The record-union., 1896-09-27
DINING WITH THE QUEEN.
4 Girls Experience at One Of These
Affairs.
: It Was Dull and Somber and the
Young Lady Found Little
Pleasure In It.

we arrived SO late at Windsor Castle
lhat there was no time to do anything
out set to work to dress at once, SO as
LOT 10 De late for dinner OF course, you
must be aware that it takes much long
CT TO make a full court toilette than to
fut on an ordinary dinner dress, and
really don't know which would have
peen Worse-to be obliged to rush into
the presence of the Queen in an unfln-
1shed condition or to keep her majesty
waiting. However, we were not late.
NY maid and 1 worked hard, and really
at the end, when I surveyed myself in a
tall cheval glass, L could not help feel
ms that looked rather nice. l was all
In white-my mamma says that white
suits me, and Ireally think it does-and
the length of my train set off the hight
of my slender figure, and the white
feathers nestled very becomingly in my
dark hair knew that I was looking my
very best, but my heart was beating
uncomfortably fast, and though l had
looked forward to dining with the
Queen as quite the most delightful
thing in the world, now that the moment
had arrived 1 would have given worlds
TO have been able to escape from the
ordeal. However, there was no help for
1t, so l followed my mamma into the
3 and corridor. and we proceeded slowly
In the direction of the dining room,
which was at the extreme end in the
Prince of Wales Tower.
1t was a wonderful place that corri-
dor. Imagine an endless long lofty
apartment, lighted by tall windows
looking out into the courtyard and ex-
tending around two sides of the great
n 1,cr1a n
cradle doors opened into suites of rooms
Of all kinds-guest chambers, including
Il special suite for the Prince and Prin-
cess of Wales, and another known as
the tapestry apartments, which is given
10 other distinguished visitors, like the
Empress Frederick or the Duke of Con-
raught; the Queens own bedroom and
bCudoir, the three drawing the
private and State dining-rooms and the
suite devited to the Princess Beatrice.
on the outer side, in the spaces between
the windows, were huge pictures repre-
senting events of the reign. An i'm
mense number of portraits adorned the
walls, which were beautifully wainscot-
ted in sage green and gold, while the
ceiling was treated in cream and gold
in most artistic design AS for the
nina, it was perfectly wonderful, and
there were quantities of il in the most
exquisite cabinets. / was told later that
there was one set of Rose du Barri
VI hich was worth 100000 and that
many of the sets were practically price
less.
wanted to stop and gloat over all the
wonderful and beautiful things which
we kept on passing; and especially
should l have liked to look for the bust
and Bible of the good and gallant Gen
eral Gordon, which knew We're placed
somewhere in the corridor; but my
mamma called to me eperemptorily when
ever | lOitered, and SO 1 was obliged to
hurry on. We turned round the angle
If the corridor and then the second arm
OF it opened before US with it's long vista
Of windows, portraits, pictures and cab
inets. About a quarter Of the way
down we perceived a small group Of
people standing near one of the doors.
These were evidently the other guests.
AS we came nearer we recognized sew
eral faces, and one dear old man began
10 talk to me about the ways and won
ders Of Windsor. I'VE shall not dine
in the state dining -room," he said but
in the oak room, which is the Queens
private dining-room, and there she al
ways receives her guests when the party
is under sixteen. That is the door, the
one near the picture of Lord Beacons-
field" He told me further that Prin-
cess Beatrice's rooms were by far the
most beautiful in the whole castle, and
they We're full of the most exquisite
works of art. The Queens own rooms
We're magnificently furnished, but the
style was stiff and antique-more grand
than comfortable. Her toilet service
was one Of the curiosities Of the castle,
for it had belonged Originally to Queen
Anne. Another curiosity was a won
derful clock in the state apartments
which went for a year when wound up,
and kept excellent time. The third was
a marvellous malachite vase, which had
been given to the Queen by the horrid
Emperor Nicholas of Russia, and was
taller than a man. He was going to tell
me about some of the portraits, when
the master Of the household and several
other officials came toward us and di-
rected us to arrange ourselves in two
rows along the corridor, the ladies on
one side and the men on the other My
mamma, who was the most important
lady present. stood furthest away from
next to her; from which it was evident
that l was the next most important per-
son, though I was certainly the young
est, and two of the other ladies were
wives Of Ministers.
We waited for a few minutes in this
position, and then somebody bursted in
and announced that the Queen was
coming My heart began to thump vio-
4 -
my back-and then there was her mai
esty, in the black dress and white cap
and small coronet which are so familiar
TO US. Then realized that while l was
staring my mamma was curtseyng.
and, so, quite overcome by shame and
confusion, / curtseyed too-as low as
possible TO hide my bushes and not at
all in my best style, which my mamma
used to say was quite swanlilxe; but
anyhow ] had just sufficient sense TO
take Mr. Politicus' arm when he offered
it to me. but otherwise I think l must
have behaved as if / had softening OF
the brain.
However, I discovered later that il
did not really matter, because 1t was
not considered etiqutte to speak loud
or talk much, and the proper thing real
ly was to keep ones attention fixed
chiefly on the Queen in the hope that
she would condescend TO address one.
/ must admit that this was the very
last thing that / hoped for; and as ]
thought it highly improbable that she
would speak to me when there were
mamma and the Ministers wives TO talk
TO. / allowed my eyes 10 wander and to
admire the beautiful gold plate and
flowers. the magnincence of the whole