 1S82.
19

270 A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, xx

who drives him, and walks about the streets entirely
unattended. A great contrast to the fright he was in
here, when every Pole was watched by a detective, and
he drove in a close carriage and made one bound in
and out of it.^ Lady Ashburton and I had a pleasant
day, lunching with the shooters and walking about
with them — the weather marvellously still and bright.
Two curious little announcements were read out of
to-day's paper. At a meeting of the Corporation of
London, it was proposed to give Mr. Disraeli the freedom
of the City, but after a warm debate the matter dropped.
Mr. Gladstone announces the publication of a pamphlet
on The Vatican Decrees in their Bearing on Civil
Allegiance, upon which Lord .Sydney groaned out,
' Why can't he keep quiet ? '

" Fawsley, Saturday, November 7. — We had a
prosperous journey home, travelling with the Sydneys,
who were good company to the end. Lord Sydney
said he dined one evening at Gloucester House, and the
Duke of Cambridge and Lord Clarendon kept him there
till 2 a.m., harping on all the Prince is doing to pull
down the monarchy. They slyly suggested that he
should remonstrate, but it was a case of ' people who
live in glass houses I ' Lady Sydney told us that the
Inconnue of Prosper Merim^e's Letters was a Mrs.
Dagineau, whose mother was English, and that no one
suspected the existence of the friendship. The Empress
herself told Lady Sydney that, well as they knew
M^rimee, they never dreamt of it. When his house
was sacked in the Commune, the packet of letters fell
into the hands of a stranger, who brought them to
England, and Lord Henry Percy has actually seen
them, I am extremely interested in Mr. Gladstone's
pamphlet. It is impossible not to agree with every
word of it, and equally impossible not to wonder what
is his object in writing it. Does he mean to join the
Old Catholics ? He has been staying with Dr. DoUinger
this autumn, and went to Lord Acton's the very day his,
letter to him appeared in the Titnes. Or is it to spite

* Six years after this, he was murdered in his own capital. — L. K., 1880.

|i874] AT CRICHEL 271

bhe Romans for having rejected the Irish University Bill,
and thus paved the way for his great fall last year ?
Or is it an attempt to outbid Dizzy for Protestant
support ? Probably it is none of these things, but
simply the outcome of a mind which, great as it is,
becomes entirely absorbed in the one subject which
occupies it at the moment.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, November 22. — There is a
great stir about Mr. Disraeli's speech at the Guildhall,
in which he said that the British workman was in a
better position than many a foreign nobleman who was
liable at any moment to arbitrary arrest. Of course
he was supposed to refer to Count Arnim, who has been
again arrested for political reasons, and all the foreign
papers commented upon his remark, whereupon he
inserts an official disclaimer of any such reference in the
Times, and of course makes matters ten times worse, as
it is immediately assumed on the Continent that he did
this at Bismarck's bidding, which is certainly not true.

" Crichel, Wimborne, December 7. — We came here
from home to-day, and find the Ashburtons, whom I
am delighted to meet again, Lady Alington, Lord
Winchelsea, Big Ben,i Lord Henry Lennox, and Lord
Bingham. After dinner Lord Winchelsea and Lord
Henry Lennox both broke out into violent abuse of
Mr. Greville's book, which is to be accounted for by the
fact that Mr. Greville had been the main instrument in
turning Lord Winchelsea out of the Jockey Club, and
that he speaks in a most impertinent way of the Duke of
Richmond.

" December 10. — We drove to St. Giles's, Lord
Shaftesbury's place, and admired the fine old yews
round the house, and on to Cranborne Manor, a most
delightful old place belonging to Lord Salisbury. One
room is called King John's, and there is a charming
panelled hall with a minstrels' gallery, very like Haddon
in miniature.

I " Somerley, Ringwood, December 14. — ^We came on
here on Saturday with Lady Normanton and the

^ George Cavendish Bentinck, born 1803, died 1886; M. P. for West Norfolk.

272 A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY [chap, xj^

Dowager Lady Barrington and her daughter Augusta.
The Crichel party amused me, but this one is far more
to my taste, always excepting dear Lady Ashburton.
I have been admiring the beautiful Sir Joshuas and
Gainsboroughs in the fine picture gallery here, and
enjoying Miss Barrington 's really delightful music,
and taking long walks through the fir woods with
which this house is surrounded. Mr. and Lady Rose
Lovell, Colonel and Mrs. Henry Byng, Lord Calthorpe,
and Mr. Montague Guest arrived — a very pleasant
party. Miss Barrington told me that A Week in a
French Country House is taken almost exactly from
life at Frankfort, the Marquis de TAigle's place near
Compiegne, with which she is intimately acquainted
through her elder sister's marriage to Mr. Alfred Sartoris,
a brother of the Marquise. The story was written
by another sister-in-law of the Marquise, Adelaide
Sartoris, Fanny Kemble's sister, and the painter de-
scribed in its pages is Leighton.

" Meanwhile Count Arnim's trial proceeds, and is
most bewildering. Bismarck's language to him seems
to have been most insulting, while the Count himielf
seems to have been careless and not always accurate
in his dispatches. How Bismarck can allow his personal
views on French politics to be published in this manner
is beyond comprehension.

" Fawsley, December 24. — We came home to find snow
on the ground, and the trees bending under the weight.
I went to the Workhouse at Daventry, and had my
first Christmas good wishes from the poor old women
there. Mamma, Sophy, Henr}^ and Harry arrived in the
evening, only Sir Thomas is unfortunately detained in
town by illness. I went to Badby to help at a Christmas
tree and tea for the children, and distribute Rainald's
gifts, and had the Preston singers as usual at night.
It is reall}^ like Christmas in a story-book, with our
happy famil}'' party, and the snow on the ground, and
the dear old hall hung with garlands, and carol-singing
all round, and underlying it all the deep, real joy of our
Blessed Lord's birth. How^ thankful I ought to be ! "

CHAPTER XXI
London and Homburg

1875

' Fawsley, January 22, 1875. — The Liberal party are in
despair at Mr. Gladstone's resignation, and are sorely
exercised as to the choice of a leader. It appears to
he between Mr. Forster and Lord Hartington, and the
latter will no doubt have it, although far the least able
man of the two, just because he is a Duke's son. As
the Daily News neatl}^ puts it : ' The^^ think a party
leader should be also a party giver, and cherish a humble
hope of a share in the festivities of Devonshire House.'

" January 30. — An immense meet at Charwelton,
where the Pytchley had not met for forty years, when
Mr. Osbaldistone was Master of the Hounds. It was
ah extremel}^ pretty sight and a lovely morning. Lord
Hartington was out, and told Rainald that he thought
he should be chosen leader of the Opposition without
a division. I suppose he knew what we know now —
i.e., that Mr. Forster intends to retire from public life.
We had a nice gallop up here through Badb}* Wood and
by Badby House and vStaverton, ending at Shuckburgh.

" February 10. — The session really promises to be
the long-dreamt-of one devoted to social reforms.
Last night Sir Stafford Northcote brought in a Bill
about Friendly Societies, Mr. Cross another for im-
proving London dwellings, and Sir Chailes Adderley
a very bad Bill (I fear) about Unseaworthy Shipping.
Still, it is a cheering and promising sign that so much
prominence should be given to measures of this class.

I wonder what will be the result ?

273

274 LONDON AND HOMBURG [chap.xxi

" Richmond Park, April 12. — 1 left dear Fawsley for
the first time without regret, the weather is so cold
and ungenial, and we have been very quiet for a long
time. Travelled up with Charley Newdegate, who
still defends Bismarck in spite of his outrageous con-
duct. He is actually stirring up a row, and a most
unprovoked one, with Belgium in particular, and all
Europe in general. What it all means I have not a
conception ! It almost seems as if ' Whom the Gods
doom to destruction they first make mad.'

" April 13. — Mamma and I drove to Richmond and
called on Lord and Lady Russell. The old Lord was
as bright and cheery as possible, asking a Colonel
Fletcher who had just returned from Canada many
questions about the Colonies, and expressing his great
satisfaction that there was now less inclination to snub
them than there was. Mr. Lowe, he said, was always
for abandoning our Colonies, and ' breaking up the
sun of our vast Empire into spangles.* Even Lord
Granville gave a man leave to wear a United States
decoration, to whom it had been given solely because he
expressed an opinion that we ought to give up Canada
to the States ! I said at least Lord Carnarvon had
plenty of backbone, whereupon he replied that a states-
man who did not belong to the vertebrate order of
animals was of no use. He really was most agreeable,
talked of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's letters, and
although deaf and infirm is a wonderful specimen of
eighty-five !

" April 14. — To-day we drove to Roehampton, and
thought Lord Leven, who is eighty-nine, even more
wonderful than Lord Russell.

"4 Grosvenor Crescent, April 21. — We came to
London in time for luncheon. The house looks very com-
fortable, and it certainly is nice settling down in one's
own tov/n house. In the evening I went to a huge squash
at the Foreign Office, where I met my old friend Sir''
Howard Elphinstone, who has just returned from the
East with Prince Arthur. He says ' Chinese Gordon '
is doing wonderfully well, and the Khedive asks, ' What

i87S] A SCENE IN THE HOUSE 275

manner of man is this 3^ou have sent me, who won't
take money ? ' His predecessor, Sir Samuel Baker,
seems to have been a great failure, as one reads between
the lines of his very self-glorifying book. And he
accepted ;(^20,ooo as a compensation for his alleged
grievance in leaving before his time had expired !

" April 27. — To-day Rainald witnessed a strange
scene in the House of Commons. It was crowded in every
part, especially in the Strangers' Gallery, and among
other strangers were the German Ambassador, Prince
Christian, and the Prince of Wales, who was on the
Royal Commission about horses, and had come to
hear Mr. Chaplin's motion, when suddenly up got Mr.
Biggar, the deformed Irish pork-butcher who spoke for
four hours last week on the Peace Preservation Bill, and
cried, ' Sir, I spy strangers ! ' and out they all had to
go ! However, Dizzy moved to suspend the standing
orders. Lord Hartington seconded the motion, and in
half an hour they were all let in again. But it was a
curious episode, and not exactly creditable to the House.
Rainald says that man}^ years ago, — in 1863, I think,—
when the Radicals proposed to give Garibaldi an
ovation when he came to the House, he and Big Ben
went to the Speaker and threatened to spy strangers,
and so put a stop to what would have been a very im-
proper proceeding. I remember the incident perfectly,
but did not know how it had been stopped.

" May 4. — Nora Campbell dined with us, and by a
most happy inspiration we went down to the House
together, and were in great luck. Lord Hartington
moved his resolutions respecting the rules of the House
by which reporting the debates is nominally a breach
of privilege, and any one member may espy strangers.
He is a dull speaker, but what he said was very sensible.
Mr. Mitchell Henry, who followed him, spoke well, but
at inordinate length. Then came Charley Newdegate,
who spoke to the point as an old member and was
altogether worthy of himself ; then Dizzy, who dis-
appointed me. He spoke with effort and by no means
fluentl}^, although he raised a laugh when he said the

276 LONDON AND HOMBURG [chap, xxi

two last speakers wanted an Act for the preservation
of speeches. Then Mr. Lowe, clear, fluent, and common-
sensical, brushing away musty cobwebs. He sat down,
and Mr. Hardy had just got up, when Mr. Sullivan jumped
up, saying, ' Mr. Speaker, I spy strangers ! ' whereupon
of course there was a great row, and all the occupants
of the Strangers' Gallery had to be bundled out, in-
cluding Lord Spencer ; but we remained safe, behind
our grating. The members in their turn j^elled, howled,
and hooted, even I was sorry to hear, hissed Mr. Sullivan,
who raved and stormed in his turn, sa3dng that as a
journalist he was determined to speak for his brother-
journalists, and that they would no longer continue
on sufferance in the House, but would resist to the
last the tyrann}' which kept the Press in slavery, with
more bombast of the same kind, amid frequent interrup-
tion. Lord Hartington then got up and said that he
could not approve of what Mr. Sullivan had done, but
that he was only following a very respectable precedent in
showing the absurdity of the rule excluding strangers.
Lord Eslington said that there was one thing that the
House never tolerated, and that was being threatened,
as Mr. Sullivan had done, and proposed to refer the
question to a Select Committee — a proposal which
Rainald supported. Mr. Disraeli then said that Mr.
Hardy had been about to make some very valuable
suggestions, which would probably have settled the
question, if he had not been so improperly interrupted,
and finally proposed the adjournment of the debate.

" May 5. — We had a pleasant ride with various
House of Commons men, Mr. Noel, Mr. Sandford, Mr.
Neville-Grenville, etc., all full of last night, and all
agreeing that something must be done. But Mr. Lowe,
to my surprise, was eloquent on the folly of the line
Dizzy took. ' Wisdom of our ancestors, indeed ! is
it likely that when rules have been carefully framed for
the express purpose of keeping people out they are
likely to prove the best means of letting them in ? '
Lord Redesdale, who came to see me later, takes the
ultra-Tory vfew, and asks ' why a rule which has been

i875] SIR RAINALD'S SPEECH 277

in force for so many centuries should not continue ? '
I am rather inchned to think the power should be
vested in the House, not in one member. Rainald
insists that by simply threatening to enforce the rule
in 1863, he and Big Ben saved the House from the
undignified proceeding of rising to receive Garibaldi,
and that if for instance Prince Bismarck came and
the Protestants tried to cheer and the Romans to hoot
him, such a scandal might be averted by a single man
of sense and courage.
i " May 31. — I went to the House to hear the end
of the debate adjourned from May 5. Mr. Hardy was
just finishing his speech when I got there, and Colonel
Mure made a long, fumbling, rambling speech, during
which there was much buzz, which ceased entirely
when Rainald rose. He spoke low at first, and some-
body cried, ' vSpeak up ! ' and then he did speak up,
slowly, distinctly, shortly, with much point and purpose,
frequent ' hear, hears,' and one genuine burst of laughter.
Above all, his whole manner and bearing w^ere essenti-
ally those of a gentleman, and I felt very proud of him,
while the compliments we have since received have been
innumerable. Mr. Roebuck followed, and was received
with respect ; but his proposal, which / thought a very
good one, was not approved. Then Mr. Beresford
Hope and Sir William Harcourt, who certainly speaks
uncommonly well ; and then Mr. Ward Hunt and Mr.
Horsman rose together, and there were such loud cries
of * Horsman, Horsman ! ' that the former was obliged
to give way, and we had a most clever and amusing
speech — far the best of the evening — from Mr. Horsman.
Both the front Opposition Bench and Mr. Sullivan got
it hot and strong, and they didn't like it ; while ' our
fellows ' kept cheering and laughing, in no low tones.
The House was denselv crowded, and the debate ended
by Lord Hartington's resolution being rejected by 107 —
poor dear Charley, with an excellent amendment, only
getting 30 men of the very worst type in the House
to vote with him. Mr. Disraeli's motion to expel
strangers by a vote of the House was then agreed to,

278 LONDON AND HOMBURG [chap, xxi

without a division. Altogether, it was exceedingly
amusing, and I enjoyed it very much. Rainald's speech
was very well reported, as well as flatteringly spoken of,
in the Times ; and what pleased him most of all was
General Peel telling him, * You are my leader now,'
which he values more than all the compliments that
have been paid him.

" The Deanery, Christ Church, Oxford, Whit-Sunday,
1875. — I hardly know where to begin, I have seen so
much in these two days ! Oxford in the most ideal
weather is indeed charming, and is a romantic place
in which to begin a new volume of my Journal — the
faithful companion of over nineteen years. Yesterday
Paddington Station was simply a pandemonium, exactly
like Frith 's picture, and the contrast was all the more
charming with this quiet Deanery garden, between the
fine Cathedral and Christ Church library. We had tea
in Harry Gage's rooms, and at dinner I sat between
Lord Brooke and dear Prince Leo. It is quite charming
to see him so well, able to walk about easily, and so
much come out in every way. There was a large party,
including Mr. Montague Bernard, late Chichele Pro-
fessor of International Law, and Sir Henry Maine,
Professor of Jurisprudence. After service, the Dean
took us all over the Cathedral, and I admired the
beautiful new windows designed by Burne- Jones. We
lunched in All Souls with Edward Ridley, and saw the
fine library, which contains some of Sir Christopher
Wren's designs for St. Paul's. One of these, which was
approved by Charles 11., but happily not carried out,
had an immense steeple at the top of the Dome. Rainald
and I and Alice Liddell — a most fascinating girl, the
original of Alice in Wonderland — dined with Prince
Leopold in his own rooms, where Harry and Lord
Ramsay came to meet us. It was amusing to go in to
dinner with him in his own house, and he was so nice.
Altogether, these two days have been full of enjoyment,
and I could spend hours poking about old Oxford.

" Frampton Court, Dorchester, May 18. — We drove
into Dorchester, a pretty old town with avenues all

1 875] BISMARCK AND JULES FAVRE 279

round it, like a foreign place, and visited a quaint old
house called Wolverton, now inhabited by Mr. and
Mrs. Albert Bankes. I was thrilled to hear that Far
I from the Madding Crowd was written by a stone-mason
at Poole, Thomas Hardy, who is familiar with all this
country. We also saw the clergyman of a parish close
to Dorchester, a Mr. Barnes, who has written some
very pretty poems in Dorsetshire dialect. He has a
fine head and long grey beard, but wears the most
eccentric attire — a long flowing robe of grey waterproof
lined with scarlet, and black stocikngs with buckled
shoes.

" In the evening Mr. Sheridan, who is staying here,
showed us a very interesting letter from Mr. Motley,
written in 1872, when he was staying with Prince
Bismarck at Varzin for his silver wedding. Bismarck
gave him a very curious account of his interview with
Thiers and Jules Favre, when the peace preliminaries
at Versailles were discussed. Favre with much effort
compassed the shedding of a few tears, and then begged
Bismarck not to reveal his weakness. Not long after-
wards, a pathetic account of his emotion, given by
Favre himself, appeared in the French newspapers.
Thiers made Bismarck a long oration, upon which the
latter begged him not to address him as if he were the
Assembly, saying that their business could be arranged
in a few words. Thiers then began a second oration,
to which Bismarck replied in a German speech, of which
neither Thiers nor Favre understood a word. They
remonstrated and wished to send for an interpreter,
whereupon Bismarck said that this was quite unnecessary
if only Thiers would come to the point, but that he
understood eloquence as little as Thiers understood
German ! Nevertheless, Bismarck Hked Thiers, saying
that he had quite the manner of the old school.

" June 29. — We dined with the Duke of Grafton,
and went to an amusing party at Lady Salisbury's,
where was the Seyyid of Zanzibar, who greeted us
most politely with a sort of kiss of the hand, like the
Shah, as he went out, and I am told blessed the house

28o LONDON AND HOMBURG [chap, xxi

as he took his leave. He retires everywhere for prayer
after dinner, and sets an example which Christians
might well follow. Afterwards I listened with amuse-
ment to a discussion between Rainald and Lord Salisbury
over the Agricultural Holdings Bill and the recent
meeting at the Carlton. The landlords are evidently
much exercised over it. I own to being puzzled, and
am not sure whether I agree with the Government or the
forty-five county members who met at the Carlton
and objected to the provision that improvements for
which the farmer is to be compensated should be such
as add to the rateable value of the land. I also had a
little talk with Mr. Forster, who knows me at last !
He has just been in Northamptonshire, and is struck with
our old-world look. I can understand his feeling the
contrast with his busy, modern North ! Last night
we met Captain and Mrs. Richard Burton, the travellers,
at dinner at the Sheridans'. She was an Arundel of
Wardour and would marry this most cut-throat-looking
individual. I wonder if she is happy? Anyhow, she
told us many wonderful stories, ending with an account
of poor Janie Teleki, who died in her arms at Damascus,
having been received into the Church of Rome on her
death-bed.

''July I. — I went with Nora and Harry to hear
Lohengrin, the much-talked-of. Decidedly I prefer the
music of the past to that of the future, Mozart to Wagner.
But when I have said that, I must add that as a music-
drama it is glorious ! The instrumentation is so rich,
the recitation far finer than any other, the libretto
charming, and the whole thing rolls along in one grand
full stream of harmony. Albani was ' Elsa,' and Nicco-
lini ' Lohengrin,' but somehow the singers seemed
subordinate to the orchestra. There are no pauses for
applause, and the densely crowded house hardly got a
chance of once clapping. Altogether, I was deeply
interested, and to me the three hours passed with
incredible rapidity.

" July 22. — Rainald came in late from the House,
and told me of a most painful scene which took place

1 1875] LIFE AT HOMBURG 281

when Mr. Disraeli announced the abandonment of the
Merchant Shipping Bill. Poor Mr. Phmsoll, between
mortification and excitement, went almost off his head,
denounced the shipowners as scoundrels, and would
not withdraw a word, even when threatened with
the censure of the House. Poor man ! he has been
badly treated, and I cannot say how sorry I feel
about it."

At the end of the London season, Sir Rainald, who

I suffered from frequent attacks of gout and rheumatism,
was ordered by his doctor to drink the waters and take

I the baths at Homburg and Wildbad. Lady Knightley,
although somewhat reluctant to leave home, thoroughly
enjoyed the trip abroad, and as usual managed to do
and see much that was interesting during the seven
weeks .

" Brussels, Hotel Mengelle, July 25. — I left London
without, England with, regret, and had an excellent
journey and passage to Ostend. Belgium looks like one
vast field of allotments, and it is wonderful how every
scrap of ground is turned to account. We admired the
great church of Ste. Gudule with its fine windows and
old glass, and went all over the beautiful Hotel de Ville.
x\fter table d'hote, we walked about in the charming
Park, and thought Brussels a very attractive town.

" Homburg, Kisseliff Strasse, July 31. — Les journees
se succSdent et se ressemblent, beaucoup meme ! Homburg
is much the prettiest and nicest of the German watering-
places that I have seen, but I do not care for German
bath-life, I confess ! Up at six ; off at seven to the
Elizabeth Brunnen, drink three glasses, walk twenty
minutes between each and an hour after the last, in
a crowd of every nationality, German predominating.
Home tired as a dog to breakfast without butter ! Then a
quiet morning, which I enjoy, having gone in for a solemn
study of Fawcett's Political Economy ; a light luncheon,
consisting of what the Germans call verlorene Eier —
poached eggs ; at three down to the springs again,
to drink two more glasses ; then to the Kursaal to listen
to the music, till it is time to go home and dress for table

282 LONDON AND HOMBURG [chap, xxi

d'hote at 5 p.m. ; back to the Kursaal at seven for coffee
and music, and home to bed at ten ; Hghts out at eleven.
Such is our daily programme, with occasional variations.
To-day we went over the Schloss, where King George iii.'s
daughter, Princess Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-
Homburg, resided, and which would have been our
Princess Alice's country house if the war of 1866 had
not cost Hesse-Darmstadt this principality. The Schloss
stands well, and has a fine view of the Taunus range,
which explains what I never understood before, why
Homburg is called vor-der-Hohe. The gardens are very
pretty, and the house itself well furnished and quite
habitable. I do not wonder Princess Alice grudges the
loss of it, and the Crown Princess refuses to live in what
should have been her sister's home. This evening a
grand military band from Mainz played beautifully in the
Kursaal, and the gardens were lighted up. The place is
chock-full of English and Americans, and there are a
certain number of people we know — Her Grace of
Montrose, the Duke of Montrose, Lord Chelmsford, etc.
Altogether, it is a queer, odd sort of life — a thing one
is glad to have seen once.

" August 7. — I started with Batten directly after
breakfast , and in spite of feeling rather nervous , achieved
a successful journey to Darmstadt — a dull town with
fine wide streets, and the grass growing in them.
Princess Alice's new palace looks like a bad copy of
Buckingham Palace. We drove out through woods
for about three miles to Kranichstein, a ramshackle old
Jagdschloss of the Grand Duke's, which had been empty
for a hundred years before Prince and Princess Louis
took it, and is now only half furnished. Here I spent
a few hours very pleasantly with Princess Christian,
which I really enjoyed. Our party at the very simple
two-o'clock dinner consisted only of Prince and Princess
Louis, Princess Christian, a Countess Ixelheim, and the
six children — five charming little girls and a delicate-
looking bo}^ with their English governess. The youngest
but one of the Princesses, Alice, a fascinating child,
came running up in high glee to show us her birth-

1 875] PRINCESS ALICE'S HOME 283

day present, a locket ' from Grandmamma Queen ! ' 1
Princess Alice made herself very agreeable, and is, as I
have always heard, a most accomplished and superior
person — more attractive, perhaps, than any other
member of our Royal Family.

" August 8. — We dined at the ' Victoria ' — a parting
dinner to Lord Chelmsford, who made himself most agree-
able. He told us how Lord Lyndhurst made his last
speech in the House of Lords on the eve of his ninetieth
birthday, and said that both the late Lord Derby and
Sir Robert Peel were exceedingly nervous when they
spoke. But the best thing was his own joke to Lord
Derby on his retiring in favour of Mr. Disraeli. ' Do
you know the difference between your Administration
and his ? Yours was the Derby, this is the Hoaks 1 ' —
Mr. Disraeli's only change having been to substitute
Lord Cairns for Lord Chelmsford as Chancellor. Lady
Emily Dyke also told me an amusing story of the White-
bait Dinner at Greenwich, 'where it seems it is the custom
to give a wooden spoon to the Minister who has attended
fewest divisions. This year it fell to Dizzy himself !

" August 20. — Our last day at dear little Homburg.
I have really become quite fond of the place. Yesterday
I had a long talk with our friendly little host, Herr
Deininger, and gleaned a variety of information.
Labourers' wages are about one and eightpence
a day ; at harvest - time they sometimes get as
much as three shillings for fifteen hours a day. The
best land lets for about a pound for half an acre.
Most of the large properties are strictly entailed
in perpetuity, but it is the custom of the peasant-
proprietors who own the rest to divide it among all
their children, till the waste of land in division becomes

* (i) Victoria, born 1863; married 1884, Prince Louis of Battenberg ;
(2) Elizabeth, born 1864 ; married 1884, Grand Duke Sergius of Russia,
uncle of the present Czar, who was murdered at Moscow, 1905 ; (3) Irene,
born 1866; married 1888, Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of the Kaiser ;
(4) Alix, born 1872; married 1894, Nicholas 11., Emperor of All the
Russias ; (5) Marie Victoria, bom 1874, died 1878; (6) Ernst Louis,
bom 1868 ; succeeded his father as Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1892 ;
married Victoria, second daughter of Duke of Saxe-Coburg, 1894.

284 LONDON AND HOMBURG [chap, xxi

enormous. All the meat comes from a great distance,
Munich, Stuttgart, Coburg, and is consequently very
dear. The best beasts come from Hungary, and coals
from Diirren, At dinner to-night I sat next to a very
pleasant individual, who turned out to be Prince
d'Aremberg. We began talking French, but after a
time got into German, which did much better. He
spoke in no measured terms of his dissatisfaction with the
present state of affairs in Germany, saying that Bismarck
had snubbed and set aside all the old families, of whom
but very few would go to Berlin, and that he was sur-
rounded by Jews, who managed everything. He himself
is a Catholic, but Catholics and Protestants alike are
in despair at seeing all religion banished from the schools.
In short, I was quite surprised at the open way in which
he spoke, frankly anticipating the break-up of the
German Empire, and saying that had they known how
things would turn out, he and many others would never
have fought as they did in the late war. I only wish I
had made him out before."

From Homburg, the travellers went on to Wildbad,
where the beautiful wooded valley and charming walks
and drives laid out by the sovereigns of Wiirtemberg,
and the primitive habits of the peasants, delighted Lady
Knightley, and she took advantage of the opportunity
to inspect the schools and study the German system of
elementary education.

" September 5. — One morning I went with Sir John
and Lady Kennaway and the German pastor, Herr
Bartholomei, who by the way has translated Dean
Goulburn's Personal Religion, to see the schools. There
are 500 children under six masters and two mistresses
who teach the infants, working thirty-six hours a week.
The head master gets about ;^6o a year. The religious
instruction is given by the pastor, leave to withdraw
children being granted if desired, which is very seldom.
The school is a building of three storeys, divided into a
number of classrooms. The system of teaching is very
minutely prescribed by the Stuttgart Educational Board,
even to the number of chorales to be learnt, amounting

ig75] GERMAN SCHOOLS 285

to eighty in the course of the 3^ear. The girls sing very
nicely, and the arithmetic is of an advanced order, chil-
dren of seven doing addition up to 100. The attendance
is compulsory, a fine of one mark being inflicted for non-
attendance, and the fees vary according to the parents'
means, some being as low as two marks per year. All
classes sit side by side, the sons of the doctor and pastor
with those of the poorest wood-cutter, but those who
choose can go on to a so-called Real-schule, or Secondary
School, held in the same building. The pastor is himself
the inspector. There seems to be very little poverty in
Wildbad, the revenues of the town amounting to ;(^ 10,000
a year, and every male receiving £$ a year and enough
wood to keep a stove burning. The land is divided into
small plots, carefully irrigated, and as is generally the
case with peasant-proprietors, they seem a thrifty,
hard-working set."

After visiting Baden, which in spite of its charming
situation struck the writer as " a deserted place since
play and the French have alike forsaken it," Sir Rainald
and Lady Knightley returned home by Strasburg and
Paris. They crossed the frontier at Avricourt, and
looked with keen interest at the scenes of the Franco-
German War, that were still fresh in everyone's mind,
"Toul, vSaverne, Luneville, and Chalons-sur-Marne, where
one thought of Attila and his Huns/' and realised for
the first time " what an immense tract of country the
Germans have taken from France." At Paris, Lady
Knightley paid a visit to some relatives living at St.
Cyr, near Versailles, and saw the Ecole Militaire, which
occupies the same building as Madame de Maintenon's
Pension des Demoiselles.

" Paris, Hotel Bristol, September 9. — I do love a day
in Paris ! To-day I spent much of my time in the streets
with my maid Batten. Paris looks much gayer than it did
four years ago, though of course this is the dead season.
Theyhave built up theColonneVend6me,and have cleared
away some of the ruins and opened a new street, which
they are pleased to call ' du 4 Septembre.' I was also
struck by seeing scrawled on a wall at Versailles, ' Le
20

286 LOxNDON AND HOMBURG [chap, xxi

suffrage universel c'est la ruine.' At least there is one
sensible mortal in France. But oh ! what a queer
people the French are ! We went to see the ' Panorama
de la Guerre,* an exceedingh^ clever representation of the
siege of Paris, taken from the Fort d'Issy, and giving
an excellent idea of it all. But how strange that they |
should care to make such a thing, and still stranger
that the}' should like to go and see it, as they do, in
crowds ! This time I had the great pleasure of seeing
the pictures of the Louvre, which w^ere not put back
when we were here in 1871, and looking at Raphael's
' Belle Jardiniere,' and many others which I remember
twenty years ago. Altogether, I have enjoyed these
two days immensely."

The return home was saddened by the death of Mr.
Henry Gage, who had been seriously ill some time,
but whose actual death Lady Knightley first learnt
in Paris from a newspaper paragraph. Besides feeling
deep grief and sympath}'' for her widowed sister-in-law,
Lad}^ Knightley had an affectionate regard for Mr.
Gage, who had been her first friend in the family, and to
whom, humanly speaking, she ow^ed the chief happiness
of her life.

CHAPTER XXI I

The Girls' Friendly Society

1 876-1 880

The year 1876 was noteworthy in Lady Knightley's
life as that in which she first became a member of the
Girls' Friendly Society, in which she afterwards took
so great and prominent a part. From her girlhood,
as we have seen in these pages, she had been eager to
devote herself to the service of others, and after her
marriage she took a leading part in all movements
connected with the training and improvement of women.
Her intercourse with her own servants and with her
poorer neighbours in Badby and the other parishes
round Fawsley convinced her of the need of some
organisation for girls in domestic service, and when Mrs.
Townsend founded the Girls' Friendly Society in her
Warwickshire house of Honington, Lady Knightley
welcomed the scheme warmly and set about forming
a branch of the Society in Northamptonshire. The
following entries refer to her earliest attempts in this
direction. Like everything of the kind with which she
was connected, they met with complete success, largely
owing to the charm of Lady Knightley's own personality,
and to the earnest religious convictions which lay at
the root of all her endeavours.

" February 26. — I am much delighted with a scheme
for a Girls' Friendly Society which Lady Dryden has
sent me. It seems to have been started in a Warwick-
shire village by a friend of hers, Mrs. Townsend, and is
approved by the Archbishop. I do really think it is

the thing which I have so long wanted.

287

288 GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY [chap, xxii

" March 9. — I rode to Hellidon to see our Rural
Dean, Mr. Holthouse, about the Girls' Friendly Society,
which he quite agrees may be very useful in our
villages.

" March 25. — I went to see Lady Massey and Miss
Collyns at Daventry, to talk about G.F.S., and was
charmed with their kind reception of the idea.

" April 5. — To-day fourteen ladies came to talk over
the G.F.S. We had a very satisfactory meeting, and I
trust the ' Daventry Rural Deanery Branch ' is fairly
organised, and pray most earnestly that by God's blessing
it may prove a living, working power for good among
our girls.

" Easter Eve, April 15. — A beautiful day and a very
long and busy one, first decorating the church, then
going down to Badby and round to the mistresses and
mothers of the girls whom I hope to enlist for G.F.S.
My mind is quite full of it, but I was glad to go to the
quiet five o'clock service and prepare for to-morrow's
festival.

" Easter Day. — This afternoon I had the pleasure
of enlisting four of my own maids as members of the
G.F.S. I must not expect too much ; if it does but
ever so little good, I shall be thankful.

" April 17. — Another long, busy, and very happy
day, ending with a tea at Badby, where I enlisted
seventeen girls as members of the G.F.S. There are
sure to be many disappointments, but I do trust it may
be a means of helping them to keep steady, and can't
help being pleased at having succeeded so far."

From this time the Girls' Friendly Society occupied
an important place in Lady Knightlej^'s time and
thoughts, and frequent mentions of it appear in her
Journal, both in London and at Fawsley. She took
an active part in its development and contributed
largely to its immediate success in her neighbourhood.

" January 24, 1877. — I drove over to luncheon
at Edgcote, and was present at the first meeting of the
Brackle}^ Deanery G.F.S. It is delightful to see it
spread ; if only it will work well 1

1878] A G.F.S. FESTIVAL 289

I (

4 Grosvenor Crescent, May 10. — Miss Augusta
Barrington (afterwards Mrs. Maclagan) came to talk
G.F.S.

"June I. — Harriet Cartwright and I went to a
meeting of G.F.S. Branch Secretaries, at which Mrs.
Townsend (Lady Dryden's friend and the foundress
of the Society) presided. I am very glad to have seen
her ; the spiritual depth of her writings and her powers of
organisation make her certainly a remarkable woman.
Afterwards we went on together to Mr. Wilkinson's
Bible Class. It is wonderful how he takes for granted
that no one who really is striving to lead the higher
life will wish to go out, while fully acknowledging that
it may very often be people's duty to go. Then it is all
right, he says, and one may serve God in societ}^ just as
well as anywhere else. I wonder how far it is my duty
to go. out. To a certain extent it undoubtedly is, but
then, I like it. Does it ' weaken my spiritual life ' ?

" Fawsley, October 17. — I had my first G.F.S. meeting
of the Associates belonging to our Branch. We had a
grand discussion about paying premiums. I wish we
could get out of that fog.

" Fawsley, June 11, 1878. — A very happy day for
me, and I hope for about sixty members of the G.F.S.,
who by kind Rainald's permission held their picnic
festival here. We met at the church at 2 p.m. Mr.
Collyns read the service — the special one appointed
for the occasion, with the lesson about Naaman's little
maid, and Mr. Holthouse gave a short address on
Purity. Then we walked round the Dingle and gardens
and had tea in the coach-house, and afterwards there
was tea in the dear old hall for the eighteen ladies and
gentlemen. It doesn't sound much, and the weather
was most unfavourable, but still I think it seemed to
give a certain reality to our Association, and Rainald
and I both felt real pleasure in sharing the delights
of this beautiful place with those who have so few
pleasures."

It was indeed greatly to Lady Knightley's credit
that she succeeded in interesting her reserved and

290 GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY [chap, xxii

fastidious husband in this branch of her work and ob-
tained his consent to opening Fawsley to her G.F.S.
Associates and Members. Although Sir Rainald
always affected to laugh at his wife's labours in this
direction, and was fond of calling the G.F.S. the " Great
Fuss Society," he was undoubtedly proud of her success
as a speaker and organiser, and seldom hindered her
from carr3nng out her plans.

