New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-02-26

| his rest? II was the anniversary I think also
| of poor Albert's death.
| Your dearest mother was loving and kind
| 10 me at that dreadful time, now nineteen years
| ago!
| l hope to see you when you come back from
| Ireland. Ever yours affectonately,
| In 1855 the late Duchess of Sutherland. the
| successor of Queen Vtctorias old friend. died
and her majesty came with the Empress Fred
erick TO visit the death chamber at Stafford
House. Lord Ronald Cover thus describes the
| incident:
The dear Queen most kind and sympa thetic.
and full of the deepest feeling. which one knows
is genuine, for she truly fond OF An
ME. and appreciated her deep loyalty to her
and hers. The Empress. a pathetic little inquire
in her deep mourning, all Grape from above her
head to her feet, and wearing kind of Mary
Stuart shaped black cap. When she lifted ner
veil, the plain. kindly little face seemed to me
but little altered from what | remember 1t
many years ago. They went upstairs at once
the Empress talking very feelingly Of old times.
and of recoeCtions of my parents lives, ana
alluded a little baby sister of mine (AleX-
andra) who died in 40. 1 was surprised the
Empress could remember so far back, but Roy
alties are blessed with marvellous memories.
The Queen only entered halfway into the
room. and turned and looked at me with a
piteous look. shaking her head, But she looks
though she would speak, she said Then
giving a beautiful cross of white lilies to my
nephew to place the bed. returned down
stairs to the Green Library, where the ladies
formed a kind OF circle. Here tney remained
about twenty minutes. The Empress told me
she remembered my father leading her and the
Prince of Wales. when they were children, by
either hand in these rooms. She then spoke of
many and irreparable losses through death
And dear Constance gone, too! yes
said, "all are gone" and then she burst out cry
ing II. too the Empress said have lost all
l hold most dear in the world" When vent
ured to say that she still had her daughters to
comfort her she answered, "Oh, but what is
that to him have Iost?' but added, when we
were passing into the entrance hail. when the
Queen was having her cloak put on, We shall
meet again, and that knowledge suStains me
here"
Some years later Lord Ronald i'll in the
hospital at Aix-la- Chapelle and he tells this
little story of the kindness shown to him by the
Queen at the time:
Just before coming into the hospital I sent off
to Lorne a little pocket Bible that l have had
by me some time. and asked him to beg the
Queen to write in it her favorite text. knew
the Queens favorite hymn was Lead, Kindly
Light" and was curious to know what her ia
vorite text chapter might be0 In short
time got the little book back with a letter from
Lorne dated Osborne, 2nd August; in il he
writes, Il asked the Queen before chapel TO put
something in your book, and she said what she
Love; this just we were walking toward
the church. The Bishop of Rpon. Boyd Car
penter, preached, and 10 and behold. the text
exactly that OF which the Queen had just
was much struck by it." So that the Queens
writing the fly-leaf of this little Bible must
have been written the afternoon of the md
of August my birthday. Love suffereth long
and is kind" Love faileth not" V. r. l., 1891,
and above these texts Il Cor, chap. xiii, V. 4
and s. The Queens alteration OF Love" for
Charity" is a decidedly better rendering of the
sense of these beautiful texts