The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-06
At AND ABOUT THE DRAWING ROOM
Picturesque Scenes Noted by Julian
Ralph.

(From London Letter TO New York
Journall
An American lady presented at court
the other day found herself regarded so
firmly and adm iring1y by one of the roy
al princes that the case suggests the re-
versal of a recent popular American
story to such an extent that we may
have Yankee girl chasing a prince
all over the continent. It was rather re-
markabls drawing-room; it had been
understood that the queen and prinuess
of Wales would both attend it. Neither
did so, and within q day or two, La
bouchre rather pointedly remarked that
the princess would have nothing to do
with it, and that the queen stayed away
for reasons of her own, with which the
public is not concerned. Among those
who did go were the Prince of Wales,
the Countess of Warwick, the Duke of
Connaught, Duchess of Beford aud the
head of the army, the Princess Chris
tian acting for the queen.
4 I happened to see something of the out
side ceremony of this drawing room.
To begin with, all the appro aches to the
palace especially those in St. James's
park, were crowded with onlookers,
morning patiently and tirelesgly they
stood waiting for the little that was to
be seen. Then came the gorgeous troops
of the household playing lively American
airs. Behind the princess's house was
drawn up a golden carriage with two
men on the box, and two footmen be-
hind; all four in red and gold. The
driver was smoking cigar and man
was handing up q drink to his oom-
panion. The footmen were grave and
dignified as if they were stuffed The
immense crowd was disappointed to see
only the one carriage, for they thought
that the princess, whose name is now
so very seldom coupled with that of her
husband, would attend tho function.
Presently the carriages began to come,
and phey were to be told from afar of,
because IN the box of each sat two men,
and in every case the men wore great
bouquets. Close at hand the view with
in the carriages was always of women in
gala attire, one might almost say buried
beneath lace and flowers. Some were
bare-headed, but most wore fchus over
their heads, while all carried immense
bouquets in their laps, The most extra
ordinary thing to me was the way she
- +1I n. 3,
royal function. Men, women and children
pressed forward to the carriages when
they stopped and with liberty that
amounted to license commented upon
the personal appearance and dress of the
DANES and maidens who were helplessly
penned in these vehicles. if the carriage
windows were closed the women of this
people pressed their faces fat against the
panes and took in all they could see. My
pretty American friend sat with her win
dews open, and as she was very pretty the
crowd com plimented her upon her beau
ty and handed babies in to her to be
kissed. She was 80 pleased with every
thing, including mere life itself, that
she kissed the dirtiest babies oheerfully.
YOU'RE a Knockout ~ some women
cried; you're all right" Other women
Jared less happily, for their poorer sisters
called them rights and scarscrows to
their faces ''My, you re thin es lath 20
and 'tOh. my, amt you uglyi'' were the
comments they heard. The officers, in
their red GOATS, the diplomats in their
gold embroidery, each with cooked hats
and fine plumes, made pretty dabs of
color in many of the carriages. Wiseacres
could tell by the three white feathers of
madame, or the two feathero of N ade-
moiselIe whether the women were mar
ried or maidens. The white dresses OF
course always revealed the unmarried
women. These who wore high-necked
dresses, by the way, were often reminded
by the crowd that they had to have the
queen IS permission to do SO, though not
all the popular observations were quite
so delioate. This is the only high court
ceremony in Europe which is held in the
daytime, and the only one in which the
populace takes part.
In time even the last carriage presseu
into th courtyard, and nothing was left
of the outdoor spectacle except the lines
of rudy soldiers reaching in every di-
reotion. AS the ladies left their carriages
they passed upstairs into the cloak room,
and left behind them cloaks and capes,
which, in almost every case, were as cost
ly and beautiful as the bodioes they had
concealed. The ceremony of presenting
hours. The persons to be presented
moved from room to room until at last
they came to the throne room. Prince
Christian stood in the line Of royalty,
with Victoria Scheswig- Holstein and the
Duchess of Albany on the other. A
little black lace or jet upon the dresses
of the princesses reminded everyone that
the court was in mourning. The Prince
of Wales and Duke of Gonuaught stood
In the same line with the Prinoesses, and
most of the women looked at them out
of the corners of their eyes as they bowed
to the Princess Christian. Of how the
women came into the room, with their
three yards of train under their arms,
and how this was put upon the floor and
spread out by the pages. some lady who
has been presented can tell you more
than I.
Ont Door Preaching Service.