"4 Grosvenor Crescent, June 27. — I went with
Harriet Cartwright to the Third Annual Meeting of
Branch Secretaries of G.F.S., this year so numerous
that we were obliged to assemble at Willis's Rooms.
It was a curious experience, having a purely feminine
meeting. I was struck with Miss Hubbard's remark,
that they all looked very much in earnest, while I am
afraid I was only thinking what dowdies they looked !
One disadvantage we labour under is the difficulty of
making ourselves heard in a large room, with the noise
of the traffic outside. A very clear and comprehensive
scheme of organisation was proposed, and a very good
speech made by a young woman — not a lady — on the
need of help for the ' business girls ' of London.

" Faivsley y December 10. — Thermometer at 18 degrees,
trees covered with snow ; a picture of a winter's day,
but not a nice one to turn out in. However, I went
warm and snug in the brougham (thanks to kind Rainald)
to Northampton, where we had a most successful
meeting of about thirty ladies, and did a great deal
of business in about two hours, fairly launching our
Diocesan organisation. I am to be President, at all
events for the first year. The one contretemps was that
Miss Oxenham missed her train, so that we had no
representative of the Central Council, and I had to take
the chair and do all the work, and could not answer half
the questions.

"4 Grosvenor Crescent, April 22, 1879. — All the
last week my whole mind has been occupied with the
public meeting for the G.F.S., which is to take place
at Northampton. I do so earnestly wish it to be a
success ! Great was my despair yesterday at receiving

Scale of Feel

10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Plan of Fawsley.

100

[To /ace p. 290.

1 879] A PUBLIC MEETING 291

a letter from Mrs. Townsend to say she feared she
would not be able to come. I felt very low in mind, but
dear kind Rainald came to the rescue and went down
with me to Northampton, which was a most untold
comfort . We had a council meeting first, which was very
satisfactory, and got through a good deal of business,
then after luncheon at the ' Angel ' came the important
part — the big meeting in the Town Hall. The Bishop,
who presided, — not merely as chairman, but as the
warm advocate of the Society, — spoke long and elo-
quently, dwelling on the womanhood of England as its
most precious possession, and saying that a pure and
virtuous maidenhood, and pious, well-ordered families,
are the very strength and life of any nation. Then
came the awful moment. Rainald said that my voice
shook ver}'- much at first, but when I got reading I did
not so much inind. 1 had put some notes together, and
read extracts from the report, and went on for about
twent}" minutes. The hall was about half full, chiefly
of parsons and parsonesses ; but they seemed in-
terested, and I do hope it will give the Society a push,
and I shall be rewarded for the mental terrors that I
suffered, I am quite sure that I did not like doing it at
all, but it was inevitable. The Bishop and others were
very civil, and as long as Rainald approves, it does not
matter what anybody else says ! "

As a matter of fact, Lady Knightley's speech on this
occasion produced an immense impression, and is still
remembered by many who were present and heard her
speak. It was no doubt largely due to her exertions and
mfluence that during the next year as man}^ as fourteen
branches were started in the diocese of Peterborough.
Still more important for the general work of the G.F.S.
was the energetic part which she took in framing the
constitution in 1880, after the rupture threatened b}^
Mrs. Papillon's attempt to alter the central rules, which
in Lady Knightley's eyes was equivalent to starting an
entirely new Society.

" All through these troubled years of our work,"
writes Mrs. Townsend, " Lady Knightley stood bravely

292 GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY [chap, xxii

by us, and she had the help and countenance of one of
the most eminent men of the day, Dr. Magee, Bishop of
Peterborough. We met, as is shown by her Journal, in
1877, but my first distinct recollection of her was at the
meeting of the Central Council held in May 1880, for
drawing up the constitution and discussing proposed
amendments. On this occasion Lady Knightley moved
the first resolution. The importance of this meeting
is quite unrealised now, but it laid the foundation of
that which, humanl}^ speaking, is the real strength of
the Society's organisation, namely, its representative
character. Without this, neither its number nor its
expansion in the Empire and be3^ond would have
secured any permanent hold on the national life. In
these old days, it was no light matter to bring together
an assembly of delegates from some tw^enty or thirty
dioceses, but from north and south and east and west
they came, and for six days they sat, to form a con-
stitution for the Society more representative and less
centralised than that which was at first put out. It was
no eas}^ task to preside over such an assembly, and one
of the things the chairwoman most clearly remembers
is the kind voice and winning words of encouragement
given her at the end of the meeting by the Diocesan
President of Peterborough." ^

Lady Knightley on her part, in recording the pro-
longed meetings and lively discussions at which she
assisted during that memorable week, speaks in the
warmest terms of the President's (Mrs. Townsend) un-
varying good temper and patience.

The opposition to the central rules of the Society
was now overcome, and this chapter of its history was
closed by the secession of the chief objectors. Lady
Knightley gives the following account of the next
General Meeting, which took place at Lambeth Palace :

" June 24. — The dear mother came up, and she and I,
with Gertrude Henley and Mabel Montgomery, attended
the General Meeting of the G.F.S. held in the library at
Lambeth. The Archbishop himself presided and made

' Associates' Journal, G.F.S. , January 1914.

1 879] DIOCESAN PRESIDENT 293

a most able and thoughtful speech about our dear
Society, speaking of it as an immense national influence
for good in bringing classes together whom there is too
great a tendency to set against each other. It was very
interesting to hear of the sister Societies in Scotland,
Ireland, and Australia, and of one to be started at the
Cape, and Mrs. Townsend told us how the germ of it all
was a little meeting of five — herself, Mrs. Tait, Mrs.
Nassau Senior, Mrs. Harold Browne, and Mr. Fosbery —
in the drawing-room of Lambeth Palace. Afterwards
we went into more technical matters, and I made a
little speech — quite short — about the girls being allowed
to keep their cards when they marry respectably. It
is wonderful how much improved women are in their
way of carrying on business, and this meeting was the
best we have ever had."

As Mrs. Townsend writes : " Lady Knightley had a
great devotion for the G.F.S. : ' Our beloved Society,'
she would call it, in these addresses of hers, which
were so full of charm. A born speaker, simple and
dignified, 3^et always with that childlike look in the
blue eyes — she made people care because she cared
herself, and they cared the more because she was a
woman of affairs, and had so man}- other interests,
town life and country life, politics and literature, as
well as the great causes of womanhood, such as the
Working Ladies' Guild and Protected Emigration,
to which she devoted so much time in later years.
The power of quite selfless encouragement of other
workers was one of Lady Knightley 's greatest gifts.
She could rejoice in their work and yet be able to see
quite clearly where thej'^ failed — always lo5^al and
trusting, and yet alwa5's outspoken and straightfor-
ward. Yes, loyalty was indeed the keystone of her life —
loyalty to Queen and country and Royal friends, loyalty
in her home, in her outside work, and to that great
thing, duty, which glows and shines before the eyes of
men. Her motto might well have been, 'Loyal je serai
durant ma vie.' "

The Working Ladies' Guild, which Mrs. Townsend

294 GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY [chap, xxii

here mentions, was another institution with which
Lady Knightley became connected in 1876 through
Lady Mary Feilding, and in the management of
which she took a very prominent part. About the
same time she formed the Societ}^ for the Employment
of Women and the Ladies' Sanitary Association, for
which she wrote a pamphlet on Dress during one of her
Homburg visits. In 1875 she became a regular visitor
at St. George's hospital, and before long was elected
a member of the Committee of Management.

In this, as in all her other philanthropic works,
Lady Knightley showed those remarkable powers of
organisation and that singular tact and sympathy
which made her so admirable a chairman and president.
Much of her success in this capacit}^ was due no doubt
to the personal charm, the winning voice and manner,
the utter absence of self-consciousness, to which Mrs.
Townsend alludes. But the true reason lay deeper
still. It was to be found in the steadfast resolve to
work for the welfare of others in the solemn consecra-
tion of her life, wdiich lay at the root of all her manifold
activities. As she wrote on her thirty-fourth birthday,
a day spent happily in her old home at Richmond
Park with " the dearest and best of husbands and
mothers": " ' To whom much is given, of him shall much
be required.' How thankful I ought to be, and how
much I ought to strive to love God and make the lives
of others better and happier too ! "

During these years of her life she was a regular
attendant at St. Peter's, Eaton Square, where Mr.
Wilkinson's ^ sermons and addresses produced a pro-
found impression on her mind and made a vivid appeal
to the higher side of her nature.

" To-day being Ascension Day," she writes in the
middle of the prolonged sittings of the G.F.S. Central
Council, " I went to St. Peter's and heard a fine sermon
from Mr. Wilkinson on ' I saw and beheld a white horse,
and He that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given
unto Him, and He went forth conquering and to
1 Rev. G. H. Wilkinson, afterwards Bishop of Truro and St. Andrews.

i88o] DR. LIDDON 295

:onquer.' It was a grand stirring address, saying that
both as a Church and as individuals we want far more
confidence in such promises as these. ' If ye had faith
as a grain of mustard seed,' etc. And Mr. Wilkinson
makes one feel as if he almost saw into that unseen world
which lies so near us and is yet so far from our thoughts."

On Trinity Sunday she heard another famous
preacher who also impressed her deeply.

" May 22, 1880. — Kind Rainald took me to the
Guards' Chapel to see the window and inscription which
dear mother and I have put up to my father's memory.
It is a proud roll of services. We stayed for afternoon
service, where, before the Prince and Princess of Wales
and their two sons, and an immense congregation,
including Mr. Gladstone, Canon Liddon preached an
admirable sermon for the Guards' Institute. His text
was, ' I know whom I have believed, and am per-
suaded that He is able to keep that which I have com-
mitted unto Him against that day.' Three answers,
said the preacher, there are to the question, ' What
shall I do with my life ? ' Either i , ' Nothing — let it
drift ; or 2, Get all the pleasure you can out of it ;
or 3, Give it without reserve to Him from whom you
have received it.' It was a grand and impressive
service from its stately simplicit}^ — the Guards' band
leading the singing, and the whole congregation joining
in singing ' Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty ! ' "

CHAPTERXXIII

The Royal Titles Bill and the Eastern

Question

1876-1877

" Claridge's Hotel, February 8, 1876. — I came up to
town with much pleasure, being very glad of a little
change. The Queen opened Parliament herself for
the first time for several years, but I am sorry to
say was not well received. In the afternoon I went
to the House of Commons to hear Matt Ridley
move the Address, which he did in a nicely prepared,
well-delivered speech, without a spark of genius in it.
Mr. Mulholland seconded him, and then came Lord
Hartington, hammer, hammer on, for an hour — very
good sense, but very dull to listen to. Dizzy was a
great relief after that, although Rainald did not think he
spoke as well as usual. However, he stuck his paws in
his coat-tail pockets and talked freely to the House,
and told us all about the Suez Canal, which was very
amusing. Mr. Horsman came to ask Rainald if he
would help to identify him as ' the superior person '
attacked in last week's World ; but he declined to be
mixed up with the affair.

" Febritayy 10. — I went down to Windsor, and
spent a very pleasant day with Princess Christian at
Cumberland Lodge. It is such a pretty place, and I
enjoyed the drive through the grand old park in the
winter sunshine.

" Fnwsley, February 24. — The East Suffolk election
ended in a majority of 951 for St. John Barne, which is,

I think, very satisfactory, although it might have been

296

876] THE KING OF NAPLES 297

arger. But I am most sincerely rejoiced to see him in
vhat I think one of the proudest positions an English-
nan can occupy, and one much to be coveted by every-
)ne who loves his country and wishes to do good in his
generation. In the evening I went in the brougham
;o Mrs. Rhodes' at Floore Fields — ' dissipated Dot '
)eing bent on a dance. It was very prettily done, only
ibout 130 people there, and I danced a good deal, and
lad an interesting talk with a brother of Mr. Rhodes
vho has lately returned from Natal. He told me a
jood deal about South Africa, especially that the
Prussians are great friends with the Transvaal Re-
Dublic, and lately sent them a present of a large
quantity of war ammunition. Mr. Rhodes fancies they
vvish to make settlements in South Africa, having lately
:mplo3'ed two explorers to visit parts of the country,
Petermann and Harmuck. He also thinks there is a
^reat deal of gold to be found in the Transvaal, but
says we were in the wrong about Griqualand, Delagoa
Bay, and the Diamond Fields.

" February 28. — The hounds met at Adstone, and
Lord Charles Fitzroy presented me to the ex-King of
Naples — a dark man, with a long, narrow face, and to
my mind not a pleasant expression ; but then I am pre-
judiced. I do not care for the Bourbons, and ancient
as their family may be, in all these centuries they have
hardly produced an able or a good man. However,
the said King was exceedingly polite, and being unused
to hunting and very averse to jumping, placed himself
under my wing. I was lucky, and able to show him a
good deal of sport. We had a good gallop up to Warden
Hill, and then round by Preston Church and Ashby, and
back here, where the fox was killed and the brush duly
presented to the King.
I " March 6. — We hunted from Little Preston — an
odious day, blowing a gale, frequent hailstorms, and no
sport. The King and Queen of Naples were both out,
and he presented me to her. She has fine dark eyes
and a clear pale complexion, with brown hair ; but her
teeth spoil her. She is extraordinarily thin, and sits

298 ROYAL TITLES BILL [chap, xxiri

too high to look well on horseback. She spoke English
very well, as far as I could judge from the few words
which I exchanged with her. He galloped about with
me all day again, but did not say much, and what he
did say was difficult to hear, between the wind and his
bad French.

" March lo. — Harry and I hunted from Floore. No
particular sport, but a great crowed to see the Empress
of Austria, who arrived at Easton Neston on Monday,
and has hunted every day since, riding quite magni-
ficently. That most factious party leader, Lord
Hartington, was out to-day, and talked a great deal of
the Queen's new title, Empress of India, about which
Dizzy has made so much unnecessary fuss. Conse-
quently the House of Commons feels affronted, and
there are perpetual quarrels and wTangling, and I am
sorry, for the Queen must be much annoyed. It is
curious how strong the feeling of the country against
the title of Empress seems to be.^

" March 17. — Yesterday Rainald had a very strong
whip and a letter from Big Ben, begging him to come up
and support the Government on the Royal Titles Bill ;
but he declined. Now we hear the division gave the
Government a majority of 105 — much more than we
anticipated ; but it has been thoroughly mismanaged,
and both parties blame each other. The Opposition
say they were not consulted, the Government say they
were and that they broke faith. It all does so much
harm. We hunted from Astwell Mill, and the King of
Naples presented me to the Empress of Austria. She is
wonderfully well preserved for forty, and is decidedly
pretty, with charming manners — altogether far more
attractive than the Queen of Naples. But what a
leveller the hunting-field is ! Empress, King, Queen,
and courtiers go bumping along in the crowd and no
one pays them any attention.

" March 24. — Another division last night on the
Royal Titles Bill. Dizzy made a speech, which really

^ The importance of this step has been amply proved by subsequent
events.

1876] PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 299

deserved Mr. Lowe's unparliamentary epithets of
' drivelling and frivolous,' quoting children's geography-
books and Whitaker's Almanack as authorities for the
, Queen being Empress, and finally winding up with the
if astounding assertion that it is all intended as a threat
to the Russians in Central Asia ! I really think he has
taken leave of his senses !

" Northampton Races, March 28. — A crow^ded meet-
ing, and a good many London as well as county people,
which made it more amusing than usual. Prince
Christian was there, and he as well as everybody else
was talking about the Royal Titles Bill, which is to be
the subject of another great party fight in the Lords
on Monday. Mr. Gladstone is supposed to be at the
bottom of the insolent factious opposition, having over-
ruled Lord Hartington, who at first was disinclined to
move. There is a most extraordinary article in to-
day's Times, strongl}^ objecting to the Queen's leav-
ing England during the session, which she did this
morning, all her four sons being out of the country !
And a letter in the Times actually comments on
' the significant absence from the division of such men
as Mr. Henley, Sir Rainald Knightley, and Mr. New-
degate.' Flattering as it is to Rainald, I could have
dispensed with these remarks, and myself rather regret
his abstention.

''April I. — Yesterday the King of Naples and
Prince Ruffano came to luncheon, and were very civil
and pleasant. The latter is a tall, fine-looking man, of
a very old Neapolitan family , and declares he remembers
seeing me at Cannes ! To-day the hounds met at
Badby, and I thoroughly enjoyed my last day's hunting.
We had a capital run, and I really saw it all, and stuck
to the hounds closer than I ever did before. Rainald
led the field, and we both felt so keen. I am sorry it
is all over. I have hunted twent3^-nine times this
season — fifteen with the Duke, nine with the Pytchley,
two with the Bicester and the Warwickshire, and once
with the Rufford, and never enjoyed a winter anything
like so much !

300 ROYAL TITLES BILL [chap, xxiii

" April 6. — The King, Queen, and Prince Ruffano
came to luncheon, and went over with us to Daventry
steeplechases. We put four post-horses into the
sociable, and went off with a splash, which, however,
was rather marred b}'' a trace breaking half-way up the
hill. Daventry was on the qui vive, and received the
ex- Royalties extremel}^ well, which pleased them, and
we were glad to do Daventry a good turn. But we
heard afterwards that some of the people tried to hiss
the King and Queen and raise shouts for Garibaldi —
happily neither they nor we heard them. ' Bomba is
coming ' was chalked up on several walls.

" Richmond Park, April 25. — Rainald came to join
me here last week, and we found the dear mother looking
very well and the little place in apple-pie order. Yester-
day we went to Hampton Court, and wandered like
children into the Maze, and roamed about the Palace
together. It is very pleasant to look at the familiar
scenes with another pair of eyes, and we examined
with care which was the Tudor part of the building and
which was William iii.'s. Finally Mrs. Maude took us
to tea at the Stud House, w^here we met Prince Teck,
and had a nice walk home through the Home Park.
To-day we walked over to luncheon at White Lodge
with Princess Mary, Prince Teck, and their four nice
children. They have made the house very pretty, and
were particularly pleasant and friendly. Like everyone
else, they regret extremely the mess that has been made
of the Royal Title, and fear we have not yet seen the
end of it.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, April 28. — We came to town,
and Rainald went to the Duke of Edinburgh's levee,
which I am glad of, as I am anxious he should show
that his abstention from voting was against Dizzy — not
the Queen. Many comments have been made on his
action — more, he says, than he ever knew for merely
staying away ! Last night the Women's Suffrage Bill
was thrown out by 87 — double last year's majority.
Bright turned round, and spoke and voted against us.
I am sorry. London is singularly dull at present.

i876] MY FIRST DERBY

loi

" May 8. — I dined with Nora and Sir Charles
Trevelyan, and had a grand talk about Boarding Out,
Charity Voting, etc. Afterwards, Nora and I went to
hear Tannhdnser at Covent Garden, and were delighted
with it. The story is beautiful, the music wonderfully
fine, and the general effect splendidly dramatic. Albani
acts and looks the character of the pure-minded Eliza-
beth to perfection. The house was a brilliant one. I
saw well-known faces everywhere. The Duchess of West-
minster was in a box, with her lovely little daughter,
Lady Ormonde — a feast for the eyes.

''May II. — Yesterday was taken up with the
Drawing-room, at which I presented Nora Trevelyan
and Nina St. Paul. It was bitterly cold, but not very
full, as the public means to go on Friday and see our
' Wales.' I had a more gracious reception than I
expected, considering Rainald's non-vote. To-da}' I
spent the whole afternoon at Lady Stanhope's in Gros-
venor Place, awaiting the Prince's arrival, on his return
from India. The road was lined with troops, and most
of the houses were decorated. He was very well re-
ceived, and it did one's heart good to see the Princess's
face — she is so glad to have him back. We dined
with Nora, and I sat between Lord Eliot and Mr.
Trevanion. Everyone talking of the extraordinary
death by poisoning of a Mr. Bravo, the second husband
of the Florence Campbell whom I used to know a
thousand years ago at Coombe,

" May 31. — I, Louisa Mary Knightley, did go to the
Derby, and this was the manner of it ! I came down
to Richmond Park with Charley as usual, and then
drove over to Epsom through shady green lanes, finding
no great crowd until we reached the race-course. We
went into the Jockey Club Stand, and found the usual
lot of racing ladies, together with a few others — Lady
Spencer, Lady Dudley, etc. Certainly it is a wonderful
sight — the immense sea of heads, reaching almost as
far as the eye can see, and be3^ond quiet green fields
and woods, and then the pandemonium of shouting.
Petrarch, Lord Dupplin's horse, the winner of the Two
21

302 ROYAL TITLES BILL [chap, xxiii

Thousand, was beaten, and Mr. Baltazzi's colt Kisber
won at a canter. The race was a hollow one and the
victory not popular, so there was no shouting, and what
struck me most was the sea of suddenly uncovered
heads below the Stand. After the race, Rainald and
Charley came to help us out of the squash, and we
came away with perfect ease. And so ends my first and
last Derby day, but I have washed all my life to see the
great national holiday.

" June I. — William Honywood brought the Count
d 'Albany to luncheon. He is the grandson of Charles
Edward's sister by her second husband, a Mr. Hay
Allen, and fought as a boy at Leipzig with Napoleon,
who himself gave him the Legion of Honour, which he
wears, together with many lockets, rings, enamel
buttons, and two long grey ringlets, a braided frock-
coat, and quaintest of all — spurs ! With all these
absurdities, he has a fine head and dignified manners,
and is a great naturalist, knowing all the notes of the
different birds, and ekes out a modest income by making
translations at the British Museum. His wife was a
Miss Beresford, and his son. Colonel Stuart of ' Deer-
hound '1 celebrity, married Lady Alice Hay.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, June 21. — This afternoon I
went with Mamma and Sophy to St. James's Hall to hear
P6re Hyacinthe. The Duke of Argyll introduced him
to the densely crowded meeting in a few well-chosen
sentences, and then he commenced an oration on the
two requisites for reform in the Latin Church, z.^.* rupture
avec la Papaut^ et maintien de I'ordre dans I'figlise.'
He is singularly eloquent ; his language was forcible and
elegant, especially in one passage in which he lamented
the destruction of Lacordaire and Montalembert's great
scheme of reform, and another in which he anticipated
the da}^ when Latin, Greek, and Anglican Churches shall
all unite on the basis of the Apostles' Creed. Would
God it might be so ! Mr. Gladstone appeared on the
platform, and was received with warm applause ; but

^ The yacht Deerhound was at hand when the Alabama was sunk oflE
Cherbourg, on June 19, 1864.

1876] SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT 303

the Protestant element was strongly represented, and
the curious medlej^ of people assembled was a sight to
behold.

" June 24. — We went to see the Prince's Indian
presents, the carpets and hangings struck me especially,
also the gold filigree and a palanquin of inlaid ivory ;
but there was a great crowd, and we were glad to take
shelter in the cool, quiet National Portrait Gallery — the
best history lesson I know. We dined with dear old
Lyveden, and went on to Dizzy's party at the Foreign
Office, to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales. It
was a great crowd, but a brilliant scene, and as Rainald
came with me I enjoyed myself much, hearing him talking
to different Ministers. He introduced me to Sir William
Harcourt — ' Historicus.' I wonder if that man has a
great career before him? He has the talent, but as to
principle I Sir Stafford Northcote told us a delightful
story of some Yankee who remarked to a friend of his,
' Well, I guess you know how to manage j^'our scandals 1
There's Sir Stafford Northcote, now ! More public
money passes through his hands than through those of
any man in Europe, and he's never been found out
yet! '

" July 8. — I went off by myself down to Cumber-
land Lodge, to have luncheon with Princess Christian,
who is only now beginning to recover from the loss of
her baby. She was very nice and dear, talked a good
deal of the Royal Titles Bill and said she quite under-
stood Rainald 's vote from his point of view, but wished
she could have seen me at the time to talk it over.
Princess Amelia of Schleswig-Holstein was there — very
pleasant as usual."

At the end of the month Sir Rainald and Lady
Knightley again went to Homburg,with Mrs. Gage and
her son Harry as their companions. They found plenty
of friends, among them Prince Arenberg, whose gloomy
views of the progress of Socialism and the downfall of
Prussia once more impressed Lady Knightley deeply.
The Bravo case then going on at home was the chief
topic of conversation among the English visitors.

304 ROYAL TITLES BILL [chap, xxiii

" Homburg, August 9. — We have found plenty of
acquaintances here, among others Prince and Princess
Colonna (the Th^rese Caracciolo of Lamington three
years ago), the Clevelands, who are particularly pleasant
and sociable,theClancartys,Rosslyns, and Lord Warwick.
Mr. Charles Russell ^ is the height of fashion, on account
of his intimate knowledge of the Bravo case. Sir Mon-
tagu vSmith, who has just arrived, takes a different view
of it. Lord Henry Lennox's resignation, in consequence
of his having been mixed up with Baron Grant over
the Lisbon Tramways, is still the subject of much dis-
cussion. There is some idea of reinstating him, which
would be disastrous both for him and the Government.
But the money is of great importance to him, and Sir
Montagu quotes the old adage, ' An empty sack cannot
stand upright.' Mrs. Bravo stands revealed as a
worthless, drunken wretch, still I do not see that the
murder is clearly brought home to her. The Grand
Duke of Mecklenburg and H.R.H. of Cambridge have
arrived, and Mr. KnatchbuU-Hugessen, whom I find ver}'-
amusing. We dined on Saturday with the Sassoons
and Macclesfields and the blind Grand Duke, with
whom I have made friends at the Springs, and who is
very cheerful and good-humoured. Dizzy's elevation
to the peerage is generally approved. He is getting too
old for House of Commons work.

" Metz, August 15. — We took leave of Sophy and
Harry and left Homburg at 9 a.m.. Lord Warwick and
Lord Clancarty coming to see us off. We came here
up the valley of Nahe, by Kreuznach and Forbach,
through very pretty scenery ; but what fills one with
astonishment is that the French could ever have dreamt
of invading Germany by a line every inch of which
could be so easily defended. It is awful to think of
the misery and bloodshed that has been concentrated on
this smiling country. Would one could think it were all
over ! Lord Winmarleigh, who arrived yesterday, says
the whole town has been en fete for the Assumption of

1 Afterwards Sir Charles Russell and Lord Russell of Killowen, Attorney-
General 1886, and Lord Chief Justice 1894.

18/6] GRAVELOTTE 305

the Virgin — really the fete-day of Napoleon — and going
into the Cathedral he heard a violent sermon by a
cardinal in abuse of the Prussians !

" August 16. — The anniversary of the battle of
Vionville, and we spent it in a prolonged and most
interesting examination of the field of Gravelotte.
We drove first through a pretty wooded valley up to
Amanvilliers, and then came out upon a vast tableland.
Here the French were posted, and up this the Germans
advanced to S. Privat, without an atom of shelter,
and were mowed down like ripe corn ; but in the mean-
time the Saxons got their artillery into position on the
other side and took S. Privat in flank, thus deciding
the battle. Our driver, a most intelligent man who had
himself served in the French artillery on that day,
told us that Canrobert, who commanded the Sixth Corps
at the end of the line, telegraphed three times over
to Bazaine for ammunition. Twice no answer came ;
the third time Bazaine telegraphed that he wanted all
he had got for the defence of Metz, while at the same
time he kept an immense reserve of cavalry doing
nothing ! If ever there was a traitor, it was that man !
Our cocker was most indignant with Thiers for not having
him shot, and said if ever Bazaine came to Metz, the
women would be the death of him. From vS. Privat
we drove down the hill, passing numerous monuments
and crosses to S. Marie-les-Chenes, and by a road which
divided the two armies, past Verveville, where a fearful
struggle raged round a farmhouse, to Gravelotte — a
quiet , dirty village, now of bloody fame ! Here two roads
to Verdun come in, and along here the battles of Mars-
la-Tour and Vionville were fought on the i6th. Turning
east, we ascended a steep hill up which the Germans
charged under Steinmetz, leaving the quarry half-way up
full of their dead bodies. The farm of S. Hubert just
above was taken and re-taken three times, but finally
the Prussians remained in possession of it, and at this
end also the battle was won, though at what an awful
cost ! There were monuments here at every step, and
at the top of the hill I read upon one the name of Herr

3o6 ROYAL TITLES BILL [chap, xxiii

von Jasmund, whom I met at Potsdam eight years ago
and had that dispute with about Frederic William i.
of Prussia. It was a curious coincidence. ^

" From the top of this hill we had a beautiful view
of Metz and the surrounding country, and descending
rapidl}^ returned to ' La Pucelle,' as she ought still
to be called, as but for treachery she never could have
fallen ! Our cocker showed us several villages where
the Germans were posted, right under the guns of
S. Quentin, and never a shot was fired at them.

" Reims, Hdtel du Lion d'Or, August i8. — Yesterday
we travelled here by slow train — a very hot, tedious
journey, changing at S. Hilaire and turning north past
the camp of Chalons, the scene of Attila's great battle.
We walked up from the station, and came suddenly upon
the glorious west front of the Cathedral, which is indeed
a thing of beauty — unequalled in grandeur of conception
and richness of detail. The great rose-windows and the
exquisite stained glass give it a peculiar charm. This
morning we went back and studied the noble portals
on the north side, with their quaint representations of
the Last Judgment — the Devil leading kings and priests
in chains to a blazing cauldron, and on the other side
our Lord w4th children in His arms and angels bringing
others to Him. We went back and back again to the
wonderful west front and the glorious rose-windows,
and tore ourselves reluctantly away, feeling we should
probably never see it again. Reims is a very inaccessible
place nowadays, and evidently few strangers go there.
At the hotel they would not take a circular note, and
the station-master refused both English banknotes and
German gold, which Rainald says never happened to him
before.

" Fawsley, August 22. — Ah ! how delightful to find
ourselves, after all our wanderings, safe in this dear

* It was of this brave officer that the Crown Prince of Germany wrote
in his diary on September 8, 1870: " Rheims. — I am sorely grieved at
Jasmund's death. Few were as gifted and very few as absolutely devoted
as he was. I had hoped great things from him in the future" [Deutsche
Rundschau, October 1888).

1876] BULGARIAN ATROCITIES 307

[home, in this lovely summer weather. We settled down
livery easily and happily, and played croquet with Val.
iRainald went beaking {i.e. electioneering), and I went to
iBadby and visited all my friends.

" The Eastern question becomes more and more
lanxious and complicated. I can quite feel with Rainald
when he says he is thankful not to be in the Cabinet.
[The horrors in Bulgaria make one's blood boil, and the
tide of feeling all over the country is rising rapidly.
Meetings are being held everywhere. A good deal of the
excitement is due to party, but everyone must share
in it to a great extent and blame Sir Henry Elliot and
Dizzy. Still, it is very embarrassing for the Govern-
ment, and our position as a country is most painful and
perplexing. Rainald and I talk Eastern question all
day long, but never come to any satisfactory con-
clusion.

" September 10. — I read Mr. Gladstone's pamphlet
on the Bulgarian atrocities. There is a great deal of
truth in it, very damaging to the Government. His
speech at Blackheath is much more moderate. Rainald
went to Brackley for the Agricultural Show and dinner,
at which he had to speak — I own to feeling anxious on
the subject. Every utterance at this moment is of
vital importance, especially with the Bucks election
pending.

" September 16. — I think, as far as I can judge, I ap-
prove of Rainald 's speech, but oh ! I do wish that the
Right and the Expedient for England did not appear at
this moment to be two different things. Rainald fears
a general war, with all its horrors and miseries. May
God avert it,

' ' September 1 8 . — A long, very prudent , and colourless
speech from Sir Stafford Northcote. The other lot have
quite broken out. Mr. Gladstone's letter and the Duke
of Argyll's and Mr. Lowe's speeches betray such bitter
spirit, I am quite disgusted. Mr. Baring's report is out
at last, and fully confirms all the main outlines of the
Bulgarian horrors. . . . Dizzy makes a very bold speech
at Aylesbury, with a violent attack on Gladstone,

3o8 ROYAL TITLES BILL [chap, xxiii

passing over in total silence the crimes which have
stirred the country so deeply. I fear it will do great
harm."

During that autumn the Eastern question remained
the one absorbing topic of thought and conversation,
alike in Lady Knightley's quiet hours at Fawsley and
in the Scottish country-houses — Blair Drummond,
Lindertis, etc. — where the most of October was spent.

" The Eastern question," she writes on October 7,
" has assumed a new phase, owing to Russia's proposal
that she should occupy Bulgaria, and the public is be-
ginning to come to its senses, and to see that what, as
Lady Barrington told us to-da}'. Sir William Harcourt
had said is but too true of the Liberals : ' We don't
care a hang for the Bulgarians ; we only want to turn the
Government out.' Mr. Forster has not joined in this
disgraceful agitation, and now Turkey has agreed to an
armistice ; but what Russia will say to this remains to
be seen."

Raby Castle, Darlington, October 18. — We made a
careful and prolonged inspection of this magnificent
old pile, and most bewildering it is — only the Duchess's
clever handbook gives one any clue to the labyrinth.
It has been sadly altered and spoiled, but the external
walls, of enormous strength and thickness, have been
here probabl}^ since Canute's time, and certainly since
1378. The kitchen is a wonderful sight, and the baron's
hall also very fine. We walked round the outside of the
castle, by far the most striking part, and went over the
roof, which gives one a good idea of the different towers.
Afterwards we walked down to the church at Staindrop,
and saw the tombs of the Nevilles, Earls of Westmore-
land, who lost Raby after the Rising of the North, when
the then Earl was exiled. The Vanes bought it in 1639.
The latest memories are of Mr. Gladstone's visit,
when he inscribed himself in the visitors' book as
' anti-Bashi-bazouk,' and cut down an old tree. The
Duke, however, was much annoyed at the speech which
he made at Staindrop. Warlike rumours thicken
every day. The funds have fallen more heavily than

1876] CONFERENCE AT CONSTANTINOPLE 309

before the Crimea, and it seems almost impossible that
war can be averted. The Duchess of Edinburgh, who
has great influence with her father, is said to use it
all in favour of Turkey, but the Princess Dolgorouki,
to whom he is much attached, uses hers for Servia ; so he
vacillates between the two.

" Winmarleigh yGarstang y Lancashire , October 22 . — We
spent a very nice Sunday with old Lord Winmarleigh,
a wonderful old man of seventy-five, who represented
the whole of Lancashire with Lord Derby's grandfather
before the Reform Bill, and was present at the Coronation
of the Emperor Nicholas at Moscow in 1826. Yet he
seems as hale and active as a boy, and fulfils every
duty of life — serving his country, caring for his church
and poor people, and is the best and kindest of fathers.
Verily such men are the salt of the earth !

" Fawsley, November 2. — ^The papers brought very
bad news. Just when the armistice was all but signed,
Russia, maddened by Servia's defeat, presented an
ultimatum demanding a six weeks' armistice and auto-
nomy for the three provinces. Mercifully Turkey has
given way, and we have a breathing space. Lord
Hartington makes a capital speech, moderate and fair —
wonderful to say, considering his position. Gladstone
has completely discredited himself, although some —
Lord Spencer, for instance — still go with him.

" November 10. — Dizzy made an excellent speech at
the Mansion House — plucky, dignified , and statesmanlike .
An admirable state paper of Lord Derby's is published,
giving a resume of all that has passed since August.
Two especial points I note — one that Russia made
her proposal of occupation to us as well as to Austria ;
the other, that we had to threaten to withdraw Sir
Henry Elliot before Turkey would agree to the armistice.
But it is a comfort to see England once more taking
her proper place in the great European drama. And
the best news of all is that Lord Salisbury goes as
Plenipotentiary to the Conference at Constantinople.
He is the very best man that could be chosen — bold,
independent, a man of great powers, great position, and

310 ROYAL TITLES BILL [chap, xxiii

above all a Christian. God speed him ! The Czar
has pledged his word to Lord Augustus Loftus that
he does not want Constantinople, and has desired the
dispatch to be published. Meanwhile, he mobilises
his army, makes preparations for war, and contracts
a fresh loan.

" January 11, 1877. — Harry and I went to Ga3^ton
to stay with the E3'k3nis for the Northampton ball. We
found the King of Naples paying a visit, with a little
chevalier who spoke execrable French, and a very
long time they sat there. Both he and the Queen are
violently pro-Turkish. Colonel Burnaby ('Reindeer')
and his wife were staying there as well as Lord and Lady
Vane, Miss Mostyn, Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, and
Mr. Rupert Carington, the defeated candidate for
Bucks, who talked a great deal of Radical rubbish.
The ball was pretty and cheery, and I danced and
enjoyed m3^self like an old goose.

" Orwell Park, Ipswich, January 15. — We came here
to find Lady Cork, with three daughters, the Duke of
Cambridge, Lord and Lady Dorchester, etc., an enter-
taining but not very harmonious party. On dit, that
Mr. Delane retires from the Times, and probably Mr.
Borthwick will succeed him. One stor}^ is that Russia
has bought thirteen shares in the paper. It has
certainly been playing Russia's game all the winter,
and abusing the Government, who consequently give
all their information to the Daily Telegraph. To-da}''
it alone has the news that the Powers have abandoned
all their points but one — the International Commission.

