Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-12-05
Inside the Palace.

New York Gazette, relates the fol
lowing anecdotes ofQueen Victoria
When l was in England / heard
several pleasant anecdotes Of the
Queen and her family, from a lady
who received them from her friend
the gOyerness Of herroyal children
This governess, a very interesting
young lady, was the orphan daugh-
ter of a Scottish clergyman. During
the first year Of her residence al
Windsor, her mother died. When
she first received the news of her
serious illness, she applied to the
Queen for permission to resign her
situation, feeling that to her mother
she owed more than even to her
sovereign. The Queen, who had
been much pleased with her, would
not hear of her making this sacri-
ilce-but said in tone Of the most
gentle sympathy, "Go at once to
your mother, child; stay with her
as long as she needs you, and then
come back to us. / will keep your
place for you, Prince Albert and /
will hear the children's lessons SO
in any event let your mind be at rest
in regard to your pupils" a.. -
! The goYerness went and had sev-
eral weeks of sweet, mournful COM
munion with her dying mother;
then, when she had seen that dear
form laid to sleep under the daisies
of the old kirk-yard, she returned
to the palase, where the loneliness
of royal grandeur would have OPP
pressed her sowowing heart beyond
endurance had it not been for the
gracious, womanly sympathy of the
Queen, who came every day to her
sehoolroom, and the considerate
kindness of her young pupils, A
year went by; the first anniversary
of her great loss dawned upon her,
and she was overwhelmed as never
before by the utter loneliness of her
grief She felt that no one in that
great household knew how much
good and sweetness had passed out
of mortal life that day year ago
or could give with her one tear, one
thought to that grave under the
Scottish daisies. Every morning
before breakfast, which the elder
children took with their mother in
the pleasant crimson parlor looking
out on the terrace at Windsor, her
pupils came to the schoolroom for
a brief religious exercise. This
morning the voice of the governess
trembled in reciting the scripture
for the day; some words of tender
ness were too much for her poor,
lonely gricving heart--her strength
gave way, and laying her head on
the desk before her, she burst into
tears, murmuring, "Oh, Mother
Mother" One after another the
children stole out Of the room and
went to their mother to tell how
sadly their goveness was feeling;
and that soft-hearted monarch ex.
claiming, NOh, poor girl, tits the
anniversary of her mothep's DEATH"
hurried to the schoolroom,I where
she found Miss - struggling to
regain her composure. !" My poor
child" she said, 81 am sorry the
children disturbed you this morn
ing. meant to have given orders
that you shoold have this day all to
yourself Take it, as a sad and sa-
cred hohday-I will hear the les
sons Of the children" And then
she added r"To show You that |
have not forgotten this mournful
anniversary, l bring you this gift"
clasping on her arm q beautiful
mourning bracelet, attached to which
was a locket for her mothers hair,
marked with the date Of that moth
er's death. What wonder that the
orphan kissed with tears this gift |
and the more than royal hand that /
bestowed it, This was Victoria fif-
teen years ago--and don't believe
she has morally advanced back
ward since them ai.uc.s .,s.ra [
Another little anecdote which
shows hlr simplicity Of character |
and shrewdness Of perception, was !
told me by a gentleman who once
enjoyed the pleasure Of q very in
formal interview with her, under
rather peculiar circumstances, My !
friend, Mr. W, is a person of
very artistic tastes-7a passionate
picture lover He has seen all the
great paintings in the public gale
ries of London, and had strong
desire to see those of Buckingham
Palace, which, that not being a
" show house," was inaccessible to
an ordinary connoiseur, Fortune
favored him at last. He was a
brother of a lord carpet merchant,
who had an order to put down new
carpets in the state apartments Of
the palace-and it so chanced that
the temptation came to my friend
to put on a workman's blouse, and
thus enter the royal precincts, while
the flag Indicating the presence Of
the august family floated defantly
over the roof. So he effected an
entrance, and when once within the
royal halls, dropped his assumed
character and devoted himself to
the pictures. 1t happened that he
remained in one Of the apartments
after the workmeh had left, and