The Express.
London, England, 1868-08-06 00:00:00

THE QUEEN'S HOLIDAI:

THE QrzErt is to leave Paris this evening, and
by to-morrow morning will be on the banks of
Lake Lucerne. That she may heartily enjoy her
holiday is the fervent wish of the countless thou-
sands who are following her in imagination
through the most beautiful parts of Switzerland.
The one essential to this enjoyment is that her
privacy shall be respected by the travelling
English. Lucerne is the head-quarters of the
conventional Swiss tourist. Its great hotels are
English in their manners, customs, and company.
The broad walk bordering the lake
in their front has at this time of year
Englishmen and Englishwomen on each of
its shady seats ; and to go up Pilatus or the
Righi, to visit Thorwaldsen's lion, or the quaint
pointed bridge, is to find yourself inevitably
elbowed by compatriots who are " doing " these
sights for the• first or the fiftieth time. It is
earnestly to be hoped that Her liatEtrrY will not
be regarded by any of these as one of the shows of
Lucerne, and that her appearance in public will be
allowed to pass without observation. We have no
fear that any class but the tourist will
invade her privacy; and if it be once fully
understood that to do so will be to rob
a rare holiday of its charm, we are satisfied that
good taste and good feeling will prevail, and
that the " Countess of HMIT " will be per-
mitted to enjoy the exquisite scenery in peace.
Let it be remembered that the matronly lady
and the two fair girls in mourning are to be
passed unrecognised, and that cheers, or bows,
or crowding round, or noticing, will be acts of
positive cruelty. Let it be made a point of
honour among English travellers to recog-
nise the pleasant fiction of an incognito ;
and let there be an unwritten but stringent
code which shall condemn those who intrude
by word, or look, or gesture, as people of ill-
breeding. Her MAJESTY has shown her con-
fidence in the respect entertained for her wishes
by selecting so crowded a place as Lucerne for
her first sojourn in private ; and it should be the
pride of its visitors to show her that the royal
faith in their sense and judgment is not mis-
placed.
Perfect privacy ensured, and what could be
more charming than the experiences about to be
tasted by the Qum/ and her daughters ? Readers
of the " QUEEN'S Diary" may fancy the party
rising early to explore the ancient portions of the
old Swiss town, and wandering on its famous
covered bridge to pore over the quaint figures in
the Dance of Death—probably LONGFELLOW in
hand, and comparing their own thoughts and
feelings with those of the well-loved well-known
Page
The Dance of Death.
All that go to and fro must look upon it,
Mindful of what they shall be, while beneath
Among the wooden piles, the turbulent river
Rushes, imetuous as the river of life,
With dimpling eddies, ever green and bright
Save where the shadow of this bridge falls on it.
. . . . The grim musician
Leads all men through the mazes of that dance
To different sounds in different measures moving ;
Sometimes he plays a lute, sometimes a drum,
To tempt or terrify.

•
Skit. What is this pictures
Priam Henry. It is a young man singing to a nun,
Who kneels at her devotions, but in lmeeling
Turns round to look at him ; and Death, meanwhile,
Is putting out the candles on the altar !
_ _

Elsie. what a pity 'tis that she should listen
Unto such songs, when in her orisons
She might have heard in heaven the angels singing.
Priam Henry. Here he has stolen a jester's cap and bells,
And dances with the Queen.

Ellie. A foolish jest.
Will not a special meaning be found in this ?—.,
Prixes Seery. And here the heart of the new-wedded wi/e,
Coming from church with her beloved lord,
He startles with the rattle of his drum.

Elan'. Ah, that is sad ! And yet perhaps 'tie beet
That she should die with all the sunshine on her,
And all the benedictions of the morning,
Before this affluence of golden light
Shall fade into a cold and clouded gray.
Then into darlmess!

Privet.* Henry.. Under it is written,
" Npthing but death shall separate thee and me !"
Dm. And what is this, that follows close upon it ?