]\\: m '>• V .,iV .H r. r ..v\'^' ..v\^ .V ./■■ o 0' c^^' ^. -^^ <^'^- A^-' -'-f^. -...^ 'v,"^' ..^ -X -X"" ,. ^ ^ ' * * '^b. A o> V^ '^v a\' ^, .-^^ .■\ ^c^ <-.r. a\' EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE BY AGNES CAREY WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS NEW YORK THE CENTURY CO. 1920 ■s,'^] Copyright, 1920, by The Centubt Co. NOV iO !920 P l^ .00 g)CI,A604006 TO MY CHILDREN PREFACE During the ten months in 1886 that it was my good fortune to spend at Farnborough in the household of the Empress Eugenie (good for- tune which I owe to an old family friend, who was intimate with the Empress), I kept up my life-long habit, when absent from home, of daily correspondence with my family. Hence these pages, culled from letters and diaries. However disconnected and fragmentary the following account of the Empress may be, it has one merit, — truth to fact. Anecdotes and an ac- count of events were hastily scribbled at the close of each busy day. Realizing the value of spon- taneity, I have purposely kept as much as pos- sible to the wording of these notes, — written while the actual words the Empress spoke, and her im- pressive face and gestures, were fresh in my mind. Other incidents, since learned, might have inspired better stories, but would not be the words that came from her own lips. So I have vii PREFACE preferred to give only what I positively know she said, merely adding a few words here and there for the sake of clarity. Richard Watson Gilder was anxious to have me publish parts of this book many years ago, but during the life of the Empress I felt it would be an unpardonable breach of confidence, so I re- fused. Now that the end of her ninety-four eventful years has come, the "Empress in Exile" belongs to history, Agnes Carey. ) VUl CONTENTS PAGE Paet I Farnborough Hill, an Empress's Home 3 Part H Daily Events: Further Extracts FROM Diary and Letters ... 65 Part HI The Empress Visits Queen Victoria 183 Part IV Later Events at Farnborough Hill 229 Part V Reminiscences of Empress Eugenie: Her Characteristics and Idiosyn- CRACIES 328 IX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The Empress Eugenie Frontispiece TACINQ PAGE "This telegram was the prelude to some of the most pleasant and interesting months of my life" . 4f The Empress Eugenie and her ladies .... 13' A typical menu at Farnborough Hill .... IT Farnborough Hill, Hampshire 32 The Prince Imperial 49 Monsignor Goddard 64 Franceschini Pietri 64 The Memorial Church, Farnborough Hill . . . 69 Due de Bassano 76 Dr. Thomas W. Evans 76" Camden House, Chislehurst 80 The Empress Eugenie and Napoleon IH, with the Prince Imperial 88 The Prince Imperial at the age of six . . . . 97 The Prince Imperial at the age of twelve ... 97 Prince and Princess Henry (Princess Beatrice) of Battenberg 112 Catholic Church at Chislehurst 129 Interior of Catholic Church at Chislehurst . . 129 The Empress Eugenie (From a Sevres Miniature) 145 The Empress Eugenie about 1860 .... 160 xi ILLUSTRATIONS PAOINQ PAGE Tomb of Emperor Napoleon III at Chislehurst, afterward removed to Farnborough Hill . . 164 Tomb of the Prince Imperial at Farnborough Hill 16^! The garden front at Farnborough Hill — Maria, M. Chevreau, Antonia, the author, Captain Bizot 173 Prince Jerome Bonaparte 181 Prince Lucien Bonaparte 181 Osborne Cottage, East Cowes, Isle of Wight . . 188 R. Y. S. Club-house, West Cowes, Isle of Wight . 193 Osborne House, the Isle of Wight home of Queen Victoria 193 Mile. Antonia de Vejerano 208 Mile. Maria de Vejerano 208 Surgeon-Major Frederick B. Scott .... 225 The Emperor and Empress in 1865 .... 240 The Duchess of Alva and her children .... 257 Marshal MacMahon, President of the French Re- public, 1873-1879 257 Memorial to the Prince Imperial on Chislehurst Common 272 The Empress, about 1870 289 Princess Clotilde 304 Prince Napoleon 304 Interior of Memorial Church (Farnborough) . . 321 The Empress and the Prince Imperial . . . 336 The Emperor Napoleon III 357 The Empress Eugenie about 1880 .... 364' xii ' EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE PART I FARNBOROUGH HILL, AN EMPRESS's HOME "Meet the Empress at Wilton Crescent tomor- row Wednesday at four. Arcos." This telegram from Mme. de Arcos, an old friend of my aunt's, was the prelude to some of the most pleasant and interesting months of my life. Needless to say the message was speedily obeyed, and a few hours after its receipt, I was already whirling away in an express train toward London. It was the following afternoon, Feb- ruary 10, 1886, that I started for Mme. de Arcos's house in Belgravia, where after waiting a few moments in the drawing-room with Mrs. Edmund Vaughan I was taken upstairs by her and her sister to see the Empress, who had come to London expressly for this interview, 3 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE ' Mme. de Arcos had already told me that I should find Her Imperial Majesty most gracious and I need not be in the least intimidated by her, but in spite of this reassuring assertion, my heart beats quickened a little, just as I entered her presence and made my first low court courtesy. The Empress half rose from her seat, at the same time motioning me to a chair, and in the conversa- tion which ensued praised my French unstint- ingly, put me so completely at my ease, and in- terested me so much as she sat there in her wid- ow's weeds, in the dim hght of a foggy winter's afternoon, — once the most beautiful woman of Europe, — that I quite forgot to lose my self-pos- session. In less than half an hour I had made another deep courtesy and had taken leave of the Em- press under Mme. de Arcos's wing, was compli- mented by her downstairs on my tenue, and had a few friendly hints given me on court ways and the little difficulties I should be ready to encoun- ter. Shortly after five o'clock I was back again with my family, and able to give them the good news, — that the Empress had received me most kindly, that all was satisfactorily settled, and the j 4 ^^ r^ m M ft <1 O Eh o M O Eh O ■g = | 3 V... != 9 o FARNBOROUGH HILL details of my future life at Farnborough ar- ranged; even to the hour of the train which was to carry me thither on the fifteenth. From my diary: It was quite dark when I reached Farnborough station about 6 p. m. on the appointed day, and I was glad to find a carriage waiting for me. On the platform stood a smart but most good-na- tured French footman, with a cockade on his hat and, five minutes later, I had driven through the lodge gates and had arrived at Farnborough Hill, where, through many circuitous passages, I was passed along by various pleasant men-servants, and finally shown up to my room. While I was waiting there, not knowing what to do next, there was a knock at my door and a maid came to offer her services, which I declined. Then Mme. Le Breton walked in, accompanied by the Empress's two Spanish nieces, Maria and Antonia de Vejarano, whom she introduced as well as herself, and welcomed me most warmly to my new home, while apologizing for not having been at the entrance when I arrived. The coach- man had brought me to a side entrance instead of the principal one, where Mme. Le Breton and the girls had long been vainly waiting for the carriage to drive up. At last they discovered the error, 5 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE found that I was already in the house, and came up to me at once. Mme. Le Breton then rang for some tea, which was brought up on a dainty httle silver tray. We talked a good deal about Chislehurst, and Mme. Le Breton was very much astonished when I told her that I knew her and the other inmates of the imperial household per- fectly by sight, having constantly seen them all there on Sundays in the little Church of St. Mary's during 1879 and 1880. The nieces were rather shy and quiet, but very courteous and af- fectionate, and they appeared to my English eyes absolutely grown up, though only about sixteen and eighteen years old. At seven-thirty my visitors all three left me to unpack