HER AIN FIRESIDE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 82, 2 December 1912, Page 2

HER AIN FIRESIDE.

QUEEX VICTORIA’S HAPPY hoHe life. An interesting ' hook just published is the “Correspondence of Sarah Spencer Lady Lyttelton, 1787-1870,” waick has been edited by the lion. Mrs Hugh Wyndham. Lady Lyttelton, the daughter of the second Earl Spencer, became Lady-in-Waitiug to Queen Victoria in 1888, and four years later was appointed governess to the Koval children, by whom she was affectionately known as “Laddie.” In one of the letters we see the Queen as; a young woman who was particular about the pronunciation of \yords (which differed in many respects from our pronunciation today), and anxious to be regarded as an authority on such matters. Writing from Buckingham Palace in February, 1839, Lady Lyttelton says:— The Queen says “gold” (open), not “goold”; and “Koine” (open), not “Koom.” Also Prussia in my wiry (she was accustomed in childhood to the other way), rhymning to Kussia, in spite of the Dean ol Chester. She is particularly pleased at being reckoned an authority 1 about accent, and takes great pains about it.

Table Manners. Lady Lyttelton comments on the rather* elevated tone which the Prince Consort introduced at the dinner table. Wo have, f begin to notice, rather a raised tone of conversation of late —many bits of information and naval matters and scientific subjects come,,up and. arc talked of very pleasantly at dinner. The Prince, of course, encourages suck subjects, and no gossip lias been stirring since wo have, been here, but many things are said daily which 1 am sorry to forget. The Prince and Queen are reading Hallam’s “Constitutional History of England” together most carefully, and for a light book “St, Simon’s Memoirs.” Very pleasant to find him reading aloud to her while she was at cross-stitch, as 1 did the other evening before dressing time. Oh! what a blessing it is that “Love rules the Court” as he does! Pluck of Baby Prince.

In 1811 we sGe the Prince of Wales hard put to it to keep up his courage during the firing at a review. ! was deeply interested in princey, who sat on my lap in ecstasies till the firing, wlicflti he behaved most prettily. It was quite near. “1 afraid! Soldiers go popping! No more! I cry!” with the most touching countenance and bursting heart. But he conquered himself completely, did not cry a drop, and grew quite calm before it ceased—a real bit of courage on principle. . . We have been struggling through the coldest day in this winter; so far everybody has come in with red nose and tingling, fingers. Such a hurricane of north-east winds, such dark clouds, absent sun, and hard obduracy of j black frost I never saw. I said to the Prince, “Will your Royal Highness consent to look over the quarterly accounts which I have just brought 'down P” H.R.H.: “Yes, certainly, if you will consent to my doing reel i steps all the time to warm myself.” (H.R.H. ,y;as actively so doing as he spoke.) . S.L.: “By ■all’mean's, 'siV,' providingyour Royal Highness doesinot insist oh my joining.” So we wcro sportivel. > Eccentric Duke cf Cambridge.

Very amusing again is the account of the eccentric habits of the Duke of Cambridge in his later days, as we see in a letter from Osborne in 1850. I am again going to dine down, to help to work off the old Duke of Cambridge,,; who. is. saidgto ..be somewhat troublesome, by, asking in bis good father’s tone such questions as “How do you ' get on here ? Rather dull, hey?” within two chairs of the Queen at a small table.—.- . . The Duke of Cambridge; saw Chatsworth the other day on Ins knees in the middle of family prayers, and remarked very loud before the assembled household: “A good custom this!” Lady Lyttelton is full of praises for the Queen as a “womanly woman,” as may be seen iu the following account of another cold evening at Windsor Castle : The Queen was cold (as, indeed, had long been all Her Majesty’s loving subjects and servants then with her) the other evening, the great drawing room having hut one of its fires burning and few people in it. She said: *“I am sadly cold. I should like the other fire lighted.” Then low to me: “Tell Lord Politimore to go and ask the Prince if he would like the other ■ fire_ lighted.” Of course the Prince did like it, but ■the thing, though small, struck me as a pretty bit of wifeism.