Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-12-13
Tie Duke of Edinburgh i'm HIS
Country Homo.
A PLEASANT DOMESTIC PICTURE.

PLEASANT DOMESTIC PICTURE.
The scene Is purely sylvan and English, and
in the autumn season especially is delciousl
peaceful. While the sunlight brings hun ir
hues out OF the planes and beeches: 1nere clm
merry procession from the byrin h
closely cropped evergreenS. In advance runs a
great. plumb, handsome hve-year- I'D hoy,
laughing merrily, and caring not an atom for
the cold, which has brought the color ilto his
cheeks as he runs by the side OF his pet do :.
fine black retriever the gift of a faithful re-
tainer whose loyalty is only exceeded by his
want OF imagination In naming the an NAL
''Prince." Little Prince Alfred is greatly in love
with his curly pet, and the dog cantars al ,ng
with bounding step. and head turned in Inv "a
ton to game OF rompS. Next comes blue
velvet perambuiator in which reclineS the baby
Princess. at whose side todGileS an elder 7,Ster
highly amused as 'baby" crows to a whit NAL
teSe, whS rolls along like aSnow ball he is named
AFTER Little Princess Marie is snaki x her
sunny curiS at her fair young moth r. the
Duchess o Edinburgh who, dressed / a suit
of blue serge OF tie ann hue as that worn by
her children. is walking by the side o. bah 5
perambulator. In another moment the wat n
ful eye OF the head nurse has de,ette Prn -
Alfred In Wild attempt TO Climb a plane tree
and recalls the higl-splrited boy with single
word. All the duchess children have bright
blue eyes. and are as free from shynCS or any
symptom OF '.coddlng' as the sterneSt If infan-
tile disc piiaalianS could desire. hey turn
their he tlItiful eyes with q frank, fear IS look
upon their new acquaintance, and are ~ cordial
terms at once. 1ne morning proinen Nie with
their mother is happy time for the children,
who arr accustomed TO go with her II Russia
to Germany. to Cannes or wherever her tenn
porary place OF SOjourn may be.
Al this early no If the Duke of Edinburgh is
l. ostly to be found reading or writing in his
Wn morning-roonl-a snug apartment waich
Ike all the others in the house Is comt)rtlbi
not luXuiiously. furnished. Defornei as il Is
by exterior hideouSneSS, EtStwen supplies an
excellent instance in favor OF those practical
people Who insist that houses We're made not to
be looked at but to be lived In. The rooms are
well disposed for the purpose OF circulation and
those in use every day are on the ground floor.
Dlnlng-rccm. muSic-room, drawing-rooms. morn
ing-roomS and boudoir are all on a level a d
are therefore deiiciously convenient and COM
Portable, full OF air and light. Two other apart
ments on the first floor are OF especial Interest
10 the select circle visiting at EaStwcl. These
are the day and night nurseries, absolute mod
els OF what such apartments should be. To
beeln with. they are OF immenSa size. perfectly
lighted and ventilated, furnished with light
maple and cane furniture, and completely fee
from the STIFFNESS OF deep carpets and rugs. In
a corner OF the day nursery is a military tent
Prince Alfred, and treasured accordingly. II
is Spartan kind OF editice OF gray
sniped material, with a plain deal table
ana stOOl-the kind of tent that DIR ate f,itz.
who did net like dandy officers loved To see his
own ensconced in Before a brightly burning
re Is one of those good oid-faShioned brass !it.-
guards several feet high, and to the left OF this
TIE cots OF the four little children are arranged.
The two youngest, tired with the moruing prom
tuade, are fast asleep; but the Iittl" Prime Is
obviously already outgrowing the idea of Iing
The joke of being tuckcG-up again after his glo-
riouS run with black prince" Little Prince IS
Maize with her shower of fair hair spread over
the pillows and her great blue eyes only half
open. Is delightful subject for a painter-a tiny
slet ping beauty in the prettiest OF woodlands.
This midday rest is part OF the regular pro-
glalnme at Eastwell, and appears To be success
ful, II one may judge by present results, for finer
and heavier children OF their age than little
Prince Alfred and his sisters could hardly be
found
AT midday the Duke Of Edinburgh has got
through his serious reading, and perhaps some
practising for the family musical party of the
evening, and Is ready for a drive round the
park, which is beautiful and spacious enough to
afford ample scope for any species OF Out-iDor
entertainment In the afternoon frie ndS arrive
from the country side. from London, from Paris
from st. Petersburg. Like the majority of
those who prefer small circle OF friends to the
crowd and noise OF large assemblies, Englani's
sailor Prince Is thoroughly appreciated by all
who know him. He is emphatically what is
called quiet man-cheerful rather than joy
Gus, pleasant rather than sparkling. Thorough
ly German in his taste for music and serious
studies he is completely English in his domes-
tic life. No man Is more pleased with the per-
feet working of his eStabliShment-from the
metropolitan Inspector, who, with a brace of
constables. keeps watch and ward at Eastwel',
to the clerk who attends his private telegraph
office. Old habits of discipline picked up on the
Galatea, and confirmed by recent experience
aiicat, cannot be lightly shaken off, although
the sportive humor OF early days may have
died out. Like his brother the Prince of
Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh likes
good things In reasonable quantity, and
Is a steady opponent of the German Gus
tom of turning dinner into a weariSome
ceremony, protracted beyond all reasonable
limit by cumbrouS menu. At the little din
ners at Eastwen there is no bewildering num-
Der OF dishes, but good, straightforward bill of
fare, which may be eaten through with perfect
enjoyment. Rare things, however, appear at
these modest banquets-dishes, the mere men
ton OF which sets the gourmand agog-wild
bear from the forests III which Arminlus brought
the Roman leglons to naught, and Sterlet from
the more distant Volga. The SterIet. which is
to the sturgeon as a smelt is to a whiting, ar
rves on some lucky days at Eastwell packed in
ce. The eating OF him is a species OF Gel bra
ton, and very COED indeed he Is when "a ;conl-
mOGated after the genuine Russian fashion. AS
rule. music follows dinner at Eastwell; bat ut
tmes-On the days, orinstance, when the r. 70
DIES Dt7sr MOndes ariives-Lhe Duchess of Edin-
burgh, who reads great deal in several Ian
9uages, will retire to her boudoir, to learn the
last word of the French authors, whom she
knows as thoroughly as the Russian poets and
nOveliStS whose works are to be found wherever
she is. There are no late hours at Eastwel; the
life in which is simply that OF the young parents
ofan interesting family, who finds fair quiet and
sweet rest among the kentish woodlands
london World.