the necessaries and dress hastily for dinner, M. and A. promising to return and fetch me, which they did at a few minutes to eight. They led me first through intricate passages, and then down a handsomely carved staircase into a splendid gallery, beautifully fiu-nished, and filled with oh jets d' art and jardinieres of sweet-smell- ing flowers. Mme. Le Breton, carefully gantee, was already waiting there with M. le Due de Bas- sano and M. Pietri, both of whom she introduced to me. Almost immediately afterward the Em- press made her appearance, we ladies courtesying and the gentlemen bowing low. 6 FARNBOROUGH HILL Her Imperial Majesty welcomed me most kindly, hoped I had had a pleasant journey and had left my grandmother well; and then, after a ceremonious bow from the maitre d' hotel, who announced, "Le diner de sa Majeste est servi," the Due de Bassano offered the Empress his arm, M. Pietri took in Mme. Le Breton, and we three girls followed, passing into the dining-room at the end of the gallery. It seemed strange to realize, a moment later, that I was comfortably seated at the Empress's table, and stranger still, that I did not feel a lit- tle out of it, as I probably should have done any- where else on a first evening, but I suppose the charm and perfect good-breeding of the Empress account for my ease in these new surroundings. H. I. M. was very much struck, when Mme. Le Breton told her about my sejour first at Chisle- hurst, and then in the house the imperial party had just vacated in London. "Vous voyez. Mademoiselle," she said, "le sort voulait absolument que nous nous connussions [You see. Mademoiselle, Fate was determined we should meet] !" She asked me many questions about Chisle- hurst, — one of them when it was I first went there to live. I tried, but vainly, to avoid an- swering, as it was the sad year (1879) of the 7 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Prince Imperial's death, and I saw tears gather in her eyes immediately I was forced into mention- ing it. After dinner, the two girls and I walked up and down the gallery for about half an hour with the Empress, who told us all sorts of interest- ing things about her past life. Then we went into the drawing-room and I was asked to play the piano ; my pieces were apparently much hked and the Empress seemed pleased and anxious for more. After a little while, thinking I might per- haps be giving them a dose, I left off, but the Em- press said with so much insistence, "Encore un petit morceau, Mademoiselle, si vous n'etes pas f a- tiguee; vous nous faites tant de plaisir [Another piece please. Mademoiselle, if you are not tired; you give us so much pleasure]," that I acceded to her wish. At ten o'clock the gentlemen came in from the bilhard-room, and then, on a sign from the Empress, M. and A. got up, and kissed their aunt's hand (a custom in Spain). We three then shook hands with Mme. Le Breton and the gentlemen, courtesied to the Empress and retired. Here follows the usual order of the day: At eight o'clock M., A. and I breakfasted in the dining-room at a little table laid for us in the bay- window. From eight-thirty to twelve we de- voted ourselves to English and music. Then us- 8 FARNBOROUGH HILL imlly a tap at our door and a little visit from the Empress, with whom we nearty always went for our morning walk. At one o'clock luncheon all together; then another walk or drive — after which, at four-forty-five, rosary for the whole household in the chapel, the Empress herself say- ing all the prayers, both before and after. At five o'clock, afternoon tea all together in the salon du matin and after a more or less prolonged general conversation, the girls studied again till dressing-time at seven-thirty. At eight o'clock, dinner, after which our usual little walk up and down the gallery with the Empress, fol- lowed by needlework and conversation in the drawing-room, and bed at ten; — to begin again the same next day, till visitors or some unusual event occasioned some slight change of program. Farnborough Hill is a beautiful dwelling, much finer than Camden Place, the Empress's Chislehurst home for a good many years. Had it been possible for her to remain at Camden Place, she would never have made a move into Hampshire. Mr. Stroud, owner of Camden Place, would willingly have sold her his property, but the Empress could not succeed in getting possession of the adjoining land necessary for building the mausoleum for husband and son which she had set her heart on. In telling us about her efforts, she spoke with much sadness 9 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE and not a little bitterness: explaining how hard it had been for her to beg permission to buy a little land wherein to bury her husband and son, and to be refused it by a man who owned such broad acres as did Mr. E., a rich German toy- manufacturer, who seemed disinchned to sell an inch of land to the French Empress. My letters, written at the time, give a most minute description of Farnborough Hill, and in the following pages I give some of the more im- portant details, nearly always using the original words. From a letter : Farnborough Hill, February 28, 1886. The accompanying plan gives a little idea of how the reception rooms all open out on to the first central gallery, or hall, which is about 120 feet long by 20 feet broad, and filled with most artistic and lovely things. Grouped about the entrance to the grand salon are two lovely Louis XVI arm-chairs, some smaller chairs of the same period, two sofas, footstools to match, and four beautiful cabinets with splendid Sevres plaques let in. These cabinets, even years ago, were each valued at 100,000 francs, according to Mme. Le 10 FARNBOROUGH HILL Breton. They belonged formerly to Napoleon Ill's mother, Queen Hortense, daughter of Jo- sephine Beauliarnais (by a marriage previous to that with Napoleon Bonaparte) later the beauti- ful Creole Empress. At the lower extremity of the gallery are the Empress Eugenie's own pri- vate sitting-room and another called the "Prince Imperial's room" ; beyond which, following along to the left, is a sweet little boudoir called petit salon de Vlinperatrice; then come, beyond, the handsome old carved staircase, le salon des dames used as a study, and the large salon die matin. Further on, three enormous oriel windows, in front of which are tiled jardinieres, whose fra- grant flowers perfume all the gallery, and so on to the dining-room door which ends the gallery. On the wall opposite each oriel window hang magnificent Gobelins, three of a series of six, which is completed in the dining-room. They represent different episodes in the life of the illus- 11 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE trioiis Don Quixote, and are always much ad- mired by connoisseurs. Next in sequence, on our return down the gal- lery, comes the billiard-room; then the grand salon and the entrance to the handsome vestibule, and back again to the Empress's apartments, whence we started on our travels. From a letter : Farnborough Hill, February 28, 1886. Scattered about among the Queen Hortense cabinets and other historic furniture, are palm trees, and a few good pieces of modern stat- uary by the best sculptors of the day, including a great number of busts. Napoleon I's immediate family has certainly not been neglected. They are all there: Charles Bonaparte, his father; Le- titia, his mother, styled Madame Mere; his broth- ers — Josej^h, King of Spain, Jerome, King of Westphalia, and Louis, father of Napoleon III, King of Holland; Caroline, who married Joachim Murat, King of Naples; and finally, Eliza and Lucien, these two being the only ones of the fam- ily who never wore a crown. Then, too, there is a bust of the great man himself, and many of Na- poleon III ; Queen Hortense ; Princess Mathilde; and Prince Napoleon-Louis, brother of Louis- Napoleon. 