" January 20. — I came to town and lunched with
Nora Trevelyan, where I met Mr. George Trevelyan,
and heard as strong anti-Turk views as I have heard
pro-Turk all the week, the said Turks having at a
grand council refused to listen to any of the Powers'
propositions and left them all planUs Id. It remains
to be seen if ' le revolver Russe a raU,^ as some people
say, or whether it has only ' recuU pour niieux sauter.'

" Claridge's, February 8. — The Queen opened Parlia-
ment, and was very well received. I went to see

1 877] LADY SALISBURY 311

Princess Christian at Buckingham Palace, and we
talked almost entirely Eastern question. People say
that Lady Salisbury made great mistakes at Con-
stantinople, was tres liee with Madame Ignatieff, and
quarrelled with Lady Elliot and Madame Midhat.
The truth is that undoubtedly both she and he are
much more anti-Turkish than the rest of the Cabinet.
However, Lord Salisbury speaks highly of the present
Sultan, who has only one wife, and spends much less
money than his predecessors. All the world that could,
went to see ' the Earl of Beaconsfield ' take his seat ! "

CHAPTERXXIV ;

The Balkan War and Congress of Berlin

1877-1878

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, April 24. — The long, long sus-
pense has come to an end, the Russians have crossed
the Pruth, and their charge d'affaires has left Con-
stantinople. Where will it all end ? and what misery
there will be first, although, as the Times says, we
utterly fail to realise it, and were far more concerned
about the five colliers who were dug out last week
after being buried for ten days. To-morrow — or rather
to-day, for it is past midnight — I am going to be thirty-
five — half-way through my life.

" April 25. — I hope the said birthday is not to be
an emblem of the coming year, for I have not had five
minutes' pause from morning to night. Parliamentary
papers, house-books, a visit to Mary Wheatley, then to
Christie's to see Baron Grant's pictures. Oh, such a
crowd I Then to choose a bag which Rainald has given
me. Mother gave me Turner and Ruskin's Harbours
of England. Then to a capital rehearsal of Hercules —
a cantata of Handel's never given in London before.
Home to scurry over the papers, which, alas ! contain
the formal declaration of war. Sir Thomas and Mary
Wheatley to dinner, and a party at Mrs. Hardy's.
Rather amusing this was — Colonel Burnaby of Khiva
to look at, the Chinese Ambassadors, and poor Musurus
Pacha, looking worn, ill, and aged. Rainald said to
him, * Moi, je suis Tare jusq'au bout des doigts.'
His face lighted up as he replied, ' Ah, que je vous
remercie, tous les vrais Anglais sont comme-^a ! ' I

[877] A VISIT TO WINDSOR 313

:ould not have said it, and feel more and more that I
late the whole thing.

" Windsor Castle, May 16. — This afternoon we came
iown here, where I certainly had never expected to
:ome again. I carried Rainald off at once to the
ibrary, where we spent a delightful hour looking at
drawings by Raphael and Leonardo, etc. Nothing
struck me more than some studies of sprays and leaves
vvhich are quite wonderfully drawn. Prince Leo joined
us, and showed us some interesting miniatures of the
Tudors and Stuarts, especially one of Mary Queen of
Scots which belonged to Charles i. She has brown
e^'es, a pale face, and reddish hair, and altogether
an attractive face, but which gives little clue to her
extraordinary fascination. A miniature of Anna, sister
of the Duchess of Kent and wife of the Grand-Duke
Constantine, an elder brother of Czar Nicholas, led to
the Prince telling me that she once told her niece, the
Queen, that she was in the next room to the Emperor
Paul when he was murdered, and heard the struggle.
Our company at dinner consisted of the Queen, Princess
Beatrice, Prince Leopold, Prince Christian, the Duchess
of Edinburgh, Lord and Lady Elgin, Lord and Lady
Ormonde, Lord Hawarden, Lady Gainsborough, and
Sir Stafford Northcote, who amused us all with his
ghost-stories. One curious story was about Howth
Castle, near Dublin, where, until within the last twenty
years, it was the custom to lay an extra knife and fork
for dinner every day. Centuries ago, a powerful chief-
tainess came to the castle, and being refused admission
because the family were at dinner, avenged herself
by kidnapping the son and heir. From that time
the hall door was never closed during meals, and an
extra place was alwa3^s laid.

" The Queen was most kind and gracious, and after
talking to her some time after dinner we joined the
Household and played a rubber with Prince Leo.

" May 17. — We spent another delightful morning
in the library and armoury, where are trophies of every
age and land. We saw the spoils of Tippoo Sahib, his

314 THE BALKAN WAR [chap, xxiv S

standard with huge emeralds, the jewelled peacock
from the top of his umbrella, the bullet which killed
Nelson, and armour belonging to Columbus, Charles v.,
Marlborough, Charles i., etc., and finally tore ourselves
away with great regret after a very pleasant and success-
ful visit.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, June 5. — I went to Lowther
Lodge, to find heaps of people and amateur drawings,
amongst others an excellent likeness by Princess Louise
of my poor friend Mr. Motley, who died a few days ago.
I came home with Hairy, and had a pleasant visit from
Mr. Mackenzie Wallace, who seems to like Russia and
the Russians much better than it is the fashion to do
just now. We dined with the Archbishop of York, and
I sat between Lord Clinton and Mr. Venables of the
Times and Saturday Review. He told me that the real
cause of the quarrel between Mr. Roebuck and J. S.
Mill was not the respective merits of Wordsworth and
Byron, but the fact that Mr. Roebuck remonstrated
with Mill when he lost his head about Mrs. Taylor. He
also talked of Maurice and Kingsley, and said that
Maurice did not like to be told that Kingsley had
imbibed his opinions from him, preferring to think
that another original mind had arrived at the same
conclusions, just as J. S. Mill's adoration of his wife
was caused by her reflecting his opinions.

" J^^ly 12. — We went to an extremely pleasant and
quite small garden-party at Marlborough House. Why
we were asked I cannot imagine, as most of the Chiswick
list were omitted, not only ' the Prince's mixture,' but
many others with just as much claim to be asked as
ourselves. However, there it was, and I found it very
enjoyable. The Queen was most gracious and Princess
Christian very nice. Rainald introduced me to John
Bright, who has an honest, clever face and very good
manners. But I cannot forgive him the mischief which
he has done by saying that the Russian merchantmen
may not pass the Dardanelles, and men like Lords Henley
and Wolverton actually believe it ! Meanwhile, the
Russians are making alarming progress and are breaking

1 877] THE PIGGOTT INCIDENT 315

through the Balkans in every direction — so one gathers
from man}'^ contradictory telegrams. In all the wars
I remember — and they have been many in the last
twenty-three years — we have never been so utterlj'-
without reliable information.

" July 16. — Rainald very proud of himself because
he beat the Government last night, speaking and
voting against a job of Dizzy's in giving his rector's
son, Mr. Pigott, a post ^ for which he was not properly
qualified. They were only beat by four, so I dare say
he turned the scale. He hears that the reason why the
Pall Mall abuses Gladstone steadily is because he would
not allow W. R. Greg {Enigmas of Life), who has just
resigned this same office, to let the house belonging to it.

" July 21. — Dizzy made a capital speech last night
in the House of Lords, putting the Pigott incident in
a totally different light and proving it to be a mistake,
not a job, which makes a great difference. The debate
is to be reopened on Monday, and Rainald is sorely
puzzled how to act, for still it is not a good appointment.
We went to Holland House, which was crowded in spite
} of the apparent collapse of the season. The Prince was
there, but not the Princess, owing to her eldest boy's
illness of tj^phoid fever. We dined with the Hertfords,
and Count Gleichen announced that the 26th and 13th
sail for Malta on Wednesday. The news sent a thrill
through us all, and both my neighbours, Colonel Lindsay
and Lord Yarmouth, exclaimed, ' I wish I were going ! '
like thorough Englishmen.

" July 23. — I spent all the afternoon and evening
at the House of Commons, which was densely crowded
at question time, everyone hoping to hear something
about the troops ; but Sir Stafford only said they were
going to Malta. Then came an Irish row, in which
Parnell, Power, and O'Donnell made themselves more
offensive one than another, and Mr. Chaplin told them
they were no gentlemen ,at which they naturally gibbered .
' Toute verite n'est pas bonne a dire.' I rushed home
to dress and dine, while the wretched Rainald remained,

1 That of Comptroller of the Stationery Office.

316 THE BALKAN WAR [chap, xxiv

and when I got back they were well into the Pigott
incident. Sir Stafford made a very nice speech, so did
Mr. W. H. vSmith and Lord Hartington. Then Rainald
and .Sir George Bowyer rose together ; but there was a
roar of ' Knightley,' and he said a few generous words,
after which Sir Walter Barttelot's resolution was agreed
to without a division.

" Colonel B came to luncheon and stayed on

afterwards. It is the first time I have seen him since
some good while before I married. He was ver}^ friendly,
and Rainald w^as very nice to him. It took me back to
old times and to the episode in my life which I always
remember with self-reproach. But oh ! how can I be
thankful enough for such a husband ! "

August was spent as usual at Homburg, the Knight-
leys being once more accompanied by Mrs. Gage and
her son, who had lately succeeded to the peerage on
the death of his grandfather, Lord Gage.

" Hofnburg, i Kisseliff Strasse, Ajignst 3. — Here we
are safe at bright little Homburg, ' quite at home,' as
our excellent little landlord phrased it, in our old quarters,
and have already begun drinking and walking as if we
were not a year older ! Plenty of people, including
Captain Burnab}?- of Khiva fame, and plenty of books,
and nothing to do but to enjoy both. It is a very jolly
life, and I thoroughly enjoy the rest. The great excite-
ment has been that last Tuesda}^ July 31, the House
met at 3 .4 5 and sat till 6 . i o p .m . on Wednesday — twenty-
six and a half hours ! Such a thing not having been
known since the days of the Long Parliament. All to
carry the South Africa Bill against the determined
obstruction of five Irish members — Parnell, Biggar,
O'Donnell, etc. The Russians have been defeated both
north and south of the Balkans. It remains to be seen if
the Turks can follow up their success. Captain Burnaby
says he would rather command Turkish than English
troops — they fight as well, march better, and live on less.
I wonder if he is as clever as he thinks himself ! He is
a desperate Radical, and has very little religion, but,
like many others I know of little faith, seems to take

1 877] KONIGSTEIN 317

pleasure in active good works. Well, our Lord says,
Judge not, that ye be not judged.' Only we Christians
ought to be a great deal better than they are, and I am
not at all sure that we always are. Mr. W. H. Smith's
appointment to succeed poor Mr. Ward Hunt, who
died here last week, gives great satisfaction. We dined
at the Kursaal to-night with the Tweeddales (she was a
Miss Bartolozzi) and a large party, including Countess
Usedom and her daughter, Countess Hildegarde, a
gigantic, gushing German damsel, who amused me a
good deal. I was busy writing my paper Fetters and
Follies of Fashion, which interests me much.

" Monday, August 21 . — Here is a week gone by, and
not a line of Journal written — very like Homburg. 1
must trj" and make it up. There have not been many
events except a very amusing expedition to Konigstein,
in company with Countess Bernstorff, the Usedoms,
Miss Malcolm, Sir George Dallas, and Baron Lohe, a
Prussian Ultramontane and great lover of England
and things English. It was great fun to hear Baron
Lohe and Countess Hildegarde dispute about the
respective merits of England and Germany, all in perfect
good temper, but with a vehemence perfectly startling
to our ideas ! However, I agree with him in the main,
and should not like to live under the paternal govern-
ment of Bismarck, whom they are all greatly afraid of
displeasing. Land in Germany often lets at twelve
shillings an acre — a striking contrast to East Lothian,
where Lord Tweeddale says it is often let at £6 or £y !
Konigstein is a fine old ruined castle, beautifully situated
at the foot of the Feldberg, with lovely views over the
Frankfort plains, and the spires of Worms in the far
distance."

From Homburg the party went on to Heidelberg, the
Lake of Geneva, and Chamonix, where Lady Knightley
enjoyed the glories of Mont Blanc and saw wonderful
sunsets over the Alpine snows, returning by Dijon,
where she had stayed on her memorable journey sixteen
years before.

At Ouchy the news of Thiers' death had reached
22

3i8 THE BALKAN WAR [chap, xxiv

the travellers, and on arriving in Paris they found that
his funeral was already over. " It was not a state
funeral, Madame Thiers having chosen to insist that
the 363 Deputies of the recently dissolved Chamber
should immediately follow the family. This MacMahon
refused to allow, so it took place very quietly, and a lot of
troops were ordered out to prevent any disturbance. Sad!
to perpetuate political squabbles over an open grave ! "

The autumn and winter were spent as usual at
Fawsley, where Lady Knightley devoted herself, with her
wonted energy , to G.F.S. work, mothers' meetings, classes,
and hunting, and watched the trend of Eastern affairs
and the electoral struggle in France with keen interest.

"Fawsley, Sunday, October 14. — To-morrow the
French elections begin. I wonder how they will turn? Our
papers are so violently anti-MacMahon that it is difficult
to judge, but it looks as if he or his Cabinet were carrying
things with a very high hand. We walked to Badby
after church, and were admiring the lovely autum_n
tints in the warm, bright sunshine, little dreaming of the
awful night that was in store for us and that we should
wake to a scene of the most frightful desolation. A
violent hurricane sprang up in the night , and this morning
the park is literally strewn with debris, and many,
many magnificent trees are utterly destroj^ed. The
elms opposite the front door, the fine chestnuts bej^ond,
the cedar which was damaged by the snow two 3''ears
ago, three or four fine ash outside the Dingle, a splendid
oak near the road going to Badby Wood — in short, it is
perfectly heart-breaking, and poor Rainald, who so loved
and delighted in his trees, is quite overwhelmed. We
went out to look at the degdt, and found that one hundred
and thirty trees had been blown down, besides many
which are entirely ruined, while there are but few which
have not suffered in some degree.

" October 23. — The French elections cannot be said to
be a triumph for either party, but the Republicans have
a majority of over a hundred. ' Honours divided,' as
a writer in the Times describes it, ' but the Republicans
have the trick.' I think, as Gambetta has tersely ex

1878] AT SOTTERLEY 319

pressed it, MacMahon ought either ' se soumettre ou se
demettre.' He seems disposed to do neither. Neither
party is strong enough to be generous, and bitter are
the recriminations on both sides. A curious fact is
that nearly two milHon voters did not go to the poll.

" Sottei'ley, Suffolk, Sunday, November 25. — The
Sunday next before Advent, just the Sunday I have
so often spent here ! It seemed very nice to go to
church here again, and see the dear old building, every
line of which I know and love, and the changing lights
which I have so often watched. But there were hardly
more than two or three faces I knew, and the yews and
cypresses lound my dear father's grave remind me how
the years have flown. One of m\^ favourite Sunday-
school boys, Harry Briggs, was ' asked ' in church.
After service I roamed about with St. John, looking at
their various improvements, which I like on the whole,
and poked about among the books in the library, which,
often as I have dusted them, I do not half know.

" Claridge's Hotel, December 3. — Rainald and I had
a great treat in going to see the admirable collection of
drawings at the Grosvenor Gallery, mostly belonging to
Mr. Malcolm of Poltalloch or to the Queen. In the even-
ing we went to the Opera Comique, to see a ver}'^ amus-
ing bit of nonsense called The Sorcerer, by Gilbert, set to
music by Sullivan. I have not laughed so much for long.
" Fawsley, December 11. — Plevna has fallen, after
a most prolonged and gallant defence. What next ?
one asks anxiously. The country is divided and uneasy.
I am reading with the deepest interest the third volume
of the Prince Consort's Life just published, treating of the
Crimean War, when some of our statesmen were as un-
patriotic as the}?- are now. Fancy a man of Lord
Henley's intelligence saying that it won't hurt us if
the Russians do get Constantinople ! And Mr. Forster
evidently is of the same opinion.

" Claridge's Hotel, January 17, 1878. — We came to
town, and found everybody on the tiptoe of expectation
as to what the Queen's speech might reveal. Between
.the opening of Parliament and the debate, everyone put

320 THE BALKAN WAR [chap, xxiv

different interpretations on the passage about supplies.
Meanwhile the Russians are advancing rapidly, and
unless peace is promptly signed, we must intervene.

" Fawsley, January 25. — Very exciting news ! Lord
Carnarvon has resigned, and important orders have
been sent to the fleet. The Duke of Cambridge was
summoned to town from Orwell last Wednesday.
One cannot but rejoice that something is being done
to arrest the onward march of the Russians, who are
already perilously near Constantinople.

" January 27.-— I had three letters presenting a
curious contrast — one from Princess Christian praising
Disraeli's wise, far-seeing conduct, and characterising
Lord Derby (who resigned with Lord Carnarvon, and
withdrew his resignation) as the worst Foreign Minister
England has ever had ; one from Big Ben saying, ' We
must vote with the Government as the least of two
evils ' ; and a third from Mr. Holthouse, the mouthpiece
of many High Church clergy, begging Rainald to vote
against the additional supplies, adding : ' I have never
had any confidence in Lord Beaconsfield, and confess I
shall not breathe easy as long as he is in office, and this
war goes on.'

" January 29. — Our anxious suspense continues.
Ihe terms of peace are monstrous, and our fleet having
gone up the Dardanelles, has returned to Besika Bay.
All sorts of rumours are afloat as to what course Lord
Hartington's mutinous crew will take, and how many
Conservatives will vote with the Government.

" February 4. — A delightful hunting day. The meet
was at Preston, and we were standing by Badby Wood
when a telegram was brought to Rainald, begging him
to come up at once for the division. This was most
unexpected, but Rainald was off in little over half
an hour. ' Dizzy has resigned,' was Sir Thomas Bate-
son's morning greeting — ' the Privy vSeal ' was the end
of his sentence. The Duke of Northumberland succeeds
him, — plucky to join the Cabinet at such an anxious
moment,— and Lord Spencer gives up the Pytchley,
which means that he wants to save money to fight the

,878] RUSSIAN ADVANCE 321

county. But the armistice is signed at last. Altogether,

a very exciting day. . t„j

-February 8.-Rainald need not have been hunted
off so • they won't divide till I don't know when !
Yesterday's "rumour of the Russian advance on Con-
stantinopi was confirmed by Sir S. Northcote m he
House on Mr. Layard's authority and contrad,cted
half an hour later on that of Prince Gortschakoff The
crisis is so monientous that one can hardly grasp its full
meaning, and in the middle of it all the Pope is dead-
^loNono. At any other time it would have made a
great sensation, now we have no time o th'nk °f ' '
for the Russians have advanced to. '^e Unes of Tcha
aldia twenty miles from Constantinople, and there is
nothing to prevent them from taking the city whenever
thlypfease'^ This is what two years of vacillation have
brought us to ! Lord Hartington and Mr. Ghidstone
have apparently entirely broken with each other, and
they say Schouvaloff is constantly with Lady Derby.and
ge J everything out of her. It is enough to make one
think women had better know nothing about polics

•■ February 15 --The fleet has gone up at last, and
is anchored ten miles south of Scutari. What -.11 be
the next act in this wonderful drama ? It would be a
comedy if it were not a tragedy.

•' Wakefield Lodge, Stony Stratford Februaryjg.--
We diove over here this afternoon by Weedon and
Toweester. Our party consists of the Pnnce Imperial,
the Due de Bassano. uncle to the Duchess oiGM
Lord Strathnairn.Lady Elizabeth B'ddulph, Mr. George
Pennant, Colonel and Mrs. Stuart, a"d the Alfred FU
rovs. I sat by the Prince, who speaks Engl>sh f^uenUy,
but with a strong French accent. H^'^^^ little man
not o-ood-looking, and with the same melancholy expres
skmlis his fathe? whom Rainald says he much resembles
p'r 1 ttle fellow! he has already been the >---"' -"f,
of a fearful war. What will be his history in the future .■

''''February .O.-The hounds met at Wakefield Law
and I could not help thinking, as I rode on to the ground
beside the Prince Imperial, how many interesting people

3" THE BALKAN WAR [chap, xxiv

I have come across-sitting at luncheon between the
Crown Pr,nce of Prussia and the Duke of Augu lenbure
piloting the ex-King of Naples in the hunt nefield'
and no.v nding to hounds with Napoleon m's only
son. We had a good day's sport, and I did a little G F S
busmess, and told Mr. Praed about Clause ,6 of the
Factones and Workshops Act. Bismarck ha spoken
and li,s speech resolves itself into, ' Bless you my

rtTurt'i^e'^ 'vir ra^ 1^ ' " f -- -"' -^

a-St'be O '' ^^y^-^^^^:^^^^.i.
and that the Queen was frantic at the idea I

-^IH V !'"F 2i.-We took a charming walk in the
old Forest this morning, and after lunche'on drove wth
the Pnnce and Lady Elizabeth to Stowe It is an
enormous palace of a place, standing well on a hill over
lookmg a lake and a fine arch with a three"mile avenue

see temples, obelisks, statues, all laid out with great
a te, but a melancholy picture of decadence, neg ect and

a her-s ext^ir™' °"'' °' Buckingham, ruinfd by hi^
lather s extravagance, is gone as Governor to Madras

The Pri, fce'wh'r^' l"T '""^'"^ f"^'"™ ^^ desott !
talked a ^nnHd'^T ^''}'''° ^'^" ^^^^ *y ^"d silent,
talked a good deal and was very pleasant. He said

Henri L'm '"f ■ ""'' °^ ^^^^^^h Memoirs, and that

Ritn.J I ^ "'' '°'^^'' ^"d told us of the Dame

the pt'sIn'p^'^T'"^ ""''r '''' "^^^'h of a member of
the Prussian Royal Family, and of ' Le Grand Veneur '

hea?; b'er: t e"rattfT'/'^°^%t- "^"^ '^'^

'f^r 'r kt'.s ' 'P^f <inS.ti^rt'ouXf

north of F^ ,' ''""u* ■^^'^'^ ^" o'<^ «'0"ia" i" thf

north of France ask to be touched by the Empress.

Lord Derhl.f -^^^ ^"""^ ^'^'=^"«^'l by the news of
Lord Derby s resignation, and the calling out of the
R erye orces. It seems as if war could not be averted

earnest, will cave in.

1878] A DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS 323

" April 9. — A most able State paper has been issued
by Lord Salisbury, now Minister for Foreign Affairs,
bringing out the whole bearing of this infamous Treaty
of San Stefano, and its menace to our interests. It has
already produced an immense effect abroad. Everyone
is astonished and delighted to find that England can
speak out as of 3^ore. We drove to Northampton Races,
taking a large part}^ — Lady Stradbroke and her girls, the
Carysforts, Sir Thomas Western, Harry, etc. The Prince
and Princess of Wales brought the Crown Prince and
Princess of Denmark. Our Princess looked prettier than
ever, but I thought pale and sad. Rainald had to leave
the races to go up for a division on calling out the
Reserves. The majority was enormous — 319 to 64. A
very fine debate in the House of Lords. Lord Salisbury
and Lord Beaconsfield both spoke admirably. Prince
Gortschakofif 's answer to Lord Salisbury's circular is more
pacific than might have been expected.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, May 20. — This afternoon
Rainald took me to the House of Lords to hear the
debate on moving the Indian troops to Malta . Certainly
a great debate in the Lords is a very stately thing. The
House was crowded, the Peeresses' Gallery very full, the
Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and the
Princess of Wales being up there, and the Prince of
Wales and Duke of Cambridge were in their places on
the cross-benches, where I also saw Lords St. Germans,
Strathnairn, Penrhyn, and old Lord Cottesloe. Lord
Selborne spoke for two mortal hours, and was very
dull ; the only startling thing in his speech was the
allusion to the fact of ' the balance of power in Europe '
not having been mentioned in the preamble to the
Meeting Act since 1 866 — and this with the Crown Prince
just over his head ! The best point he made was when
he quoted the words of a far higher authority than him-
self regarding Indian troops, a speaker who had once said
' that either India should not be denuded, or, if she can
spare the men, she is unnecessarily taxed.' ' These, my
Lords,' he added, ' were the words of Lord Cranborne,
now Her Majesty's Foreign Secretary.' Lord Cairns

324 THE BALKAN WAR [chap, xxiv

followed, and Dizzy wound up the debate in a very able
speech, after which I went on to the House of Commons
and listened to Sir William Harcourt, who reminded me
of Sir Robert Peel's remark that if there were any more
lawyers in the House it would not be bearable, they were
such bores ! In the evening I went to Lady Norton's,
where Sir Charles Mordaunt introduced me to his new
wife, and my old Potsdam friend, Countess Bruhl,who
is in England with the Crown Princess, told me that the
Duke of Connaught's fiancee is charming, very amiable,
intelligent, and affectionate, and longing for love, which
she has never had at home. Meanwhile there is great
news. We are really going into congress, and Lord
Beaconsfield is to represent England, which Rainald
thinks looks well, as he would not care to imperil his
reputation if he did not see some fair prospect of success,
I am very curious to see if this Protectorate of the
Christians in Asia Minor will mean anything !

" June 13. — To-day the Congress of Berlin meets for
the first time. So important an assembly has hardly
been known since the Congress of Vienna in 181 5.

" June 29, — We dined with the Duke of Grafton,
and I sat by Lord Dalkeith, who was ver}'- agreeable,
talking of India. Travelling always makes people
pleasant. On to an amusing party at Lady Cornelia
Guest's house, where was that marvellous invention, the
phonograph. Sir Stafford Northcote made us all
laugh by shouting into it, ' Perhaps you are not aware
that the British fleet has gone to the bottom of the
Black Sea, where it has recovered the remains of the
British Constitution, which was destroyed by the pro-
fligate government of Loid Beaconsfield.' This was
distinctly repeated in a voice rather like a parrot's —
except Baron Munchausen's horn, there never was
anything like it. Lord Strathnairn laments the in-
clusion of Sofia in Bulgaria, which will, he fears, enable
an enemy to turn the line of the Balkans. I don't
think the flourish of trumpets with which the Times
ushered in the week has been at all sustained.

" July 8. — I went to see the Art Embroideries Show

1878] PEACE WITH HONOUR 325

at Grosvenor House, which were most lovely in that
grand house. Rainald came in at dressing-time with
the startling news that we have guaranteed the Turkish
possessions in Asia against Russia, and have got Cyprus
for our pains — a fine coruscation of fireworks to wind
up the Congress with ! At least it ties the hands of any
future Government, and Cyprus will be an excellent
point from which to defend both roads to India. I
went to a crowded part}- at Mrs. Portman's, being anxious
to gather opinions on this great event. I think the
general consensus of feeling is in favour of it. Of course
the Radicals find fault, but they have no tangible objec-
tion to bring forward. The French, however, clearly
do not like it, as I gathered from a long and earnest
conversation which I overheard at the Oueen's ball
between Musurus and M. d'Harcourt.

" Jvtly 16. — I went to Whitehall with Mamma, and
looked down from a window of the chapel as Lord
Beaconsfield and Lord Salisbury drove by on the way
from Charing Cross to Downing Street. There was
no very enormous crowd, but the cheering was
loud and continuous, and seemed to go on for a long
time in Downing Street, where I believe Dizzy
addressed a few words to the crowd. There were
no troops and not much to see, but to me it was far
more significant than many a stately pageant. For
it means peace with honour, as the Times says
to-day. It means the end of the long tension of two
years of deep anxiety. And what a marvellous career
is that of the man we acclaim to-day, who from a simple
attorney's clerk has risen to the truly proud position
which he now occupies, by the force of genius alone.
And all one's heart goes out to the fine figure opposite,
the grand, thoughtful head of the man who, putting aside
all personal feeling, joined the Government from truly
patriotic motives, and has stuck to it gallantly.
Without Lord Salisbury, to-day's triumph would not
have been possible, and England and Disraeli alike owe
him a debt of profound gratitude,"

CHAPTER XXV

Agricultural Depression and Conservative

Defeats

1878-1880

Lady Knightiey and her husband spent September
1878 in Scotland, where they paid a succession of visits
to Mr. and Lady Emily Hamilton at Dalzell, to Mrs.
EUice at Invergarr}^ to Sir Dudley Marjoribanks at
Guisachan, to Sir Thomas Munro at Lindertis, and to
Lady William Osborne at Tullyallan. Once more she
thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of Highland scenery in
glorious autumnweathei ,andrejoiced in this opportunit}^
of increasing her knowledge of a countr}' which she
had loved from her earty days at Balmoral. On the
wa^' south, a visit was paid to Mr. Sneyd at Keele, in
Staffordshire, where she found a source of endless
delight in the library, with its priceless store of
illuminated missals, autograph letters of English
sovereigns, miniatures, and county histories. She
describes the famous gardens, with their unique holly
hedge 26 feet high and 190 yards long, and a visit
to Trentham, which she dismisses as one of the most
odious places that she has ever seen, " like a bit
" of Regent Street, with tin aloes at the top and the
" Trent running close b}'^ and smelling — ugh ! I would
" not have it as a gift, and should hate having to live
" there. Rainald says it reminds him of nothing so
" much as of Pope's description of ' Timon's villa.' "

The remainder of the year was spent in her beloved
home, where every year Lady Knightiey became more
ab=^orbed in local affairs and in improving the con-
dition of labourers and workmen on the Fawsley

336

1878] WOODFORD CHURCH 327

estates. Every good cause found a friend in her, and
her kindness and sympath}'^ were freely bestowed on
men and women of all classes. A visit from the Bishop
of Peterborough and a memorable sermon which he
preached at a village church-opening were among the
most noteworthy incidents of the autumn.

" Fawsley, October 29. — Rainald and I attended with
great satisfaction the reopening of Woodford church,
which has been completed with wonderful celerity in
barely seven months since I laid the first stone of the
new tower. It was a bright, hearty service, and our
great Bishop preached a most admirable sermon, one
of the finest I ever heard, on the text, * Thy will be
done in earth as it is in heaven.' He beean with an
eloquent description of the man}'- places and ways in
which that cry was going up to God, at this moment,
in all parts of the world — b}' dying beds and unclosed
graves, from hearts sick with disappointed hopes, worn
out with vain and toilsome effort, or weary with that
unutterable weariness of life which comes to so many
in the present day. Then he went on to set forth three
ways in which men answer God's will as revealed to
each one of us in the circumstances of life. First, by
open rebellion, saying, Not Thy will, but my will, setting
up our own will against that of God, with that selfish-
ness of the unsubdued nature which is the cause of all
sin and crime, and the indulgence of which endangers
the very existence of society. Secondly, by saying. Thy
will be done — the submission which costs a hard struggle,
the will yielded to God, lying crushed at His feet, as
we say. Not mine but Thine. This is the answer we
most of us try to make, with effort and sadness, but
still saying it — the Christian surrender of the soul, a
sacrifice in which there may be joy, but must be a
degree of pain too. He bade us remember this, not
only when crushed with an irremediable sorrow, but in
all the petty details of everyday life, and strive ever
more and more to realise this prayer both in doing and
suffering. But thirdly, there is the answer that we shall
make in heaven, and ought to aim at here. Thy will

328 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION [chap, xxv

and mine be done — our wills being so perfectly in har-
mony with God's will that there is no longer any effort,
any striving or pain, the blessed state to which we
shall only fully attain in heaven, when it will be as easy
and natural to do God's will as it is to live and breathe
now. All these three stages are reflected in the Church's
worship, in the confession where we deplore our past
rebellion against God's will, in the prayers and com-
munions where we seek for fresh grace to submit to
God's will, and in the songs of praise in which the
Church on earth rises out of herself, and in anticipation
of a blessed future joins with angels and archangels in
adoring the Divine Will as they do in heaven, in that
rest which is not indolence, that quietude which is not
indifference. But here on earth we can train ourselves
by the discipline of daily life for that blessed future,
here we can learn to lead the heavenly life, and in the
little daily and hourly trials, by the repeated sub-
mission of our will to His, gather strength for the dark
hours and great crises of life. Then the will of God
will become no longer a law, but a guide to follow
through all the difficulties and peiplexities of life.
In exact proportion as we are able to unite our wills
with His, to say Mine and Thine, and rejoice in this
union, our spiritual life will gain in power and beaut}^,
and by thus imitating the example of Christ, whose
work on earth was to do the will of His Father, we
shall be preparing ourselves for the perfect worship of
heaven, when we shall no more say, Not my will but
Thine, as a hard and painful task, but Mine and Thine,
' now and for evermore.' The whole sermon, one felt,
from beginning to end, was inspired by the chastened
imagination of a great intellect and the loving sympathy
of a great heart. And we who know, as the Bishop
evidently did, the difficulties and hindrances which lay
in the way of this church restoration, could not but
admire with him the wonderful courage, perseverance,
and patience shown by the Vicar, Mr. Minchin, in
carrying out the work, in spite of povert}^ and ill-
health. It is indeed an example to us all, and I am glad

1878] BISHOP MAGEE 329

to feel that Ramald and I have been allowed to help in so
good a work. It has all been so nicely and simply done
by Mr. Hartshorne, keeping all of the old that could be
kept, and the building now is just what a village church
should be.

" October 31. — The Bishop came here to dine and
sleep, and this morning I had the great pleasure of
driving him to Charwelton to sign the deed annexing
the new piece to the churchyard, after which he
departed. I cannot say how much I have enjoyed his
visit. I never felt his goodness so strongly before, his
deep, earnest interest in all undertakings for his people,
his real devotion. It strengthens and refreshes one,
and encourages one to keep on ' pegging away ' in one's
own small way. He read prayers this morning in the
old hall very beautifully.

" December 6. — To-day a great gloom has been
thrown over us all by our friend Major Whyte-Melville's
death. His horse fell as he was galloping over a
ploughed field and broke his neck. Only last night we
were all singing his last hunting song, ' Drink, puppy,
drink,' little dreaming the genial writer, the keen
sportsman, was even then lying dead. Rainald and
Mr. Angerstein both knew him so well, and feel it
deeply.

" December 13. — The accounts of Princess Alice
are very anxious. She is very dangerously ill of
diphtheria, which she caught from her little boy. It
is just seventeen 37^ears since her father died, and I have
a superstitious feeling that if she lives over to-morrow,
as the Prince of Wales did, she will recover.

^'December 14. — By a most strange coincidence,
on this very day she passed away. I cannot help
feeling very deeply for the Queen and for them all at
Windsor. How well I remember dear Princess Alice
sitting in my little room at Osborne, Hstening to the
wind howling, and saying how melancholy it made her
feel. That was in April 1862, and after that I hardly
saw her again to speak to till that day at Kranichstein
in 1875, when she seemed so happy surrounded by her

330 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION [chap.xxv

children. She was busy with her work, a large table-
cover, and told me she was reading Hosack's Mary
Queen of Scots. She talked of enjoying hunting, which
both she and I began late in life, and then, when some-
thing was said about the Schloss at Homburg, re-
marked rather sadly, ' You know that would have been
ours if the Prussians had not annexed it. Ah, well,
it was the fortunes of war ! ' She looked worn and
aged, I thought, and I was so sorry for the unlucky
speech which I made, asking if that was her eldest boy ?
Her answer sounded so sad : * The only one I have
left.' Two years had already elapsed since her eldest
boy was killed by falHng out of the window, but she
had never recovered her spirits. How hard she worked
at all good deeds, and what a noble example she has
left behind ! May she indeed find her reward !

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, May 3, 1879. — I enjoyed

going with Rainald to the National Gallery, and looked

at the Early Italian pictures, which are quite new to

me. There is a Era Angelico which struck me very

much, and an Entombment by Francia, which I

should like to look at again. The contrast between

the Virgin, weeping over her dead Son, and the angels,

who evidently see so much farther, is very remarkable.

It is altogether a splendid collection, and not half

enough appreciated. We dined with Sir Julian and

Lady Goldsmid at 105 Piccadilly, a house built by the

late Lord Hertford, but which he never saw. There

were twenty-six people, and the company was pleasant

enough, but our hostess was an Italian, and does not

understand comfort. I sat between Harry Brand and

Alfred Hardy, and we had some amusing political

sparring. Miss Fitzclarence, our compagnon de voyage

from Dalmally to Oban, was there too, and declared she

should have known me anywhere, having a singular gift

of remembering names and faces, evidently inherited from

her grandfather the King. She has to a certain degree

the large grey eyes and rather fat face of all the Royal

Family. We went on to Lady Salisbur3^'s, and walked

upstairs with Lord Beaconsfield, who was particularly

1879] MR. GLADSTONE 331

civil. Rainald had never spoken to him since the
Pigott incident ! We walked downstairs, to my sur-
prise, with Mr. Gladstone, whom I did not expect to
see after Lord Salisbury's bitter speech a day or two
ago. And only the other evening Mr. Stratford Dug-
dale told me at Nora Trevelyan's that they had dined
with M. L^on Say last autumn, and that he had re-
marked, ' Votre M. Gladstone — quelle chute incon-
cevable ! ' Party feeling to-day certainly runs high,
but Rainald says not so high as in 1830-32 and the
days of the Reform Bill."

