The gold leaf., 1901-02-07

ALEXANDRA. ALBERT EDWARDS CONSORT
feet warm she had queer little contrivanccs
fur lined bags or foot muffs'-made by
the same firm. This concern also regularly
redraped her rooms with chintz (cretonne),
always Of the same design and colorinS
which by royal order might not be dupli
Gated for any one else
The queen hated tobacco smoke with all
her strength, and it was forbidden to every
one to indulge in the fragrant weed within
the walls of Windsor 1t is not recorded
that this rule was ever relaxed but once
and that was on the occasion of the visit Of
King Charles Of Roumania to her. ma jesty
in 1892 Then the smell of Havanas was
observable everywhere save in the apart
ments of the queen herself and the adjacent
corridors. On one occasion a cabinet min
lister, who was devoted to his cigar, re
ceived a letter from the queens private sec
retary, Sir Henry Ponsonby. saying that in
future the monarch would be glad if the
official would refrain from saturating his
dispatches with tobacco smoke before send
ing them. He turned the royal snub to &C
count by writing note to each OF his col
leagues telling them that it was the royal
order that in future they should net smoke
when preparing dispatches for the queen.
Victoria always took most of her personal
belongings with her when she went on q
journey, and it was therefore no easy task
for her household to make the change FROM
one place to the other. The moving Of the
court from Windsor to Osborne is described
by one who has helped in the moving
worse than three fires and an earthquake
all at once" Everything except the car
pets and pictures had to be removed from
the royal chambers after her majesty left
them and set up in good order in the other
palace before her arrival there.
Upon one occasion Victoria sas rady to
start, had donned her bonnet and seated
herself in her carriage, when = Was noted
that the mistress of the robes, the late
Duchess of Sutherland, was not in her seat
in the carriage opposite her royal mistress
There was row, but presently the missing
woman appeared literally on the run, and
in drenching perspiration, and visibly
frightened The queen looked ut her tardy
subordinate, but instead of scolding her
took her own watch from her belt AID pre-
sented it to the duchess. saying. Your
watch must be bad timekeeper-let me
give you this one." whereat the duchess wep!
for JOY.
The life Of d maid of honor, lady of the
bedcham Der or other female mem ber of the
household at Victoria's court while not at
all that OF a menial, was not in any sense
sinecure. but as service i'll the royal house
hold confers great social prestige the posi-
tions In question have always been eagerly
sought. Eictoria's women used to take an
early breakfast and await Il SUMMONS from
their mistress before venturing into her
presence. The morning was usually passed
in reading the newspapers to her majesty
till near luncheon time The q,ieen par
took of this meal with her own family, the
women of the household eating apart at .
o'clock
From 5 to p. Ill the women accompa
MED their mistress on her daily drive, after
which they read, arranged photographs or
completed fancy work begun but hot fin
ished 5y royal fingers This continued
until the queens dinner hour. about 9
o'clock. By this time all concerned were
likely to he weary. and no one was ever
heard to complain because the ''waitS'' ui
terms Of service rarely if ever exceeded
five months in any one year The pay o.
the ladies of the household varied FROM E-S,,
to e.O0 per annum. Most OF th-,n wer.
peercsses, or at least of noble biouI Aa
untitled woman who was d member Of the
queens household was privileged by rea.on
Of her service to use the prefix hJuora ble
ladies in waiting during Victoria reign
was the repetition in her majesty esirs o:
all the court tattle of the day
VictOria's appetite WIS good Here Is
menu OF u luncheon served in 1882 at the
home Of her granddaughter. the Duchess Of
Fife, to which the royal grandmother l.
said to have done ample justice
Minced venison. boiled capons. tongue.
cold roast chicken and York ham. cold grouse.
cold roast sirioin of Scotch beef. pastry. chedar
cheese and salad, 1854 champagne. dry biscuit
and 30 years old dry port
Victoria possessed most remarkable
memory. She rarely forgot face. and to
the day of her death she could recite the
pedigree Of almost every noble family in
England. Of all the German royalties, the
exact arrangement Of everything in chest
of drawers locked up a twelvemonth be
fore. and every slight or civiiity offered to
her consort, Prince Albert. during their -
years of married life
The queen was very fond OF dogs. and her
kennels at Windsor used TO hou.e about 80
II them They were petted in life By roya.
hands, and at death received elaborate
burial The kennels at Windsor are elab-
crate afairs, the yards being paved with
red and blue tiles and the bed chambers"
with white bricks, and contain sleeping
benches covered with straw. hot water
pipes, baths, etc. A tiled portico along the
front Of the kennels. where Victoria used
often to walk. Is known a. "the queens
veranda-"
Nearly GO years ago an American visiting
in London. and who saw the queen shortly
before her coronation, described her thus
'-She is dainty little maiden, only feet
10 inches In height, with a delicate figure
dowerlike face. . slender arm and @exqui
sitely poised head The face was a little
pensive. but nevertheless mirthfs,l, the cor
ners of the mouth turning up decidedly
The tendency Of the upper Lip was to curl.