12 FARNBOROUGH HILL The walls of the gallery can boast some very fine paintings; a large, life-size portrait of the Empress and baby prince, by Winterhalter; a sweet one of the Duchesse de Mouchy, the Prin- cesse Anna Murat, Her Imperial Majesty's niece ; and the Duchesse d'Albe, the Empress's own sis- ter, also by Winterhalter; also a wonderful Sun- set on the steppes of Russia by Aivasovski; An Eastern Woman; a Madonna with the Infant Jesus and St. John by W. Bouguereau, and others more or less important. In the outer vestibule, which opens into the gallery opposite the old staircase, are also some fine canvases, and one in particular. The Em- press and her Ladies, painted by Winterhalter in 1855. It is a large picture about 10 by 18 feet, I should say, containing a life-size portrait of Eu- genie seated in the midst of her ladies-in-waiting. When she showed me this picture one day, she gazed at it in a wistful way, while naming the dif- ferent ladies and expatiating on the beauty of nearly all of them. She specially pointed out the Princesse d'Essling, her grande maitresse (Mis- tress of the Robes) ; the Duchesse de Bassano, her dame d'honneur; the Comtesse de Montebello; the Vicomtesse Aguado ; the Marquise de Latour- Maubourg, and made interesting remarks about many of them. On either side of the handsomely carved fireplace hang life-size portraits of Prince 13 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Eugene de Beauharnais (adopted son of Napol- eon I) and his sister Princesse de Beauharnais (Princesse en Baviere) both by Reisner. In front of these stands a bath chair, ornamented with gilding and pastel medallions, given by Queen Victoria to the Empress, when she, with the Emperor, came over to England as her guest to visit the first International Exhibition (1851). Leaving the lower gallery and ascending the grand staircase, which half-way up branches off to right and to left, we come upon a very striking portrait of Napoleon I during the Italian cam- paign. He is mounted on a white charger, full of life, clambering up a steep snow-covered ascent in the Alps. This is by David, and has been re- produced under the title of Napoleon the Great Crossing Mount St. Bernard, May, 1800. An enormous picture by Gerard, Queen Hortense and her Two Boys, and Troops at Sunrise by Protais, are other paintings on the staircase. By the time we have passed a few other smaller pic- tures on our way up, we find ourselves in a gallery the counterpart of the one below. In this upper gallery, besides more statues and paintings, there are several glass show cases filled with all sorts of interesting autograph letters, etc. 14 FARNBOROUGH HILL From a letter : Farnborough Hill, February 20, 1886. After luncheon one Sunday, on returning from a little walk in the park with the Empress, she very kindly showed me over the reception rooms, telling me the history of the beautiful things in the vitrines, and pointing out the best paintings, etc. I certainly could not have had a more inter- esting cicerone. First we went into the grand salon, which is a large room about 30 feet square with a deep bay-window, and the ceiling like the dining-room, painted to imitate sky and clouds; there is also a simulated balcony covered with creeping roses, the perspective of which is so good, that you think you need only climb upon it, to find yourself in the open air. Some of the fur- niture is modem, but most of it old — Louis XVI meuhle — saved from the burning of the Tuileries, and covered with handsome Gobelins. In one corner of the room is the piano, in another a sofa, in front of which is the large oval table, around which we play cards or work of an evening. Here is where the Empress usually sits — bolt up- right, but gracefully nevertheless and without stiffness, very rarely if ever leaning back. She has an inveterate hatred of modern sprawling. On each side of the grand salon door are glass cabinets which contain interesting historical and 15 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE other souvenirs, endless miniatures of the Em- press Josephine, and a gold snuffbox, with a min- iature of Napoleon I and his little son, le Roi de Rome, The Empress told me that Napoleon had this in his hand when he breathed his last at St. Helena. There is also a feather fan, brilliant with iridescent beetle-wings, the gold handle of which is set with large oriental pearls, given by the ladies of Algiers to the Empress during an official journey in 1860. In connection with it, she told me amusingly of her miseiy at a wedding in Algiers, in having constantly to swallow the jams and preserves made of violets and roses, which were presented at every minute. She re- membered vividly also the penetrating smell of attar-of-roses which permeated even the food and nauseated her. A beautiful gold tea service brought back for her from India by the Prince of Wales after his official trip in 1875; a shapely little marble hand (that of Princess Maud of Wales) and some splendid jewels, given the Em- press by the different cities of France, when dur- ing her husband's absence in the Crimean and other wars, she was three different times (1859; 1865; 1870) proclaimed Regente. A sweet lit- tle Union Jack, too, in diamonds, rubies and sapphires, given by Queen Victoria, after the signing of some treaty between England and France, and numberless other fascinating things. 16 ^/ ..^ ^ f i 'f'n f ' ^<- 1^ , fi J \ ' J ' i J ■ ■ ' La ) ; L*^tf. r- 1 r ici) a 1 1 :^.^Lct litt tm unti t!/ ut? 5:>c Hue A TYPICAL MENU AT FARNBOROUGH HILL FARNBOROUGH HILL In this room are some of the best and most important pictures of the house, nearly all life- size and full length, by Gerard or David, which is praise enough. Ehza and her daughter by David; the Empress Josephine; Louis, King of Holland, and his wife Hortense in their royal robes and insignia, all by Gerard. There are also two pastels, Princess Mathilde, the sister, and Princess Clotilde, the wife of Prince Na- poleon (Plon-Plon), and two beautiful pictures, at least I call them that, a St. John and a copy of Raphael's Vierge a la Chaise, which are so mar- velously executed that I had to be twice assured by the Empress before I could believe they really were mosaics. They had been sent for some far- away birthday, to the little Prince Imperial by Pope Pius IX, who was his godfather. In the petit salon de I'lmperatrice there is no modern furniture, all is Louis XVI, and the pic- tures themselves are mostly of that epoch. A painting of Marie Antoinette by the celebrated Mme. Vigee-Lebrun, who mentions the sittings for that very portrait in her Memoirs, which I have just been reading; several Wouvermans; two delightful heads by Greuze ; a very sad look- ing head of poor little Louis XVII painted about the time of the Revolution, and several by Alex- andre Couder and others. In a glass case lies a pocket-knife and a few 17 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE other relics of Louis XVI. The Empress told me she had formerly possessed quantities of other things belonging to him, but they were all burnt at the Tuileries during the Commune. In an- other carefully locked case, there are more mini- atures of the different Napoleons, and one repre- senting the Due de Bassano's father, the first duke of that name and minister under Napoleon I ; a simple but very lovely diamond and sapphire ring, Empress Josephine's engagement ring; the Empress Eugenie's own marriage prayer book of repousse silver incrusted with diamonds; the Prince Imperial's noeud de premiere communion (a white ribbon badge he wore French fashion around his arm on his First Communion day) ; magnificently jeweled porte-bouquets presented by diff^erent towns during her journey in Algeria; and so many other beautiful and interesting- things, that it is impossible to enumerate them all today. From the petit salon de VImperatrice I was taken one day by the Empress into the so-called cabinet du Prince. This was a great exception in my favor. It is a large room in which the Prince's things are arranged exactly as they were in the one he was occupying at Camden Place, Chislehurst, before leaving for Natal, — his writing materials and still