AT HER MAJESTY’S SHRINE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 31, 30 July 1892, Page 766

AT HER MAJESTY’S SHRINE.

EMOTIONS OF A DEBUTANTE IN VICTORIA’S COURT AUTOBIOGRAPHICALLY LAID BAKE. enough, when yon read in the next day's paper that ‘ Her Majesty the Queen field a drawing room at Buckingham Palace JjO-A yesterday at three,’ it doubtless seems a small matter—a mere interlude in the day—• to ‘ drop in ’ at the palace, walk up to the presence chamber, make eleven courtesies with a kiss for Her Majesty’s hand, and having gracefully bowed yourself from her presence, to hurry back to your victoria and roll on to the next afternoon tea. Alas! no. The preparations for that one reception began weeks in advance and continued up to half-past the eleventh hour. The young debutante a month before the royal function is intioduced to Mme. Lovelace, the court dressmaker, who dining the next thirty days is to be her companion, her guardian and chief. She spends long hours of the morning in consultation with Lovelace ; in the afternoon she shops with mamma in Bond-street, buying little satin slippers, long, soft kid gloves, temptingly suggestive of marshmallows, a gauzy, lacy,"pearly fan and a handkerchief—such a handkeichief as grows only in Bond street ; a delicate mist, a fairy breath, a mere phantom of the every day mouehoir. Pei haps she goes to a dancing master to learn the courtesy, and spends the evening before her cheval glass making deep reverences to the young lady on the other side of it, and then she goes to bed to dream that she is at court at last; that she is tripping over her train, treading on the princess’ foot and in her fright turning her back upon their royal highnesses. But, as the old story books are constantly impressing upon us, all things have an end. And finally the copious preparations are over, the white flower-strewn gown hangs ready to be donned on the morrow, white feathers and veil beside it, and that wonderful train is piled up yonder on the shelf. We will leave here Mlle. Third Person dreaming of queens and princesses, beef eaters and court trains and follow to the palace Miss First Person Singular. ******* Before a young woman is presented at court she herself holds a levee of subjects. First in order is the court hair dresser. The last vassal having been dismissed, my mother and I, with our trains over our arms, passed to the victoria. I have a vague recollection of a crowd of gazing, gaping bystanders, through which the footman ploughed a path for our advance. And then we settled ourselves in the carriage, or, perhaps, I should say we settled our trains and disposed ourselves in the room they left us. CUMULATIVE EXCITEMENT. The excitement grew greater and greater, like the snowballs children roll up a hill, as we neared the park. We passed other drawing-room carriages, into which the mob was looking, catching only a fleeting glimpse of the faces within, over a maze of silk, satin, illusion and flowers. And now we had entered the park and were slowly pacing to our station in the rank of gaily-decked carriages in that dazzling procession, twinkling with jewels and flowers. Flowers ! flowers, everywhere ! They bubbled over the carriages, they danced across the park, they decorated the coachmen and footmen with bright-coloured nosegays. It all formed a brilliant picture, sparkling with life and light and colour. The parkin its court dress trimmed with'ilaburnum blossoms, and gay with flowing veils of waving plumes and regal trains of green ; the long line of carriages brave with flowers ; the stately horses prancing with the excitement of the day ; the stately ladies inside gleaming with satins and jewels: the motley throng of curious onlookers, and the swift flowing stream of hansoms, carts and traps carrying young men and bright faced girls who had come to see the panorama. PRELIMINARY CARRIAGE RECEPTION.

One of the most charming acts of that comedy of a day’s pleasure was the carriage reception held for an hour and ahalf in the park before entering the palace gates. Our friends, in groups of twos and threes, came up to offer their congratulations and to chat gaily with us. Even at court one must hear talk of the weather, but one cannot have too much of such a good thing as that bright, laughing spring day. We all praised it, and blessed it, and commended the sun for his rare good taste—very rare in England—in wishing to be present at Her Majesty’s drawing room. My mother, who had been to court a number of times before I was the third daughter presented—amused us with reminiscences of former drawing rooms, which were caught up and answered by Lord S in accounts of the prince’s levees. It thrilled me to listen to descriptions of the royal pageant, knowing that I myself was soon to witness it —like a child drinking in a tale of fairyland with the assurance that as soon as it is finished he shall be transported to that realm of wonder. But when at last the line of carriages’,began slowly to move, shedding at the palace doors its showers of splendour, and our horses with becoming state and solemnity passed under the great arch, I was suddenly seized with the terror of majesty. COURT STAGE FRIGHT. My heart went down, down, and I only wished that I might go with it, instead of up the lofty stairs to the presence chamber, where the Queen and all the Royal Family were waiting to see one make those dreaded courtesies, f felt sure that I should lose my balance ami fall at the terrible moment when I was to kiss Her Majesty's hand, ami, oh ! I knew I should touch her hand with my nose ! A tew evenings before, when I hail been practising my rule, 1 hail instituted my sister Queen and a small brother Lord High < 'liambei lain, begging t hem to see that I went through my part with piopriety. The proxy queen graciously extended her hand, I doubled mine into the prescribed list, 1 made a deep courtesy, and was kissing the hand of her pro tern, majesty with what JI thought bewitching grace, when she snatched it from me, crying : • llw-w ! How cold your nose is !' All this came back to me as the carriage door was thrown open, and I longed—-

