A MAGARANI'S IMPRESSIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 139, 6 March 1908, Page 3

A MAGARANI'S IMPRESSIONS.

• " Miss' Mildred Isemonger,' in tho "Natwnal. 'Review," some' of . the impressions which an Indian princess formed during ah. iin'cagnit'a tour, shft'ffiado.m Europe with,her husband,' . an : important Maharaja', some years ago. i .It was an 'excursion iinderfaken' •without - the official sanction of .the , Indian Government by .a wilfuhcouplo whowerq resolved to' see 'tho world , in..their r'ow.n-'-way.': ' At, . another time they .visited. England, ' in recognised form. ■'. [ ; •' Miss Isemonger acted as : lady-in-waiting during ' tho. : incognita' ,- tour,, .when ' the Maharani' was v 35, " tiny . and 'beautifully formed, -with pretty hands -and-,feet,. and a complexion- faii'er thaii that of an- average Italian. "In speaking; of Western marriage laws," writes Miss Isemonger, "sho ;saiu that they v undoubtedly - put/ womqn in a /more, advantageous position ' than ' did Hindu or- . Mahommcdaji" customs. , J3ut -then," .sho added, '-"marriago does not count jfbr very much with' you." /'T .ventured -politely to de'mur. ■ "Oh,' no," slid : rctortcd, - "look -around, you. : If you' seo a man. talking to a lady, skating'with her, daiicingl with 'her, yo'u may be sure, aro not husband and wife. ; Perhaps he is' going to l marry her, but afterwards—he is always with other lhdics, sho is always with other men." I .tried to explain that-'oiir customs and social' duties do not allow of husband and wife being always. together, but sho could hot. reconcile .this, with her conception of domestic bliss. Yet, while she condemned our freedom of intercourse, shehankered after it •:herself, and nothing delighted her more than a chat with ail Englishman—a pleasure that, on his part-, tho Maharaja seldom permitted Her'.' - And,'with all her philosophy as' to tho latitude to be granted to masculine ..frailty, slid was tearfully, jealous 011 occasion. Sho said ono day, rather sadly, "A wifo must always .very-much forgive.''', •:• '• Tho account the' Maharani gavo. to Miss iiiempngcr ; of her several 'visits to' Queen' Victoria was'very pretty. * Tho first..was ill Jubileo year, 18S7, when sho had to tako an interpreter with her. "The Queen said, •You!must try to lea'i;n. English, so that tho next time' you con'io-you can speak to mo yourself.' And her voico was .very sweet, and so I made'up my mind to learn at.onco, aiid I worked very bard.' And toil years after, when I saw the Queen again, sho said,' • '1 am glad you havo learnt to speak English so'well.' Aiid' she knew how many children I had, and that 1 had been very ill—she : ' Forgot nothing; I saw her again unlj a'few

weeks before she died, and slio still remcmbered'iuc. Slio sent for me to see her, and I went alone, without the Maharaja. Tho Queen talked to me for a few minutes, and then Princess Beatrice, who was there, said to me that wo must come away, for the Queen was very soon tired. Then I knew that slio could not live long, and in six, weeks, slio died, and I grieved very much. Never again shall wo sco such a great Queen." After her glimpse of the world and its gaieties, tho secluded existence of a purdah nashin seemed very intolerable) to tho Maharani. On her .return to India, she her husband, although ,sho could not have much social amusement, to allow hor some outdoor pursuits. Ho let her: ride, and being eager to' learn, and not in tho least nervous, slio soon became an excellent horsewoman. Sho always rode astride, attired in a divided skirt, and veiled to the eyes, sho accompanied the Maharaja in his morning gallops. It, amused him to have her company, and sho next learnt to shoot, and would go out witli him after duck and pigeon. Her ambition was to shoot a tiger, and while in London she had a rifle built for herself for tho purposo.