unopened letters lying on his desk ! She told me, poor Empress, — 18 FARNBOROUGH HILL crying bitterly all the time, — that though she did not really expect such a terrible blow, she never could shake off a strong presentiment of danger, and as soon as ever her son had started for Zulu- land (having wrung an unwilling consent from her), she had all his belongings covered up care- fully, the place of each marked with a piece of chalk, and the room locked, that nothing might be touched. She said that the niglit before she learned the news of his death, she wakened up suddenly, hearing her son's voice distinctly calling her. Of course, her extreme anxiety might easily account for this, but she herself quite believed it was no hallucination, but his real cry of distress, — 31 ere! Mere — which reached her; telepathy in fact. The Empress showed me an album given her since that sad event by Queen Victoria. It contains sketches of the events of the Prince Imperial's entire English career, at Chislehurst and Woolwich, and during the fatal campaign in Natal. In this album is a water color representing the Last Bivouac; the Prince is depicted sitting on a little mound making a sketch, while the savages crept up stealthily be- hind him. The Empress afterward showed me the Prince's own sketch. In looking through the Prince's private photograph-album with his mother that day, among those of his relations and college friends I came across the picture of E. S., 19 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE one of three very beautiful sisters, cousins of mine, who hved at Cliislehurst during the Prince's youthful years there. 1 had heard he was in love with E. S. and was told by Mme. Le Breton that he was often seen, when passing in and out of church, looking at her with admiring eyes. He gave her his photograph one evening, on re- turning from the opera while traveling down from London in the train. This was just before leaving for South Africa. Nearly all round this cabinet du Prince are bookcases, containing his favorite books. On the mantelpiece stands an old clock formerly in Na- poleon I's room at Longwood House, St. Helena; there is also a bronze bust of Napoleon III, and one of the Abbe Duguerry, one time the Prince's tutor, shot during the Commune. Near one of the windows is a beautifully carved silver bas- sinette, swinging between two solid imperial eagles, and decorated with the Prince's arms and those of the ville de Paris, a gift from the city at the time of his birth. There are several veiled pictures in this same room, representing the tragic moment of the Prince's death, pierced with Zulu assagais. These the Empress passed rapidly by. Here also are two glass cases, containing all the little personal treasures and souvenirs of his father and of his childhood ; his first little uniform ; presents 20 FARNBOROUGH HILL given him by sovereigns, among others a beautiful httle diamond-sheathed scimitar, from the Sultan of Turkey ; all of the personal effects he had with him at the Cape — his sketch-books, plans, maps, check books, and note-books, and also the sword (originally his father's) with which he so bravely defended himself on that fatal day against the Zulus, until overpowered by numbers. In the center of one of these cases is a small ebony compartment. It contains the shirt stained with his blood and torn with assagais, to- gether with the medal and gold chain his grand- mother, Countess Monti jo, put around his neck at his birth. This he retained to the last, the Zulus being afraid, when stripping him of every- thing else, to touch it, thinking it was a charm. Over this sad little sanctum is written in large letters: "Que votre volonte soit faite [Thy will be done]," and in front of it on a slab is a little white marble cross, on which Princess Beatrice has painted very prettil}^ the word ''Fiat" sur- rounded by violets. The Empress, naturally, did not open this com- partment for me, but silently passed it by with a lingering look of infinite sadness and a sigh. Her nieces tell me she has never yet had the courage to look on these sad relics, and Uhlmann, the Prince's faithful body-servant, keeps the key. Most of the above named things of the Prince's 21 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE were obtained from the Zulu king, Cetewayo, by Queen Victoria, through the instrumentahty of Sir Redyers Buller, or Sir Bartle Frere, the Em- press said. Only one thing was never recovered ; it was destroyed through the ignorant supersti- tion of the Zulus — and that was the Prince's watch. An old warrior who was questioned con- cerning it by Dr. Scott, when accompanying the Empress on her journey to Zululand in 1880, said very innocently: "The little beast, you mean? — Oh, we were afraid of it, so we killed it." Having no notion about the nature of mechanism, they thought the ticking of the watch indicated a live creature, and so they stamped it out of ex- istence. From a letter : The Empress next took me into the dining- room, through looking-glass doors with gilt framework, saved from the Tuileries, and which make the already long gallery look interminable. It is a very handsomely proportioned room, about 45 feet long, the ceiling like that of the grand salon imitating clouds and sky, and the walls cov- ered with priceless Gobelins framed with carved oak. There are two huge bay-windows, in one of which as I have already told you, our little breakfast table is placed. The parquet floor is 22 FARNBOROUGH HILL highly pohshed and in the center, on a thick Tur- key carpet, is the dining table. Though really- large, it looks almost lost in that immense room. Over the large marble fireplace, in which a glorious wood fire now nearly always sparkles and crackles, is a bust of the Empress Marie Louise; and on each side of a very valuable Louis XVI dressoir stand two large gilt candelabra, each about seven or eight feet high, supported by Sevres figures. There, too, on one side, is a beautiful marble statue, L,' Innocence, and on a console a clock from Toledo, given the Empress by King Alfonso and Queen Christina of Spain, the case of which is most elaborately worked in steel and gold, a curious but rich effect. Now for the dining table itself. In the center is a silver basket, well filled with growing ferns; salt-cellars and finger-bowls are placed around the table for everybody; and each person, too, has a toothpick, — to be used or not, according to inclination. I do not patronize mine, but I am the exception — the other diners use them con- scientiously, I assure you! I shall be perhaps less horrified at the thought, as time goes on. The chef sends up good and varied dinners, but never too long. The carving is done at a side table, and the food handed around in silver dishes by the maitre d' hotel, old Schmidt. The plates, 23 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE with the exception of a few Sevres china ones used for dessert, are all plain silver, and have a large "N" and imperial crown engraved on the edge. This simple service, so called, now in every-day use, belonged formerly to the Emper- or's campaigning kit. The regular table silver used at the Tuileries was stolen, so the Empress told us, before the burning of the palace. At Farnborough for grand occasions, when, for in- stance the Queen dines here, there appears a lovely and very complete vermeille service, which once belonged to Queen Hortense, the Emperor's mother. I, for my part, do not enjoy using it, for unaccustomed as I am to eating off such pre- cious metal, I never can quite get over the impres- sion that it is brass my food is resting on instead of silver gilt. All the men-servants except an English under- butler, have been soldiers in the French army and are anciens serviteiirs des Tuileries. They look very trim standing behind the chairs, — soldierly, but less stiff and more human than the English flunky, and they serve so well! Every want is instantly noticed if not anticipated. Poor old Schmidt makes us all laugh sometimes, for as