This season Lady Knightley attended a course of
ambulance lectures and joined in a series of Shake-
speare readings at Mrs. Dugdale's, which, added to her
hospital and workhouse visiting and the prolonged
sittings of the G.F.S. Council, made her exceedingly
busy, and it is not to be wondered at that she found
little time for reading at home or for her favourite
researches in the British Museum.

" May 9. — -All my days seem long ! Yesterday I
had visitors all the morning, and spent the whole after-
noon at the Academy. Mr. Gladstone by Millais is
undoubtedly the picture of the year. It lives, and is a
worthy representation of the ablest man of the day
and the most incomprehensible of this or any other
day. After tea Harriet Cartwright came to rehearse,
bandaging, rather a tiring process. To-day I did hope
for a quiet morning, but it is now nearly i a.m., and I
have been on the go all day. First Mrs. Magee came
to talk G.F S., then I went to Ishbel Aberdeen, whom
it is delightful to find so full of enthusiasm for all
good works. It is nice to see those two young things
in the heyday of youth and prosperity giving them-
selves entirely to the service of God and man. Then I
rushed off to the Guild Committee, where I was in the
chair. It is cheering to hear what good work is being
done ! I brought Miss Hubbard back with me to talk
over her ' Perseverance Bands ' scheme, had a quarter
of an hour's read of the Times, then a pleasant dinner
at Nora Trevelvan's. I sat between Mr. W. H . Gladstone,

332 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION [chap, xxv

who told me his father's portrait had been bought by
the Duke of Westminster, and Baron Brinckmann of
the Prussian Embassy. He says Bismarck did not
see Busch's book before it was pubUshed, and is much
annoyed by its indiscretions. Nora, Polly Ridley, and
I went on to an amusing party at Mrs. John Dundas's
charming new Queen Anne house on the Chelsea Em-
bankment, built and furnished in the same quaint,
picturesque style, with people dressed ver^^ much to
match. Such is London life ! very delightful, but it
takes a good deal out of one.

" May 17. — I went to a concert at Lady Norton's,
a cantata, Christ and His Soldiers, by Farmer, very
well given by amateurs ; sat next to Canon Farrar, to
whom I was introduced. He remarked, apropos of the
Duke of Argyll's envenomed attack on the Govern-
ment last night, that the ' little red-headed brute is
the greatest orator in the House of Lords.' In the
evening to hear Don Giovanni at Covent Garden, with
Patti, who, although thirty-five, — more's the pity ! —
is still the most charming of Zerlinas.

" Aday 21. — I walked with Rainald to see the
Coaches' meet, a pretty sight. Had mother to luncheon,
and took her to our Guild concert, at which I sang.
We dined with the Manners, and I sat between Sir
Michael Shaw Stewart and Lord Bury, who told me
he was in Brest harbour in September 1870 when the
German fleet came down the Channel and found the
whole French fleet drawn up in line of battle ready
to receive them. ' L'Amirault ' told Lord Bury that
he had not powder enough on board his ships to fire a
royal salute, and not more than ten sailors on board
several of them, every available man having been
summoned to defend Paris. However, his brag an-
swered, and the German fleet sailed away again without
firing a shot. After dinner I talked hunting with the
Duke of Buccleuch, who says he has been a master
of hounds since 1827. Went on to Lady Sahsbury's,
where was the Empress of Germany — ' my dear Augusta,
we've had another awful buster,' — a wonderfully j^oung-

1 879] SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM 333

looking woman for her age, which is nearly seventy.
The Edinburghs were there too, with the Crown Prince
of Sweden, the Comte and Comtesse de Flandres — in
short, the place was alive with Royalties and decorations.
I ended up with a charming concert at Mr. Oppenheim's,
cutting two other parties. In spite of ' hard times,'
London s' amuse.

" May 24. — The Queen's sixtieth birthday, and
she became a great-grandmother about ten da3^s ago,
Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen having given birth
to her first child. I went to South Kensington Museum
with Rainald, and spent some time in that bewildering,
enchanting place. I was especially interested in the
autographs bequeathed by Mr. Forster — ' John
Hampden to Sir John Eliot at his lodging in the
Tower,' etc. — and in some of the Early Italian sculpture
— Donatello, Niccol6 Pisano, etc. We were much im-
pressed b}^ the preposterous prices given for some of
the shrines, chalices, and other examples of gold and
silver work, ;^2000 being no uncommon figure. In the
evening to the Foreign Ofiice party, which was
gayer and more crowded than ever, with endless
Royalties.

" May 29. — Yesterday, being Derby day, I went
down to Richmond with Charley Newdegate, and
desired him not to vote against the Government. I
spent a happy day with dear mother, walked back
to the station, and dined with the Carysforts. I sat
between my old friend Bobby Gurdon and Sir Frederick
Peel, that apparently most cautious of men, but really
a bitter Radical. To-day I rejoiced in a quiet morning,
the first for a fortnight. After luncheon to Mrs.
Dugdale's, where, under Clifford Harrison's supervision,
we read scenes from the Merchant of Venice, the ' Ode
to the Passions,' and Browning's ' How they brought
the good news from Ghent,' and very interesting it was.
We dined with Lord Leven, where I sat next to Lord
Selborne, and went on to a small party at Lad}^ Stan-
hope's, where I met Princess Christian and Mr. Brown-
ing, who told me that the ' Ride from Ghent ' was a
23

334 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION [chap, xxv

pure invention, founded on no known incident, and
merely composed when he was bored at sea.

" Fawsley, Whitsun Eve, May 31. — We came home
yesterday with oh ! such delight. I have been out
and about all day, playing croquet with Val, and
revelling in the beauty of the place. The weather was
quite perfect, but quite a fortnight backward ; primroses
and marsh-marigolds are still to be found. The ash
hardly shows leaf, the oak by no means fully out, and
some of the elms still quite brown. It was delightful
in Badby Wood, gathering primroses and bluebells,
which spread a perfect carpet of blue under the vivid
green of the spring foliage. It is quite impossible to
describe the intense beauty of the colouring in this
brilliant sunshine. But my poor Rainald is worried to
death about money matters. Tuesday was the rent-
audit, an anxious day in these times of agricultural
depression. Most of the tenants paid, but there was
much grumbling, which is scarcely justified, seeing how
little arable land they have, and how low the land is
let ! I wish I could do more to help !

"4 Grosvenor Crescent, June 18. — We had our
nursing examination on Monday, at the end of our
course of ambulance lectures, at Lady Juliana Walker's.
It was partly paper, partly viva voce, and two or three
bandages to be done. I hope we are through ! To-day
Lord Shaftesbury presided at the meeting of our Em-
ployment of Women Association, and Miss Frances
Power Cobbe spoke. It was a meeting of real earnest
workers, and in that quiet room, with the sun streaming
in on Lord Shaftesbury's honoured head, one felt what
good work had been done since Jessie Boucherett first
started her unpretending little Society twenty years
ago. Sir Thomas and Sophy dined, and I went to a
party at the Duchess of Northumberland's, the first
since old Northumberland House is no more.

" June 20. — The very sad news of the poor little
Prince Imperial's death in the papers. He was sur-
prised and surrounded by Zulus. I much fear our
people were greatly to blame. Everyone is filled with

i879] THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 335

sorrow for the young life thus suddenly cut off, and the
poor mother above all. Little I thought, when we met
him at Wakefield the other day, that the end was to be
so soon. I drove Uncle Frederick out in the afternoon,
and listened with amusement to his reminiscences of
Old London — a brick wall along the Green Park, small
cottages on the south side of St. James's Square. All
London is mad about the Comedie Frangaise. We went
last night to see Le Demi-monde. Certainly the acting
is wonderful ; there is a finish, a refinement, an ' at-
homeness ' (to coin a word), which are quite unequalled
by anything on our stage.

" June 26. — A strange mixture of a day, but I could
not help it. Harriet Cartwright and I, with three of
the maids, went to St. Paul's for the annual G.F.S.
service. A crowded congregation assembled to hear a
sermon from the Bishop of Winchester and attend the
celebration, and I could not help thinking of the blessed
change since the day when Paul's was a fashionable
walk ! When I came home I found stalls for the
French play — not the day one would have chosen, but
it could not be helped. First I had a pleasant drive
round Hyde Park and Battersea Park with Lord
Tollemache. I do enjoy bowling along behind those
beautiful chestnuts, in spite of the cold and rain !
This is actually the eighth month of temperature below
the average. Then we had a real evening's enjqyment
at the Comedie Fran9aise — first Racine's Andromaque^
with Sarah Bernhardt in the chief part. She is wonder-
fully graceful, but hardly as fine an actress as I expected.
After that Les Plaideurs, in which Got is exceedingly
funny .

" July 3. — In the evening again to the French play —
a pretty piece by George Sand, in which Mile Barette,
whom we saw last night at Mrs. Brassey's, did the
ingenue wonderfull}'' well. Then we roared over Les
Fourberies de Scapin, in which Coquelin is quite in-
imitable. Had a little talk with Lord Granville, who
agrees with us in not thinking Sarah Bernhardt so very
wonderful, and told us Coquelin thinks Irving as tire-

336 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION [chap, xxv

some as we do, but says we have one good actor in
Charles Warner, now acting in Drink, a play that I
have no wish to see.

" July 4. — A real drive ! First with Nora to the
Ladies' Dress Association Committee, which we have
both joined, then mother to luncheon, and a long visit
from an old Sotterley friend, Ellen Cundall. After-
wards to a party at Lady Listowel's, where the Duke
of Connaught presented me, very prettily, to the Duchess
as ' one of our oldest friends.' She has a nice little
face and pleasant manners. The Prince-elect of Bul-
garia, Alexander of Battenberg, is a singularly good-
looking man. Rainald went to the House to support
Mr. Chaplin's motion for an inquiry into the causes of
agricultural distress, which is indeed assuming alarming
proportions. The incessant torrents of rain and extra-
ordinarily low temperature have been most disastrous jjj
to the country. Little hope remains of a good harvest,
so sorely needed by the farmers after four bad seasons,
and what the effect will be upon rents and elections it
is impossible to foresee. It makes Rainald and me very
uneasy."

These anxious forebodings, as Lady Knightley |
remarks in the margin, were only too soon realised.
After three weeks at Homburg, and a brief visit to
Amsterdam, Haarlem, and the Hague, to explore the
treasures of Dutch art in these fine old towns, Sir
Rainald and Lady Knightley returned home to find a
serious state of affairs. Five or six of the principal
tenants gave up their farms, and all with one accord
demanded large reductions of rent. The Fawsley
estates, although considerable in extent, were already
heavily mortgaged, and the rent-roll of some thirteen
thousand a year represented a purely nominal income.
It now became necessary to raise fresh sums to buy
stock and employ bailiffs and labourers in order to
farm the land given up by the different tenants. Lady
Knightley set herself bravely to the task of practising
needful economies, and the house in town, with the
purchase of which she always reproached herself as a

i88o] A DISSOLUTION 337

personal self-indulgence, was immediately put in an
agent's hands and eventually sold. The prospect of
farming their own land interested her greatly, and she
took up agriculture with the same zest which she
showed in every other department of country life.

" Fawsley, January 23, 1880. — I was occupied the
whole morning in going over the Westcombe farm with
Rainald and Waters (the agent), as we are going to take
to it seriously and have engaged a bailiff at thirty shillings
a week for himself and his wife. I shall delight in it, but
I fear the heavy outlay required to put it in order will
disgust Rainald. Its extent is 362 acres, of which 170
are arable. We are to leave 40 acres fallow this year,
in order to clean it, buy 25 beasts, a few cows and 10
heifers, and a dozen cart-horses. Altogether, it is most
interesting. But the sheep are dying by wholesale of
' rot ' or fluke, the result of the wet season.

" March 6. — I spent all the morning in walking over
the farm with Waters, and settling various matters
about turkeys, fowls, etc., and improving the dairy !
Fourteen horses are at work ploughing on the farm,
including poor old Black Knight and the carriage
horses that were bought when I married. The hedges
have been trimmed, ditches cleaned, weeds burned,
drains set in order, and on Monday we hope to begin
putting in the beans . Happily, the weather is beautiful ,
and it is wonderful what it has done for the farm."

In the midst of these new interests and anxieties
came the startling news of a Dissolution, bringing with
it the fear of a contested election.

" March 9. — Rainald hunted from Thenford. I
went farming, and watched the beans being put in with
a drill and harrowing afterwards. When I came back I
was startled by the news that Parliament was to be
dissolved by the 24th. I do not think the Government
could have chosen a better time, and hope and believe
they will have a large majority, though I doubt if Dizzy's
bombastic letter in to-day's Times will contribute much
thereto. For ourselves, the next three weeks will be an
anxious time, but I have every hope of escaping a

338 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION [chap, xxv

contest, which would be ruin in the present state of |"
affairs.

" March 12. — I helpedcopyRainald's simple, straight-
forward, manly address. He has burnt his boats now,
but one can't run away with no enemy in view, and
the only really formidable opponent, Bob Spencer, is not
going to stand here, as he has come forward for the North
division. It is impossible not to feel very anxious
about this election ; humanly speaking, it seems as if
the peace of Europe and the integrity of the Empire
depended on the Conservatives gaining a decided
victory.

" March 18. — We were greatly discomposed by the
new^s that Sir Herewald Wake has convened a meeting
at Northampton with a view to getting up a contest.
It worried me all day. Nevertheless, fais ce que dots, .
advienne que pourra ; and feeling as we do that the r
welfare of England depends on this election, we are
doing right in trying our best to keep this seat for the
Government, and come what may, we will do our best."

The threatened opposition fortunately collapsed, and
on March 31 Sir Rainald and his old colleague, Major
Cartwright, were duly returned members for South
Northamptonshire. But this happy event was shortly
followed by the loss of a large number of Conservative
seats in all parts of the country.

" April I . — I shall not soon forget my horror at this
morning's papers. Fourteen seats lost by the balance of
yesterday's elections, and it is quite clear that the
current of public opinion is flowing as violently against
the Conservative Government as it did against the
Liberal one in 1874. It is a heavy blow, and a great
encouragement to England's enemies.

" Firlc, April 5. — Fifteen more seats lost yesterday !
Mr. Gladstone returned for Midlothian by 211, over
Lord Dalkeith. It is all of a piece ; all comes of Dizzy's
Reform Bill, putting the power in the hands of an un-
educated, unreasoning mob. Bob Spencer is at the head
of the poll in North Northants (well 1 anyhow, he can't
stand for the South now !), and Edward Ridley is beaten

i88o] CONSERVATIVE DEFEATS 339

in Northumberland. St. John has a majority of 114 in
East Suffolk, but most of the county elections are going
as badly as the boroughs, and Lord Yarmouth and Mr.
Clare Read are both turned out — two of the safest seats
in England, one would have thought.

" April 24. — Mr. Gladstone has been sent for, after
Lord Hartington and Lord Granville had been down,
and has undertaken to form a ministry. His task,
however, proceeds slowly. . . . The Radical element,
hitherto conspicuous by its absence, is now represented
by Mr. Chamberlain (Board of Trade). Mr. Fawcett
(Postmaster-General — a marvellous triumph of mind
over body), Sir Charles Dilke (Under-Secretary for
Foreign Affairs), and Mr. Mundella (President of the
Council). Rainald is very unhappy about it all, and
frightened to death, he says. But one looks back at
1832, and sees that the country has not yet 'gone to the
dogs ' ; and one looks forward, and trusts for the future.
But how any good Christian can get over Mr. Bradlaugh's
return I cannot understand. Mr. Lowe said rather
a good thing on being told of Monty Corry's peerage :
' Ah, well ! people in all ages have had their favourites.
Caligula made his horse a consul.'

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, June 29. — Nora Trevelyan and
I went to look at a Rose show, and on to Brompton
Cemetery, where she wished to visit her mother's grave.
It seemed so quiet there under the trees and deep blue
summer sky, carrying one away to another and a better
world than this frantic London. Princess Christian
came to tea, and asked me to take her a drive in the
open carriage. We went to Marshall & Snelgrove's
together, and she was ver}'- nice, as usual. Came home
to a remarkably pleasant dinner — the Duke and Duchess
of Somerset, Duke of Grafton, Clancartys, Hamiltons,
Henleys, Trevelyans, Katherine Clive, Lady Lyveden,
Bouveries, and Lord Strathnairn. All the old Whigs are
terrified at the revolutionary measures proposed by the
Government, and for the first time in iJiy life I am reall}'
frightened at the mixture of tyranny and mob-worship ;
while as to the Bradlaugh business, it seems a national

340 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION [chap, xxv

defiance of God to support a man who makes his living
by blasphemy. Rainald is miserable about it, and Mr.
Gladstone now proposes to move a resolution allowing
everybody to affirm, which he thinks a horrible national
sin. My last rags of belief in Mr. Gladstone's religion
are rapidly disappearing !

" July 26. — I had a small tea, at which Mr. Browning
very kindly read some of his poems to about thirty-five
of my friends. I do not think that he reads well, but
everyone seemed to like it. . . . This wicked Irish Bill
occupies everybody. It is not only the man in the street,
but the woman at home, who talks about it. It seems
regular confiscation, as Lord George Hamilton showed
in his speech, which demolished Mr. Gladstone's figures
in the most wonderful way. To-day, after a» busy
morning at the British Museum, I went for a short time
to the House, where Mr. Edward Clarke, the member
for Plymouth, made an excellent speech. Harry Gage
has a most significant w^hip for the Second Reading in
the House of Lords, signed Somerset, Abercorn, Sligo,
Dartrey, Aveland, Leconfield, Car^^sfort, Fitzwilliam,
etc. The Lords are sure to throw it out, but the
mischief is done by a responsible Government bringing in
such a .measure. So ends our season — not a remarkable
one as far as w^e are concerned, but as usual a very busy
and interesting time.

The Palace, Peterborough, July ly. — I came down
here by a fast train from town and presided at a well-
attended and highly amicable Diocesan Meeting of the
G.F.S. We passed Diocesan by-laws, signed Central
Rules, and transacted much business. Mrs. Magee
entertained us all at luncheon, and afterwards it was
refreshing to sit in the gardens and go to the Cathedral
service, and I was much pleased with a recreation room
for G.F.S. members in business, which Mrs. Magee has
lately opened. The Bishop was most agreeable as usual,
and showed me his curious collection of autographs,
including a letter from Mr. Bright, in which he tries
to explain his sneer about ' consecrated ground,' but
ends up with saying: ' I don't believe in holy ground

i88o] A RAINY SUMMER 341

any more than you do in holy water, and for the same
reason — because there is nothing in it ! '

" Fawsley, July 31. — We came home after, I think,
the longest unbroken absence we have ever had. It is
triste to hear Rainald say he does not care about coming
home ! The country looks green and luxuriant, and the
crops are less laid than one might have expected, but
there is a quantity of hay out still — a good deal of it ha?
been damaged.

" August 2. — A worritsome day ! In the first place,
it opened with three hours' heavy rain, which entirely
stopped all idea of hay-making. Then we had a long,
tiresome interview with Waters, and, worst of all, in-
spected his accounts, which reveal the melancholy
fact that all the various remissions of rent and losses
amount to ;^2200 for the half-year, which is a very
j serious and heavy loss. No wonder my poor darling-
is low and out of heart ! But we can but remember
I how many people are worse off and how much we have
to be thankful for. I was bus}' reading the Report on
Education and looking into Hudibras, about which I
knew nothing, but which has suddenly become in-
teresting since I read in Lady Aylesford's book that
a Knightley is supposed to be portrayed in one of the
characters. It is so pleasant to have a little time to
read.

" August 13. — Glorious weather at last ! I walked
round Shepherd's farm, where the hay is being carried
fast. The Irish Land Bill was thrown out in the House
of Lords by a majority of 130, and even if all the Con-
servatives had sta3^ed away, the Government would
have been beaten, as 63 Liberal peers voted against
them. Rainald went to town yesterday to vote against
the Burials Bill. I wonder how often he has done
that ? But the parsons here are mad about it. I spent
most of the afternoon with Val on the cricket ground,
looking at a match between Fawsley and Towcester,
which we won by 61 to 57. Dear Rainald returned.
It is eleven years since the happy day when he asked
me to be his wife, and he says he thought nice things

342 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION [chap, xxv

of me in the train. God bless him ! There have been
shadows over us, but never one between us.

" August 24. — We spent the whole day — a most
lovely one — in going to Julia Cartwright's wedding at
Edgcotc. A very prett}'- one it was, in the nice old
church that stands between her old and her new home.
The whole population of the villages on the edge of the
park turned out to see her married, and women and
children of all ages stood and sat on the grassy sward
to watch the wedding procession. Solemn and reverent
it was, too, so unlike the last marriage I attended at
St. George's, Hanover Square, where everyone talked
and laughed during the service, and the careless, giddy
behaviour of the bride and bridegroom filled one with
gloom}' presentiments. To-day the bride's uncle, Dean
Goulburn, read the service most impressively, and Mr.
Scott Holland gave an address on the most approved
Oxford lines, full of sweetness and light. But it was
all very simple and touching. Dear Sophy Fremantle ^
was there, to my great pleasure, and Lord Cottesloe,
sprightly as ever in spite of his eight}^ years, prepared
to dance at his granddaughter's wedding, and Lord
Midleton, who proposed the bride and bridegroom's
health at the breakfast . I had pleasant talks with many
people, as the long hours cast their shadows on the
lawn, gay with tennis-players. I always think there
is much of England's strength and solid goodness in
the smaller country gentry, many of whom live round
Edgcote,and were thereto-day. Certainly the Edgcote
Cartw'rights themselves are fine specimens, both as
regards intellect and goodness. It was a beautiful
harvest day, and cutting was going on everywhere,
although we saw the last loads of hay also being carried
in the meadows near the Cherwell. There is good news
from India, mercifully. ' Fighting Bobs ' has accom-
plished his wonderful march from Cabul, and the mere
news of his approach has caused Ayoob Khan to raise
the siege of Candahar. A fortnight ago everyone was

' Sophia, daughter ol Mr. Abel Smith of Woodhall, married Hon. Sir
Charles Fremantlc, 1865.

i88o] FINANCIAL TROUBLES 343

calling him mad for making such a desperate attempt,
and now he has succeeded beyond all expectation.

" Lindertis, Kirriemuir , October 12. — To-day we
have had very bad news from home. Five more tenants
have given notice, and Rainald is in despair. We had
a long talk over our affairs. It is much better to face
the worst and arrange to live within our means, even
if we have to leave home for a while. But it is no
disgrace, and it is not irreparable, as long as we have
each other. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.

" November 20. — The Queen has become patron of
the G.F.S., to my great joy. We tried to hunt from
Hellidon, but the ground is too hard, and we soon had
to come home. There is every appearance of a long
frost setting in. An admirable speech of Lord Salis-
bury's about Ireland. It is inconceivable to me how
people in this country can sit still as they do and look
on at the reign of terror which prevails in that hapless
country, while nothing is done.

''December 31. — So ends another year. It has
been in some respects a chequered one, yet how
much one has to be thankful for. The prospects of
this country, indeed, fill one with dismay. The state
of things in Ireland would have been deemed, less than
a year ago, utterly impossible and incredible."

CHAPTER XXVI

Lord Beaconsfield's Death — The Duke of
Albany's Marriage

1881-1883

Fortunately, the worst of the calamities which Sir
Rainald and Lady Knightley anticipated at the close
of 1880 were averted, in spite of the severe agricultural
depression which affected them in common with other
landowners during many years to come. They were
able to live on at Fawsley and to spend the season in
London, and did not find it necessary to alter their
way of living in any important respect.

In politics the Irish question began to assume grave
proportions, and Lady Knightley's Journal reflects
the indignation and disgust of the Conservative party
at the failure of the Government to take more active
measures to restore order in Ireland, or to deal with
the obstructionists in Parliament.

" January 19, 1881 . — A memorable day, seeing that
we are pretty well snowed up. No post came in or
went out. Val started to drive to Daventry, but could
not get past the Badby gate and finally walked in, and
returned this afternoon to report a total block between
Weedon and Daventry. No trains have passed since
midnight. An ineffectual attempt was made to convey
bread to the soldiers at Weedon, and several sheep had
to be dug out in the park. Our only communication
with the outer world was a telegram from Mr. Laurie,
advising Harry to put off his shooting party at Firle

to-morrow, saying, ' All the railways are blocked. It

344

X
U

>
<

i88i] PAST AND PRESENT PARLIAMENTS 345

has snowed all day, and now the moon is shining and
the thermometer is down again at 20°.'

" January 20. — The letters arrived at 11 a.m., and
the newspapers, which came by second post, are full of
this fearful snowstorm, which seems to have raged
over the whole kingdom. The sun shone and the
winter landscape was lovely — bright sun and perfect
calm. We walked to the Level and saw our ninety-nine
sheep being fed. What between the scarcity of sheep,
owing to the rot of last year, and the difficulty of moving
them, mutton is at a premium. . . . Sir Thomas Munro
returned yesterday, to our great joy, for, as Rainald
remarked, we are reduced very much to the position
of bears sucking their own paws — not for bodily but
for mental food. Luckily, most of us have plenty of
fat to fall back on in the way of reading. I live chiefly
with Oliver Cromwell in the Commons Journals, where
the active Mr. Knightley's name appears on almost
every page, till Pride's Purge excluded him from the
House. In the present House of Commons the Irish
Home Rulers are obstructing the introduction of the
Coercion Bill, and the House sat from 4 p.m. on
Tuesday to 2 p.m. on Thursday !

" Fawsley, February 2. — The sitting of the House
of Commons, which began at 4 p.m. on Monday, was
terminated at 9 a.m. this morning, after fortj^-one
hours, by the Speaker putting the question for the
introduction of Mr. Forster's Coercion Bill, for which
Parliament met on January 6, whereupon the Irish
members left the House in a body. It is laughable and
yet serious enough. Rainald had to go to London to
attend a meeting of the party at the Carlton to choose
a successor for poor Fairfax Cartwright — the best of
colleagues — whose death has been a sorrow to us all.

" February 4. — More wonderful events than ever in
the House. Thirty-six members, all Irish, suspended
or broomed out b}^ the Serjeant-at-Arms ! After which,
the orders placing new powers in the Speaker's hands
were agreed to. Such a scene Rainald says he never
saw, and I suppose never has been seen since Cromwell

i-f

346 LORD BEACOxXSFIELD'S DEATH [chap.xxvi

turned out the Long Parliament. He came home this
evening with the satisfactory news that the country
gentlemen have agreed to support Mr. Pickering Phipps,
who has been unanimously chosen as Conservative
candidate.

" 4 Grosvcnor Crescent, February 21. — I came up for
a lark, combined with G.F.S. Council, spent the whole
day on tlie committee, dined with the old Duchess, and
went to a charming party at Nora's.

" February 22. — Again spent most of the daj'" at the
G.F.S. Council, dined with Lord Leven, and went to
parties at Polly Ridley's and Mrs. Brand's. I sat
between Lord Reay and Sir Stafford Northcote, who
was particularly pleasant. He lamented, as Lord
Strathnairn does, the failure to establish concurrent
endowment in Ireland, when the Irish Church was
disestablished, and declares that Parnell was really
hiding in London when supposed to be in Paris, and
onlv crossed the Channel when Biggar and Dillon went
to fetch him back, upon which some strong language
ensued. He does not like the new rules himself, and
declares that Lord Beaconsfield graveh'^ says, when
asked a difficult question, that he shall look in Tancred.
There was a great deal of snow in London, and it was
bitterl}' cold, but I enjoyed the change after our quiet
life here.

" Firle, April 7. — We came here j^esterday from
home. So ends another winter, the dullest we have
ever spent. Rainald feels deeply the bad spirit shown
among the tenants, who have been on the estate so
many years. The east wind still rages, and Dizzj' is
very ill. But I delight in the change to this country,
so different from Northamptonshire, and the forms of
the Downs are a delight.

" April 19. — At midday we heard of Lord Beacons-
field's death early this morning. Certainly he was a great
man in many wa5''s,and few such careers are on record.
. . . We met Lady Roberts, Bobs' mother, a cheery- little
old lady, who said her son was all the better for his
double voyage to the Cape, but deeply disgusted, as

i88i] DEAN STANLEY ON DISRAELI 347

well he may be, with this horrid peace and the cession
of the Transvaal . And we hear, on very good authority,
that Lord Beaconsfield's last words were, ' Are there
any more disasters in the Gazette ? '

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, Sunday, May i. — I went to
Westminster Abbey, which was crowded with a dense
congregation, listening with rapt interest to an intel-
lectual treat — a dissertation by Dean Stanley on Lord
Beaconsfield. He selected a curious text : Judg. xvi.
30 : ' So the dead which he slew at his death were more
than they which he slew in his life.' All the way
through he coupled him with Gladstone, calling them
the Great Twin Brethren. And I sat on the altar steps,
at the foot of one of the columns, with the statues of
the mightier rivals, Pitt and Fox, facing me, and listening
to a magnificent anthem on King David, composed by
Handel and finished by Goss, which had never been
performed since the death of Wellington.

" Sir William Eraser told Rainald to-day that, when
he entered Parliament in 1852, he asked Dizzy what
he should take up. He recommended India as a
coming subject, and added, ' Don't meddle with reform
— we shall see great social changes within the next
few years ' ; evidently showing that so far back as that
he meditated to some extent the course which he after-
wards took.

" May 4. — We went to a most amusing party at
Lady Airlie's, full of Radicals. Mr. Gladstone was
there, but we did not speak to him, as Rainald said
that after calling him, as he had done that afternoon
at Kettering, in words once applied to Bolingbroke,
' that magnificent but malignant genius,' he could not
go up and shake hands ! Lord Dufferin was also
there, en route from St. Petersburg to Constantinople;
Sir William Harcourt, full of his usual sledge-hammer
chaff; Sir Henry James and Mr. Bright, who talked to
Rainald some time, saying the Land Bill was the only
thing to prevent a general strike against rent, and his
scheme of peasant-proprietorship the only thing to
save the landlords. He has a very fine head and not

348 LORD BEACONSFIELD'S DEATH [chap.xxvi

at all a bad expression, which is more than can be said
for ' Historicus.' He was very flattering to Rainald,
telline; him that if he made one of his racy little speeches
on the Bill, it would have a great effect and be the best
thing he could do for his order. The Duke of Somerset
told us a charming story of Carlyle, who came to give
evidence before a Committee to inquire into the manage-
ment of the British Museum, of which he was chairman.
' I believe, Mr. Carlyle,' he began, ' that you make con-
siderable use of this reading-room. Could you give
us anv suggestions for improving the arrangements?'
' My Lord,' replied Carlyle, ' the function of man is to go
into Chaos and make it Kosmos.' ' I think, Mr. Carlyle,'
said the Duke, * we will leave Chaos and Kosmos for the
present, and perhaps you will be so good as to tell us
whether, when you ask for a book, you get it.'

" The political events of the week have been, first,
the attempted assassination of President Garfield ;
secondly, the Duke of Argyll's most able speech,
exposing in masterly fashion the injustice of the Land
Bill, which has made a deep impression on all parties.
Sir R. Cross told me he never saw a man so angry as
Gladstone was that evening.

''June I. — A long day. Went to Buckingham
Palace to see Princess Christian, and ^^dth her and Lady
Marian Alford to a Domestic Economy Congress meeting;
brought her back to luncheon with Emmy Hamilton,
Louisa Gordon, and Mr. Leveson, after which I drove
with Nora and took her to a Derby tea at Mrs. Lloyd's.
Iroquois, an American horse, won. We dined with
Lady Lyveden, and went on to a pleasant party at Lady
Salisbury's, where I was introduced to Sir Richard
Temple, the author of India in 1880, and about the
ugliest man whom I ever saw. But he is clever and
agreeable, and I am pleased at the testimony he bears
to the success of missions in India, which people are
so ready to decry.

" July 16. — We had a most delightful drive to
Wimbledon on Lord Tollemache's coach, taking with
us Princess Mary's two nice boys. We came in for the

1 882] DUKE OF ALBANY'S MARRIAGE 349

Lords and Commons match, and had tea with ' my
beautiful lady,' Lady Brownlow, whose manners are
as pretty as herself, which is saying a great deal. We
met the Crown Prince of Germany to-night at Ishbel
Aberdeen's, and Princess Frederica at Londonderry
House. I was presented to her, and induc'ed her to
come to our bazaar for the Ladies' Guild. She is
curiously like the old Royal Family, and very gracious
and pleasing. Last night we went to a party given
by the Spencers at South Kensington Museum, where
were all the world and his wife, including the King of
the Sandwich Islands, who walked about arm in arm
with the Princess of Wales. The courts were lighted
with electric light, which has a peculiar and not very
becoming effect."

The summer was spent at Fawsley, where, in spite
of another wet season, Lady Knightley found farming
a most engrossing occupation. Visits to the Duke of
Grafton at Euston, to Lord Penrhyn in North Wales,
and to the Deanery at Worcester were paid in the
course of the autumn, and the year ended with the
usual Christmas family party and amateur theatricals.

The Duke of Albany's marriage was one of the chief
events of the following winter. Lady Knightley was
staying at the Bishop's Palace at Peterborough, to
address a large gathering of G.F.S. Associates, when
the news of the Prince's happy engagement reached her.

" The Palace, Peterborough, November 23. — I
was greatly pleased with letters from the Duchess of
Roxburghe and Mr. Collins, written by desire of the
Queen and Prince Leopold, to announce the latter 's
► betrothal to the Princess Helene of Waldeck. May
God bless his marriage, and give the dear boy every
happiness. It was kind of the Queen to remember me.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, February 28, 1882. — I was
much pleased with a pretty letter from the Duke of
Albany, talking of old days and proposing that I
should be one of the Duchess's honorary ladies-in-
waiting. It is a pretty, gracious compliment to an
old friend, and will please mother. I sat all day on
24

350 LORD BEACONSFIELD'S DEATH [chap, xxvi

the G.F.S. Council, held in our new office in Victoria
Street. Mrs. Townsend announced her resignation,
which fills us all with despair.

" March 2. — We were much shocked and horrified by
the news of the attempt to shoot the Queen, which, thank
God, did not succeed — to lose her would indeed be a cal-
amity— and deeply disgusted to hear Bradlaugh had been
returned again by a majority of 108. As Rainald says,
it is enough to bring down a judgment on the country.

" Fawsley, March 7. — Sir vStafford has again carried
his resolution to prevent Bradlaugh from taking his
seat. The count}^ magistrates are all desperately
excited by Lord Spencer's proposal to add farmers and
shopkeepers to the list of magistrates, a pureh'- election-
eering move on his part to secure Bobby's seat. They
have protested violently, but he will do it all the
same. I took a long farming walk. We are thrashing
oats at Bull's Hill, which turn out much better than
we expected — five quarters to the acre. Thirty-seven
chickens out of fift}^ eggs have been hatched by the
new incubator — better luck next time ! The weather
is heavenly. 1 never saw so early a spring. The
hedges are bursting into leaf in every direction, elder
and honeysuckle leaves have been out ages, the hazel
catkins are nearly over, while the palm will certainly
not last till Palm Sunday. Elms, ribes, mezerea are
in full bloom, daffodils, hepaticas, celandines, primroses,
marsh-marigolds, hellebore, and dog-mercury are all
flowering, and to-day I actually saw a yellow butterfly.
One cannot be too thankful for such a mild winter, and
after the last three one really enjoys it.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, April 19. — To-day was
the first anniversary of Lord Beaconsfield's death.
Quantities of people are walking about with primrose
buttonholes to commemorate the day. I utterly decline.
The Queen called it ' his favourite flower,' but I cannot
stand this identification of the most simple and beautiful
of flowers with one so artificial and stilted.

" April 26. — An amusing day. Off early to Windsor
to be presented to my new mistress, accompanied by

1882] THE DUCHESS OF ALBANY 351

Mrs. Bourke, who went down for the same purpose. I
was really taken with the Httle I saw of Princess Helen.
She is tall, with a good figure, and natural, engaging
manners, not in the least stiff, very nice to her mother,
and apparently very much in love. Prince Leo, poor
boy, is very lame. We saw all the presents, and were
amused by Mr. Gladstone's gift of his own book.
Gleanings from Past Years, not at all particularly well
bound ! Our first bit of waiting was to attend an
audience, at which the Mayor and Corporation pre-
sented their bracelet ; they looked such quaint relics
of olden times with their robes and wigs, etc. Then
we sat down to a Household luncheon in the Waterloo
Chamber, and found several old friends, Count Secken-
dorf, Mr. Sahl, etc. The King and Queen of the Nether-
lands arrived soon afterwards, and I returned to London.
I must record that for the first, and I hope the last, time

I saw an English lady smoking — Lady S M , and

of all places at Windsor ! I was struck by Lady
Charlotte .Schreiber stopping me when I said, ' I wish,'
and saying, ' No, my dear, don't wish for anything. God
knows best.' How true it is !

