Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-05-12

the English German Legion, they re-
manned for a period of twelve months,
closely occupied with the study of his
tory, the modern languages. the higher
mathematics, etc. From Brussels they
went to Bonn, where they remained
eighteen months. While they were
still at that university the death of
William ", June 90, 1887, threw upon
the Princess Victoria, then only IL years
old, the grave responsibilities of Queen
of England. Her accession to the
throne revived the rumOrs, which had
been for some time current, of a con-
templated marriage with her cousin,
and it was thought expedient by their
circle, with the view of Withdrawing
public attention for the time from the
young princess, that they should spend
the autumn of 1887 in making tour
through Switzerland and the north of
Italy. September and October were
accordingly spent in thorough ex-
ploration of Switzerland and the Italian
lakes on fOot-a mode of travelling of
which Prince Albert was very fond.
But the time had arrived when the
question of the English marriage had
to be settled. King Leopold desired
that some decisive arrangement should
be made for the year 1899; but to this
the Queen demurred, for reasons which
her uncle considered conclusive. She
was herself, she urged. too young, so
also was the Prince, and. moreover. his
mastery of the English language was
still very imperfect. The Prince, on
being made aware of what was pro-
posed, and of the necessity of delay
very sensibly declared himself willing
to submit, if he had only some certain
assurance to go upon: But, he SAID
to King Leopold, ''if after waiting per-
haps three years | should find that the
Queen no longer desired the marriage,
it would place me in a ridiculous posi-
ton, and would, to a certain extent.
ruin all my prospects for the future"
This serious question was, however,
soon settled in way entirely satisfac-
tory to the Princes mind. and in the
winter of 1888 he set out on prOtracted
and interesting tour through Italy, re-
turning to COburg in the following May.
Meanwhile political events i'm England
which it is needless to go into. made 1t
desirable that the question of the
Queens marriage should again be
pressed. Those who had her welfare
most at heart were anxious to secure
for her without longer delay husbands
guidance and support. To effect this
was, however, no simple matter. All
that the Queen had heard of the Prince
was most favorable. Her inclination
toward him remained unchanged and,
to use her own words, "she never had
an idea, if she married at ali, of any
one else" Still she desired delay /; and
the Prince went to England with his
brother in October, 1889, under the i'm
preston that she wished the affair to
be considered as broken OF. and that
for four years she could think o. no
marriage. Her reasons for delay were,
however. destined to give way before the
feeling which inspired the
Prince when they again met. The three
years which had passed since the prin-
ces were last in England had greatly
their personal appearance.
Tall and manly as they both were.
Prince Albert was eminently handsome.
But there was also in his cOuntenance a
gentleness of expression and peculiar
sweetness in his smile, with look of
deep thought and high intelligence in
his clear blue eyes and expansive fore
head, that added a charm to the i'm
preston he produced in all who saw
him, far beyond that derived from
mere beauty or regularity of features.
The Queen was most favOrably i'm
pressed. On the second day after their
arrival she wrote to her uncle: "Al-
bert's beauty is most striking. and he is
most amiable and uneffected-in short,
very fascinating" The question was
soon settled. The Prince arrived at
Windsor Castle on the 10Th of October
al. l.t, 81 Il N,~I
Melbourne of her decision. To Baron
and confidential counsellor, to whom
her resolution not to marry tor some
rassment:
"WINDsoR CASTLE, Oct. IL, 1899.
81 do feel so guilty, know not how
to begin; but think the news it con-
tains will be sufficient to insure your
Albert has completely
won my heart, and all was settled be-
tween us this morning 80. | feel certain
he will make me very happy. | wish !
could say | felt as certain of making
him happy, but l shall do my best.
Uncle Leopold must tell You all about
the details, which have not time to do
Albert is very much attached to
YOU
The next day Prince Albert wrote to
give Baron StOckmar what he knew
wOuld be 1.-THE most welcome news
possible He added:
''Nictoria is So good and kind to me
that | am often puzzled to believe that
| shOnld be the object of so much atfec-
ton. ! kpOw the interest you take in
my happiness, and therefore pour out
my heart to you More or seriously i
can not write: ! am at this moment too
bewildered to do So"
"'Das Auge sieht den Bimmel often.
rs schweight das Herr in seligkeit."
Heaven opens on the ravished eye,
1he heart is all entranced in bliss
While offering to the Prince his
hearty congratulations on the happy
event, StOckmar coupled them with
earnest cOunsels as to the course which
must be pursued in laying the founda
tions of his future happiness, and in
fulfilling wOrthily the duties of his high
position. To this the Prince replied in
a strain of lofty aspiration, and with a
deep sense of the great part he was to
play in his new career, which evinced
true nobility of character, and promised
well for the future. Neither the hap
piness of lOve-a happiness in his case
made more intense by the singular
purity and usefulness of his own na-
ture, on which the devotion shown him
seems to have come with bewildering
the brilliancy of the
position into which this love had raised
him, blinded him for a moment to its
sterner features. "Treu und fest"
True and firm) was the motto of his
house, and he was prepared to grapple
with difficulties and face opposition
with a manly heart. "With the excep
ton of my relations to the Queen" he
wrote to his step-mOther, ''my future
position will have its dark side, and the
sky will not always be blue and un-
clouded But life has its thorns in
every position, and the consciousness
of having used ones powers and en-
doavors for an object so great as that
Of promoting the welfare of so many
will surely be sufficient to support me-"