he hands around each dish his duty is to name it, and being very deaf and unable to control his own voice well, he often screams it out rather louder than necessary, to the surprise and amusement 24 FARNBOROUGH HILL of every one. The menu is always headed thus: "Diner (ou Dejeuner) de Sa Majeste I'lmperatrice." The two meals are exactly alike, except that there is no soup at luncheon and the coffee is then served at table, whereas after dinner it is brought into the gallery. On Saturday the Empress is going to Windsor to stay a couple of days with the Queen, accom- panied as usual on these occasions by Mme. de Arcos and the Due de Bassano. I have just been sending off a telegram from the Empress to Princess Beatrice, asking what will be the most convenient time for arrival at the castle. We shall be delighted when the Empress returns, for she and the Duke are the soul of the house. M. and A. hardly ever speak at table unless addressed by their aunt, but alone with me they are most voluble and we have nice long talks about Spain, and especially Madrid, for which (in spite of all the Empress's care and kindness) they are sometimes a little homesick. So occa- sionally, when they have made some decided head- way with their English conversation, I let them chatter away to me in Spanish, to our mutual sat- isfaction. 25 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE From a letter : Farnborough Hill, February 22, 1886. The other day, as we were leaving our little 5a- lon d'etudes and following the Empress upstairs to the chapel, she said to me, "Vous devez trouver, Mademoiselle, que c'est un peu la vie du convent ici." To which I answered playfully: "Ma- dame, je trouve que c'est un convent fort beau et interessant; si tons etaient aussi charmants, je n'hesiterais pas a me faire religieuse," ^ — and she laughed. The rosary over, and before tea, the Empress having discovered that I had not yet seen the state bedrooms, went all through them with us for my benefit. First, with the Due de Bassano's permission, we visited his apartment, consisting of bedroom, dressing- and sitting-room, of which he did the honors most amiably, showing us among other treasured things, a painting of Empress Jose- phine, his godmother, a little pencil drawing of a white horse done by le Roi de Rome, Napoleon I's son, and also numberless photographs of his own children and grandchildren, of whom he is 1 "You must find, Mademoiselle, that it is rather a convent life here." — "Madame, I find it a very beautiful and interesting con- vent; if all convents were as charming, I should not hesitate to become a nun." 26 FARNBOROUGH HILL passionately fond. The private passageway leading to the Duke's suite is full of engravings of European sovereigns and all the English princes and princesses, to which are attached their signatures. This smaller hallway in its turn leads back to the principal gallery, where, as I have told you before, in addition to the Empress's room, will be found that of Mme. Le Breton, a splendid room kept for the Duchesse de Mouchy, and others for the Due d'Albe, Mme. de Arcos, Mile. Corvisart and different friends and habitues. With the exception of a splendid toilette table covered with gold fittings which she never by any chance uses — formerly the property of Queen Hortense — the Empress's bedroom is very simple compared with the rooms of most women of fash- ion. A large bed, two or three cane chairs, a priedieu over which hang a crucifix and rosary, a few sketches of the late Emperor's room done by herself, on the walls ; a glass case with family souvenirs of an intimate kind, among others the Emperor's hat cribU de trous, worn the night of the Orsini attentat, a small table with a few books of devotion, and that is all. None of my letters seem to speak of the Em- 27 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE press's dressing-room, so I supplement from memory. There was nothing particularly unique about this very plain room, which, however, con- tained all the toilet essentials. In one corner, a large table with a circular mirror at the back ; on it absolutely nothing but an enormous flat wicker- work basket, lined with muslin ; this was the bas- ket given her filled with flowers, by the dames de la Halle on her wedding day. In this, every morning and evening, her maid used to lay out a set of fresh underclothes. Simple, almost to shabbiness, as her plain outer garments sometimes were, her underclothes were very beautiful, dain- tily made and of the most exquisite materials, and she used to don her things with the most won- derful speed. Among her chemises, there were some which Mme. Pelletier told me were pet ones of hers, and which she wore only occasionally. They had belonged to Queen Hortense, and were of the most beautiful fine linen, cut out of a single piece and delicately embroidered by hand round the neck and sleeves. The only other things of importance in the room, were a screen, which made a secluded spot for her to dress in; her porcelain bath tub, with 28 FARNBOROUGH HILL curtains drawn around" it; an upright wooden portemanteau on which her clothes were hung temporarily while dressing; and a large armoire a glace, partly filled with exquisite linen, and where, also in a compartment, amid dehcious sachets, she kept stores of gloves made for her formerly in great quantities in Spain and Italy, and other personal things. Out of this armoire one evening she got some pairs of evening gloves for me, and at another time on our return from Osborne, when our trunks were belated, she very kindly presented me with a toothbrush from her supply. It was especially made for her and had Dr. Evans's name stamped on it. She never went near her bedroom, except to dress or sleep, and kept none of her personal be- longings there. She liked a rather hard bed, and used only a small hair pillow ; always had her window open, kept the temperature very low and would allow no heat in the room at night, but in the dejith of winter consented to a little fire in the morning to dress by. I never saw her in bed, but her nieces had done so several times, and told me she wore a very pretty, fluffy little nightcap. About ten o'clock was her usual time 29 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE for coming downstairs of a morning, except for some special occasion, or on Sundays when we had to start early for church. Close by was another room called Les At ours, after a similar one at the Tuileries. This con- tained cupboards with large sliding doors, where her dresses and outdoor things were put away, and materials and things for future use stored with the greatest order. She had two maids, Mme. Pelletier, a widow with several grown chil- dren living in Paris, and Elise, — both excellent women. Mme. Le Breton also had a faithful and very well-educated Swiss maid, and these three with another j'oung woman who used to come in and help them, could always be found busily mending and sewing near the Empress's dressing-room. They seemed devoted to their mistress, and when she found something not up to standard and administered a reproof, red eyes were the consequence. But a smile or two from the Empress later on speedily cured their passing sorrow. 