" April 27. — It would be useless to try and describe
the striking and stately ceremonial of to-day's Royal
marriage, especially as the newspapers will do it much
better than I can, but I own to having greatly enjoyed
being present. It is so rare in these prosaic days to
see anything of real grandeur, and to-day, with the
trumpets and heralds and processions, the gorgeous
dresses and trains of the Royal Princesses, and all the
beauty and chivalry of England assembled in that grand
old chapel, the whole thing seemed like a page of past
history. The Queen was very gracious and winning,
and with the grey hairs under her diamond crown
appealed more strongly than ever to my feelings of
loyalty. The bridegroom was very nervous, but walked
better than I expected, and the bride looked very nice,
and made her responses in the clearest of voices. The
venerable Archbishop ^ gave a simple and impressive

1 Dr. A. C. Tait, who died in the following December.

352 LORD BEACONSFIELD'S DEATH [chap, xxvi

address, while the democratic age we live in was, to
my mind, personified in Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, the
acknowledged Republican, who would probably like,
if he could, to sweep it all away. We went down and
returned by special train, after luncheon in the Waterloo
Chamber.

" April 29. — Mrs. Townsend came to luncheon and
urged Rainald very strongly and persuasively to consent
to my election as President of the G.F.S. in her place,
this being the unanimous wish of the Council, as well
as her own. But he says ' No,' quite decidedly, so my
path is clear. I afterwards went to the British Museum,
and hunted out all I could find about Edmund Knightley,
who seems to have been a busy lawyer, and once got
himself put into the Fleet Prison. Much excitement in
the political world at the news that Lord Spencer
succeeds Lord Cowper in Ireland, which is looked upon
as a new departure in Irish polic}-. I was sorry to hear
of the young Princess of Wiirtemberg's death. She
was sister to the Duchess of Albany, and it is a sad
blow for her in these early days of her wedded life.
I had been wondering how they would spend their first
Sunday, little thinking it would be in tears !

" Sunday, May 7. — I don't think I was ever more
shocked in my life than, on coming down this morning,
to learn from the Observer of the assassination of Lord
Frederick Cavendish, who was only appointed on
Thursday to succeed Mr. Forster, and his Under-
Secretary, Mr. Burke, which took place yesterdaj^
evening in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. London is
literally aghast. As to poor Lucy, my heart aches for
her, and my thoughts go back to our time together at
Osborne in 1864. May God comfort her, for no one else
can. I went out on business in the morning, but could
not get this dreadful news out of my head. I wonder
how Mr. Gladstone feels now, at this result of his
policy ?

" May 8. — I spent a long morning at the British
Museum, and a long afternoon at home, receiving an
endless stream of visitors, and ended by going to a

1882] " JOHN INGLESANT" 353

party at Lady Jersey's. And still this awestruck
feeling prevails, and there is a rising tide of indignation
against the Government which in the event of a dis-
solution would make it go hard with them. But how
are the Conservatives, if they did come in, to quench
the flames which have been so recklessly fanned ? If
I live to be a hundred, I shall never forget these days
in London.

" May 1 1 . — The day was taken up with the Drawing-
room, at which Lady Southampton presented me on my
appointment. It seemed so funny to be presented for
the third time, but I had the entree, which is an immense
advantage, and was pleased at the very cordial reception
which the Queen gave me. We dined with the Clerks,
where I sat between Lord Hertford and Sir George
Warrender, both of whom were most agreeable ; and
went on to Mrs, Davenport's, and talked to Mr. W. H.
Smith and Sir Richard Cross, who are both very un-
happy at the alarming state of affairs in Egypt.

" May 21. — Last night we dined with the Bishop of
Winchester, and I sat between Mr, Heywood Sumner,
a grandson of the old Bishop's, an artist and etcher,
and altogether a very pleasant and uncommon person,
and Lord Selborne, who talked a great deal about
the new romance, John Inglesant, which has been making
such a sensation. He thinks it a very remarkable book,
but Liddon condemns it as savouring of agnosticism,
others say of Jesuitry. Lady Strangford was also
there, and Prince Ghika, the Roumanian Minister, with
his wife. I talked to him about the land question.
He is all for the metayer system, as opposed to peasant
proprietorship, and introduced it on his own estates,
where it was very popular until political intrigues
forced another system on the peasants. We were both
very sad at hearing a bad account of the Duke of
Grafton.

" Sunday, May 21. — Alas ! even as I wrote these
words, that true Christian and English gentleman
entered into his rest. I cannot sum up his character
better than in his sister Lady Penrhyn's words to me

354 DUKE OF GRAFTON'S DEATH [chap.xxvi

last autumn : ' Euston never thinks whether he likes
a thing or not ; if it is right it has to be done, if it is wrong
it has got to be let alone.' No man will be more deeply
and universally lamented, especially in Northampton-
shire, and Rainald's devotion to him has always been
quite touching. I went to St. Paul's, Knightsbridge,
this afternoon, and afterwards to Mrs. Munro's, where
I met the Duke of Bedford, who told me that he and
the Dukes of Sutherland and Argyll have all received
threatening letters warning them that their houses will
be blown up within the next three months, and one of
his own agents in Bedfordshire has been warned that
he will be shot. Such are the results of leaving crime
unpunished ! Yet half the world believes in Mr. Glad-
stone's policy, and Lucy Cavendish telegraphs her con-
gratulations to the Radical who has won the contest for
her husband's seat. I cannot understand it ! They
can't be all either knaves or fools, but talking to them
on the Irish question has become quite impossible.
Never since 1832 have parties been so bitterly divided.
Meanwhile, Egyptian affairs drift, and no one knows
what will happen there.

" July II. — The day was heralded by the news of
the bombardment of the forts at Alexandria by our
ships. It is the necessary result of the Government
policy, as expressed by Lord Granville's, * We must
dawdle a little,' last February, but when once guns are
fired in the East, one never knows where it will end.
At night to Lady Margaret Beaumont's, where I talked
a good deal to Lord Houghton's daughter, Mrs. Fitz-
gerald, who has just come from Alexandria, where she
was an actual eye-witness of the horrors of June 1 1 .

" July 12. — I went to see Ristori in Lady Macbeth.
She was atrociousl}^ supported, and played in English,
which she cannot speak well ; but her gestures, walk,
and, above all, her countenance with its extraordinary
variety of expression are beyond all praise. She is a
great actress and still an extremely handsome woman.
Afterwards to Lad^^ Waterford's, where Lord Salisbury
and vSir Stafford were chuckling over Sir Wilfrid Lawson's

i882] BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA 355

speech to-night, in which he said that if zve (the Con-
servatives) had bombarded Alexandria, the Prime
Minister would have stopped his train at every wayside
station to denounce the wickedness of the Tory Govern-
ment.

" July 13. — We went to Christie's for the last part
of the Hamilton sale. I am in despair to think that that
charming lounge has come to an end ! To-day there
were tapestries, miniatures, china, an immense variety
of beautiful oddments ; and the money these things fetch
is incredible! I should not like to give it, I must say. In
the afternoon to a garden-party at Marlborough House,
which I enjoyed as much as I always do. Nowhere else
does one meet such a collection of distinguished men
of every kind. Everyone was talking of the terrible
news from Alexandria, which Arabi has given over to
fire and pillage. The last rumour is that the Khedive
and Dervish Pasha are both dead. It seemed such an
awful contrast to think of these horrible scenes in the
midst of that ga}' and brilliant assembly. And where
it will all end, no human being can tell.

" Jttly 14. — Mother and I had a most successful ex-
pedition to -Claremont, and spent two hours very
agreeably with these nice 3'oung people. She is a lively,
merry, natural girl of twenty,//^ an extremely pleasant man
of the world, and all he said pleased me greatly. There
were only us four, no gSne, and I really enjoyed it. It
is a good house, with pictures of Princess Charlotte
all over the place, a wonderful Indian carpet, brought
home by Lord Clive, and a lovely garden laid out by
Capability Brown. The Duke and Duchess were very
full of the Queen of Roumania's poems. Carmen S3dva
is her nom- de-plume. She was Princess Elizabeth of
Wied, and Prince Leo said, used to be so like me. We
came back to find better news from Alexandria, the
Khedive safe and order being restored. Chauncy Cart-
wright, who was charge d'affaires at Cairo in Sir
Edward Malet's absence through illness, seems to have
done remarkably well. The Times says we are to send
troops. Mr. Bright has resigned, but most people, except

356 HOMBURG [chap, xxvi

the extreme radicals, approve of what the Government has
done. I am sorry, however, to see a tendency springing
up to wish to take Egypt. Prince Leopold, Nora, and
the St. James's Gazette are representatives of the more
intelligent part of the community, and they all lean
that way.

''July 22. — In the afternoon we went to Holland
House, where the public made very merry over Mr.
Childers' mistake of a million in the vote of credit to be
asked for on Monday. If it had only been six million !
But the parallel is curiously exact, only Lord Beacons-
field saved Constantinople, and Mr. Gladstone has
destroyed Alexandria."

The next few weeks were spent at Homburg, which
Lady Knightley describes as being given over to a
crowd of third-rate English and Americans, in spite
of the presence of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales and
occasional visits from the Princess and her children who
came over from Wiebaden. The progress of our troops
in Egypt was anxiously watched, the Government,
Lady Knightle}^ remarks, doing every single thing
which they denounced the late Government for doing,
using Cyprus, bringing over our Indian troops, and
making India pay for it.

" Homburg, Kisseliff Strasse, September 3. — The
foreigners here all laugh in one's face if one saj^s we
shall not keep Egypt. I was amused with Sir George
Bowen who, on someone saying, ' Wh}^ appoint that
Irish fellow, Sir Garnet Wolseley, why not Sir F.
Roberts?' replied, 'Why, he is an Irishman too, so
with the exception of Lord Lome are everyone of your
Colonial Governor?. You won't let Irishmen govern
themselves at home, but you can't stop their governing
English subjects all over the world ! ' He amused me
with a ton mot of Gambetta's who, in speaking of the
Revolution of 1848 and its origin in a public dinner,
said it might be described as a ' revolution a la four-
chette.' Mrs. Herbert, who is at the Windsor, tells me a
very curious thing, that accidentally this year, through
-3 servant, she became fiware that a house in the best part

1882] THE FIELD OF WATERLOO 357

of London, occupied by a rich merchant, was the head-
quarters of a secret society, as many as twenty men
sleeping there at night, and being gone again in the
morning. Among them were the murderers of Lord
Frederick Cavendish and Mr. Burke, who spent a
month in London early in the year. She informed the
detectives of her suspicions, but was told the house had
been on their list a long time, but they could do nothing.
Yesterday (September 2) was the anniversary of Sedan,
but beyond a few flags and a potpourri of patriotic music
in the evening there were no manifestations. Only
the ticket clerk at the station overwhelmed me with a
torrent of German, saying there would shortly be
another war with France, much worse than the last,
adding that he had himself been a prisoner in 1870."

The return journey by Lady Knightley's favourite
town of Brussels afforded an opportunity for a visit to
the field of Waterloo, which she had always wished to
see.

" Hotel de Flandre, Brussels, September 6. — We
managed an expedition to Waterloo, going by train to
Braine-la-Leude,and thence by omnibus to the centre of
the field. Discarding all guides, we at once walked off
to Hougomont, which is to me the most interesting
place of all, since it was in the orchard there that my
dear father was wounded. The farmhouse looked so
quiet and peaceful, one could hardly believe that round
it had waged the great battle on which the fate of
Europe hung. The worthy fermihre showed us the
orchard with its loop-holed wall and the chapel where
the fire, which burnt down the Chateau on that eventful
day, stopped at the foot of the crucifix on the altar —
a curious incidence which the peasants naturally hold
to be a miracle. Then we tramped over the wet fields
where the fury of the battle waged, looking in the
damp mist very much as they must have done on that
day. On the spot where the Prince of Orange fell, a
large Belgian lion has been erected on the top of a huge
mound, which alters the character of the place a good
deal We returned to Brussels at four, and visited the

358 DR. MAGEE [chap, xxvi

Palais d'Arenberg (the present Duke is the nephew of
our Prince Antoine), which is interesting as having been
once inhabited by Count Egmont, and has a good
portrait of Roscius by Rubens, and several other
Flemish pictures."

A series of G.F.S. meetings in different parts of the
diocese filled much of Lady Knightley's time this
autumn, and she thoroughly enjoyed a visit to Stoke
Edith Park for the Hereford musical festival.

" Fawsley, November lo. — Rainald had to go up to
town for a final division on the cldture, in which we were
beat by 44. I hardly like to think how fateful a division
it is — freedom of debate, our ancient privilege gone for
ever ! The country little understands what is happen-
ing. All the rest of us, Cartwrights, i\ldersons, Magees,
etc., went in much pomp and state to Daventry, to
attend the Bishop's visitation and conference. Most
interesting it was, a real visitation, in which the case of
each parish was carefully gone into. The Bishop gave
an address, in which he summed up the statistics of the
sixty parishes in four Rural Deaneries, cited to attend at
this centre. He rejoiced that there were now only
seven out of the sixty in which Holy Communion was
celebrated less than once a month. I wish this were
not one of them. At the conference which followed,
the Bishop emphasised the importance of more definitely
organised lay-help, and said he hoped to bring a scheme
for aiding this before the diocese shortly. He was
very pleasant as usual, talking a great deal of North-
hampton, where Bradlaugh had really been the cause of
much good in bringing churchmen together. One new
church he ascribed wholly to this spirit, while he ascribed
much of the mischief to the terrible neglect in two large
parishes for twenty-five years. One of his stories
anmsed me, which Bishop Wilberforce himself told him.
In his first visitation he put this question to the church-
wardens : ' Is there an^^thing you have to complain of
in the walk and carriage of your minister ? ' The
answer, in a number of instances, was, * He don't keep
a carriage.' Here is another of Mr. Gladstone, which

i882] A VISIT TO CLAREMONT 359

was told him by a German professor who, dining there,
got into an argument with Mr. G. and held his own.
Upon which Mrs. Gladstone passed down a paper to him
with the words : ' Please change the subject ; we never
allow Mr. G. to be contradicted here.'

" November 24. — To-day there is a very clever,
dashing speech b}^ Lord Salisbury, in which he speaks of
Mr. Gladstone as one who ' keeps the word of promise
to our ear, and breaks it to our hope,' and then adds :
' You know of what kind of beings that was said.'
The passage (from Macbeth) runs thus :

' And be there juggling fiends no more believed,
That palter with us in a double sense,
That keep the word of promise to our ear,
And break it to our hope.'

The worst of it is, half the world won't know the
context, or realise the cleverness and bitterness of the
speech.

" 4 Grosvenor Crescent, December 4 (for the last
time !). — I was very busy making the final arrange-
ments for moving furniture and giving up this house,
which is really sold. I am heartily glad, for I am sure
it is right, and will be a considerable economy. I went
with Rainald to the Carlton, to see the Queen open the
Law Courts. Pall Mall was hung with flags and lined
with troops, and lit up with Queen's weather, as the
Royal procession went b}^ with an escort of Life Guards.
At night, to the Monday Pop, which I had not done for
years. Joachim played in a quartette of Beethoven
quite splendidly. x\nd now I am going to bed for the
last time in this house. Thank God for many happy
hours in it !

" Claremont, Esher, December 5. — We came down
here and spent a very pleasant evening with the Duke
and Duchess of Albany and Mr. and Mrs. Collins.
They are most kind and friendly. Prince Leo entirely
confirms the stor}^ of Mr. Gladstone's proffered resigna-
tion last summer, which we heard at Homburg, and
which Lord Folkestone blurted out, indiscreetly enough.

36o AT WINDSOR [chap, xxvi

at Salisbury. He thinks it quite likely that he will
shortly resign, if his colleagues will consent.

" Windsor Castle, December 6. — The Duke went off
early to Salisbury, and Rainald later to Firle. How I
wish he were here ! I spent the day very pleasantly
with the Duchess— all she says is so thoroughly good
and sensible, — came on here this afternoon, and dined
with the Household, always a grand and stately
business. 1 enjoy it all the more from feeling free and
independent, in a way I did not when here as a girl.
Lady Abercromby, Miss St op ford, Miss Paget, Lord
Dalhousie, Mr. (Bill) Carington, Sir John M'Neill, Sir
John Cowell, etc., here.

" Windsor Castle, December 7. — A snowy day, but
I can't imagine a more delightful place to pass it in !
I spent most of the morning with the Maids of Honour
in that ever enchanting hbrary, where I found Sir
John Eliot's letter-book with many letters to T.
Knightley, who was tutor to his sons at Oxford. After
an investiture of the Bath, which my Duchess did not
attend, I stole down to service at St. George's, where
we had a lovely anthem, ' How lovely are the feet.'
We dined with the Queen, and had the Itahan Am-
bassador and Madame Menabrea, Lord and Lady
Selborne and Sir William and Lady Harcourt, and some
of the Household— sixteen in all. Sir William Harcourt
amused me by calling Rainald ' the stormy petrel of
debate,' saying ' that he never spoke except when there
was really some mischief up,' adding, ' he always tells
me that he has great difficulty in making up his mind
which of the two Governments is the biggest set of
scoundrels ! ' I could not help thinking of what
Dizzy once said of Sir William himself : ' He is sure to
get on, he has an historic name, a commanding presence,
considerable talent, and no principle ! '

" December 8. — I walked with my Duchess in the
morning, and drove with her after luncheon in one of
these delicious phaetons with postilions and a pair of
white ponies, which, if I were a swell, I would certainly
set up ! Besides, I found time to go and see the Albert

1 883] A ROYAL CHRISTENING 361

Memorial Chapel, which is all inlaid with fine coloured
marbles. We dined with the Queen, who was kinder
and more gracious to me than ever. Captain Edwards
of the Mounted Infantry, who was wounded at Kassas-
sin, was the only stranger. Prince Leo returned from
attending Archbishop Tait's funeral, and I had some
interesting talk with him. He has greatly improved
in his politics, and takes a thoughtful and intelligent
interest in great questions. He told me a witty remark
made by a French statesman apropos of the Emperor
and Empress of Austria : * Ce n'est pas la un menage,
c'est un manege.' Terrible accounts of snow all over
the country, trains blocked, telegraphic communica-
tion interrupted, etc.; and in the city, one of the
biggest fires ever known.

" Claridge Hotel, Easter Monday, March 26, 1883. —
On Maundy Thursday I was startled by a telegram
from the Duchess of Albany, asking me to her baby's
christening at Windsor on Monday, so I made an early
start from home, leaving the dear place looking lovely
in the bright sunshine, and caught the special at Pad-
dington at 12.10. I travelled down with the Duchess
of Roxburghe and Mrs. Moreton, and after waiting in
the Red Drawing-room some minutes, we were all shown
to our places in the private chapel, where the Queen
and Royal Family were already assembled. The new
Archbishop, Dr. Benson, performed the ceremony
beautifully — he has such a fine head and spiritual face
— and the Queen gave the names, Alice Mary Victoria
Augusta Pauline, in her usual clear, distinct voice.
Poor little mite ! God bless her and make her grow up
good and happy. Afterwards we were all received in
the Red Drawing-room, the Queen being obliged to sit
in a wheel-chair, owing to a sprain, and Prince Leopold
was on crutches, but looked bright and happy. I had
no particular conversation with any of them, except-
ing that the Prince of Wales talked of Ireland, and said
how wonderfully well Lord Spencer had done there ;
and I was introduced to the Archbishop, who seemed
very pleasant. After luncheon we returned to town,

362

THE COURT OF RUSSIA [chap, xxvi

and Lady Emma Osborne told me in the train that she
had just come back from Russia, where the Court is
beginning to amuse itself, but that several arrests had
been lately made among the upper classes, which pro-
duces an uncomfortable feeling, and shows that the
mischief is still going on."

CHAPTER XXVII

Carlton House Terrace and Claremont

1883-1884

" 4 Carlton House Terrace, May 3. — Yesterday we took
possession of this beautiful house, which we have
rented for ten weeks, and where we shall hardly
know ourselves. The view from the windows is some-
thing to remember all one's life, embracing as it does
the Abbe}'- and Houses of Parliament, St. Margaret's
and Whitehall. On one side one looks down the Mall
to Buckingham Palace, and on the other we catch
sight of St. Paul's and of distant hills, and from our
balcony at night we see the full moon rising above the
towers of Westminster. This afternoon I went to
Lowther Lodge, where the usual embarras of pretty
things was to be seen, and at night to the House of
Commons, where the Affirmation Bill was thrown out
by three votes (292-289) amidst the greatest excitement.
I thought our men would never have done cheering.
Thank God indeed ! I can never forget that scene.
The Radicals met us coming out of the lobby, and as
one recognised one face after another my heart sank,
and Mrs. Gladstone, who sat next me, said, ' It will be
better than we expected.' But a rumour flew along
our benches before the tellers appeared and the cheer-
ing began, and when at last one saw the paper in Mr.
Rowland Winn's hand, "one could sa}^ from the bottom
of one's heart, ' Thank God ! ' I was puzzled at
seeing the Conservatives remain in their places, instead
of pouring out, as they usually do after a division, but

found afterwards that Rainald had warned them that

363

364 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE [chap, xxvii

Bradlaugh might come and take the oath after every
one was gone, so they waited till he had left, for the
Speaker told us the other day that he would have no
power to stop him. For Bradlaugh himself had been
in the House, under the Strangers' Gallery, all the
time. It was curious to watch his face while speaker
after speaker said every sort of thing about him, he
being muzzled and unable to answer. When it was
over Lady Salisbury, who was sitting by me in the
Speaker's Gallery, turned to Mrs. Gladstone and said,
' Now you know in your heart of hearts you are as
glad as we are. We've got you out of a very nasty
difficultj^ and deprived ourselves of a capital election
cry.' But Mrs. Gladstone did not seem to see it, and
I should think she saw it still less this afternoon, when
the Government were beat by io6 in a full house, on
attempting to support Mr. Labouchere's endeavour to
shelve Sir Stafford's resolution to prevent Mr. Bradlaugh
taking the oath.

A4ay 5. — In the evening we went to Lady Salis-
bury's, where Rainald employed himself in chaffing
all the Radicals he could lay his hands upon, and asking
them if they did not think it required a double-first
man like Gladstone to turn a minority of 3 into one
of 106 within twenty-four hours. It just shows what
their men do when they are left free to act according to
their convictions. Mr. Beresford Hope was full of his
little joke that the Liberals held their dinner at the
Aquarium because they were jelly-fish. Altogether
an amusing evening.

" May 29. — A very long day ! We began by the
trooping of the Colour, a brilliant and beautiful sight
in this sunny weather. Then I went to luncheon with
Mrs. Jeune to meet Princess Christian, who was her own
most charming and agreeable self. But I am unhappy
at her account of the Queen, who has never thoroughly
got over her accident in the spring. She says the Duke
of Albany was most anxious to go to Canada, and is
much disappointed at Lord Lansdowne's appointment.
It is hard, when so few careers are open to him. We

1 883] AN AMATEUR EXHIBITION 365

dined with Mr. Petre,and I sat by Lord Greville whom I
found pleasant and light in hand, although tremendously
Radical. He told me that Mr. Gladstone's advice to
speakers was : ' Never learn your speech by heart, ex-
cept perhaps the peroration, but divide your subject into
two or three heads and talk to yourself first about one,
then another, and so on, out walking, or whenever you
are alone.' On to the Queen's ball, where the electric
light used in the ballroom for the first time made it much
cooler. I have seldom seen more beauty, beginning
with the Princess of Wales, Lady Dudley, Lady
Garvagh, Lady De Clifford, etc. Well may Lord Dufferin,
just returned from the East, exclaim, ' I do feel proud
of my country-women.' Sir Hussey Vivian amused me
by repeating the letter which Disraeli wrote to the
Duke of Marlborough when Sir Ivor Guest wanted to
be made a peer :

" ' My dear Duke, nothing would give me greater
pleasure than to place a coronet on the brow of dear
Cornelia, but What has he done ? ' Characteristic.

" Thursday, June 28. — This was quite the most
successful thing in the way of Society which we have
ever done — an exhibition of amateur sketches and work
for the Ladies' Guild. I was hard at work all Tuesday
arranging the pretty things that had been sent me — a
really beautiful collection : sketches m India by Sir
Richard Temple, by Miss Gordon-Cumming all over the
world, clever sketches in Russia and Austria by General
Crealock, a dehcious little book of Scottish sketches by
Mrs. Ellice, water-colour drawings by all manner of
people — the Duke of Argyll, Louisa Lady Waterford,
Mr. Clifford Harrison, Mr. Lutyens, etc. ; lovely old
embroideries lent by Mrs. Alfred Morison, Mrs. Denison,
Lady Edward Cavendish, and Lady Margaret Majendie,
besides the work of the Enghsh and Irish Working
Ladies' Guild. I sent out 600 cards, and in the course
of the two afternoons an enormous number of people
came, and enough smart people to please even Rainald !
It has been hard work, but it succeeded, and has done
the Working Guilds real good, I hope. I went out
25

366 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE [chap, xxvii

driving for a little air each morning, and to parties at
Lady Margaret Beaumont's where were the Christians,
and Mrs. Oppenheim's where I met Prince Leo. My
Duchess has been laid up but is recovering, and he
seemed bright and cheerful. On Wednesday we went
to the Queen's concert, and on Thursday to Lady Mole-
worth's where we met the Connaughts — a kind of party
I have not been at for j'-ears, very smart, very stiff, and
very dull ! Came home to see a splendid storm from
my lovely balcony, the vivid flashes lighting up the
Abbey and the Park trees most beautifully, and then the
rain came rushing up.

" Saturday, June 30. — To-night we went to Lady
Brand's, to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales —
a brilliant and beautiful party on the terraces. It w^as
a perfect summer's night and the lights were reflected
in the water below. I walked about with Mr. Forster,
whom I always like, and Sir Charles Dilke joined us.
What would Val say ? However, Lord Salisbury's
daughter, Lady Maud Cecil, marries Lord Wolmer, the
Lord Chancellor's son, which will shock him still
more.

" July 4. — We spent the afternoon at the Fisheries,
the International show which has excited such a sensa-
tion ; met John Hamilton for the first time since poor
Emmy's death. He looks very sad, and misses her
terribly. Afterwards I spent a delightful hour with
that charming old lady, Mrs. Duncan Stewart, in her
Sloane Street house. She is full of life and intellect,
and strikes me as the very picture of happj'- old age.
Her career, as Mr. Augustus Hare has lately told me,
seems to have been a most varied one. A Miss Gore,
left an orphan early and brought up in a convent at
Rouen, she afterwards lived with her guardian at Havre,
where Washington Irving and his brother were both
madly in love with her. However, she married neither
of them, nor Lord Cecil Gordon, whom she liked, but
whom her guardian sternly discouraged. Mr. Duncan
Stewart, whom she did marry, was a rich Liverpool
merchant of a strictly Presbyterian family, who was

■M
/<

1883] MRS. DUNCAN STEWART 367

shocked at her French notions. On his death she was
left very poor, with ten children to educate. She
became intimate with the Disraelis, who were very fond
of her, and her daughter was Lady-in- Waiting to the
Queen of Hanover, and lived with her at the Court at
Herrenhausen.i To an amusing party at Mrs.Tennant's,
whom we met at Birnam years ago, and whose beautiful
daughters Millais painted. Coquelin recited — his face
is a comedy in itself — and Soria sang beautifully as he
always does, and Oscar Wilde was amusing to contem-
plate with his curling locks, black stock, turned-back
cuffs, and bunch of seals. Altogether a new world.
I met him again at Mrs. Jeune's afterwards. There I
found a strange mixture — Lady Brownlow, Lady Pem-
broke, Lady Jersey, Mr. Greenwood, Hamilton Aide,
the Bancrofts, etc.

" July 6. — To the G.F.S. Council in the morning,
and to tea at Nora's. I rejoiced in a quiet evening,
while they were debating Women's Suffrage in the
House. We were beaten by 14 — no large majority, but
the matter does not gain ground. Only about 19
Conservatives voted with us. The rest of the 114
were chiefly ultra-Radicals. I begin to doubt if it
will ever become law in my time. I called on Lady
Dorothy Nevill, who is always amusing. She has taken
up with Mr. Chamberlain now, vice Dizzy deceased,
and told me what an atrocious speech he had been
making, advocating universal suffrage."

Visits to Rushton, Mr. Clarke-Thornhill's fine old
place in Northamptonshire, to Lady Willoughby
d'Eresby at Grimsthorpe, and to Lamington, Tullyallan,
and Lindertis were Lady Knightley's only diversion this
autumn. In November she addressed several meetings
of the G.F.S. , and inaugurated a new branch at Finedon,
where she stayed with Mrs. Mackworth Dolben, in the
historic old Manor House of the Dolben family. A visit
from Mr. Augustus Hare was among the chief events
of the winter.

^ Mrs. Duncan Stewart died in the following winter, and her Recollections
were afterwards published.

368 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE [chap, xxvii

''January 8, 1884. — Mr. Hare is certainly a very
pleasant guest. He gives no sort of trouble, amuses
himself in the library all the morning, and us all with
accounts of his travels and ghost stories. Here are two
good ones which he has just told us : Sir Thomas Watson
once travelled from Euston with a 3^oung lady, who told
him that she was go'ng to Ulverstoke to meet her
fiance and be married there the next day. But at
Rugby, to his surprise, she declared she had seen her
lover on the platform, and that he had begged her to
get out . The same thing happened at Stafford , and when
at Crewe she told Sir Thomas that the same thing
happened again, and, seeing her ^<7wc^ calling her to join
him, she jumped out of the train. Another girl got in
and took her place, and was killed in a railway accident
which happened just afterwards. The other was about
Lady Gwendoline Talbot, Marchesa Borghese, appearing
after her death to one of her old pensioners who had gone
to pray at her tomb in extreme distress at her pension
having been stopped. She gave her a ring and told her
to take it to her son, the Marchese, which the old woman
did. It turned out to be a famous Borghese jewel
which had been buried with the dead Marchesa."

But the most noteworthy record of Mr. Hare's visit
is the following description of Fawsley and its inmates,
which appeared in his Story of My Life a few years
afterwards :

" Fawsley, January 8, 1884. — I came here from
Lichfield to find a very large party in this large and
most comfortable house with a hall of Henry viii.'s time.
Sir Rainald Knightley, its owner, is a splendid type of
an English countr}'' gentleman, very Conservative, very
courteous, very clever, and devoted to country sports
and interests, which alternates with the politics in
which his more serious moments are spent. The only
blemish on his perfectly happy married life with Miss
Bowater — who enters into all his pursuits, whether
duties or pleasures, politics, country business, hunting,
etc. — is that they have no children. He is surrounded
by cousins, Charleses and Valentines, repeating in

1 8 84] AT CLAREMONT 369

actual life the man}^ Charleses and Valentines whose
portraits hang on the walls, and to whom there are
monuments in the fine old church near the house. In
the autumn, rheumatism takes him to Homburg, but he
refuses to learn German — 'the grinding, guttural
gibberish of the garrulous Goth.'

" The parish has a population of 58, and there is
only one service on Sundays, performed by a cousin,
who is in Orders. It is alternately in the morning and
afternoon, the difference being that the morning service
begins at noon, and the afternoon service at a quarter-
past.

" Mr. Charles Knightley drove me to Canons Ashby,
the beautiful and romantic old place of the impoverished
and eccentric Sir Henry Dryden. I thought it looked
. like the background of a novel, and afterwards
found that it was the background of Sir Charles
Grandison.

" Lady Knightle}^ took me to Shuckburgh, a pretty
old place. When Charles i. was going to the battle of
Edgehill, he met the Sir Richard Shuckburgh of that day,
merrily going out hunting. He had never heard that
there was a civil war going on — such was the paucity of
political news ! But he turned about and followed the
king into the battle, and was wounded there. At the
beginning of this century a daughter of the house became
engaged to be married to an officer quartered at Weedon,
a mesalliance to which her famil}^ greatly objected. At
last she was induced to break it off. But the officer
persuaded her to grant him one last interview in a
summer-house at the back of the hill that he might
give her back her letters. He gave her the letters with
one hand, while with the other he shot her dead, and
then shot himself."

" Claremont, Esher, March 18. — I left home with
great regret, travelling up with Rainald, and came on
here to find only the Duchess, who, poor little woman,
is shortly expecting a second child, and Mrs. Snow,
mother of the Doctor's wife, Mrs. Royle. The Duke of
Albany is at Cannes. The Queen telegraphs to me this

370 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE [chap, xxvii

evening, begging me to write every few days and let
her know how H.R.H. is.

" March 21 . — Life here passes very quietly, but not
at all disagreeably. I drive out every morning with the
Duchess. The country round Claremont is very pretty,
with wild, breezy commons and many Scotch firs. The
grounds are lovely, with long grassy glades and masses
of rhododendrons and a great number of firs of rare
varieties. It seeins the place was originally built b}'-
Sir John Vanbrugh ; then the grounds were laid out for
the Duke of Newcastle, the minister, then Lord Clive
bought it and built the present house, and had the
grounds laid out by Capability Brown, whose real name
was Lancelot. There is a mausoleum to Princess Char-
lotte in the gardens, and a miniature fort made by the
Orleans princes when they were here. One day the
Rector of Esher came to talk * boarding-out ' with the
Duchess, as she is anxious to try the experiment.
Another day a Mrs. Willis, who is devoted to farming,
came to luncheon, and we spent an improving afternoon
on the Home Farm. The Duchess seems to me ver^'-
amiable, with plenty of good sound common sense and
the best intentions, but does not seem to care much for
reading. What she really likes, and does extremely
well, is needlework. The little girl is a great darling.
The Queen seems very anxious to have the Duke back
from Cannes, saying she needs his help and advice in
public affairs, especially the alarming situation of Egypt.
She has telegraphed to him : ' vSituation very critical,
Gladstone ill, affairs in Egypt most difficult.' I hope he
will return.

" March 26. — A few lines to record the remainder of
my visit. On Sunday Mrs. Snow and I walked to Esher
Church, the spire of which has been familiar to me for
so many years from Richmond Park. On Monda}'^ we
made a pleasant expedition to the lovely little church
of Stoke d'Abernon, which has a very fine brass of 1277
to Sir John d'Abernon, and some curious monuments to
the Norburys and Vincents. It is all beautifully kept
and close to the ' squarsonage,' a large house with a

1 884] THE DUCHESS OF ALBANY 371

handsome hall standing close to the river Mole. At tea,
Princess Frederica of Hanover drove over from Hampton
Court and stayed some time. She was certainly born to
be an empress, she has such stately, gracious manners.
Yesterday Princess Beatrice came to luncheon with Lady
Biddulph and Mile Norele. The old servant who came
with them told Batten, what touched me very much,
that he remembered perfectly the Prince Consort saying
to my father, as he took leave of Prince Leopold when
they were starting for Cannes, ' You'll take care of
the boy, won't you ? ' My father answered, ' I will, sir,
as if he were my own.' And within six months both
were dead. In the evening Princess Louise and Lord
Lome came to dine and sleep, and both made themselves
very agreeable. * Dear me,' she said as we came down
to dinner, ' it seems so odd to come to Leopold's house
and see Leopold's child ! ' I have been reading aloud
to the Duchess Lord Macaulay's Essays on Lord
Chatham, and now this morning before I left the Duke
writes : ' I am so glad you are reading Macaulay's Essays,
I am so fond of them.' And he sends me a charming
message, rejoicing to think I am here and wishing he
were with us. The Duchess told me how fond he always
was of me, and that I was the first person outside his
own family of whom he spoke to her, even before their
engagement. He has never lorgotten that winter at
Cannes, when we were thrown so much together, and I
felt so sorry for the poor fatherless boy away from
iiome and mother and sisters. The Duchess told me all
the details oi their engagement, how he came to call on
her mother, the Princess of Waldeck, at Soden, and how
afterwards they met for two or three days at Frankfurt,
soon after which it was all settled. I have really enjoyed
my visit to Claremont very much, but was delighted
to speed home and get back to my darling husband,
after one of our longest separations."

Lady Knightley returned to Fawsley, as we see,
on Wednesday, March 26. Three days afterwards she
heard of the Duke of Albany's sudden death.

" Saturday, March 29. — Ah me ! how little I thought

372 DUKE OF ALBANY'S DEATH [chap, xxvii

when I described Claremont and the life there how
soon it was all to be plunged in the deepest sorrow !
The sudden death of the Duke of Albany at Cannes
yesterday, Friday, at 2 a.m., was the awful news which
greeted me this morning. God help that poor young
widow and her fatherless baby 1 He alone can, I feel
quite overwhelmed ; having been there so lately, one
realises it all so vividl}^ My mind goes back and back
to the time at Cannes, and I think of the many tokens
of faithful friendship since, and of the poor Duchess's
affectionate words last Wednesday. Alas ! I can think
of nothing else.

