A MAID IN MAYFAIR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 125, 28 May 1932, Page 4 (Supplement)

A MAID IN MAYFAIR.

HOME LIFE OF THE QUEEN. THE GOLD RUSH. (From Our Ixradon Lady Correspondent.)

I am told that little Princess Elizabeth is beginning to view the occasional visits of her Royal grandmother with slightly mixed feelings. Queen Mary often pays a visit to the Royal nursery, for she is immensely fond of children. Some time ago, I remember, she sent for the children of some, of the King's tenants at Windsor, and told them if they would like to see her jewels they .vero to come up to her rooms. The '■hildren were delighted, and Qucpn -Mnry, apparelled for a State occasion, told them all about the priceless gems she was wearing. When she goes to visit Princess Elizabeth and her baby sister, she invariably takes her sewing with her, and Princess Elizabeth is invited to bring forth her toys. Queen Mary knows them all, and when she leaves she commandeers some of the older ones, which she carries away for one of the Children's Hospitals. Princess Elizabeth surrenders them with the sweetest grace, but with some pangs of regret, I imagine) notwithstanding.

WHEN YOU'VE FINISHED. Queen Mary can be delightfully unconventional at times. Recently she was shopping in Regent Street and left her private car outside. It is a beautiful little green saloon, and, in place of the Royal Arms, has the simple monogram "M.8.." on the doors. Two ardent young motorists, passing by, admired it tremendously. First they took careful stock of the bonnet; then one called the other's attention to the tell-tale monogram. They were startled by a voice behind them. "Now then, you boys, when you've finished I think I would like to get in." They both uncovered, one swiftly opened the door, and b'oih stood on either side to let the Queen got in. Between this impromptu guard of honour Queen Mary, shaking with laughter over the incident, entered the car. ROYAL JANEITES. The statement that Prince George's recent comments about the modern novel had been suggested by a recent course of Jane Austen intrigued me a good deal. Because I remember some time ago the Prince of Wales approaching a friend of mine, and asking him to recommend him a really good book —not heavy and not trash, but really worth reading! My friend suggested one of Jane Austen's novels. And he heard later that the Prince was so delighted with it that he went on to read nearly all the novels. I wonder whether it is at the inspiration of His Royal Highness that his brother, Prince George, has now also become a "Janeite 2" WEIGHING IN. The gold rush eeems to have ended almost as abruptly as it began. You no longer see queues of people waiting in the goldsmith shops nor do you see shop assistants kicking . gold necklaces under the counter to get them out of the way. Such traffic ae there is in the precious metal is now carried out on a more decorous scale by firms who really have some claim to handling gold, and can be relied upon to pay a fair price for it. Some of the other firms which sprang up like mushrooms in any old shop which stood vacant are preparing to close their doors. This does not mean that every ounce of hoarded gold has been brought to light. It means that people generally, and the fair sex in particular, find the prices now ruling much less tempting than those offered two or three weeks ago. During the height of the rush the bullion merchants had some amusing experiences. Quite a lot of people brought in ornaments and proudly announced their weight. In most cases they knew nothing about troy weight and had "weighed in" on the kitchen scales.

"THIS FREEDOM." A friend of mine, just returned from Russia, tells me what struck her most was the amazing absence of individual liberty. She was rather off the beaten track —in one of the Black Sea ports in fact. She remained there for a considerable time, and met all sorts and conditions of Bolsheviks. She had occasion to interview two officials at the Customs office. One was an obvious aristocrat, who spoke fluently a dozen languages. His colleague was a boorish peasant who spoke nothing but Russian, and betrayed the most deplorable manners. The ship, which took her to this Black Sea port, happened to have on board a new motor car, which had been accepted by the captain in settlement of a debt. He wanted to sell it, and had an offer for it from one of the port officials. But before the transaction could be completed the official had to telegraph to Moscow to ask if he might buy the car for his personal use. After a couple of days there came a peremptory telegram intimating that the purchase could not be sanctioned. THE SOVIET WAY. Though the Soviet authorities show the utmost reluctance about allowing money to go out of the country, they have no objection to letting money come into it. In one Instance the captain of a ship was fined a hundred roubles for coming into port without having a pilot on board. A similar fine was imposed on another ship for blowing , its whistle in harbour without permission. But the most glaring example of Soviet terrorism had to do with a Greek sailor. He happened to be an engineering expert. While on shore, his passport mysteriously disappeared. The Soviet officials knew of his loss before the man knew of it himself. He was interviewed, and told a new passport would be handed to him if he consented first to go up country and give assistance on a certain engineering undertaking. The man reluctantly consented and left his ship. Even to this day his wife and family are unable to obtain hie release, or »et into communication with him. LATEST IN HATS. I am always intrigued by the articles on men's wear in the Liondon journals because the average man pays no attention whatever to the dictates of Savile Row. He is, I imagine, inwardly amused when he is told that he must wear this or that tint of grey, or bracken fern, for his lonngo suits, and this or that colour for his shirting. As a matter of fact anything iconoclastic in the way of men's fashion emanates, not from Savile Row, but from Oxford or Cambridge. And from all accounts the only striking thing about men's wear among the undergraduates is a new fnshion in coloured bowlers and coloured felts. Red hats and white hats, some with white and black bauds round the rim, are the late?t thing. Ido not know whether tliey will "catch on." If they do, we shali certainly have a "brighter London."