30 FARNBOROUGH HILL From a letter : Farnborough Hill, November 22, 1886. The turret chamber, called chamhre de I'Em- pereur, was shown me one day by Uhlmann at the Empress's behest. It contains undisturbed many of his personal things and the four-post bed he died in, covered now with artificial mem- orial wreaths, from one of which Uhlmann gave me some roses, white hlacs and violets. In this room it was that, talking about father and son, Uhlmann told me those touching things about the young Prince which I have recorded else- where. From a letter: Farnborough Hill. Of the salon du matin and the billiard-room, I will say nothing, but that they are simply and comfortably furnished, thoroughly English, and contain some very good pictures, among others a Rousseau, eighteen feet long, from which ducks and waterfowl attacked by an eagle seem posi- tively to be flying out, and one can almost hear their cries of distress. Another is entitled Stags and Dogs by JNIelin. In the salon du matin there is a wonderful painting of a bunch of grapes by St. Jean; Fruit, a composition by Rousseau; Marguerite and Faust by Merle ; a small portrait 31 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE of Napoleon I on wood by Isabey; and a charm- ing portrait of the Prince Imperial at ten years old, surrounded by hunting dogs, by Yvon. The house chapel is very simple, just a large room with high roof and rafters showing, but it contains the most interesting of all the historical souvenirs in the house, an antiquitc over one thou- sand years old, and the only thing personally saved by the Empress before leaving the Tuiler- ies, after that eventful 4 Scptemhre which was her adieu to the throne of France. I will try to give its history as it was told me. In a Gothic, chiseled iron chdsse, or shrine, about 12 by 20 inches (with niches wherein are tiny metal saints), the whole ornamented with precious stones and pearls very much worn and discolored by age, are three interior partitions. In that on the right hand is a tiny portion of a veil supposed to have belonged to the Blessed Virgin; in the left partition what is said to be a piece of the holy winding sheet of our Lord; and in the center a curious old gold reliquary, about tliree inches in diameter and suspended by a short chain, having in the middle a pale green polished translucent stone, through which one can clearly distinguish the relic of the true cross be- neath. This talisman as it is called, belonged to the great Charlemagne, was prized and worn by him 32 ^,~ >,^/ t * ' ^i \ ^ ^^3*^'" '^ ^i^-^^ \ ^ ' <> -r? 'Ci.'- ,^\5 vr« >H "^^ I- FARNBOROUGH HILL during the greater part of his life time, and was buried with him. Without explanation it hardly seems possible that these facts should be authen- tic, and that this priceless treasure should have found its way from Germany to France, and finally to a little English village. This is how it was brought about: When Charlemagne died, he was buried in a vault beneath the Dom, or cathedral, of his fa- vorite town of Achen (Aix-la-Chapelle). Curi- osity as to the truth of a tradition stating that the Emperor was buried sitting in a chair with crown and scepter led Charles Quint to violate the tomb of his great ancestor. This much history tells us. The rest of the story is the Empress's version. The vault was opened, and for one instant the sitting figure was discernible — then it crumbled to dust. The talisman was taken out, with scep- ter, crown and other non-destructible things, and deposited in the treasure of the cathedral, where they remained until Napoleon I, during some visit to Achen, intimated to the trembling custodian of the treasure that he wished the reliquary sur- rendered to him for the Empress Josephine. This was promptly done. At her death at Mal- maison, she bequeathed it to her daughter, Queen Hortense, mother of Napoleon III, by whom in turn it was given to Eugenie. When 4 Septemhre dawned and the Empress 33 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE hurriedly left the Tuileries, she with her own hands took the talisman out of the shrine and con- fided it to the keeping of a faithful servant, whose home was in Paris, and who all through the dark days of the Commune kept it hidden in liis kitchen cupboard, over which he had pasted a map of Paris. No one ever suspected this kitchen of containing anything so precious, and the tahsman was saved. Later on, under MacMahon, second president of the Repubhc, when affairs had calmed down, and a great deal of the Empress's private prop- erty was courteously sent over to her in England, the talisman came too, and was put back in its chdsse, which also happily had escaped destruc- tion. All this the Empress told us herself one evening, during our constitutional after dinner, and before going to bed I made ample notes of these interesting facts. From a letter: In the sacristy the Empress one day showed me some wonderful old Spanish vestments, and also the famous ro,se d'or that Pope Pius IX sent her at her son's baptism. She remarked that the rose seemed to have brought misfortune to all the sovereign women she knew who had been so spe- 34 FARNBOROUGH HILL cially honored by the Pope : Empress Charlotte (Maximilian's wife), Princess Clotilde, herself, etc. It is a rose delicately fashioned in gold, mounted on a conically shaped spray of golden foliage which rises out of a vase of the same ma- terial; rather disappointing somehow, though of beautiful workmanship. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, September 25, 1886. If I wish my letters to go out by the three o'clock post, I must now always write before leav- ing my room, for at present there is no quiet nook downstairs. In the billiard-room there are usu- ally some of the gentlemen ; in the morning-room ladies, gentlemen, or both — always a noisy, chatty, somewhat boisterous party, who put all ideas out of one's head. Our late salon d'etude having been changed into a small drawing-room as f orm- erl}^, it cannot now be used for writing. The drugget is up, showing the rich Turkey carpet beneath; the chairs and sofas have taken off their white pinafores and show their pretty pale-blue satin dresses again; the large useful table has disappeared, giving place to several antique pieces of furniture, on which oh jets d'art are now tastefully scattered. In fact, the room is not recognizable, except for the beautiful pictures, 35 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE which hang unchanged on the walls. There are several dainty Meissoniers among them. By the way, tell H. that the large picture she admired so much — line Messe en Kahylie — is the representation of a real scene which took place in Algiers. One day during his stay here, Prince Joachim Murat knocked at the door, and asked if we would give him hospitahty for a few minutes and allow him to look at that particular picture of Horace Vernet. Of course we said "y^^j " and after he had gazed at it long and earnestly, he told us he always felt young again when he looked at it. Seeing our questioning astonish- ment, he explained that he himself was the young soldier-boy kneeling to the left of the altar, hold- ing the bishop's crozier. Strange, that having as a child so often looked at an engraving of that picture, I should have the original constantly under my eyes and know one of the personages represented! The officiating Dominican bishop the Empress also Icnows well ; he it was who gave her the plain looking rosary she uses every after- noon at five o'clock. Talking of this picture, the Empress told us one day about a review of these same Kabyle soldiers dm'ing her tour in Algiers, and the startling impression that it made upon her when the men of the whole regiment rushed up the hill on which she stood and suddenly pros- trated themselves before her. 36 FARNBOROUGH HILL From a letter: Farnborough Hill, October 2, 1886. Mme. Le Breton, M. Pietri and I dined alone yesterday evening, as the Empress had a bad cold and did not leave her own sitting-room, and after dinner we joined her there instead of going to the drawing-room as usual. ]\I. Pietri read aloud while we were working. The Empress, who is usually so industrious, could only listen, so overpowered was she with the grippe. There is one important room I have not yet described, namely the salo7i de travail de Vlm- peratrice. Descriptions of other parts of the house I quoted from letters or from notes taken at the time, but this room was overlooked, and though now retaining a very vivid recollection of it as a whole, I cannot be sure of remembering all the things in it. I sat in that room for the last time in 1889, the day my husband and I lunched at Farnborough Hill on our wedding tour. One then entered the room from the gal- leiy on the left. In the center was a large library table, and the Empress