" April 4. — All the details in the papers are most
touching. I am thankful to have a fair account of the
Duchess from Mrs. Snow this morning. Much to our
surprise, Rainald has received orders to attend the
funeral at Windsor, and went off to town this morning.
I got out many of Prince Leo's pretty childish letters
and read them over again with a sad heart.

" Saturday, April 5. — All day long my thoughts
were at Windsor. It seems too melancholy to think
of that mournful pageant on the very spot where, two
short years ago, the joyous marriage ceremonial took
place 1 Thank God there is a world beyond the grave.

" Claremont, Esher, May 8. — I left Rainald (I am
always leaving him now) to come down here to my
poor Duchess. The contrast between my last visit,
when all was joyful expectation, and now is most
melancholy, but the dear Duchess herself is so brave,
so touching in her unselfish resignation, that it is less
painful than I expected. Princess Christian too is here,
which is of course a great pleasure to me.

" May 10. — To-day the Queen came over from
Windsor with Princess Beatrice, Princess Alice's husband,
the Grand Duke Louis of Hesse, and her second daughter.
Princess Ella (Elizabeth of Hesse), who is quite beautiful,
and is going to be married next month to the Grand
Duke Sergius of Russia. I have never seen the Queen
since the christening at Windsor, in March last year,
and she struck me as being a good deal changed. They

1 884] THE WIDOWED DUCHESS 373

are all terribly worried at the Grand Duke Louis having
contracted a so-called morganatic marriage with the
divorced wife of a Russian diplomatist, and this while
the Queen was at Darmstadt, on the very evening of
his eldest daughter's marriage to Prince Louis of Batten-
burg ! What makes it seem all the worse is, that just at
this moment the letters of his late wife, Princess Alice,
which are so full of love and devotion for him, are being
published. Princess Christian, who has edited and trans-
lated them, gave me a copy of the book to-night. As
for the dear Duchess, she is too touching in her grief,
so natural and unaffected, and often very cheerful,
full of firm faith and patient, gentle, unmurmuring
resignation. Above all, she lives and talks of her lost
husband and of their brief spell of happy wedded life
in the spirit of the beautiful lines :

' 'Tis better to have loved and lost !

Than never to have loved at all.'

The weather is simply heavenly — an ideal May day.

" May 14. — A trying day for the Duchess, as Captain
Perceval, in whose arms the Duke died, came to see
her. Alec Yorke was here too. How little I thought
we should first meet here in such sad circumstances.
Princess Louise and Lady Sophia Macnamara came down
from tow^n this afternoon. Poor Princess Louise ! No
one loved Prince Leo better, and to no one is he a
greater loss. Yesterday we had Major Waller, and
to-day Mile Nor^le, to whom I talked a good deal. I
drove this afternoon with Princess Christian. I must
say one always begins again with her exactly where one
left off !

" 4 Carlton House Terrace, May 27. — The whole day
was taken up with receiving Princess Christian and the
Duchess of Albany, who drove up from Claremont to
see the Duchess of Cambridge, and had luncheon here,
after which Princess Christian drove with me and we
left the Duchess to rest. There is something very
taking about her, and all my heart goes out to her in
her widowhood and loneliness.

374 DUKE OF ALBANY'S DEATH [chap, xxvii

" July 25. — I went to the garden-party at Marl-
borough House, which was a good deal spoilt by the
cold, dull weather. But I had a nice little talk with the
Crown Prince of Germany, whose manners are as charm-
ing as ever, and who never forgets our meeting on the
way to Primkenau. To-day he talked chiefly about the
Duke of Albany, with real feeling and affection."

■ ••••••

The death of Prince Leopold, with whom Lady
Knightley had been so closely associated in her youth,
naturally moved her deeply, recalling as it did the
great crisis of her early life, the death of her own father,
and the sad winter at Cannes which she spent in the
young Prince's company. The friendship which she
formed at this time with her widowed mistress lasted to
the end of her life, and the Duchess of Albany was her
guest at Fawsley only ten days before her own death,
twenty-nine years afterwards.

The ten following years (1884-94) were strenuous
ones for Lady Knightley. Politics absorbed more and
more of her time. Gordon's ill-fated expedition to
Khartoum, the struggle for Home Rule, and the founda-
tion of the Primrose League became prominent topics
in her Journals. In the autumn of 1885, and again
in the following summer, Sir Rainald was called upon
to contest two hard-fought elections, and on both occa-
sions his supporters and opponents alike recognised
that his success was largely due to his wife's eloquence
and popularity. When, at the dissolution of 1892, he
finally took leave of his constituents, Lad}^ Knightley
had the satisfaction of seeing her husband's long parlia-
mentary career crowned by a peerage. Two years later
Lord and Lady Knightley celebrated their silver wedding,
a fitting culmination to their singularly happy married
life. But six months after this Lord Knightley
had a paralytic stroke, and although he lived till the
end of the year, he never fully recovered his former
powers of body or mind. He died at Fawsley on the
19th of December 1895, to his wife's deep and lasting
regret. But her strong faith and courage bore her

Lady Knightley of Fawsley.
1904.

[ To face f>. 374.

191 3] LATER YEARS 375

safely through the dark days of early widowhood, and
she went back to work with fresh hope and ardour.

During the eighteen years of life that remained to
her, Lady Knightley devoted herself more and more
zealously to the good works of which she had been so
long the moving spirit, while at the same time she found
new channels for her untiring energy and benevolence.
Her labours in the cause of British Emigration and of
South African Colonisation are too recent and too
widely known to need further description. In spite
of trials and loneliness, she retained her power of enjoy-
ment to the last. The Journals of these closing years
are in some ways more full of variety and interest — even
livelier and more amusing than the records of her
earlier days. They abound in animated descriptions
of public events and political controversies, of pleasant
expeditions to Baireuth and Rome, and more distant
journeys to South Africa and Greece, and of still happier
months spent in the dear-loved home which, fortunately
for her and for her dependants, she was never called to
leave.

When Lady Knightley died, in September 191 3, after
a few days' illness, she was deeply lamented by a wide
circle of relations and friends, who had felt the enduring
spell of her goodness and charm. The unknown thou-
sands whose lives she had helped to brighten by her
unwearied efforts, the women and girls to whose welfare
her activities had been more especially devoted, joined
in paying her memor^'^ the same tribute. Their love
and gratitude is to find permanent expression in the
church which will soon be raised as a memorial to Lady
Knightley at Regina, in the province of Saskatchewan,
Canada, and which will be dedicated to St. Peter, in
remembrance of the London church where her own
wedding took place, and where she had so often listened
to Bishop Wilkinson's sermons. So her name will live,
alike in these far regions of Britain-beyond-the-seas
and in the pleasant fields and familiar places of her old
Northamptonshire home, v/here in days to come many
will rise up and call her blessed.

APPENDIX

A Chronicle of Events kept by Thomas Lane, merchant, born at
Tettenhall, Staffordshire, October 25, 17 14, and great-grandfather
of Lady Knightley. He went out to India as a young man, married
Hannah Sanders at Bombay on September 19, 1750, returned from
India in 1752, and went to his home in Staffordshire, where he began
to write this record.

1753. This year my daughter, Louisa Lane, was born, on

October 1 1 .
1755. This year I moved to Stepney, and my son Thomas went

to India.
1764. This year I went to live in Bedford Row, and dyed mv

dear, good mother.
1767. This year I purchased Cheshunt House.
1 77 1. My son Henry left me for China.
1777. My son Richard left me for India, and died the same year

in Bengal.

1779. This year I left Cheshunt and sold my house, and Miss
Lane was married to George Edward Hawkins.

1780. This year was born Louisa Hawkins, on November 30,
and baptized at St. George's, Hanover Square.

178 1. This year I went to Ford Hook, and my son Henry came

home from China.

1783. This year I left Bedford Row, and went to live in George

Street, and dyed my dear wife. George Hawkins died
at Acton, Middlesex, on September 29, aged thirty-two.
His daughter, Laura Hawkins, was born in George Street
on October 28, and baptized at Ealing Church.

1784. This year I rented a house at Hampton Court.

1785. This year was married my daughter, Louisa Hawkins,

to Captain Bowater, on August 3 1 .
1787. This year was born my Bowater grandson, on July 13,

and baptized by the name of Edward at St. James's

Palace.
1789. This year my son Henry returned from China.
1795. This year I surrendered the agency of the Ponsborne to

my son Harry.

Mr. Thomas Lane died in September 1796, and was buried by
the side of his wife in the vault of Abbots Langley Church, Herts.
His grandson, Edward Bowater, continued the Chronicle as follows :

1794. This year, aged seven, I went to Warfield School, under
Dr. Faithfull.

377

378 APPENDIX

1796. This year died my excellent grandfather, Mr. Lane,

aged eighty-three.
1798. This year I went to Harrow School, under Dr. Drury.

1803. This year my sister, Laura Hawkins, married Sir Matthew

White Ridley, Bart., on August 12.

1804. This year I entered the 3rd Regiment of Guards. Sarah

Ridley was born.

1806. This vear my sister, Louisa Hawkins, married Captain

H. W. Wheatley.

1807. This year I went with the expedition to Copenhagen

under Lord Cathcart. Georgiana Wheatley was born.

1808. This year 1, Edward Bowater, embarked for Spain under

General Sherbroke, and sailed for Cadiz and Lisbon.

1809. I was wounded at the battle of Talavera, appointed

Lieutenant and Captain, and returned to England.

1 8 10. This year I was appointed A.D.C. to General Turner by

the Duke of Clarence.

18 12. Laura Maria Wheatley was born. I returned to Spain,

and was present at the battle of Salamanca and taking
of Madrid.

18 1 3. This year I was present at the battle of Vittoria and

siege of S. Sebastian, and entered France, etc. General
Bowater, my good uncle, died, aged seventy-two.

1 8 14. This year I was present at the siege of Bayonne and taking

of Bordeaux, appointed Captain and Lieut.- Colonel,
returned to England and was sent to the Army at
Brussels. Mary Wheatley was born.

18 1 5. This year I was wounded at the battle of Waterloo, and

received a year's pay and a medal for it, and entered
Paris.

1816. I returned to England with a part of the Army.
1818. Sophia Wheatley was born.

1823. This year I was sent to Dublin with my regiment.

1826. This year I went to Portugal under Sir William Clinton,

and was appointed Major and Colonel.

1827. I remained in Portugal in command of the 2nd Battalion

of Guards.

1828. This year I returned to England with the Army.

1829. My dear father, Admiral Bowater, died, aged seventy-six.

1830. I went to Dublin with my battalion.

1832. This year I was appointed Equerry to the King.

1835. My kind, good mother, Mrs. Bowater, died, aged eighty-two.

1836. This year I was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the 3rd

Guards, and died my kind brother, Sir Matthew Ridley.

1837. This year I was appointed Major-General and Kt. Com-

mander ; died my kind master. King William iv.

1838. This year I proposed to Emilia Mary Barne on the 22nd

November.

1839. This year I married my dearest wife, Emilia Mary Barne,

on the 22nd May.
1840 This year died my niece Laura Wheatley, and I was
appointed Equerry to H.R.H. Prince Albert.

1 84 1. Her Majesty gave me the Lodge in Richmond Park.

1842. This year was born my daughter, Louisa Mary Bowater,

on April 25.
1845. This year died my niece Cecilia, wife of Matthew White
Ridley, April 2.

APPENDIX 379

1846. This year I was appointed Groom-in-Waiting to H.M.

and Colonel of the 49th Regiment.
1849. This year died my niece, Alice Barne.

1852. This year died my kind brother-in-law, Major-General Sir

Henry Wheatley, G.C.H., C.B., aged seventy-four.

1853. This year died my old schoolfellow and brother-officer,

my kind friend and companion, Lord Charles Townsend.

1854. This year died my old friend Lord Colborne and his wife,

a great loss to me.
1858. This year died my very dear sister, Louisa Wheatley, ever
most kind and affectionate, on April i, aged seventy-
seven ; and on December 1 1 my good mother-in-law,
Mrs. Mary Barne, aged ninety-three.

Three years after this last entry, General Sir Edward Bowater
died at Cannes, on December 14, 1861, and the record was continued
by his daughter, Louisa.

i860. This year died my father's old and valued friend, the
Duke of Richmond, on December 14.

1 86 1. This year died my beloved father, aged seventy- four, and

on the same day, within five hours, the Prince Consort,
aged forty- two.

1862. We left the Lodge in Richmond Park, which was given by

Her Majesty to Colonel Liddell, and on his resigning it,
given back to my mother.

1864. This year died my cousin Edith Barne, aged nineteen, on

January 1 1 , during my v^sit to Osborne ; also my cousin
Sarah Cookson, aged sixty ; my Aunt Laura, Lady
Ridley, on July 23, aged eighty-one; and my cousin,
Georgiana Wheatley, aged fifty-seven.

1865. This year I went to stay at Balmoral.

1866. I went to Windsor and Chveden.

1868. My dear and good cousin Mr. Newdegate, and my cousin.

General Sir William Ridley, both died, on January 21
and November 27. I went to Frogmore and to Germany,
in July and September, with H.R.H. Princess Christian.

1869. On October 20, I was married to my dear husband,

Rainald Knightley, at St. Peter's, Eaton Square.

INDEX

Abbot, Mr., 135.

Abercromby, Lady, at Windsor
Castle, 360.

Aberdeen, 90.

Aberdeen, Ishbel, 331.

Aberdeen, Lord, 263.

Abergeldie, 90, 94.

Aboyne, 90, 102.

Adderley, Sir Charles, his Unsea-
worthy Shipping Bill, 273.

Adderley, Mrs., 134.

Ad stone, 297.

Affirmation Bill, 363.

Afiric, 265.

Africa, South, Bill, 316.

Agricultural distress, causes of, 336.

Agricultural Holdings Bill, 280.

Agricultural labourers' strike, 228.

Agricultural Labourers' Union,
notice from the, 240.

Aide, Hamilton, 244, 367.

Airey, General, 260.

Airlie, Lady, her reception, 347.

Alabama question, 94, 226, 227, 234.

Albani, Mme, 280, 301.

Albany, Count d', 302.

Albany, Duchess of, her wedding,
xvi, 351 ; death of her sister,
352 ; at Claremont, 355 ; birth
of a daughter, 361 ; death of her
husband, xvi, 371 ; at Carlton
House Terrace, 373 ; friendship
with Lady Knightley, 374 ; at
Fawsley, xvi, 374.

Albany, H.R.H. Duke of, his en-
gagement, 349 ; wedding, xvi,
351 ; at Claremont, 355 ; at the
christening of his daughter, 361 ;
at Cannes, 369 ; his affection for
Lady Knightley, 371 ; death,
xvi, 371. See Leopold.

Albany, Princess Alice of, her
christening, 361.

Albert Hall, 246.

Albert Memorial Chapel, 361.

Albert, H.R.H. Prince, his surprise
visit to Sir E. Bowater, 23 ;
illness and death, xv, 30 ; in-
26

scription on his cairn, 93 ; his

statue, 100 ; Life, 319.
Alderson, Lady, at Hatfield, 185.
Alexandra, H.R.H. Princess, her

engagement, 40 ; arrival at Wind-
sor, 48 ; appearance, 49 ; wedding,

50. See Wales, Princess of.
Alexandria, bombardment of, 354.
Alford, Lady Marian, 348 ; at

Castle Ashby, 194 ; at Euston,

268.
Alfred, H.R.H. Prince, at Osborne,

32 ; his appearance, 32, 115 ;

at Windsor Castle, 53 ; title of

Duke of Edinburgh, 114. See

Edinburgh.
Alice, H.R.H. Princess, at Windsor

Castle, 25 ; her grief at the

death of her father, 32. See

Hesse.
Alington, Lady, at Crichel, 271.
Alington, Lord, at Osterley Park,

261.
Alsace Lorraine ceded to Germany,

214.
Alsen, taken, 84.
Althorp, 264 ; library, 264.
Alt-na-Guisach, 93.
Amanvilliers, 305.
Amberley, Lord, 38, 42, 82.
Ambulance lectures, course of,

331 ; examination, 334.
Amiens, 32.
Andermatt, 220.
Angerstein, Julia, 134 ; bridesmaid

to Miss Bowater, 171.
Angerstein, Mrs., her ball, i6fi.
Annesley, Colonel, at Burghley

House, 226 ; Ickworth, 252.
Aosta, Duke and Duchess of, at

Wimbledon, 138.
Apponyi, Count, 126.
Apsley House, ball at, 248.
Arbury, 42, io6, 128, 139, 176,

205.
Aremberg, Prince d', 284.
Arenberg, Palais d', 358.
Arenberg, Prince, 303.

38:

INDEX

Argyll, Duke of, 89 ; at Balmoral,
90-103 ; his mode of reciting
poetry, 99, loi ; at the marriage
of Princess Helena, 126 ; Secre-
tary for India, 163 ; at Lans-
downe House, 247 ; member of
the Metaphysical Society, 267 ;
criticism on, 332 ; his speech on
the Irish Land Bill, 348.

Arnim, Count, his arrest, 271 ;
trial, 272.

Arnold, Addle, 152, 172.

Art Embroideries Show, 324.

Arthur, H.R.H. Prince, his appear-
ance, 26 ; at Dover, 32 ; Windsor
Castle, 49, 142 ; Osborne, 64,
211 ; Balmoral, 92 ; expedition
up Ben-na-Biurd, 98 ; at the
marriage of Princess Helena,
126 ; attends the Waverlej' Ball,
220 ; at Sandringham, 223 ; at
a party given by Lady Knightley,

235-
Arthur, Sir Frederick and Lady

Elizabeth, at Knole Park, 201.
Ascot races, 81, 261.
Ashburton, Lady, at Euston, 269,

270.
Ashburton, Lord, 219.
Ashley, Lady Edith, 263.
Astley, 205.
Astley, Colonel, 44.
Astley, Thurlow, 139.
Astwell Mill, 298.
AthoU, Duchess of, 89 ; at Windsor

Castle, 113, 141 ; Cliveden, 117;

Osborne, 211.
Atlay, Mr., 27.
Augustenburg, Duke of, at Gotha,

148.
Augustenburg, Princess Augusta

Victoria of, 148.
Augustenburg, Princess Caroline of,

148.
Augustenburg, Prince Ernst Giin-

ther, 148.
Augustenburg, Princess Feodora

Louise, 148.
Austria, Empress of, at Easton

Neston, 298 ; her appearance,

298.
Auvergne, M. le Prince de la Tour

d', at Windsor Castle, 113.
Aveland, Lord and Lady, 231.
Avignon, 27.
Avricourt, 285.
Azeglio, Marquis d', 219.

B , Captain, 44 ; his character,

45 ; attentions to Miss Bowater,
79-81 ; proposal of marriage, 85 ;

illness, 235 ; meeting with Lady

Knightley, 316.
B , Sir R., his attentions to

Miss Bowater, 80.
Babelsberg, 153.

Badby, 334 ; confirmation at, 191.
Baden, 285.
Bagot, Lord, 217 ; at Windsor

Castle, 142, 144.
Baird, Sir David and Lady, 104.
Baker, Sir Samuel, 258, 275.
Bakewell, 236 ; church, 237.
Balkan War, 316.
Ballochbuie, Forest of, 92, 93.
Ballot Bill, 230, 232, 234.
Balmoral, 90-102.
Balston, Dr., Vicar of Bakewell,

236.
Banbury, 89, 251.
Baring, Colonel, 139.
Barker, Mr., his collection of

objets de luxe, 259.
Barncleuth, 250.
Barne, Edith, her companionship

with Louisa Bowater, 12 ; illness,

36, 62 ; death, 70.
Barne, Emilia Mary, her marriage,

2. See Bowater, Lady.
Barne, Frederick, at Sotterley, 12 ;

at the wedding of his niece

Louisa Bowater, 171, 172 ; his

reminiscences of Old London,

335-
Barne, St. John, 12, 15, 25, 134,
139 ; at the wedding of his cousin
Louisa, 172 ; his marriage, 236 ^
note ; member for Suffolk, 296,

339-
Barne, Colonel Michael, 2.
Barne, Philip, 12 ; death of his

sister, 70.
Barne, Mrs., her appearance, 3 ;

at Toulouse, 3 ; death, 10.
Barnes, Mr., his poems, 279.
Barrington, Augusta, 289 ; at

Somerlcy, 272.
Barrington, Lady Caroline, at Wind-
sor Castle, 25, 141 ; Osborne, 64,

65 ; her return from Berlin, 114.
Barrington, Dowager Lady, at

Somerley, 272.
Barrington, Lord, 217.
Bartholomei, Herr, 284.
Bartolozzi, Miss, 317.
Bassano, Due de, at Wakefield

Lodge. 321.
Bath, Lady, 225.
Bathurst, Evelyn, bridesmaid to

Miss Bowater, 171.
Battenberg, Prince Alexander of,

Prince-elect of Bulgaria, 336.

INDEX

383

Battenberg, Prince Louis of, 146

note, 283 fiote, 373.
Battenberg, Princess Louis of, 146

note, 283 note.
Bauer, Fraulein, 67, 70, 120.
Bazaine, Marshal, defeated at Grave-

lotte, 205, 305.
Beaconsfield, Lady, story of, 162.
Beaconsfield, Lord, 311 ; his illness
and death, 346 ; anniversary of
his death, 350. See Disraeli.
Beatrice, H.R.H. Princess, at Wind-
sor Castle, 25, 53, 313 ; attack
of whooping - cough, 117; at
Cliveden, 117, 120; at the
marriage of Princess Helena,
126; at Claremont, 371.
Beauly, 266.
Beaumont, Lady Margaret, 190,

196, 231, 246.
Beaumont, Mr., 196, 231.
Bedford, Duke of, receives a

threatening letter, 354.
Belgians, King Leopold, at the
■ marriage of Princess Helena, j
126, 127; his reception by Mr.
Lowe, 230 ; at the Literary Fund
dinner, 231.
Belgians, Queen of the, at the
marriage of Princess Helena, 126,
127.
Belgium, 281.

Ben-na-Buird, 92, 97, 98, 102.
Benson, Archbishop, at the christen-
ing of Princess Alice of Albany,
361.
Bentinck, Baron, 74.
Bentinck, Lord George, his letter
on his resigning the leadership of
the Conservative party, 174.
Bentinck, George Cavendish, at

Crichel, 271.
Berlin, 152 ; Congress of, 324.
Bernard, Montague, at Oxford, 278.
Bernhardt, Sarah, 335.
Bemstorff, Count, 126.
Bemstortf, Countess, at Homburg,

317-
Besika Bay, 320.
Beust, Count, at Highclere Castle,

251-

Biddulph, Lady, at Osborne, 67 ;

Windsor Castle, 144.

Biddulph, Lady Elizabeth, at Wake-
field Lodge, 321.

Biddulph, Sir Theodore, 128.

Biddulph, Sir Thomas, at Osborne,
64, 67 ; at Windsor Castle, 89,

"3. 144- . . ^,

Biggar, Mr., his motion in the
House of Commons, 275.

Bingham, Lady Cuckoo, 247.

Bingham, Lord, at Crichel, 271.

Birch, Arthur, 15, 59.

Birk Hall, 94.

Birmingham, 203.

Bismarck, Prince, on the Treaty
of 1867, 210 ; character of his
policy, 274 ; his account of his
interview with Thiers and Favre,
279.

Blair Atholl, 265.

Blanc, Mont, 220, 317.

Blandford, Lady, at Affric, 265.

Blantyre Priory, ruins of, 250.

Blisworth, 172.

Blucher, Countess, at Osborne,

64. 65.

Booth, Sclater, Secretary of the
Local Government Board, 257.

Borough Franchise, debate on, 76.

Bost, Mile, 148, 150.

Bothwell, 250.

Boucherett, Ayscoghe, 2.

Boucherett, Harry, 78, 82 ; at the
opera, no.

Boucherett, Jessie, 129.

Boucherett, Louisa, 129.

Boulogne, 26.

Bourbaki, General, 208.

Bourke, Mrs., honorary lady-in-
waiting to the Duchess of Albanj^

351-

Bowater, Admiral, i, 2.

Bowater, General Sir Edward, his
birth, I ; at Harrow, i ; his
schoolfellows, i ; military career,
2, 6 ; marriage, 2 ; appointed
Equerry to Prince Albert, 2 ;
takes Prince Leopold abroad, 23 ;
surprise visit from Prince Albert,

24 ; journey to Cannes, 26-29 ;
his illness and death, xv, 30 ;
funeral, 31.

Bowater, Lady, at Windsor Castle,

25 ; death of her husband, 30 ;
interview with Queen Victoria,
33 ; at the wedding of her
daughter Louisa, 172 ; at Faws-
ley, 176, 204, 209, 272 ; Firle,
192.

Bowater, Louisa Mary, her birth, i ;

j parents, 2 ; grandmother, 3 ;

! commences her Journal, xiv, xviii,
3 ; at a ball at Buckingham

I Palace, 4, 81, 135 ; her mode of
life, 4 ; German governess, 4 ;
visit to France, 5 ; strict bringing
up, 5 ; present at the review of
the Guards, 7 ; at the theatre,
8 ; at Sotterley, 9. 23, 39. 128,
139-141, 161 ; death of her

3^4

INDEX

grandmother, lo ; her cousins,
12 ; first ball, 14 ; her con-
nections the Ridleys, 15 ; at
the National Rifle Association
meeting, 17, 60, 138 ; the
Crystal Palace, 17 ; first London
season, 19 ; her appearance, xiv,
19 ; presentation at Court, 20 ;
at a concert at Buckingham
Palace, 21 ; at Harrow speech
day, 22 ; leaves Sotterley, 23 ;
at Windsor Castle, 25, 11 3-1 17 ;
Paris, 26 ; Avignon, 27 ; Vidau-
ban, 28 ; Cannes, xv, 29-32 ;
death of her father, 30 ; at
Osborne, 32-35, 145 ; interview
with Queen Victoria, 33 ; her
home at Richmond Park, 36, 40 ;
presents from the Royal Family,
36 ; at the International Ex-
hibition, 37 ; at Arbury, 42-45,
106, 128, 139 ; present at the
wedding of the Prince of Wales,
47-52 ; proposals of marriage,
54, 63, 79, 85, 108 ; attends a
Drawing-room, 55, 76, 104 ; at
the Guildhall, 56 ; the opera,
57, no, 137; the Guards' ball,
58 ; Hampton Court, 62, 78 ;
Dunwich, 62 ; invited to dine
with Queen Victoria, 65 ; death
of her cousin Edith, 70 ; her
interest in politics, xiii, 73, 121,
162 ; present at a debate in the
House of Commons, 75, 121 ;
at the South Kensington Museum,
77 ; Ascot, 81 ; death of her
aunt, 87 ; journey to Balmoral,
89 ; liie in the Highlands,
89-102 ; expedition up Ben-na-
Biurd, 98 ; at Stoke Rochford,
105, 130 ; friendship with Edith
Tumor, 105 ; bridesmaid to
Bella Mainwaring, 108 ; at a
reception at Buckingham Palace,
no; Cliveden, 117-120 ; Hare-
field Place, 122 ; meeting with
Sir H. Jemingham, 124 ; at the
marriage of Princess Helena,
125-128 ; her views on female
franchise, 129 ; impressions of
Mrs. Siddons, 131 ; at the
Royal Academy, 133 ; death of
her friend Mrs. Newdegate, 140 ;
at Frogmore, 1 41-144 ; gift from
Queen Victoria, 142 ; impressions
of Disraeli, 146 ; on board the
Enchantress, 146 ; at Cologne, |
147; Gotha, 148-152; Berlin, \
152 ; Potsdam, 153 ; Schloss j
Primkenau, 155-159; bridesmaid i

to Lady J. Melville, 163 ; first
meeting with Sir R. Knightley,
164 ; at Fawslej', 167 ; engage-
ment, 167 ; presents, 169 ; wed-
ding, 1 71-173 ; bridesmaids, 171.
See Knightley, Lady.

Bowen, Sir George, on the appoint-
ment of Irishmen, 356.

Bowment's Moss, 95.

Boyle, Mary, at Castle Ashby, 194.

Boyne, Lady, 134.

Brackley, 188 ; restoration of the
Chapel, 188 ; Agricultural Show,

307-
Bradford, Lady, 247.
Bradford, Lord, 144.
Bradlaugh, Mr., returned to Parlia-
ment, 339 ; prevented from
taking the oath, 350, 364.
Braemar Castle, 92.
Brand, Harry, 330.
Brand, Lady, her reception, 366.
Brandling, Mr., at Osterley Park,

261.
Bravo, Mr., his death by poisoning,

301.
Bravo, Mrs., 304.
Breton, Mme le. 209.
Bretton Park, 209.
Bridgewater House, 232 ; ball at,

248.
Bright, Rt. Hon. John, 314 ; his
admission into the Cabinet, 163 ;
views on consecrated ground,
340 ; on the Irish Land Bill,
347 ; his resignation, 355.
Brinckmann, Baron, 332.
Bristol, Lady, 217 ; at Ickworth,

210 ; her ball, 232.
Bristol, Lord, 217.
British Museum, 352.
Broglie, Due de, 217.
Brooke, Lord, at Oxford, 278.
Brooke, Stopford, his sermons,

193. 199. 202.
Brougham, Lord, at Cannes, 32.
Broughton, Mr., 15.
Brown, John, 93.

Browning, Robert, 261 ; at High-
clere Castle, 251 ; " Ride from
Ghent," 333 ; his poems, 340.
Brownlow, Lady, 225, 367 ; her

appearance, 231, 349.
Bruce, Lady Augusta, 25, 32.
Bruce, Lord Charles, at Ickworth,

252.
Bruce, Gumming, 134.
Bruce, Mr., Home Secretary, 163.
Bruce, Mrs., at Osborne, 64 ;
Windsor Castle, 89, 113 ; Bal-
moral, 91-103.

INDEX

385

Bruhl, Countess, 149, 151, 153, 324.
Brunnow, Baron, 126.
Brussels, 147, 281, 357.
Bruydre, La, his maxim, 248.
Buccleuch, Duke of, 332.
Buchanan, Sir Alexander, 45.
Buchwald, Fraulein von, 159.
Buckhurst, Lady, at Ickworth,

210.
Buckhurst, Lord, 201.
Buckingham, Duke of. Governor of

Madras, 322.
Buckingham Palace, balls at, 4, 81,
135. 365 ; concerts at, 21, 260 ;
Drawing-rooms, no, 216, 301,
353 ; reception, 228.
Buflf, Herr, tutor to Prince Leopold,

69, 76.
Bulgaria, atrocities, 307.
Bulwer, Colonel, 58.
Bulwer, Sir Henry, Life of Lord

Palmer ston, 210.
Burghley House, 212 ; political
gatherings at, 226 ; the kitchen,
227 ; plate closet, 227.
Burghley, Lord, 236.
Burials Bill, 341.

Burke, Mr., his assassination, 352.
Burleigh, Lord, 213.
Burlington House, exhibition of

Old Masters at, 238.
Burnaby, Colonel, 312 ; at Gay ton,

310 ; Homburg, 316.
Burnham Beeches, 118.
Bums, Robert, lines from, 115.
Burrell, Lady, 122.
Burton, Helen, 108.
Burton, Captain and Mrs. Richard,

280.
Bury, Lord, 332.
Bury St. Edmunds, 210.
Bute, Lord, 246.
Buxton, 236.
Buxton, Sir Robert, 58.
B5rng, Colonel and Mrs. Henry, at

Somerley, 272.
Byron, Lady, separation from her

husband, 139.
Byron, Lord, his nickname of
" Hopping Dick," i ; escape from
drowning, 92.

C , Captain, his proposal of

marriage to Miss Bowater, 108.
Cadzow Castle, 250 ; lines on, 250.
Caird, Dr., his sermons, 94.
Cairns, Lady, at Burghley House,

226.
Cairns, Lord, at Hatfield, 186 ;

Burghley House, 226 ; on the

Public Worship Bill, 260.

Cairns, Sir Henry, his speech on the
Reform Bill, 109.

Caithness, Lord, at Windsor Castle,
113-

Caledon, Lady, 33.

Calthorpe, Lord, 232 ; at Somerley,
272.

Cambridge, Duchess of, at the
marriage of Princess Helena,
126 ; at Wimbledon, 138.

Cambridge, H.R.H. Duke of, at
Whitehall Gardens, 122 ; Os-
borne, 211 ; Euston, 268 ; Hom-
burg, 304 ; Orwell Park, 310.

Cambridge, Princess Mary of, 20,
22 ; her engagement, 114; presents
on view, 120. See Teck.

Campbell, Sir Colin, 8.

Campbell, Lady Muriel, bridesmaid
to Princess Helena, 127.

Campbell, Nora, 79, 275.

Canne, the courier, 27.

Canon's Ashby, 173, 204.

Capel-Cure, Mrs., her concert, 79.

Cardigan, Lord, 8.

Cardwell, Mr., Secretary for War,
163 ; his scheme for reorganising
the army, 259.

Carington, Hon. Rupert, at Gayton,
310.

Carington, Hon. Wm., at Windsor
Castle, 360.

Carlisle, 90, 103.

Carlton House Terrace, view from,

363.
Carlyle, Thomas, French Revolution,
218 ; his definition of Disraeli
and Gladstone, 267 ; story of,

348-

Carnarvon, Lord, 219 ; at Hatfield,
185, 186, 262 ; his article on the
Lessons of the French Revolution,
254 ; resignation, 320.

Cartwright, Chauncey, charge d'af-
faires at Cairo, 355.

Cartwright, Major Fairfax, member
for South Northampton, 255,
338 ; his death, 345.

Cartwright, Harriet, 289. 290, 335.

Cartwright, Julia, her wedding,

342.

Castle Ashby, 194.

Cathcart, Miss, at Osborne, 64, 68.

Cavendish, Colonel, 31.

Cavendish, Lord Edward, his mar-
riage, 96.

Cavendish, Lady Frederick, 247 ;
at Guisachan, 265.

Cavendish, Lord Frederick, his
marriage, 76 ; at Guisachan, 265 ;
assassination, 352,

386

INDEX

Cavendish-Bentinck, Mrs., 200 ;

her reception, 203.
Cawdor Castle, 266.
Cawdor, Lady, 217, 266.
Cawdor, Lord, 217 ; his book on

Housing, 175.
Cecil, Lord and Lady Brownlow, at

Burghley House, 213.
Cecil, Lord and Lady Eustace, at

Burghley House, 226.
Cecil, Lady Maud, her marriage,

366.
Chair, Dudley de, 48, 51.
Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. J., appointed j
to the Board of Trade, 339 ; at [
Windsor Castle, 352 ; his speech I
on universal suffrage, 367. \

Chamonix, 317.
Chantrey, his monument of Lady

Frederica Stanhope, 253.
Chaplin, Mr., at Burghley House,

226.
Charlton, Colonel, 14.
Charteris, Colonel, 139.
Charteris, Lady Margaret, her ball,

196.
Charwelton, 223 ; meet at, 273.
Chatham, Lord, at Chevening, 254.
Chelmsford, Lord, 122 ; at Hom-

burg, 282, 283.
Cheney, Mr., 200, 219 ; at Fawsley,

190 ; Holmbury, 235.
Chesterfield, Lord, his death, 223.
Chetwj'nd, Sir George, 135.
Chevening, 253.
Childers, Rt. Hon. Husrli, 163.
Christian, H.R.H. Prince, his en-
gagement, 106 ; marriage, 126 ;
appearance, 126 ; at Frogmore,
141 ; his characteristics, 143 ;
at Cologne, 147 ; Primkenau,
155-159 ; address of welcome,
156 ; his opinion of a journal,
160; at Osborne, 211 ; the
French play, 258 ; Windsor
Castle, 313. See Schleswig-Hol-
stein.
Christian, H.R.H. Princess, birth
of a son, 131, 163 ; at Frogmore,
141 ; Osborne, 145, 211, 212 ;
Primkenau, 155-159 ; her appear-
ance, 159 ; attack of illness, 216 ;
meetings with Lady Knightley,
219, 339, 364 ; at the French
play, 258 ; Darmstadt, 282 ;
Cumberland Lodge, 296 ; death
of her baby, 303 ; criticisms on
Disraeli and Lord Derby, 320 ;
atClaremont, 372 ; Carlton House
Terrace, 373. See Helena, Prin-
cess,

Christian Year, lines from, 192.

Church of England, proposed dis-
establishment, debate on, 216.

Churcliill, Lady, 122 ; at Osborne,
64, 65.

Churchill, Lady Cornelia, 143.

Clancar{y, Lord, at Homburg, 304.