but there stood a palace official in smart livery, who was deferentially saying : ‘ Allow me to take your train, madam,’ and on the other side my mother, in brisk, businesslike tones, cried : ‘Come, First Person Singular, you get out first, please.’ So out I went, rather shakily. But as I stepped foot on the palace threshold and the scarlet official put my train over my arm and my bouquet in my hand, the stage fright vanished as suddenly as it had come, and I found as I swept up the gieat stairway, through the files of sentries and guards, to the apartment where were assembled the highest and noblest ladies of the land, in a glittering, shimmering, sparkling array of gorgeous colours aud dazzling jewels, that, instead of trembling and quaking, the simplest, most rationaWhing to do was to hold my head high and sail into this sea of splendour as if I had been used to meeting such ‘ small craft ’ every day of my life. You have heard of unaccustomed strength being given in a great emergency, and if one ever has need of such courage it is at a Royal drawing-room ! WHERE EVEN ENGLISHWOMEN DRESS. We were ushered into the vast room hung with portraits, but the portraits in which I was most interested were the living ones before me. I held my breath at the blinding vision ; duchesses, countesses, viscountesses in gowns more wonderful than the most nimble fancy could picture. This, as least, is a function regal enough to inspire the noble ladies of England to an enthusiasm of dress. For, I must confess, that upon ordinary occasions they do not dress, they merely wear clothes. We hac the good fortune to find seats, but I accounted it a greater happiness that we had half an hour to wait while the occupants of the other ‘ saloons’ were passing on to the presence chamber. When those rooms had been emptied and it came our turn to move, I was sorry to have the beautiful tableau dissolved, although the curtain went down upon it only to rise upon the third act climax, the most brilliant, thrilling scene of the play. The moment of which I had dreamed vaguely all my life, and during the last few months with a flutter of mingled dread and delight, was drawing near. My presentation at the Court of England was but a few minutes distant. ARISTOCRACY IN A SCRAMBLE. We rose to our feet and pressed forward, my mother whispering me to keep close to her. Up to this time all had been conducted with becoming dignity and state, but to my amazement the great ladies now began to jostle and crowd like children scrambling for pennies. I felt that Touchstone should have been there to admonish them like so many Audreys to ‘bear their bodies more seemly.’ This was only, however, while we were passing through the door; after that we walked decently and in order through two long rooms, from the last of which a door on the right led to the presence chamber. As I neared it my heart beat a lively tune, I saw two officials spreading out my mother’s train, heard the Lord High Chambeilain call forth her name, and then —then, as in a dream, I felt those same officials take my own train from my arm, heard my own name called, and the moment had come. FIVE BACKWARD COURTESIES. A long line of royalty, a line of officials facing them, through which my mother was courtesying her way, and I was to follow ; a glitter, a dazzle, a flash of crown jewels, and I had taken the plunge. Five courtesies, and there was the Queen in all her glory. A deep reverence, a light kiss on her hand—l had not touched my nose to it. With that my courage rose. The most awful moment was over. I might look the other royalties in the face, see what it all really was like, if only the lady who followed me would not come on so fast. Five more courtesies, my train once more put over my arm and I had started upon my career of backward courtesies. Back ! Back ! Would that long room ever come to an end ’ I asked myself with the first courtesy. With the second came courage, and as I made the third I felt that it would be possible to find pleasure even in this trying performance if the energetic lady in front would give me leisure for enjoyment. But on she came as swift as time, and on I must goIt seemed a short lifetime between the first courtesy and my mother’s whisper : —‘ It is over ; you may turn around now.’ ‘ I thought it would never be over, mamma ; but the presentation itself did not last a minute.’ Indeed, glad as I was that the long dreaded presentation had been so easily and quickly accomplished,l was at the same time disappointed. I felt cheated. It had been but a twinkle ; I had not half seen the royal family. I wanted to go back and do it all over again. Now that I had the practice, what a pity not to use it ! I compromised by begging my mother to allow me to stand behind the guards and watch the next presentations, and at her 1 yes ’ stationed myself where I could peep between the shoulders of two of them and see the Duchess of This and the Countess of That making their courtesies and going through the grisly ordeal of backing out of the long room. HOW THE TRAINS AKE MANAGED. It was only then that I saw how the six yard trains were managed while their wearers were passing'through the aisle I have spoken of. As a lady enters the presence chamber the pages, who take her train from her arm aud spread it

out, give it to the official opposite the first royalty in the line. The lady makes her courtesy to this royalty, her train held out by the official. When she passes on to the next royalty the train is passed to the next official and so on to the end of the line, where it is once more put over her left arm. • From the distance at which I stood the sight was a very amusing one, the ladies bobbing up and down, their trains tossed behind them from man to man like a ball. About the room stood the gentlemen usheis, Silver Stick in Waiting, Silver Stick Adjutant in Waiting, Field Officer in Brigade Waiting, Captain of the Queen’s Guard, Ambassadors and Ministers and the Lord Chancellor. A pretty custom has sprung up during the last few years of calling upon ladies after their return from Court, and the ladies themselves may be seen late in the afternoon driving from Belgravia to Mayfair in their brocades and laces, their jewels and flowers. That day of glorious visions had yet one more to spread before us. As we waited for our carriage at the foot of the great stairway we had a view of the debutantes and dowagers floating down in a gleaming, radiant throng, a royal pageant of beauty and splendour. That was the end ; the play was over, the lights put out. The end, and yet the beginning, for I have only to look at the flowery gown in my closet, the feathers, the veil and fan, and instantly all the pomp and magnificence, the glory and majesty of that regal day are conjured up ; 1 have only to close my ej es to go to Court every day of the year.