Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-05-04
IN THE QUEENS PRESENCE.



Their Snvercign-The Ceremony.
Adam Bairau IA New York sun
But the ladies are waiting all this time in
the pens The presence Chamb Is ar
-anged as for a levee, only that the queen,
and not the prince Of Wales, Is at the csnter
4 the line; next are the ladies Of her
family. and then the heir apparent and his
brothers, or any royal strangers Her
aJesty wears black gown and Il widows
cap. Over ths cap is usually placed small
diamond crown while the ribbon of the
Garter and similar orter> are on her breast.
a, well a. the Kohl ani other jewels
worthy Of queen. The princess OF Wales
and the other princesseS are i'll full court
dress-pettlcoats trains. feathers, aud all
Behind them stand their attendants, male
and female a. the court circular some
times diSdainfully de>crIbe> them.
When the diplomatic corps has made its
reverences and taken its place, the Eng
lish ladies follow. and as each enters the
throne room with her train over her arm,
two gen tiemen IN waiting deftly seize this
appendage ami >preal it behind her till it
hangs like peaCock's dropping tail Then
the lady, handing her card To the lord in
waiting passes up toward the lpri cham
berlain, and stands till he prUnuunceS her
name. Up n hearing 1t, she prOstrates her
self in front If the queen 80 that one knee
nearly OF quite touches the floor. II 1t Is u
presentation, her ma jeSty extends her hand
with the back upward, and the nsOphyts
placing her own hani transversely under
that Of the sovereign, raises the royal ex-
tremty 10 her lips When the lady
is of the rank of an earls daughter
the queen bends slightly forward
to kiss the cheek Of her subject, and
the homage is complete; but there have
been occasions when the novice was ill.,
sufficiently n,tructed in advance and
kissed the monarch in return, very much to
the disgust of her majesty AMI the horror
struck amazemsnt Of the courtierS. After
the obe!,ance TO the queen. another must be
made to every one in the royal circle in
turn, the depth Of the courtesy being gradu-
ated according 10 the rank Of the per"onAse;
and aS the last prostration is performed and
the subject rises 70 her natural position in
life again two other watchfu lords or
gentleI Inen. As skDlful as the first catch up
her train and throw it once more over the
lady's arm and she slowly st mbleS back
ward out of the room, having been at court
1t took her two hours, | suppose. TO dress,
and she sat in evening costume two hours
more III line in her carriage before she en-
tered the palace; then she was at least an
hour in the pens, and she was two minutes
in the presence OF royalty. Now she must
probably wait an hour OF 50 for for her car
riage and she has been at court II -he Is
young, she ha, prscticed her ObeIsance for
days in al vance aud the backward >tep as
well and Is delighted that at last he Is in
the world II she Is an aspIrant after social
honor, Becky Sharp working her way
upward, Thackeray has told Us Of her senSa-
tion> II she has gone through the cers-
mony forty times before, she throws herself
hack i'll h"r carriage and eIclalmS. like the
cockuey who had seen the Apollo Belvl-
dere: Thank Gird! That dOne'