I had fancied Her Majesty
seated thus, motionless during the greater part of the twenty-four
hours, simply "reigning." I could have cried with disappointment
when a middle-aged lady, simply dressed in widow's "weeds" and
wearing a widow's cap, rose from an ordinary arm-chair to receive
us. I duly made my bow, but having a sort of idea that it had to
be indefinitely repeated, went on nodding like a porcelain Chinese
mandarin, until ordered to stop.
Between ourselves, I behaved far better than a brother of mine
once did under similar circumstances. Many years before I was
born, my father lent his Scotch house to Queen Victoria and the
Prince Consort for ten days. This entailed my two eldest sisters
and two eldest brothers vacating their nurseries in favour of the
Royal children, and their being transferred to the farm, where
they had very cramped quarters indeed. My second brother deeply
resented being turned out of his comfortable nursery, and refused
to be placated. On the day after the Queen's arrival, my mother
took her four eldest children to present them to Her Majesty, my
sisters dressed in their best clothes, my brothers being in kilts.
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