generally sat at this when not using a low wicker chair on the right of the fireplace writing on a huvard resting on her knees. EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE which was a favorite way with her. This central writing-table had on it all the necessary para- phernalia for the Empress's immense correspon- dence, besides several portraits — one of her son, and a miniature of her father, Don Cipriano, then Conde de Teba, and later on Conde de Montijo. This miniature shows a very fine face, rather spoiled by having a large black patch covering one eye. Together with this eye he had lost also a leg in the battle of Salamanca, fighting for Napoleon I. On other tables were numberless photographs of different royalties and friends. The English dynasty was well represented, and nearly all the portraits had autograph signatures. Opposite was a muUioned window, which looked out over a terrace. All around the room were low book-shelves about breast-high, contain- ing many of Her Imperial Majesty's favorite books, saved from the Tuileries. These volumes were very beautifully bound and many of them had the Empress's chiffre on them. On the top of the shelves were several bronzes and interesting ornaments. Turning one's back to the fireplace — on the right wall hung a life-size portrait of the 38 FARNBOROUGH HILL Emperor in court dress, with his legion dlionneur ribbon. I think the painting is by Cabanel, and I have heard from friends who knew His Im- perial Majesty intimately, that it was extremely like him. On the opposite wall were several modern pictures, one of which is particularly striking — a painting of an extremely graceful Eastern woman at a well. Next to it came a large bay-window with tiled jardinieres con- stantly replenished from the hothouses with ex- otic flowers, which gave forth a delicious perfume. Here were placed two or three wicker easy-chairs, in which the Empress used to be very fond of taking a sun bath, whenever the stingy English Sun-god permitted. Here also grew some pam- pas-grass brought by the Empress from Zulu- land, and which formed a kind of screen in front of the windows. The whole character of the room was one of luxurious comfort, joined with daintiness and good taste of arrangement. Be- yond the bay was another door, which opened into the cabinet de travail, a sort of inner sanctu- ary, her workshop so to speak, where she kept her embroidery and silks, and the frame for her larger pieces of work. Here, too, were more 39 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE books, principally for reference, and at one end of the room a large mirror, which hid the safe containing all the important documents referred to in one of my letters. There was nothing else worthy of notice in this room, except a small picture, on the table, of Marie Antoinette at the age of fourteen. This portrait, I know the Empress Valued highly. The first day she showed it to me, she drew my attention to the fact, that the little arch-duchess seemingly pointed at a thin red line around her neck, namely a narrow ribbon, in accordance with the fashion of those days. The Empress seemed to consider this almost prophetic. ]\Iore- over, in connection with Marie Antoinette, the Empress invariably drew a parallel between that ill-fated queen and herself. She told us one day about her visiting Marie Antoinette's prison cell, incognita, on a certain Palm Sun- day during the Empire. To avoid crowds and recognition, she passed herself oflP with her ladies as a party of English tourists, she herself be- ing thickly veiled. The Empress said she was about the same height as Marie Antoinette, and though she had heard how the queen had knocked 40 FARNBOROUGH HILL her head as she entered the low-ceiled prison, and the scornful "Baisse-toi fiere Autrichienne I" from the jailer, in the painful interest of the mo- ment she forgot, and on entering the cell met with the very same accident herself. This impressed the Empress very unpleasantly, and she was so overcome for a minute or two that the custodian who v/as showing the party over the prison no- ticed it and said to the other ladies, "Vraiment, cette dame est bien-emotionee [Truly, that lady is greatly moved] !" During the twenty years of her reign, she often had the presentiment that she would die by the guillotine. The more en- thusiastic the people the more she expected sud- den changes in the affections of the mercurial French. From a letter: Famborough Hill, October 2, 1886. Her Majesty has been busy today planning a sort of museum she intends building near the coach-house for the reception of a number of beautiful things, far too many for the house proper, already well stocked — and these things are too interesting to be kept in obscurity. There are some pictures by Gudin awaiting a 41 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE suitable resting-place; these have never been un- rolled since they came over from Paris/ Then, also, a grand piano most beautifully inlaid with ormolu v^^ork, a gift of the Emperor of Austria, and several glass cases filled to overflowing with precious souvenirs of all kinds. The gala car- riages, at present in the coach-house, are also to be removed to the museum. These are really magnificent. So sorry H. did not see them when she was here, for I am certain she never has, nor will again have the opportunity to gaze on the like. There is the coach the Empress drove in to be married — lined most beautifully with white satin and large enough for six or eight people; another carriage built either for her coronation or the baptismal ceremonial of the little Prince Imperial, and which is much more splendid even than the first, both interiorly and exteriorly. The hangings of the coachman's seat (or ham- mercloth, as they are called I think ) are of crim- son velvet, most splendidly embroidered in solid gold and embossed with pearls and precious stones. The Bonaparte family arms and eagles represent a magnificent piece of work. This one carriage alone cost, I was told, over 4000 pounds. The first time I visited the coach-house with M. and A. as guides, tlie head-coachman invited 1 The Empress told us about some of her pictures which on ar- rival were found to be jabbed through and through by a bayonet or sharp knife — the work of some malevolent person. 42 FARNBOROUGH HILL us to get into the wedding coach and sit down in the Empress's place a moment, telhng us we were the first and only persons who had ever en- tered that carriage since it had been in his keep- ing. I pictured to myself how the Empress's heart must have throbbed with excitement, satis- fied ambition, and wondering doubts of the fu- ture, when she first took her place there ! Besides these two gala carriages, there is the Emperor's favorite brougham (the landau, victoria and brougham in daily use here now also came from the Tuileries) ; a sweet little goat carriage sent to the Prince Imperial by the Sultan of Turkey and one other of his babyhood vehicles; a very pretty sleigh, given by the Empress of Russia; and the trappings of the horses on state occasions, — oh! how we pitied the eight poor beasts who had to carry all that weight ! It was as much as we could do to lift one of the collar pieces with both hands. Hanging up in the coach-house were also the saddle and bridle of the little horse the Prince rode, as a boy of fifteen, at the battle of Sedan (his baptism of fire) , a number of other saddles, riding whips and pistols, and a great many more things than I can enumerate, which were most interesting to see and handle as I did that day. 43 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE THE HOUSEHOLD AND ENTOURAGE From my diary: Mme. Poussin, or Marie, as the Empress used to call her, was the name of the housekeeper. Her husband was the Empress's favorite servant, and had been in the French army. He knew where everything of the Empress's was, and was constantly called upon to fetch things she wanted, and to do little errands. He was most devoted to his imperial mistress. Roulet was the name of another of the men, whom we used to find in the early morning sliding busily up and down the gallery, polishing the floor with the brushes strapped to his feet, and humming gaily to him- self. A special man was kept for cleaning silver, and his office was no sinecure. The men-serv- ants, as is usual in France, took entire care of all the sitting-rooms; the five housemaids officiating only on the bedroom floors. In the kitchen there was a chef and one aide. They must have been wonderfully industrious men, for they had to prepare all the meals for both tables, and at one time we sat down daily as many as twenty for lunch and dinner, and there were twenty-five house servants and visit- ing maids and valets to be fed besides.