Year: 1865

At drawing-room in st. James, i saw
three very singular things happen. had
been to court, SO it was not necessary that
l should make my bow again; but as some
ladies | knew wished for my attendance l
took them to the door of the reception room,
and then met them at the other door, after
they had passed her majesty. While they
were in the former apartment / retained
my place at the first door, to amuse myself
with looking at the people coming up Tor
presentation. 53 li lafg


The first funny thing saw was clergy
man and his wife or sister-I think his wife.
They seemed new to the crowd, and rather
beWildered. However, on coming to the
door one of the lords in waiting took the
lady's arm out of the gentleman's, and with
the usual fling cast her train behind her.


1t had evidently been made by some
mantuamaker not versed in the usual re-
quisites of train, and therefore not weight-
ed so the window close by being wide
open tor air, breeze came in, got beneath
the train, and raised the entire garment up
toward the ceiling, where it fluttered be-
hind the wearer in rather peacock-like
display. The lords in waiting and the ush-
ers jumped at it, and tried with their wands
to get it down again, but as all this time the
wearer was confusedly hurrying on, she
got so near the queen that they were
obliged to desist, and in thatproud position,
beneath the floating cloud of her own dra-
perry, she courtesied to her majesty and
passed on. This droll episode in the days
entertainment was followed by another.


A lady on being told to take the glove on
her right hand, tugged at the tight fit on
that hot day so hard that all the glove came
off except resolute thumb, which remain
ed inexorable to every twitch. She, too,
was accompanied by a gentleman-they
were evidently clergyman and his new
married wife, and when the lord in waiting
attempted to draw the arm of the wife from
that of the husband, the husband exclaima
ed soto uoce: "Hallo, my dear, hold fasts
Who knows what those people want?" At
this moment forget whether 1t was the
late Lord Mulgrave or the present Lord
Conyngham. one of the two, on hearing
and seeing this quaint resolution not tobe
gether let no man put asunder!' So the
couple passed the queen, fondly and fast
locked in each others arms. s.ut.2s4


Lord Rodan had to kneel and kiss her
majesty's hand on some appointment or
other, but being not quite so active he
found it impossible to rise without assist
ance, so having hold of her majesty's most
gracious hand, he held it 80 fast that in
raising himself by it he almost pulled her
from the chair of state. In dancing coun-
try>dance at one of the queens balls, ii
chanced that we had come to the figure
where, after changing hands, Lord Tor
rington, who was dancing with the queen,
was to lead her down the dance and back
again. His eyes at the instant were fixed
in momentary reverie on the floor, there-
fore, he forgot the figure, aud did not SEQ
the step her majesty made in advance to
meet his approach to take her hand, or
rather to let her hand rest on his. saw the
error; her majesty smiled and colored,
when, by stamp with my foot, drewhia
apparently in considerable dismay at his.
own forgetfulness,-My Life and Recoltsc-'
ttonS, By Hon. Grdntley r. Berkeley. 'i9o'q