They were duly instructed as to how they were to behave, and upon
being presented, my two sisters made their curtsies, and my eldest
brother made his best bow. "And this, your Majesty, is my second
boy. Make your bow, dear," said my mother; but my brother, his
heart still hot within him at being expelled from his nursery,
instead of bowing, STOOD ON HIS HEAD IN HIS KILT, and remained
like that, an accomplishment of which he was very proud. The Queen
was exceedingly angry, so later in the day, upon my brother
professing deep penitence, he was taken back to make his
apologies, when he did precisely the same thing over again, and
was consequently in disgrace during the whole of the Royal visit.
In strict confidence, I believe that he would still do it to-day,
more than seventy-two years later.
During her stay in my father's house the Queen quite unexpectedly
announced that she meant to give a dance. This put my mother in a
great difficulty, for my sisters had no proper clothes for a ball,
and in those pre-railway days it would have taken at least ten
days to get anything from Edinburgh or Glasgow.
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