Claremont, 355, 359, 370 ; history
of, 370-

Clarendon, Lady, at Windsor Castle,
113 ; her appearance, 113.

Clarendon, Lord, at Windsor Castle,
113 ; Secretary for Foreign Af-
fairs, 163.

Clarke, Sir James, at Osborne, 64.

Clements, Mr., private secretary to
Colonel Taylor, 135.

Clerk, Mr., 44.

Clerkenwell Prison, attempt to
blow up, 140.

Cleveland. Duchess of, 189, 2.61.

Clifden, Lady, 141 ; at Windsor
Castle, 142, 144 ; Osborne, 145.

Clifford, Ladv De, her appearance,

365.
Clitton, Colonel, at Osborne, 212.
Clinton, Lord, 314.
Cliveden, 117.
Clyde, the, 250.
Cobbe, Frances Power, 334.
Coburg, Duke of, 149.
Cochrane, Baillie, 211.
Cockerell, Mr., at Highclere Castle,

251.
Coercion Bill, 345.
Coleridge, Arthur, 43.
Coleridge, Sir John, 219.
Collins, Mr., at Osborne, 212 ;

Claremont, 359.
Collins, Mrs., at Claremont, 359.
Collyns, Miss, 288.
Collyns, Mr., 289.
Cologne, 147 ; the Cathedral, 147.
Colonna, Prince and Princess, at

Homburg, 304.
Commons, House of, 75 ; scene in,

275 ; debate on the motion to

expel strangers, 275-278 ; length

of a sitting, 316, 345 ; suspension

of Irish members, 345 ; division

on the cldture, 358.
Compton, Lady Alwyne, 190, 194,

203 ; at Holmbury, 235.
Connaught, H.R.H. Duchess of, her

appearance, 336.
Connaught, H.R.H. Duke of, his

engagement, 324. See Arthur,

Prince.
Conser\-atives, loss of seats, 338.
Conspiracy and Murder Bill, 10.
Cookson, Sarah, 87.

INDEX

387

Coquelin, his acting, 335 ; reci-
tation, 367.

Corbet, Fannj', bridesmaid to Miss
Bowater, 171.

Cork, Lady, 195, 217; her recep-
tions, 187, 189 ; at Orwell Park,
237, 310 ; stories of her battles
for precedence, 237.

Cork, Lord, 195.

Corry, Montagu, 190 ; at Burghley
House, 213, 226.

Cottenham, Lord, 260.

Cottesloe, Lord, 181 ; at Edgcote,

342.

Coventry, 128.

Cowell, Sir John, at Windsor Castle,

113, 360.
Cowley, Lady, 27.
Cowper, Henry, at Highclere Castle,

251-
Cowper, Lady, 225.
Coyles, the, 93, 102.
Craig Go wan, 97, 102.
Craig-Lauriben, 93.
Cranbome, Lord, his letter on the

Reform Bill, 175.
Cranbome Manor, 271.
Crathie, 94.

Crealock, General, his sketches, 365.
Crichel, 271.
Crimea, return of the Guards from

the, 6.
Cross, Mr., his London Dwellings

Bill, 273.
Cross, Sir Richard, 353.
Crystal Palace, meeting of the Rifle

Association, 17 ; concert at, 87.
Cundall, Ellen, 336.
Custance, Mrs., her ball, 58.
Cyprus, annexation of, 325.

Dalhousie, Lord, 32 ; at Windsor

Castle, 360.
Dalkeith, Lord, 324.
Dallas, Sir George, at Homburg,

317-
Dallas, Theo, 108.

Dalzell, 249, 326.

Darboy, Archbishop of Paris, mur-
dered, 218.

Darmstadt, 282.

Dartmouth, Lady, her ball, 122.

Davenport, Alice. 15 note.

Daventry steeplechases, 190, 300 ;
snowstorm at, 344.

De Grey, Lady, 122.

De Grey, Lord, at the meeting of
the Rifle Association, 17.

Dee, the. 100 ; valley, 00.

Deiningcr, Herr, 283.

Delane, John, Editor of the Times,

175. 199 ; at Chevening, 253 •
Guisachan, 265.
Demi-monde, Le, performance of,

335-

Denbigh, Lord, 43 ; his con-
gratulations to Miss Bowater, 172.

Denison, Lady Charlotte, her recep-
tion, 2T9.

Denison, Edward, 194.

Denmark, war with Germany, 74,
76 ; debate on, in the House of
Commons, 85.

Denmark, Princess Alexandra of,
her engagement, 40 ; marriage,
50. See Wales, Princess of.

Denmark, Princess Dagmar of, at
the Albert Hall, 246 ; Lansdowne
House, 247 ; Bridgewater House,
248.

Denmark, Prince Harald of, 148
note.

Denmark, Princess Helena of, 148
note.

Derby, the, races, 133, 301.

Derby, Lady, her reception at the
Foreign Office, 258.

Derby, Lord, 122 ; at the marriage
of Princess Helena, 126 ; criticism
on his foreign policy, 320 ;
resignation, 322.

Dhu Loch, 99.

Dieppe, 5.

Dijon, 317.

Dilke, Sir Charles, 228 ; Under-
Secretary for Foreign Affairs, 339.

Disraeli, Rt. Hon. B., his speech
on the Reform Bill, 109 ; at the
wedding of Princess Helena, 125 ;
his principles, 135 ; at Osborne,
145 ; resignation, 163 ; speech
on Education, 196 ; his refusal
to form a Government, 240 ;
speech on Local Taxation. 243 ;
on Ultramontanism, 252 ; an-
tagonism to Lowe, 253 ; his
speech on the county franchise,
259 ; Memoir of Lord George
Bentinck, 268 ; at the Guildhall,
271 ; his motion to expel strangers
from the House of Commons, 255,
277 ; on the Suez Canal, 296 ;
the Royal Titles Bill, 298 ; peer-
age conferred, 304 ; at Aj-les-
bury, 307 ; on the Eastern
question, 309 ; the Pigott in-
cident, 315 ; his career, 325 ;
illness and death, 346 ; sermon
on, 347 ; his criticism on Sir
W. Harcourt, 360 ; letter to the
Duke of Marlborough, 365. See
Beaconsfield.

388

INDEX

Dixon, Mr., his speech on the
Education Act of 1870, 227.

Dodford, 172.

Dolben, Mrs. Mackworth, 367.

Domestic Economy Congress Meet-
ing. 348-

Don Giovanni, performance of, 57.

Donegall, Lord and Lady, 190.

Donoughmore, Lady, 231.

Donoughmore, Lord, 190,

Dorchester, 278.

Dorchester House, 261.

Dorchester, Lord and Lady, at
Orwell Park, 310.

Dover, 32.

Drew, Mr. and Mrs., at Hatfield,

185-
Dropmore, 118.
Drummond, Alice, 108.
Drummond, Miss, at Burghley

House, 213.
Drummond, Robert, 112.
Drumouchter, Pass of, 265.
Dryden, Sir Henry, 173.
Duckworth, Mr., at Frogmore,

141.
Dudley, Lady, her appearance,

116, 231, 365 ; at the opera, 137.
Dudley, Lord, 122.
Dufferin, Lord, 347.
Dugdale, Mrs., her Shakespeare

readings, 331, 333.
Dun, Bridge of, 90.
Duncombe, Caroline, bridesmaid to

Miss Bowater, 171.
Dundas, Mrs. John, 332.
Dunkeld, 265.

Dunmore, Lady, at the opera, iii.
Dunmore, Lord, 258.
Dunwich, 36, 39, 236.
Dupplin, Lord, 247.
Dyke, Lady Emily, 283.

-, Mr., his attentions to Miss

Bowater, 53, 79 ; proposal of
marriage. 54.

Eastbourne, 146.

Eastern question, 307.

Easton Neston, 298.

Eaton, Mrs., housekeeper at Faws-
ley, 173.

Edgcote, 342.

Edgcumbe, Lady Ernestine, brides-
maid to Princess Helena, 127.

Edgell, Capt., his account of the
siege of Lucknow, 10.

Edgell, Mr., 190.

Edinburgh, Duchess of, her appear-
ance, 260 ; at Windsor Castle,

313-
Edinburgh, H.R.H. Duke of, at

Cliveden, 119 ; at the wedding
of Princess Helena, 126 ; at
Sandringham, 223 ; his marriage,
260. See Alfred, Prince.

Education Bill, 188, 214 ; debates
on, 196, 227.

Edwards, Capt., at Windsor Castle,
361.

Elcho, Lady, 18.

Elcho, Lord, President of the Rifle
Association, 17 ; at the Crystal
Palace, 17, 18.

Election, General, 255.

Elgin, Lord and Lady, at Windsor
Castle, 313.

Elijah, performance of, 205.

Eliot, George, her novels, 42 ;
Felix Holt, 125.

Eliot, Lord, 246, 301.

Ellesmere, Lady, 195.

EUesmere, Lord, 188, 195.

EUice, Sir Charles and Lady, at
Ickworth, 252.

Ellice, Helen, bridesmaid to Miss
Bowater, 171.

Ellice, Mrs., 326 ; her Scottish
sketches, 365.

Elphinstone, Sir Howard, 25, 32 ;
at Osborne, 64, 65, 212 ; Bal-
moral, 93, 97 ; at the wedding
of Princess Helena, 127 ; at
Windsor Castle, 142 ; his return
from the East, 274.

Elphinstone, Mercer, 20 note.

Ely, Lady, 122.

Employment of Women Society,

294. 334-
Enchantress, the yacht, 146.
Enfield, Lord, 218.
Epsom races, 301.
Erfurt, fortress of, 151.
Esmarch, Dr. Jean d', 156 note.
Esterelles, the, 29.
Eton and Harrow cricket match,

200.
Eugenie, Empress, her flight from

Paris, 209.
Eulenburg, Count, 149 ; at Holland

House, 220.
Euston, 268, 349.
Evans, Dr., 209.
Eversley, Mr., 125.
Exeter Hall, meeting at, 46.
Exeter, Lady, at Burghley House,

213, 227.
Exeter, Lord, at Burghley House,

212.
Exhibition galleries, Guards' ball at,

58.
Exhibition, International, 37.
Evder, the, 74.

INDEX

389

Falbe, Captain de, 38.

Fane, Lady Rose, 38.

Fane, Mr., 112.

Fanshawe, Miss, 12.

Fantees, their characteristics, 259.

Farmer, his cantata Christ and His
Soldiers, 332.

Farquhar, Lady, her ball, 112.

Farrar, Canon, 332.

Farre, Dr., 68, 190.

Favre, Jules, his interview with
Bismarck, 279.

Fawcett, Mr., appointed Postmaster-
General, 339.

Fawcett, Prof., 228.

Fawsley, 166, 173, 17Q, 188, 266,
272, 290, 306, 318, 326, 334, 341 ;
improvements, 181 ; church ser-
vices, 183 ; hurricane, 318 ;
result of the agricultural de-
pression, 336, 341.

Feilding, Lady Mary, 294.

Felagie Forest, 100 ; glen of, 93.

Felixstowe, 237.

Fenian outrage, 140.

Fenwick, Jeanie, 58.

Fergusson, Mr., at Hatfield, 185,
186.

Fillongley, 129.

Finch, Colonel, 145.

Finch, Mrs., at Burghley House,
227.

Findhom, the, 266.

Finedon, G.F.S., branch at, 367.

Firle, 164, 192, 242, 346.

Fisher, the Misses, 5, 13.

Fisheries exhibition, 366.

Fitzclarence, Miss, 330.

Fitzgerald, Lady Otho, 200.

Fitzgerald, Mrs., her return from
Alexandria, 354.

JFitzroy, Lord Charles, 217, 297 ;
in charge of Prince Leopold, 31 ;
at Balmoral, 96 ; Windsor Castle,
113; Cliveden, 118. See Grafton.

FitzWilliam, Lady Mary, brides-
maid to Princess Helena, 127.

Flahault, Auguste, Comte de, 20
note.

Flahault, Madame de, 20.

Flandres, Comte and Comtesse de,

333-
Fletcher, Colonel, 274.
Forbes, AthoU, 107.
Forbes, Mrs., at Ickworth, 210 ;

death of her father, 210.
Foreign Office, receptions at, 274,

303. 333-
Forres, 265.
Forster, Mr., 366 ; his character,

214 ; speech on Education, 228.

Four-in-hand Club, meet of the, 244.
Fox, Marie, her wedding, 233 ;

appearance, 233.
Frampton Court, 278.
France, alleged Projet de Traite

with Prussia, 203 ; terms of

peace with Germany, 214 ; result

of the elections, 318.
Franchise Bill, 121 ; the county,

259-
Francis, Colonel, 83.
Franco-German War, 202, 204.
Frankland, Dr., at Hatfield, 185.
Fraser, Sir William, 347.
Frederick the Great, portrait ot,

153-
Frejus, 29.
Fremantle, Hon. Sir Charles, private

secretary to Disraeli, 135.
Fremantle, Lady, her concert, 79.
Fremantle, Sophy, at Edgcote, 342.
French plays, 2 58, 335.
Friendly Societies Bill, 273.
Frogmore, 115, 116, 141.
Froude, J. A., at Hatfield, 185 ;

his views on political economy,

244 ; member of the Metaphysical

Society, 267.
Froude, Mrs., at Hatfield, 185.

Colonel, his attentions to

Miss Bowater, 136, 139.
Gage, Harry, 180, 248 ; at Fawsley,

204, 272 ; Gayton, 310 ; succeeds

to the title, 316.
Gage, Henry, 164, 172 ; at Fawsley,

177, 204, 272 ; his illness and

death, 286.
Gage, Sophy, 164, 166, 168 ; at

Fawsley, 177, 204, 272.
Gainsborough, Lady, at Windsor

Castle, 313.
Gambetta, ton mot of, 356.
Gaol Bill, 82.

Gardiner, Col. and Mrs., 161.
Gardoni, Signor, 21.
Garfield, President, attempt on his

life, 348.
Garibaldi, in London, 75.
Garry, the, 265.
Garvagh, Lady, her appearance,

365-
Gathome-Hardy, Mr., at Burghley

House, 226 ; his refusal to take

office under Disraeli, 239.
Gathome-Hardy, Mrs., 144 ; at

Hatfield, 185, 186; Burghley

House, 226.
Gavant Minard, performance of,

258.
Gayton, 310,

390

INDEX

Geneva, 220, 317.

George v., King, his birth, 97.

German^^ Augusta Victoria, Em-
press of, 148 note.

Germany, Iredcrick, Crown Prince
of, at Holland House, 220 ; on
the death of Jasmund, 306 note ;
in London, 349 ; at Marlborough
House, 374. See Prussia.

Germany, war with Denmark, 74,

76 ; annexation of Schleswig-
Holstein, 158 ; war with France,
202, 204 ; terms of peace, 214 ;
system of education, 284.

Gharb-allt, Falls of, 92.

Ghika, Prince, 353.

Gibson, Milner, at Orwell Park, 237.

Giessen, 147.

Girls' Friendly Society, xii, 287 ;
meetings, 289, 290, 291, 292, 340,
349, 367 ; constitution drawn up,
292 ; service at St. Paul's
Cathedral, 335 ; Council, 346,

367-
Girls' Public Day School at Chelsea,

247.
Giuglini, Signor, 21.
Gladstone, Lady, her ball, 58.
Gladstone, Rt. Hon. W. E., his

speech on the repeal of the malt

tax, 75 ; on universal suffrage,

77 ; the Reform Bill, 109 ; the
Irish Church Bill, 165 ; his
opinion of Sir R. Knightley, 182 ;
introduction to Lady Knightley,
189 ; on the Irish Land Bill,
189 ; on Education, 196 ; on the
merits of tea, 229 ; his ignorance
of rural life, 238 ; on the Irish
University Bill, 239 ; character
of his electoral address, 255 ;
his resignation, 257, 273 ; criti-
cisms on, 258, 331, 347, 359 ; his
speech on the Public Worship
Bill, 264 ; his pamphlet The
Vatican Decrees in their Bearing
on Civil Allegiance, 270 ; on the
Bulgarian atrocities, 307 ; por-
trait, 331 ; elected member for
Midlothian, 338 ; his ministry,
339 ; story of, 359 ; advice to
speakers, 365.

Gladstone, W. H., 331.

Glamis Castle, 208.

Glassalt, the, 96.

Gleichen, Count, 315.

Glen Ferness, 266.

Glen Gelder, 95.

Glen Muick, 93.

Glienike, 154.

Goethe, statue of, at Weimar, 151,

I Gold Coast, debate on, 258.

j Goldschmidt, Mme, 47, 48 ; at
the wedding of the Prince of
Wales, 51 ; her views on the
characteristics of German, Ameri-
can, and Swedish women, 61.

I Goldschmidt, Walter, 48.

! Goldsmid, Sir Julian and Lady,

330-
Gomshall, 235.
Gordon, Colonel, at Frogmore, 141,

142.
Gordon, Duchess of, story of, 134.
Gordon, Lady Francis, 196, 220,

248 ; at Fawsley, 190.
Gordon, General, at Balmoral, 90-

103.
Gordon, General, 274 ; his ex-
pedition to Khartoum, 374.
Gordon, Mrs., at Balmoral, 91-103 ;

expedition up Ben-na-Biurd, 98 ;

at Windsor Castle, 142.
Gordon - Gumming, Miss, her

sketches, 365.
Gore, Col. and Lady Emily, at

Guisachan, 265.
Gortschakofif, Prince, his circular on

the Treaty of 1856, 209.
Goschen, Rt. Hon. G., 163 ; his

appointment at the Admiralty,
. 215 ; elected member for the
' City, 256.
j Gotha, 148.

i Goulbum, Dean, his Personal Re-
! ligion, 75, loi ; sermon, 197 ; at

the wedding of Julia Cartwright,

: 342-

i Gourramma, Princess, 49.

i Grafton, Charles Fitzroy, seventh

! Duke of, 31. See Fitzroy.

! Grafton, Duchess of, 269.

I Grafton, Duke of, 188, 349 ; his

\ illness and death, 353 ; character,

1 354-

i Graham. Cyril, at Hatfield, 186.
j Graham, Mr. and Mrs., at Chevening,
i 253.

I Graney, Fraulein von, 145.
j Grant, Sir Francis, 122.
I Grant, Sir Hope, 134.
I Grant, John, 93.
I Grant. Miss, 122, 135.
Granville, Ladv, 66.
Granville, Lord, at Osborne, 66 ;
Colonial Secretary, 163 ; at
Fawslej', 257.
Gravelotte, battle at, 205, 305.
Graves, Mr., at Burghley House,

226.
Greece, Ionian Islands, ceded to,
44, 46.

INDEX

391

Greenwood, Mr., 367.

Jreg, W. R., member of the Meta-
physical Society, 267 ; Enigmas
of 'Life, 315.

^reville, Lord, on Mr. Gladstone's
advice to speakers, 365.

jreville Memoirs, 268.

Srey, General Charles, at Osborne,
33 ; private secretary to Queen
Victoria, 52 note ; at Windsor
Castle, 89, 113, 115 ; at Balmoral,
91-101 ; recites poetry, 99, loi ;
at Cliveden, 118.

Grey, Sir George, at Osborne, 66.

Grey, Sybil, 52, 126.

Grimsel Hospice, 220.

Grisi, Mme, 79.

Grosvenor Crescent, sale of, 359.

Grosvenor Gallery, collection of
drawings at the, 319.

Grosvenor, Lady Constance, at the
opera, iii.

Grosvenor, Lord, his marriage,
260.

Guards, their return from the
Crimea, 6 ; review in Hyde Park,

Guest, Lady Cornelia, 324.

Guest, Montague, at Somerley,
272.

Guildhall, balls at the, 56, 245.

Guisachan, 264, 326.

Giinther, Dr. Albert, medical attend-
ant to Prince Leopold, 26 ; his
scientific researches, 26 note ;
at Richmond, 249.

Gurdon, Mr. and Mrs., 58, 161.

Gurdon, Robert, 134, 333.

Gurdon, Willy. 112, 123.

H-

-, Mr., his attentions to Miss

Bowater, 80.
Haag, Carl, 94.
Hall, Sir Benjamin, 8.
Hall6, 232.
Ham House, 248.

Hamilton, Lady Albertha, brides-
maid to Princess Helena, 127.
Hamilton, Lady Emily, at Dalzell,

326 ; her death, 366.
Hamilton, John, at Dalzell, 250,

326 ; death of his wife, 366.
Hamilton Palace, 250.
Hampton Court. 78, 300 ; dance at,

62.
Hanburv, Mr., his resolution on the

Gold Coast, 258.
Hanover, Princess Frederica of, at

Londonderry House, 349 ; Clare-

mont, 371.
Happy Land, performance of, 246.

her

his

Harberton, Lady, her ball, 131.
Harcourt, Lady, at Windsor Castle,

360.
Harcourt, Mile d', 149.
Harcourt, Sir WiUiam, 303, 347 ;
criticism on, 324, 360 ; at Wind-
sor Castle, 360.
Hardinge, Mr., iii.
Hardy, Alfred, 330.
Hardy, Thomas, Far from the

Madding Crowd, 279.
Hare, Augustus, Memorials of a
Quiet Life, 242 ; at Fawsley,

368 ; his stories, 368 ; description
of Fawsley, 368.
Hare, Julius and Marcus, their

graves, 242.
Hare, Maria, inscription on

grave, 242.
Harefield Place, 122.
Harris, Lord, 25.
Harrogate, 206.

Harrow School, speech day, 21.
Hartington, Lord, 163, 239 ;

speech on expelling strangers

from the House of Commons,

275, 276 ; on the Address, 296 ;

on the Eastern question, 309.
Hartshorne, Mr., 329.
Harvey, Mrs., 43.
Hastings, Lady, at the opera,

III.
Hastings, Lord, his marriage,

86.
Hatfield, 185 ; fete at, 262.
Hatherley, Lord, 249.
Hatherton, Lord and

Burijhley House, 213.
Havel, the, 153.
Hawarden, Lord, at

Castle, 313.
Hawkins, George, 15.
Hay, Sir John, at Burghley House,

226.
Havward, Mr., 233.
Heathcote, Mr., 130, 198.
Hedsor Park, 120.
Heidelberg, 317.
Helena, H.R.H.

Osborne, 33, 64

ance, 50 ; development of her

character, 53 ; at Balmoral, 90-

103 ; expedition up Ben-na-

Biurd, 98 ; her engagement.

106; at Windsor Castle, 113;

her bust, 115 ; at Cliveden,

117, 120; marriage, 125-127;

bridesmaids, 127. See Christian,

Princess.
Hellidon, 288.
Helmingham, 238.

Lady, at

Windsor

Princess, at
her appear-

392

INDEX

Helps, Sir A., Friends in Council,
66 ; Companions of my Solitude,

75-
Henley, Gertrude, 292.

Henley, Lord, 161.

Henniker, Lady, 263.

Henniker, Lord, 82.

Herbert, Mrs., 356.

Hercules, performance of, 312.

Hertford, Lord, 261, 353.

Hervey, Lord John, at Ickvvorth,
252.

Hervey, Lady Mary, 128 ; at Ick-
worth, 210.

Hesse, Princess Alix of, 283 note.

Hesse, Princess Elizabeth of, 146,
283 note, 372. See Russia.

Hesse, Ernst Louis, Grand Duke of,
283 note.

Hesse, Princess Irene of, 146, 283
note. See Prussia.

Hesse, Prince Louis of, at Bucking-
ham Palace, 21 ; Windsor Castle,
48, 53, 56 ; joins the Austrian
army, 115 ; his morganatic mar-
riage, 373.

Hesse, Princess Louis of, at Buck-
ingham Palace, 135 ; her chil-
dren, 146, 283 note ; Palace at
Darmstadt, 282 ; her illness and
death, 329 ; publication of her
letters, 373. See Alice, Princess.

Hesse, Princess Marie Victoria of,
283 note.

Hesse, Princess Victoria of, 146,
283 note, 373. See Battenberg.

Hewett, James, his marriage, 136.

Hibbert, Mrs., iii.

Higgins, Matthew James, 122 note.

Highclere Castle, 251.

Hildegarde, Countess, at Homburg,

317-
Hildyard, Miss, 53.
Hill, Lady Alice, 135.
Hodgson, Miss, her marriage, 136.
Hohenlohe, Princess, at Osborne,

64, 69 ; at Gotha, 148.
Holford, Mr. and Mrs., at Highclere

Castle, 251.
Holford, Miss, at Highclere Castle,

251, 252,
Holland House, 199, 200, 202, 220,

234. 315, 356 ; the garden, 199.
Holland, Lady, 198, 252.
Holland, Canon Scott, 342.
Holmbury, 235.
Holthouse, Mr., Rural Dean, 288 ;

his distrust of Lord Beaconsfield,

320.
Holzendorff, Herr von, 150.
Holzmann, Dr., at Osborne, 64, 68.

Homburg, 281, 303, 316, 336, 356 ;

the Schloss, 282.
Honeywood, William, 302.
Hood, Lady Mary, 127.
Hotham, Lord, 189.
Hough, Mr., 16 ; his opinion of

Kingsley and Spurgeon, 16.
Houghton, Lord, 187.
Howard, Mr., 104.
Howth Castle, 313.
Hubbard, Miss, her " Perseverance

Bands " scheme, 331.
Hudson's Bay territory, native

Indians of the, 186.
Hughes, Mr. and Miss, at Gui-

sachan, 265.
Huguenots, The, performance of,

no.
Humboldt, Wilhelm von, his

opinion of old letters, 40.
Hunt, Ward, at Burghley House,

226 ; his death, 317.
Huntingfield, Lady, 22.
Hurstmonceaux, 242.
Hyacinthe, P6re, his oration on

reform in the Latin Church, 302.

Ickworth, 210, 252.
Ightham Mote, 201.
Ilchester, Lady, her appearance,

231.
Imperial, Prince, at Wakefield

Lodge, 321 ; his death, 334.
Indian troops moved to Malta,

debate on, in Parliament, 323.
Inkermann, anniversary of, 269.
Inselberg, 151.
Interlaken, 220.

Invercauld, loi ; bridge of, gi.
Invergarry, 326.
Ionian Islands, ceded to Greec e,

44, 46.
Ireland, condition of, 343.
Irish Church Bill, 165.
Irish Land Bill, 189, 340, 341, 348.
Irish University Bill, 239.
Ixelheim, Countess, 282.

Jackson, Dr., Bishop of London,

story of, 264.
James, Sir Henry, 347.
Jameson, Mrs., her opinion of old

letters, 40.
Jasmund, Herr von, 306.
Jenner, Dr., at Windsor Castle,

"3-
Jerningham, Sir Hubert, 124 ; his

career, 124 note.
Jersey, Lady, 367 ; at Osterley

Park, 261.
Jersey, Lord, at Osterley Park, 261.

INDEX

393

leune, Rt. Hon. Sir F., at Harrow,

22. See St. Helier.
Jeune, Mrs., 364 ; her reception,

367-
Jew Bill of 1848, 174.
Jungfrau, 220.

Kalckreuth, Count, 149, 151.
Kalckreuth, Countess Anne, 149,

Kean, Mr. and Mrs., 8.

Keane, Captain, 23.

Keble, Rev. John, criticisms on
his Christian Year, 16.

Keele, 326 ; the library and
gardens, 326.

Keen, Mount, 102.

Kenlies, Lord, 135.

Kennaway, Sir John and Lady,
284.

Kent, Duchess of, 4 ; her death, 19.

Kerr, Miss, 33.

Killiecrankie, Pass of, 265.

Kingsley, Rev. Charles, criticisms
on, 16; at CUveden, 119; his
sermon, iig.

Kirkcaldy, Lord, 45, 47, 51.

Knatchbull-Hugessen, Edward, at
Homburg, 304 ; Gayton, 310.

Knightley, Sir Charles, 178 ; his
life at Fawsley, 179 ; method of
canvassing, 180 ; death, 181.

Knightley, Charlie, 251.

Knightley, Edmund, 352.

Knightley, Harry, 251.

Knightley, Louisa, Lady, her
wedding, 1 71-173 ; arrival at
Fawsley, 1 73 : letter and present
from Queen Victoria, 174 ; inter-
est in cottage improvements,
175. 183 ; at Arbury, 176, 205 ;
happiness in her married life,
177 ; her interest in politics,
xiii, T78, 374 ; influence on her
neighbours, 183 ; improvement
of the church services, 184 ; at
Hatfield. 185-187, 262 ; her
life at Fawsley, 188, 209, 241,
266, 272, 318, 326, 334, 341 ;
introduction to Mr. Gladstone,
189 ; friendship with Dr. Magee,
191, 267 ; at Firle, 192, 242,
346 ; houses in London, 192-194,
215, 228, 243, 257 ; taken over
the House of Lords, 193 ; affec-
tion for her husband, 194 ; at
Castle Ashby, 194 ; her dinner-
parties, 195, 231, 235, 245, 248,
260, 339 ; at the House of
Commons, 196, 227, 275, 277,
315. 324. 363 ; at Windsor j

Castle, 197, 313, 360 ; Holland
House, 199, 200, 202, 220, 234 ;
Knole Park, 200-202 ; Harro-
gate, 206-208 ; Lindertis, 208 ;
her meeting with Mr. Motley,
209, 248 ; at Ickworth, 210,
252 ; her friendship with Lord
Stanhope, 2ti ; at Osborne, 211 ;
Burghley House, 212, 226; at
the National Portrait Gallery,
215 ; attends a Drawing-room,
216, 231, 301, 353 ; her dream,
217 ; attends Mass, 218 ; at
the Tichborne trial, 219 ; tour
in Switzerland, 220 ; at Paris,
221, 285 ; her anxiety on the
illness of the Prince of Wales,
223 ; at the thanksgiving ser-
vice, 224 ; at Buckingham Palace,
228 ; her conversation with
Lord Salisbury, 231 ; at Bridge-
water House, 232, 248 ; attends
the wedding of Prince Lichten-
stein, 233 ; at Holmbury, 235 ;
entertains Prince Arthur, 235 ;
at Dunwich, 236 ; Sotterley,
236, 319 ; Buxton, 236 ; Orwell
Park, 237, 310 ; her impressions
of the Shah of Persia, 245 ; at
the Albert Hall, 246 ; Dalzell,
250 ; Highclere Castle, 251 ;
Chevening, 253 ; at Grosvenor
Crescent, 257, 274 ; at the French
play, 258 ; meeting with Sir G.
Wolseley, 259 ; impressions of
Disraeli, 260 ; at Osterley Park,
261 ; Althorp, 264 ; tour in
Scotland, 264-266, 326 ; at
Guisachan, 264, 326 ; Euston,
268, 349 ; Crichel, 271 ; Somer-
ley, 271 ; Richmond Park, 274,
308 ; Oxford, 278 ; Frampton
Court, 278 ; Homburg, 281-284,
303. 316, 336, 356 ; Darmstadt,
282 ; Wildbad, 284 ; member of
the Girls' Friendly Society, 287 ;
her interest in the work, 287-
293, 358, 367 ; speech at North-
ampton, 291 ; characteristics,
xix, 293, 294 ; loyalty, 293 ;
interest in the Working Ladies'
Guild, 293 ; and other philan-
thropic works, xii, 294 ; pre-
sented to the King and Queen of
Naples, 297 ; at the Derby, 301 ;
Metz, 304 ; Gravelotte, 305 ; im-
pressions of Reims Cathedral,
306 ; interest in the Eastern
question, 307 ; at Rabj' Castle,
308 ; Winmarleigh, 369 ; her
conversation with Mr. Venables,

394

INDEX

314 ; meeting with Col. B ,

316 ; at Wakefield Lodge, 321 ;
meeting with Prince Imperial,
321 ; at the House of Lords,
323 ; at the reopening of Wood-
ford church, 327-329 ; attends
ambulance lectures, 331 ; pre-
sented to the Duchess of Con-
naught, 336 ; sale of her house
in town, 337, 359 ; interest in
farming, 337, 349 ; entertains
Princess Christian, 339, 348, 373 ;
at Edgcote, 342 ; meeting with
Sir R. Temple, 348 ; honorary
lady-in-waiting to the Duchess
of Albany, xvi, 349 ; at the
wedding of the Duke of Albany,
351 ; at Claremont, 355, 359,
369-371. 372 ; Brussels, 357 ;
expedition to Waterloo, 357 ;
at the christening of Princess
Alice of Albany, 361 ; at Carlton
House Terrace, 363 ; Finedon,
367 ; her grief at the death of
the Duke of Alban}', 372, 374 ;
friendship with the Duchess of
Albany, 374 ; illness and death
of her husband, 374 ; her death,
375 ; tribute to her memory,

375-
Knightley, Sir Rainald, his first
meeting with Miss Bowater, 164 ;
engagement, 167 ; presents, 169 ;
wedding, 171 ; arrival at Faws-
1^5'> 173 ■> refuses the Under-
Secretaryship of Foreign Affairs,
174 ; member for South North-
amptonshire, 178, 255, 256, 338 ;
his parents, 179 ; character,

181 ; appearance, 181 ; abilities,

182 ; devotion to Lord Salis-
bury, 182 ; distrust of Disraeli,
182, 240 ; at Hatfield, 185 ;
his affection for his wife, 194 ;
at Knole Park, 200-202 ; Os-
borne, 211 ; on the Ballot Bill,
232, 234 ; at Chevening, 253 ;
his conversation with Dr. Smith,
253 ; electoral address, 256 ;
decision on the debate on the
Gold Coast, 258 ; declines an
invitation from Disraeli, 258 ;
his political views, 269 ; his
speech on expelling strangers
from the House of Commons,
277 ; attacks of gout, 281 ; at
Homburg, 281 ; abstains from
voting on the Royal Titles Bill,
298-300 ; his speech at Brackley,
307 ; views on the Eastern
question, 312 ; at Windsor

Castle, 313 ; views on the
Pigott incident, 315, 316 ;
losses from agricultural depres-
sion, 336, 341 ; criticism on Glad-
stone, 347 ; peerage conferred,
374 ; illness and death, 374.

Knightley, Sir Richard, 178.

Knightley, Selina Hervey, 1 79.

Knightley, Sophy, 179. See Gage.

Knightley, Rev. Valentine, 172 ;
at Fawsley, 179.

Knightleys, history of, 177.

Knole Park, 200.

Konigstein, 317.

Kranichstein, 282, 329.

Krogh, Fraulein von, 159.

Ladies' Dress Association Com-
mittee, 336.

Ladies' Guild Exhibition, 365.

Ladies' Sanitary Association, 294.

Lambeth Palace, G.F.S. meeting
at, 292.

Lamington, 250, 264, 367.

Lane, Louisa, 15 ; her portrait,
15 note.

Lane, Thomas, portrait of, 15 note.

Langton, Bennett, 12.

Langton, Miss, 12.

Lansdowne House, ball at, 247.

Lansdowne, Lord, appointed
Governor of Canada, 364.

Lascelles, Gerald, 233.

Lascelles, Miss, at Windsor Castle,
89 ; her marriage, 96.

Lascelles, Mr., 153.

Law Courts, opening of the, 359.

Lawley, Lady Constance, 245.

Lawson, Sir Wilfrid, on withdrawal
from the Gold Coast, 258 ; on
the bombardment of Alexandria,

354-
Layard, Mr., 74.

Leamington, 89, 103 ; concert at, 43.
Lecky, Mr., 217.
Leconfield, Lady, 219.
Leigh, Boughton, 128.
Leiningen, Prince, 64.
Leiningen, Princess of, at the

marriage of Princess Helena, 126.
Lennox, Lady Caroline Gordon,

bridesmaid to Princess Helena,

127.
Lennox, Constance, 45.
Lennox, Lord Henry, 304 ; at

Crichel, 271.
Lentz, Agnes, governess to Miss

Bowater, 4 ; her visit to Lady

Knightley, 197.
Leopold, H.R.H. Prince, ordered

abroad, 23 ; his journey to

i 1

INDEX

395

Cannes, 26-29 '. death of his
father, 30 ; return home, 32 ;
accident, 40 ; at Windsor Castle,
49, 114, 313 ; Osborne, 64, 146,

211 ; his tutor, 69 ; at CUveden,
117 ; attack of faintness, 120 ;
at the wedding of Princess
Helena, 126 ; his delicate ap-
pearance, 142 ; Confirmation,
163 ; illness, 198 ; development,

212 ; at the thanksgiving service,
225 ; at Buckingham Palace,
229 ; Oxford, 278 ; engagement,
349; wedding, 351. 5ee Albany.

Leven, Lady, 47, 49, 234, 246.
Leven, Lord, 45, 47, 266, 274, 346.
Leveson-Gower, Mr., at Holmbury,

235-
Lichtenstein, Prince Louis of, 201 ;

his wedding, 233 ; appearance,

233-
Liddell, Alice, 278.
Liddell, Colonel, declines offer of

Thatched House Lodge, 2, 36 ;
■ at Windsor Castle, 113.
Liddon, Canon, his sermons, 198,

295-
Lind, Jenny, 47. See Gold-

schmidt.

