Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-01-29
The Duke OF Edinburgh.

At an early hour the Duke of Edinburgl
Is mostly to be found reading or writing il
his own morning -room-a snug apartment
which like all the others in the house /
comfortably, not luXuriously, furnished
Deformed as it is by exterior hideousness
Eastwell supplies an excellent instance II
favor Of those practical people who insis
that houses were not made TO be looked at
but TO be lived in. The rooms are wei
disposed for the purpose of circulation, anC
those in use every day are on the GROUND
floor. Dining-room, MUSHROOM, drawing
rooms, morning-r rooms ard boudoir are al
on level, and are therefore deliciously
convenient and comfortable, full of air and
light. Two other apartments on the first
| floor are OF especial interest to the select
circles visiting at Eastwell. These are
! the day and night nurseries, absolute mo-
dels of what such apartments should be.
To begin with, they are of immense size,
perfectly lighted and ventilated, furnished
with light maple and cane furniture, and
! completely free from the stuffness OF deep
carpets and rugs. In corner of the day
nursery is a military tent, birthday pre-
sent from his father TO Prince Alfred, and
is treasured accordingly. 1t is a Spartan
kind of an edifice, of gray-striped material,
with a plain deal table aud a stool-the
kind of tent that der ate Fritz, who did
not like dandy officers. loved to see his
own ensconced in. Before a brightly-burn-
ing fire is one of those good old-fashioned
brass fire. guards, several feet high, and to
the left of this the cots of the four little
children are arranged The two youngest,
tired with the morning promenade, are fast
asleep; but the little Prince is obviously
already outgr0wing the idea of going to bf d
at midday, for he is laughing merrily at the
joke of being tucked up again after his
glorious run with black "Prince" Little
Princess Marie, with her shower of fair
hair spread over the pillows and her great
blue eyes only half open, is delightful
subject fo. pairter--a tiny sleeping beauty
in the prettiest of woodlands. This mid
day rest is part of the regular programme
at Eastweli, and appears TO be successful,
if one may judge by present results, for
finer and heavier children of their age than
Prince Alfred and his sisters could hardly
be found.
AT midday the Duke of Edinburgh has
got through his serious reading, and per-
haps some practIcing for the family musical
party of the evening" and is ready for
drive round the park, which is beautiful
and spacious enough to afford ample scope
for any species of outdoor entertainment
In the afternoon friends arrive from the
country side, from London, from Paris and
from st. Petersburg. Like the majority of
those who prefer a small circle of friends
TO the crowd and noise of large assemblies,
England's Sailor Prince is thoroughly ap-
preciated by all who know him. He is
emphatically what is called quiet man
cheerful rather than joyous, pleasant rather
than sparkling. Thoroughly German in
his taste for music and serious studies, he
is completely English in his domestic life.
No man is more pleased with the perfect
working Of his establishment-from the
metropolitan Inspector, who, with brace
of constables, keeps watch and ward at
Eastwell TO the clerk who attends his pri-
vate telegraph Office. Old habits of Gisci-
pline picked up on the Galatea, and con-
frmed by recent experience afloat, 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 quantities and is steady oppo-
nent of the German custom of turning din
ner into wearlsome ceremony, protracted
beyond all reasonable limit by cumbrous
menu. At the little dinners at Eastwell !
there is no bewildering number 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 |
mention of which sets the gourmand agog |
wild boar from the forests in which Ar
minus brought the Roman iegions to naught
and sterlet from distant Volga The sterlet, |
which is to the sturgeon as a smelt is to |
whiting, arrives on some lucky days at
Eastwell packed in ice. The eating of him
is species of celebration, and very good
indeed he is when accommodated after
the genuine Russian fashion. AS a rule,
music follows dinner at Bastwell; but at
times the days, for instance, when the
Revue deS DeHr MOndeS arrives-the
Duchess Of Edinburgh, who reads great
deal in several languages, will return to her
boudoir, to learn the last words of the
French authors, whom she knows as tho
roughly as the Russian poets and novelists
whose works are to be found wherever she
is. There are no late hours at Eastwell;
The life in which is simply that of the
young parents of an interesting family, who
find fair quiet and sweet rest among the
kentish woodlands.