The age-herald., 1898-08-28

halter five yeafs ago and soon had three small children to show for the success sion; but Victoria seeing all this, remained at home and smiled, well content if she
 shared none of the shouts of the English
 populace to abide in the love of her father and mother. All the daughters of Queen Victoria went early. The Princess Frederick married at r; the Princess Alice married at 19. The Princess Christian said goodbye to home at 20 The Marchioness of Lorne was only g. The Princess Beatrice remained long est, for she did not bestow her hand upon Henry of Battenburg until in her 2S year. But none remained at home until 30. The only precedent in the immediate fam fly of the queen was Mary of Teck the
 mother of the Duchess of York. For reas- ons of family the princess was not allowed to marry until her 33rd year. In 1866, after
 many years of waiting, she was allowed
 to marry Francis, Duke of Teck. Ten
 years before she was engaged to the King
 of Holland, but on the medical opinion
 that she would never perpetuate the suc-
 cession, the engagement was broken. But Mary did raise a family Three prosper
 ous children survive her, the most famous of whom is the Princess May, Duchess of York.
 HER CHOICE.
 The Princess Victoria of Wales has re- mained single not from family reasons, l HUT lTOIu TedSOnS Ol Stdle.OlLup1y lHTOu6h | a lack of inclination has she declined to accept any of the hands that might have grasped hers in marriage. When Louise married it was expected Victoria would soon follow; and when little Maud went to Denmark the soubriquet of "Old Maid'- used in England well as here-was at- tached to her.
 Now, at last, her betrothal is almost an- nounced to Lord Ravelstoke. His Lord ship is handsome, manly young chap of 34 Born to wealth, he knew the viscis- situdeS of fortune at early age. Before he had come into full maturity the bank ing house of Barring began to decline and young Barring found he must abandon a life of pleasure for one of work. He left the sporting world and settled down to the affairs of the banking house. So ably did he conduct its finances that, when his father died last year, the house was found to be in excellent condition.
 On the death of his father, John Barring became Lord Ravelstoke; and, so, he had
 to offer to the lady of his choice a title along with money, not great considera- tion to the daughter of the Prince of Wales, but great in the eyes of common
 CT who pleads royal love suit.
 His Lordship, besides some wealth and
 title, has a fine. country place. "Memb-
 land,' and a beautiful residence in Lon
 don.
 The qualities of a princess who could
 thus trihe with the fattest purses of Eng land and America and the proudest titles
 in the world, is interesting. An American
 woman who spent an hour in the society
 of the Princess Victoria at a London gar- den party describes her as "quiet, witty and pretty" The first two she certainly
 is, but she has never been considered the latter. Her Guelph cheek bones are too
 prominent, her mouth too full, her fore head too high. "But you forget all these"
 said the American woman, when you talk to her. Little dimples play around her mouth, her red lips open over delicious
 teeth, her forehead is smooth and fair,
 and natural curls lie upon it; and as for
 her voice it is music itself! At dinner
 given on her 29th birthday she was queen
 of the feast
 VERY LOVABLE.
 With such attributes it is no wonder
 that all the world of eligibles have fallen
 in love with the fickle princess. Added to
 this is the adorable quality of content- ment. The Princess Victoria has been con- tent all the thirty years of her life to spend her time at home with her mother She drives with her mother, walks with her father. plays with the children, reads aloud, and for years has directed the af- fairs of the household at Sandringham. Her one fad is for kittens. She has hun dreds of them and it is a pleasant sight to see her in the gardens of an afternoon, carrying and leading her pets.
 The men whom the Princess Victoria has caught in her net are not insensible to such charms as these More than one man has looked with heart-longing upon the spectacle of a peaceful princess in the midst of a court strife-as all courts are! The reason for the behavior of the prin- | cess was explained to MT Gladstone by a | rejected suitor, a man of prominence in l the political world. Gladstone thought the match desirable. "Why don't you marry | herr" he asked.
 I "Jd like to- said the qtafpcmau
 she doesn't love me enough" That simple | key unlocked all the mysteries of Victo- | ria's apparent fickleness She wanted tc | fall in love.
 l been without his romance. The story | goes that from boyhood he loved a young | cousin. When, after his graduation, he | proposed to her she said: But I don't | love you in that way-you are only my | cousin Jack!'
 l POOR BARINGT l After that young Barring came to Ameri- l ca and shot buffaloes in the Rockies But on his return to England he saw things | in their true light and his mind turned to- ward an old favorite of his boyhood-the Princess Victoria.
 Then the gossips, seeing the moth be- gin to play around the candle, whispered Poor Barring! He will be rejected againv' But young Barring, if rumor be true, was
  as sweet and gracious as ever came out of court smiled upon him.
 If the princess weds Lord Ravelstoke she will lose something in prestige. Now as the granddaughter of the ruling mon- arch she takes prestige over many others Of royal blood. But, as the wife of Lord Rovelstoke, subject. she must fall back with him. Unless, perchance, she elect to walk alone in the royal procession, while he follows in his place.
 Her aunt, the Princess Louise, Marchi-
 oness of Lorne, decided this point in 1871
 by declining to attend state dinners. She would not fall back, neither would she
 walk alone! To stay away was the next wiSest course.
 The Princess Victoria, while not fabu- lously wealthy, will be comfortable for life. Her father provides a home for her at Sandringham: and at Windsor there is suite devoted to her. She need never pay house rent in London. Besides this, the Prince of Wales has a large sum given him annually for distribution among his children. The princess, as the last daugh-