Lindertis, 208, 326, 343, 367.

Lindsay, Mrs. Loyd, 232.

Linley, Miss, portrait of, 238.

Linn of Dee, 92.

Listowel, Lady, 167, 247.

Listowel, Lord, 167.

Lochnagar, 91, 93, 97, 102.

Loftus, Lord Augustus, British
Minister at Berlin, 152, 153.

Lohe, Baron, at Homburg, 317.

Lohengrin, performance of, 280.

Lohgau, Count, 158.

Lohlein, valet to Prince Albert, 117.

Londesborough Lodge, drains of,
223.

London, financial panic, iii.

London dwellings, Bill for the im-
provement of, 273.

Longleat, 176.

Lords, House of, 193 ; attendance
of Peers, 267.

Lome, Lord, his marriage, 208 ; at
Claremont, 371.

Louise, H.R.H. Princess, at Os-
borne, 33, 64, 68, 69, 211 ;
Balmoral, 93 ; Windsor Castle,
114, 142 ; Cliveden, 117, 120 ; at
the wedding of Princess Helena,
126 ; Buckingham Palace, 135 ;
her marriage, 208 ; at Sandring-
ham, 223 ; her reception, 233 ;
at Claremont, 371, 373.

Lowe, Mr., his speech on the Re-

; form Bill, 109 ; Chancellor of the

I Exchequer, 163 ; his criticism

of Mr. Disraeli's speech, 187 ;

! reception of the King of the

Belgians, 230 ; political views,

230 ; antagonism to Disraeli,

253 ; on the fall of the Cabinet

1 25S.

j Lowell, Mr. and Lady Rose, at
, Somerley, 272.
; Lowther Lodge, 363.
j Lowther, Mr. and Mrs., 248.
I Lucan, Lord, 8.
Lucerne, 220.
Lucknow, siege of, 10.
Lumley, Lady Sybil, her marriage,

260.
Lunden, Baron, 230.
Lyons, 32.

Lyttelton, Hon. Lucy, at Osborne,
68 ; her characteristics, 69 ;
marriage, 76. See Cavendish.
Lytton, Lord, 219.
Lytton, Sir Edward Bulwer, his

speech on the Reform Bill, 109.
Lyveden, Lord and Lady, at Harro-
gate, 207.

Macclesfield, Lady, 68 ; at Windsor
Castle, 116.

Macdonald, Colonel, at Euston,
268.

Macdonald, Miss, at Windsor Castle,
25, 113 ; Cliveden, 117.

MacGregor, Sir Malcolm, 62.

MacGregor, Miss, at Osborne, 212.

Mackenzie, Sir Kenneth, 104.

Mackenzie, Mrs. Stewart, 3.

Mackenzie, Susan Mary, 22 note.

Macleod, Dr., at Balmoral, 99 ; his
sermon, 100.

MacMahon, Marshal, his defeat at
Weissenburg, 204 ; at Sedan,
206.

Macnamara, Lady Sophia, 373.

Macon, 32.

Maffei, Count, 161.

Magdeburg, Lieut, von, 154.

Magee, Dr., Bishop of Peter-
borough, 183 ; his speech on the
Irish Church Bill, 165 ; criticism
on his speech, 187 ; his address
at Brackley, 188 ; at Fawsley,
191, 266, 327, 329 ; friendship
with Lady Knightley, 191 ; at
Burghley House, 213 ; on the
proposed alterations in the
Rubric, 266 ; his stories. 267,
358 ; at the G.F.S. meeting at
Northampton, 291 ; his sermon

396

INDEX

at the reopening of Woodford
church, 327 ; his collection of
autographs, 340 ; visitation at
Daventry, 358.

Magee, Mrs., at Burghley House,
213 ; Fawsley, 266 ; her interest
in the G.F.S., 331, 340.

Mahon, Lord and Lady, at Cheven-

ing. 253-

Mahon, Pakenhara, at Burghley
House, 213.

Maine, Sir Henry, Professor of
Jurisprudence, 278.

Mainwaring, Bella, her engage-
ment, 107 ; wedding, loS. See
Milman.

Malcolm, Miss, at Homburg, 317.

Malet, Sir Edward, his illness, 355.

Malt tax, debate on the repeal of
the, 75.

Manchester, Duchess of, her appear-
ance, 78 ; at the opera, iii.

Manners, Lady, 236, 260.

Manners, Lord, 260.

Manners, Lord and Lady John, at
Burghley House, 226.

Manners, Mr., at Ickworth, 252.

Manning, Archbishop, his address
at the marriage of Prince Lich-
tenstein, 233 ; member of the
Metaphysical Society, 267.

Mar Lodge, 97.

Marburg, 147.

Mario, 87.

Marjoribanks,
264, 326.

Marjoribanks,
Affric, 265.

Marjoribanks, Hon. Mary, i^note.

Marlborough, Duchess of, at Frog-
more, 143 ; at Burghley House,
226.

Marlborough, Duke of, 74 ; at
Burghley House, 226.

Marlborough House, garden-parties
at, 314, 355. 374-

Marseilles, 32.

Mars-la-Tour, battle of, 305.

" Martin Marprelate " tracts, issue
of. 178.

Mary, Queen, her visit to Fawsley,
xvi.

Mary Queen of Scots, miniature

of. 313-
Masaniello, performance of, 137.
Massey, Lady, 288.
Maude, Miss, at the wedding of

Princess Helena, 125.
Maude, Mrs., 300.
Maurice, Mrs. Frederick, her grave,

242.

Sir Dudley, ig8,
Lady Fanny, at

Mecklenburg, Grand Duchess of,
at Wimbledon, 138.

Mecklenberg, Grand Duke of, at
Homburg, 304.

Melville, Lady Anna, 49.

Melville, Lady Emily, 49.

Melville, Lady Florence, 47.

Melville, Lady Julia, her marriage,
163.

Melville, the Hon. Ronald, 112.

Melville, Sophy, 47, 49, 108, 266 ;
at Fawsley, 190.

Menabrea, Mme, at Windsor
Castle, 360.

Merchant Shipping Bill, abandon-
ment of the, 281.

M6rimee, Prosper, his Letters, 270.

Metaphysical Society, meetings,
267 ; members, 267.

Metz, 304.

Mexico, Maximilian, Emperor of,
deposed and executed, 135.

Meynell, Mrs. Hugo, iii.

Meynell-Ingram, Hugo, iii.

Miall, Mr., his proposed disestab-
lishment of the Church of Eng-
land, 216.

Midleton, Lord, at Edgcote, 342.

Mikkelsen, Herr, 158.

Mill, J. S., Autobiography of, 254 ;
causes of his quarrel with Mr.
Roebuck, 314.

Milman, Bella, birth of a son, 131.

Milman, General, his engagement,
107 ; wedding, 108.

Minchin, Mr., 328.

M'Neill, Sir John, at Windsor
Castle, 360.

Molesworth, Lady, her dinner-
party, 219 ; reception, 366.

Monck, Arthur, 112.

Monk, Mrs., her concert, 57.

Montgomerie, Tina, at Astley
Castle, 44 ; Arbury, 128 ; brides-
maid to Miss Bowater, 171.

Montgomery, Mabel, 292.

Montpensier, Duke of, 7.

Montrose, Duchess of, at Knole
Park, 201 ; Homburg, 282.

Montrose, Duke of, at Homburg.
282.

Moray Firth, 266.

Mordaunt, Sir Charles, 84, 112, 123,

324.
Mordaunt, Lady, 82 ; her ball, 83.
Moreton, Mrs., at the christening

of Princess Alice of Albany, 361.
Morier, Mr., at Highclere Castle,

251-
Morris, Mr.. Solicitor-General for
Ireland, anecdote of, 226.

INDEX

397

;|lostyn, Miss, at Gayton, 310.
lotley, Mr., 244 ; his meeting with
Lady Knightley, 209 ; style of
his conversation, 248 ; death,

314-

vluick, Loch, 96, 99.

Vliiller, Prof. Max, his lecture on
the " Origin of Language," 64.

Vlundella, Mr., President of the
Council, 339.

.Vlunro, Sir Thomas, 164, 248, 326 ;
at the wedding of Louisa Bowater,
172 ; at Fawsley, 177, 179, 204,
345 ; his illness, 272.

Murchison, Sir Roderick, 187.

Murray, Lady Alexandrina, brides-
maid to Princess Helena, 127.

Murray. John, at Hatfield, 185,
186 ; his opinion on publishing
the Maintenon letters, 197.

Muskerry, Lord, 77.

Musurus, Madame, at the opera,
137 ; death, 137 note.

Musurus Pacha, 312.

Nahe, valley of, 304.

Napier, Sir Charles, 7.

Napier, Miss, 135.

Naples, King of, his appearance,
297 ; at Gayton, 310.

Naples, Queen of, 297.

Napoleon iii., Emperor, his sur-
render, 206.

Napoule, 32.

National Gallery, pictures, 330.

National Portrait Gallery, 215.

Nemours, Duke of, 7.

Neruda, Mm Norman, 233.

Netherlands, King and ^neen of the,
at Windsor Castle, 351.

Nevill, Lady Dorothy, 367 ; at
Highclere Castle, 251.

Newdegate, Charles, his home at
Arbury, 42 ; parliamentary
career, 55 ; on the Schleswig-
Holstein question, 74 ; on the
Borough Franchise, 76 ; his
political views, 83 ; character,
83 ; his views on Roman Cathol-
ics and Jesuits, 124, 129 ; at
Fawsley, 167 ; at the wedding
of Louisa Bowater, 172 ; at
Astley, 205 ; Richmond, 333.

Newdegate, Mrs., 55 ; her friend-
ship with Louisa Bowater, 73 ;
at the opera, no ; her death, 140.

Newnham, 172.

Newton, Sir Isaac, his birthplace,
106.

Newton, Mr., at Guisachan, 265.

Nilsson, Mile, 200, 203.
27

Noel, Roden, member of the Meta-
physical Society, 267.

Norele, Mile, at Balmoral, 96 ;
Claremont, 373.

Normanton, Lady, at Somerley,
271.

Northampton, races, 191, 299, 323 ;
new cattle market opened, 247 ;
Agricultural Show, 264 ; meeting
of the G.F.S., 291 ; election, 338.

Northampton, Lord, at Castle
Ashby, 194 ; his drawings, 195.

Northcote, Sir Stafford, at Burghley
House, 213 ; his Friendly Socie-
ties Bill, 273 ; on the Bulgarian
atrocities, 307 ; at Windsor
Castle, 313 ; his ghost stories,
313 ; use of the phonograph,
324 ; his conversation with Lady
Knightley, 346.

Northumberland House, ball at,

235-
Norton, Lady, her concert, 332.
Norton, Mr., 122.
Norton, Mrs., 208, 217.
Nugent, Nina, bridesmaid to Miss

Bowater, 172.

Observer, article in, 206.
O'Grady, Annabel, 108.
OUifte, Sir Joseph, 153.
Omnium, Jacob, 122.
Oppenheim, Mr., his concert, 333.
Ormonde, Lady, her appearance,

301 ; at Windsor Castle, 313.
Ormonde, Lord, at Windsor Castle,

313-
Orwell Park, 237, 310.
Osbom, Sir George, at Fawsley,

167.
Osborne, 32, 64, 145, 211 ; Privy

Council at, 66.
Osborne, Lady Emma, her return

from Russia, 362.
Osborne, Lady William, 231, 248,

326.
Osborne, Lord William, 190, 198,

231, 248.
Ostend, 147.
Osterley Park, 261.
Ouchy. 317.
Ouse, the, 161.
Overend and Gurney, their failure,

III.
Owen, Prof, and Mrs., 42.
Oxenham, Miss, 290.
Oxford, 89, 103, 251, 278.
Oxford, Bishop of, 122.

Packe, Nina, 198-

Packe, Mrs., her ball, 123,

398

INDEX

Paget, Lord Alfred, 125 ; at Os-
borne. 212.

Paget, Lord Ernest, 7.

Paget, Lady Florence, her marriage,
86.

Paget, Miss, at Windsor Castle, 360.

Pakington, Sir John, at Burghley
House, 226.

Palk, Sir Lawrence, at Burghley
House, 213.

Palmer, Sir Roundell, 187.

Palmerston, Lady, 8.

Palmerston, Lord, 8 ; defeat of
his " Conspiracy and Murder "
Bill, 10 ; his resignation, 10.

Panmure, Lord, 7.

Paris, 5, 26, 32, 285 ; measures for
the defence, 205 ; siege, 209 ;
capitulation, 214 ; condition, 217,
218 ; result of the destruction,
221.

Parker, Cecil, 139.

Parliament, dissolution of, 255, 337.

Patti, Adelina, 21, 332.

Patti, Carlotta, 57.

Paynter, Major, 58, 59.

Peace Preser^^ation Bill, 275.

Peel, Lady Alice, 162.

Peel, Lady Emily, 122.

Peel, Sir Frederick, 333.

Peel, General, 42 ; at the wedding
of Princess Helena, 126, 127.

Peel, Sir Robert, 122.

Pembroke, Lady, 367.

Pembroke Lodge, 38, 42.

Pennant, George, at Wakefield
Lodge, 321.

Pennant, Lady Louisa, her ball, 104.

Pennant, Miss, at Burghley House,
213.

Pennington, Mr., 123.

Penrhyn, Lady, at Burghley House,
213 ; her ball, 236 ; on the
character of the Duke of Grafton,

353-

Penzance, Lord and Lady, at
Ickworth, 252.

Peper Harow, 14.

Perceval, Captain, 373.

Percy, Lord, at Hatfield, 185.

Persia, Shah of, in London, 244 ;
at the Albert Hall, 246.

Persignj'-, M. de, 27.

Perth, 90, 102.

Peterborough, number of G.F.S.
branches started, 291.

Peterborough, the Palace, 340, 349.

Peyronnet, Mile de la, at Holm-
bury, 235.

Phipps, Sir Charles, 24 ; at Osborne,
64.

Phipps, Lady Laura, bridesmaid to
Princess Helena, 127.

Phipps, Miss, at Osborne, 64.

Phipps, Pickering, chosen member
for South Northampton, 346.

Phonograph, invention of the, 324.

Pigott, Mr., debate in Parliament
on his appointment of Comptroller
of the Stationery Office, 315, 316.

Pius IX., Pope, his death, 321.

Plat, Colonel Du, 56.

Playfair, Dr. Lyon, 228.

Plevna, fall of, 319.

PlimsoU, Mr., 262 ; on the abandon-
ment of the Merchant Shipping
Bill, 281.

Plunkett, Mr., 153.

Political Economy, lecture on,
247.

Ponsonby, Colonel, at Osborne, 65,
68, 212 ; Windsor Castle, 89 ;
Balmoral, 91-96 ; his " Rhyme
of Lochnagar," 96 ; leaves Bal-
moral, 96.

Ponsonby, Lady Emily, her verses,

71-

Ponsonby, Mrs., at Osborne, 69,

Poore, Dr., at Osborne, 212.

Portal, Miss, her lecture on Political
Economy, 247.

Portsmouth, Lady, 251.

Potsdam, 153.

Powerscourt, Lord and Lady, at
Burghley House, 213.

Preston, meet at, 320.

Primkenau Schloss, 155-159.

Primrose League, foundation of the,
xiii, 374.

Primrose, Mr., 201.

Prince s, roller skating at, 262.

Princess Theatre, fire at, 8.

Prothero, Canon, at Osborne, 146.

Prussia, alleged Projet de Truiti
with France, 203.

Prussia, Alexandra, Princess Au-
gustus of, 148 note.

Prussia, Prince Augustus of, 148
note.

Prussia, Crown Prince Frederick of,
his appearance, 7, 154 ; marriage,
10 ; at Windsor Castle, 47 ; in
command in Silesia, 115 ; at
Rheinhardtsbrunnen, 148 ; at
Berlin, 152 ; Potsdam, 154.
See Germany.

Prussia, Crown Princess Frederick
of, at Windsor Castle, 47 ; Rhein-
hardtsbrunnen, 148 ; Potsdam,
154 ; her appearance, 154.

Prussia, Prince Henry of, 146 note,
283 note.

INDEX

399

[EYussia, Princess Henry of, 146 note,

283 note.

[Public Worship Bill, 260, 262, 263.
\Punch, parody in, 67 note.
Purvis, Colonel Home, 115.

Queensberry, Lord and Lady, 122.

R , Mr., his attentions to Miss

Bowater, 79.
R , Sir J., his proposal of

marriage to Miss Bowater, 63.
Raby Castle, 308.
Raglan, Lord, at Burghley House,

213.
Railways, State-control of, 227.
Ramsden, Mr. and Lady Harriet,

123.
Ranfurly, Lord, at Burghley House,

213.
Ranzow, Count, 159.
Reading, 251.
Reay, Lord, 346.
Redesdale, Lord, 237.
Redistribution Bill, 112.
Reform Bill, debates on the, 109 ;

third reading passed, 137.
Regina, memorial to Lady Knight-
ley, 375-
Reims Cathedral, 306.
Rendlesham, Lord, 19.
Reserve forces called out, 322.
Reventlow, Countess, 149.
Reydon Hall, 13.
Rheinhardtsbrunnen, 148, 151.
Rhine, the, 147.
Rhodes, Mr., 297.
Rhodes, Mrs., her dance, 297.
Ricardo, Mr. and Mrs., 14.
Richards, Mr., his speech on

Education, 228.
Richmond Park, 36, 274. 300.
Ridley, Charles, 8, 15.
Ridley, Edward, 15 ; at Harrow,

22 ; Oxford, 278.
Ridley, George, on household suf-

Irage, 133.
Ridley, Harriet, 15.
Ridley, Laura, Lady, 15, 62 ; her

death, 87.
Ridley, Mary, at Guisachan. 265.
Ridley, Sir Matthew, 15 ; his sons,

15-

Ridley, Matthew, 15, 88, 231 ; at
Harrow, 22 ; his clever opinions,
112 ; at Osterley Park, 261 ;
Guisachan, 264 ; his speech on
the Address, 296.

Rifle Association, National, first
meeting at Wimbledon, 17.

Righi, the, 159.

Ristori, Mme, her acting, 354.

Roberts, Lady, 346.

Roberts, Lord, his march from

Cabul, 342.
Robertson, Dr., at Windsor Castle,

144.
Robertson, General, his marriage,

163.
Roebuck, Mr., cause of his quarrel

with J. S. Mill, 314.
Roehampton, 234, 246, 274.
Rokeby, Lord, 32.
Rosebery, Lord, his opinion of

Lady Knightley, xiv.
Ross, Sir William, 217.
Rothschild, Baron Ferdinand, 239.
Rothschild, Leopold, 200, 232.
Rouen, 5.
Roumania, Queen of, her poems,

355-
Rowley, Captain, 128.
Rowley, Susan, bridesmaid to Miss

Bowater, 171.
Rowsell, Mr., 142.
Roxburghe, Duchess of, at the

christening of Princess Alice of

Albany, 361.
Royal Academy, in, 133, 331.
Royal, H.R.H. Victoria, Princess,

7 ; her marriage, 9. See

Prussia.
Royal Titles Bill, 298.
Royston, Lord and Lady, at the

opera, in.
Rubric, proposed alterations in the,

266.
Ruffano, Prince, 299.
Rushton, 367.
Russell, Lord Arthur, at Holmbury,

235-
Russell, Sir Charles, member for
Westminster, 256 ; at Homburg,

304-

Russell, Lady, 274.

Russell, Lord, 274 ; his interest in
the Colonies, 274.

Russell, Lord Odo, his mot on the
Shah of Persia, 245.

Russia, Alexander, Czar of, mur-
dered, 270 note.

Russia, Alix, Empress of, 283 note.

Russia, Anna, Grand Duchess of,
miniature of. 313.

Russia, Grand Duchess Sergius of,
146 note, 283 note.

Russia, Grand Duke Sergius of,
146 note, 283 note.

Russia, Nicholas 11., Czar of, 283
note.

Russia, proposal to occupy Bul-
garia, 30S, 309 ; war declared

400

INDEX

against Turkey, 312 ; advance on

Constantinople, 321.
Ruthven, Lord and Lady, at Ick-

worth, 252.
Ruthven, Mr., 49.
Rutland, Duke of, 219.

Saarbriick, victory at, 204.
Sahl, Mr., at Windsor Castle, 89,
351 ; Frogmore, 141 ; Cologne,
147.
Salisbury, Lady, 231 ; her recep-
tions, 259, 332 ; at Constantin-
ople, 311.
Salisbury, Lord, entertains a party
at Hatfield; 185 ; on the state of
religion, 186 ; his conversation
•with Lady Knightlej'', 231 ; joins
the Conservative Ministry, 257 ;
Plenipotentiary to the Conference
at Constantinople, 309 ; Minister
for Foreign Affairs, 323 ; his
patriotism, 325 ; his speech on
Ireland, 343 ; criticism on Glad-
stone, 359.
San Stefano, Treaty of, 323.
Sand, George, 335.
Sandringham, 223.
Sandwich Islands, King of the, 349.
Santley, Mr., 21.
Savaria, General, 13.
Saxe-Coburg, Charles Edward,

Duke of, 148 note.
Saxe-Coburg, Duke of, 115.
Saxe-Coburg, Princess Dorothea of,

148 note.
Saxe-Coburg, Victoria, Duchess of,

148 note.
Saxe-Coburg, Princess Victoria of,

283 note.
Saxe-Meiningen, Princess Charlotte

of, birth of a child, 333.
Say, Leon, his criticism on Mr.

Gladstone, 331.
Scharf, Mr., keeper of the National

Portrait Gallery, 216.
Schiller, statue of, at Weimar, 151.
Schleswig-Holstein question, 74,

125; annexation of, 158.
Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of, 155 ;

his death, 162.
Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Chris-
tian of, his engagement, 106.
See Christian.
Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Amelia

of, 156, 303.
Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Augusta

of, 156.
Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Henri-

ette of, 156.
Schleswig - Holstein - Gliichsburg,

Duchess of, her daughters, 148

note.
Schleswig - Holstein - Gliichsburg,

Frederick, Duke of, 148 note.
Schreiber, Lady Charlotte, her

collection of china, 263.
Schwalbach, 220.
Scott, General, at Highclere Castle,

251-

Scott, Lady Margaret, bridesmaid
to Princess Helena, 127.

Scott, Sir Walter, his lines on
Cadzow Castle, 250.

Smtari, 321.

Sebright, Sir John and Lady, 248.

Seckendorf, Count, 149 ; at Wind-
sor Castle, 351.

Sedan, battle of, 206 ; anniversary,

357- ?

Sefton, Lord, 236. *

Selborne, Lady, at Windsor Castle,

360.
Selborne, Lord, on the Public

Worship Bill, 263 ; on moving

the Indian troops to Malta, 323 ;

his opinion of John Inglsunt,

353 ; at Windsor Castle, 360.
Senneau, Marquis de, 3.
Sevenoaks, 200.
Seymour, Captain, 54.
Seymour, Colonel Lee, at Burghley

House, 213.
Seymour, General, 48.
Seymour, Lady Constance, 236

note.
Seymour, Miss, 18, 126.
Shaftesbury, Lord, at the meeting

of the Employment of Women

Association, 334.
Shaw Stewart, Sir Michael, 332.
Sherborne, Lad^^ 134.
Sheridan, Mr., at Frampton Court,

279.
Shuckburgh, 369 ; meet at, 190.
Siddons, Mrs. Scott, 131.
Sieveking, Dr., 67.
Skelmersdale, Lord, 144.
Sligo, Lord, 196.
Sluggan, the, 97.
Smith, Emily, 78.
Smith, Lady, her critique of Queen

Victoria's book, 141.
Smith, Martin, 14, 171.
Smith, Dr. William, editor of the
Quarterly Review, at Chevening,
253 ; his conversation with Sir
R. Knightley, 253 ; article on
Grote, 254.
Smith, Rt. Hon. W. H., his re-
solution on Local Taxation, 243 ;
member for Westminster, 256.

INDEX

401

Smollett, Mr., his attack on Glad-
stone, 258.
Sneyd, Mr., 326.

Snow, Mrs., at Claremont, 369, 370.
Somerley, 271.
Somerset, Duke of, at Orwell Park,

237 ; his criticism of Gladstone,

258 ; story of Carlyle, 348.
Sonderburg, ruin of, 78.
Sorcerer, The, performance of, 319.
Soria, his singing, 367.
Sotterley, 2, 9, 23, 39, 128, 139-

141, 161, 319.
South Kensington Museum, 333 ;

reception at, 77, 349.
Southampton, Lord, his funeral,

236.
Spencer, Robert, 338.
Spencer, Lady, 18, 49.
Spencer, Lord, 350 ; Chairman of

the National Rifle Association,

138.
Spiers, Mrs., 45.
Spurgeon, Rev. C, character of

his preaching, 16.
St. Helier, Lord, 22 note. See Jeune.
St. Paul, Nina, 301.
St. Paul's Cathedral, thanksgiving

service at, 224.
St. Privat, 305.
Stafford, 89.
Stallingborough, 3.
Stamford, 212, 227.
Stanhope, Mr. and Mrs. Edward,

2l6.

Stanhope, Lady Frederica, monu-
ment of, 253.

Stanhope, James Banks, 216, 253.

Stanhope, Lady, 231 ; her dinner-
party, 244.

Stanhope, Lord, 231 ; his friend-
ship with Lady Knightley, 211 ;
at the National Portrait Gallery,
215 ; his reception, 217 ; dinner-
party, 219 ; collection of auto-
graphs, 253.

Stanhope, Hon. Philip, at Cheven-
ing, 254.

Stanley, Lady Augusta, 125 ; at
Osborne, 145.

Stanley, Dean, 187 ; his sermon on
Disraeli, 347.

Stanley, Colonel and Mrs. John, at
Chevening, 253.

Stanley, Miss, 25.

Stanley, Mr., at Euston, 268.

Stewart, Mrs. Duncan, 366 ; her
career, 366 ; Recollections, 367.

Stirling. Mr., 117, 127, 135 ; at
Cliveden, 120.

Stirling-Maxwell, Lady Anna, 228.

Stirling-Maxwell, Sir William, 228.

Stoke d'Abernon, church, 370.

Stoke Edith Park, 358.

Stoke Rochford, 105, 130.

Stopford, Miss, 141 ; at Windsor
Castle, 360.

Story, Rev. W., Rector of Fawsley,
172, 179 ; his manner of con-
ducting the services, 184.

Stowe, 322.

Strangford, Lady, 353.

Strathallan, Lord, 58 ; at Burghley
House, 213.

Strathnairn, Lord, 259 ; at Hat-
field, 262 ; Wakefield Lodge, 321.

Strathspey, 265.

Strawberry Hill, ball at, 84.

Streleczki, Count, at Hatfield, 185.

Strickland, Miss Agnes, 13 ;
Bachelor Kings, 13.

Stuart, Colonel and Mrs., at Wake-
field Lodge, 321.

Suffolk election, 296, 339.

Suffrage, household, 133 ; universal,
views on, 77.

Sumner, Heywood, 353.

Sutherland, Duke of, at the opera,
III.

Sweden, Crown Prince of, 333.

Sydney, Lady, at Euston, 268, 269.

Sydney, Lord, at Euston, 268 ; his
visit to St. Petersburg, 269.

Tabley, Lord De, 89.

Tait, Archbishop, his address to
Prince Leopold on his Confirma-
tion, 163 ; criticism on, 187 ; his
address at the G.F.S. meeting,
292 ; at the wedding of the Duke
of Albany, 351 ; his funeral, 361.

Talbot, Lady Adelaide, 135.

Tankerville, Lord and Lady, at
Windsor Castle, 142.

Tannhduser, performance of, 301.

Taxation, Local, debate on, 243.

Tchataldja, 321.

Teck, Duke of, 115, 245.

Teck, Princess Mary, Duchess of,
245, 247 ; at Wimbledon, 138 ;
White Lodge, 300 ; her children,
300.

Teesdale. Colonel, 11 1, 258.

Teleki, Janie, her death, 280.

Temple, Sir Richard, India in
1880, 348 ; his sketches, 365.

Tennant, Mrs., her reception, 367.

Thames Embankment, opening of
the, 200.

Thames valley, 118.

Thatched House Lodge, Richmond
Park. 2, 36.

402

INDEX

Theed, Mr., his statue of Prince
Albert, loo.

Thetford, 268.

Thicknesse, Canon, his sermon at
Brackley, 188.

Thiers, M., his interview with
Bismarck, 279 ; death, 317 ;
funeral, 318.

Thomas, Mr., 217 ; at Firle, 164.

Thorneycroft, Mr., his bust of
Princess Helena, 115.

Thornton, Clare, 47.

Thiiringerwald, 148, 151.

Tichborne trial, 219.

Titiens, Mile, 21.

Tollemache, Lord, 335, 348.

Tollemache, Mr., 238, 248.

Tomline, Colonel, 231, 233, 237.

Tower, Mrs. Henry, 139.

Townsend, editor of the Spectator,
at Highclere Castle, 251.

Townsend, Mrs., founds the Girls'
Friendly Society, 287, 289 ; on the
characteristics of Lady Knight-
ley, 293 ; her resignation, 350.

Transvaal, cession of the, 347.

Trebelli, 83.

Trentham, 326.

Trevanion, Mr., 301.

Trevelyan, Sir Charles, 301.

Trevelyan, George, 310.

Trevelyan, Nora, 301, 310, 339.

Trianon, 222.

Trochu, General, 205, 207.

Tryon, Mr., at Burghley House, 213.

TuUyallan, 208, 326, 367.

Turkey, Sultan of, in London, 136 ;
at the opera, 137 ; his appear-
ance, 137 ; at the National Rifle
Association, Wimbledon, 138.

Turkey, war declared against
Russia, 312.

Tumor, Edith, her friendship with
Miss Bowater, 105 ; at a ball at
Buckingham Palace, 135.

Tumor, Lady Mary, 130.

United States, system of education,

248.
Unseaworthy Shipping Bill, 273.
Usedom, Countess, at Homburg,

317-

Vallette, M. de la, 208.

Vane, Lord and Lady, at Gayton,

310.
Vanneck, Frances, bridesmaid to

Miss Bowater, 171.
Venables, Mr., his conversation

with Lady Knightley, 314.
Ventoux, Mont, 28.

Vernon, Lord, at Guisachan, 265.

Versailles, 222 ; peace signed at,
214.

Vcrulam, Lord, at Hatfield, 185.

Victoria, Queen, her review of the
Guards, 7 ; at the National
RifleAssociation meeting, Wimble-
don, 17; at the Crystal Palace,
17 ; death of Prince Consort, 30 ;
her interview with Lady Bo-
water, 33 ; present at the
wedding of the Prince of Wales,
51 ; at Osborne, 64, 211 ; re-
ceives Miss Bowater, 65 ; drives
in the Park, 83 ; her journey to
Balmoral, 89 ; life at Balmoral,
90-103 ; attends the Kirk, 100
note ; her reception at Bucking-
ham Palace, no ; at Cliveden,
117 ; at the wedding of Princess
Helena, 127 ; Fenian plot against,
140 ; her ascent of the Righi,
1 59 ; her letter to Louisa Bowater
on her marriage, 174 note ; at
Sandringham, 223 ; attends the
Thanksgiving Service, 225 ; opens
Parliament, 296, 310 ; her title
of Empress of India, 298 ; at
Windsor Castle, 313, 360 ; patron
of the G.F.S., 343 ; attempt on
her life, 350 ; at the wedding
of Prince Leopold, 351 ; opens
the Law Courts, 359 ; at the
christening of Princess Alice of
Albany, 361 ; at Claremont, 372.

Vidauban, 28.

Villiers, Lady Elizabeth, 217.

Villiers, Fred, 78.

Villiers, Mr., 217 ; at Osborne, 66.

Villiers, Reggie, at Osterley Park,
261.

Vionville, battle of, 305.

Virginia Water, 113, 114.

Vivian, Mrs., her concert, 78.

Volunteer Review at Wimbledon,
60, 137 note, 138.

Wake, Sir Herewald, 338.

Wakefield Lodge, 321.

Waldeck, Princess Heldne of, her

engagement, 349 ; appearance,

351 ; wedding, xvi, 351. See

Albany.
Waldegrave, Lady, 74, 122 ; her

influence on the Due d'Aumale,

233-
Walden, Lady Howard de, at Ick-

worth, 252.
Wales, H.R.H. Albert Edward,

Prince of, his engagement, 40 ;

wedding, 50 ; at the Guildhall,

INDEX

403

56 ; at the Guards' ball, 58 ;
the reception at South Kensing-
ton Museum, 77 ; at the opera,
III ; at the wedding of Princess
Helena, 127 ; his illness, 223,
224 ; attends the Thanksgiving
Service, 224 ; at Lansdowne
House, 247 ; Bridgewater House,
248 ; his return from India,
301 ; presents, 303 ; at Holland
House, 315 ; Hoinbur^;, 356.

Wales, H.R.H. Alexandra, Princess
of, her first Drawing-room, 55 ;
at the Guildhall, 56 ; birth of a
son, 67, 97 ; at the opera, m ;
at the wedding of Princess
Helena, 126 ; her illness, 131 ;
at the Albert Hall, 246 ; Lans-
downe House, 247 ; Bridgewater
House, 248 ; the French play,
258 ; her appearance, 365.

Wallace, Mackenzie, 314.

Waller, Major, 373.

Walpole, Horace, his description of
Osterley, 261.

Walrond, Mr., at Burghley House,
213.

Waltersdorf, 155.

Ward, Dudley, his death, 210.

Warrender, Sir George 353.

Warwick, Lord, at Homburg, 304.

Waterford, Lady, 22.

Waterloo, 357.

Weedon, 172 ; snowstorm at, 344.

Week in a French Country House,
272.

Weguelin, Mr., at Chevening, 253.

Weguelin, Mrs., her ball, 134.

Weimar, 151.

Weissenburg, victory at, 204.

Wellesley. Lady C, at Burghley
House, 213.

Wellington, Duchess of, 7, 18 ; at
Windsor Castle, 144.

Wellington, Duke of, his campaigns,
6.

Wentworth, Lady, her appearance,
189 ; escapade, 234.

Wentworth, Lord, 189.

West, Comwallis, 201.

West, Mr., 89 ; at Holmbury,

235.
West, Mrs., at Holmbury, 235.
Westminster, Duchess of, 301.
Westmoreland, Lady, at the opera,

III.
Weyer, Mme Van de, 45.
Wheatley, Mary, 87, 165, 198, 312 ;

at Fawsley, 176.
Wheatley, Sir Thomas, 312.
White Lodge, 300.

White, Louisa, her illness, 14 ;

death, 14 note.
Whyte-Melville, Major, 194, 248 ;

his death, 329.
Wied, Princess Elizabeth of, 355.

See Roumania.
Wilberforce, Bishop, his sermon,

243 ; sudden death, 249.
Wilbraham, Miss, 135.
Wildbad, 284.
Wilde, Oscar, 367.
Wilkinson, Rev. G. H., his sermons,

229, 294.
William 11., Emperor of Germany,

148 note.
William iv.. King, 2 ; stories of, 268.
Willingham, 2, 129.
Wimbledon, 348 ; Volunteer Re-
views at, 17, 60, 137 note, 138.
Winchilsea, Lord, at Crichel, 271.
Windsor Castle, 25, 47, 113, 197,

313. 350, 360; the Chapel, 47;

dance at, 117.
Winmarleigh, 309.
Winmarleigh, Lord, 309 ; at Metz,

304-
Wolff, Sir Henry Drummond, at

Hatfield, 185, 186.
Wolmer, Lord, his marriage, 366. •
Wolseley, Sir Garnet, his opinion

of the Fantees and Chinese, 259.
Women, enfranchisement of, views

of, 129.
Women Workers, National Union of.

Congress at Hull, xii.
Women's Franchise Bill, 227, 230,

300 ; debate on, 367.
Wood, Hon. Emily, 11 1 note.
Wood, Miss, 126.

Wood, Sir W. Page, Lord Chan-
cellor, 163.
Woodford church, reopening of,

327-329.
Woodward, Mr., at Frogmore, 141.
Woolsthorpe, 106.
Working Ladies' Guild, xii, 293,

365-
Wormald, Lucy, 172.

Wotton, 235.

Wiirtemberg, Princess of, her death,

352-
Wynne-Finch, Colonel, 128.

York, Archbishop of, 314 ; at

Buckingham Palace, 228.
Yorke, Alec, 373.
Yorke, Eliot, 119.

Zanzibar, Seyyid of, 279.
Zouche, Lord, at Osterley Park,
261.

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Knightley, Louisa Mary
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The journals of Lady Knightley
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