^ I often 1 The two coachmen lived in picturesque little cottages on the estate or in the village of Farnborough; one, a burly and rather 44 FARNBOROUGH HILL wondered how these two men could achieve all the work this implied, for they had little assist- ance. The kitchen was a marvel. Several times I went through it with Mme. Le Breton, when she was ordering dinner, and it hardly seemed pos- sible to believe that work was going on in the place, all was in such perfect order. The nu- merous pots, for instance, all hanging in their respective places looking like burnished gold. One end of the huge central table was used as a chopping board, the other end covered with a spotless linen cloth, on which the many carving knives were arranged with exquisite neatness, like a surgeon's table. All the practical working details of the es- tablishment, management of servants, care of linen and furniture, etc., were attended to by Mme. Poussin, supervised by Mme. Le Breton. The latter, however, herself ordered all the din- ners; at least, she went into the kitchen every morning to confer with the chef concerning the two menus, previously prepared. I personally never heard the Empress, particu- lar as she was, find fault with anything but the chickens. She would say occasionally, regret- surly Englishman, the other a little wiry man who had been in a cavalry regiment and I think was the Prince's orderly in Zululand. Several grooms, gardeners and laundry people — quite a colony in all — occupied similar cottages. 45 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE fully comparing a Farnborough to some French chicken: "Oh, Mme. Le Breton, parlez done au chef — 9a sent le poulailler [Oh, INIme. Le Breton do speak to the chef; this savors of the coop]!" UOjjice corresponded in some measure with the English still-room. Here of a morning the under-butler made delicate little cakes in paper cases, delicious fondants, marrons-glaces and crystallized fruits (fresh currants and other acid fruits dipped into boiling sugar), and prepared the butter in various ingenious shapes for the table. He had many other duties and was al- ways cheerful and obliging. He took charge of the mail and telegrams. He also kept time- tables, and looked up trains in brain-racking Bradshaws, which, together with his executive ability and very quiet composed manner, made him an invaluable servant to the Empress, espe- cially when traveling. The servants' hall was a large, pleasant room, opening with long French windows on to the entrance courtyard. It was simply and comfort- ably furnished. Here the special valet de service of the week and Poussin, who was always de service, held themselves in readiness to admit vis- itors or to be summoned by the Empress. There was a central table with books, newspapers and periodicals of the day; on the walls were several large paintings of the Emperor and Empress. 46 FARNBOROUGH HILL There was a library for the servants containing a good selection of standard French and English books. Poussin or Uhlniann, I forget which, was the librarian. The Empress with her usual executive good sense, never allowed her cooks and coachmen to be idle diu'ing her prolonged yearly absences from home. They were always given a good holi- day first and then put on board wages ; but their mistress insisted on their taking other places for the balance of her time abroad. She knew with accuracy in what houses the men took service, and saw to it that they remained there. Schmidt, an Alsatian, the old maitre d'hotel at Farnborough, whose duties on account of in- firmity and old age had become almost nominal, was a tall, fine old man, stooping slightly, and with his white hair and kindly beaming eye pleas- ant to look upon. He had been in the service of the Tuileries, and as soon as the Empress set- tled at Camden Place came at once, with several other of the domestics, to tender his services. When telling me about it one day, the Empress said how much this devotion touched her, in that hour of general abandonment and betrayal. She said these servants had nothing to gain by com- ing, offered to work for lower wages than they had been accustomed to, and several of them moreover had left their own families, besides the 47 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE pleasanter life in France, to settle in an abso- lutely dull English village. Schmidt was tre- mendously attached to the imperial family. He could not control himself when he heard them spoken of without respect, with the consequence that he got into many scrapes in the old days. In the last months of the Empire, when public feeling was very strong against the Emperor and Empress, this was a frequent occurrence. She told us of one particular episode, which all but proved fatal to this bravely pugnacious servant. He heard a man in the crowd running down the Emperor. Schmidt reasoned quietly with him but without avail, for he got more abusive and violent, and attacked Schmidt, who excitedly de- fended himself. The crowd then took up the quarrel, and went howling after Schmidt, appar- ently ready to take his life. He fled, bleeding and dazed, into the fu*st house of which he found the door open, made his way upstairs, and sud- denly appeared, breathless, in the bedroom of a lady. "Madame, hide me," was all he had time to say. With great presence of mind this lady took in the situation and pushed him into an armoire a robes. A minute later the crowd came surging in and demanded that he should be given up to them. The lady's feigned astonishment and ignorance, combined with her coolness and polite invitation to look for themselves, put the 48 Elliot & Fry THE PRINCE IMPERIAL FARNBOROUGH HILL crowd off the scent and Schmidt's hfe was saved. He had ah-eady been very much knocked about though, was quite ill for a long time in conse- quence, and the Empress declared had never been the same again since that day. Uhlmann, another Alsatian, filled the position of steward, paid all the wages, the tradespeople, and the farm bills, attended to repairs, etc. He was directly under the orders of M. Pietri, who supervised his work, reports and accounts, before submitting them at stated times to the Empress. Uhlmann had been valet and body-servant to the Prince Imperial. He was a great big man, very serious, reliable, and invaluable in every way. I had several talks with him about the Prince, to whom he had been extremely devoted, and whose death was a blow which he could not get over. Uhlmann had been with him nearly all his life, at Chislehurst and at Woolwich, where the Prince was following his military training. He also went out to Zululand, and was with his young master till the very eve of his death. He was a most excellent person for any young man to have near him — perfectly straightforward, sincere and earnest. I never heard any one say a disparaging word of the Prince all the time I was at Farnborough, though Mme. Le Breton and M. Pietri could at times speak out very frankly about any one. He 49 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE seems by common consensus of opinion to have been a wonderfully fine young fellow. Those who had only known him slightly were as loud in his praises, as those others who knew him more intimately. Uhlmann, who had had the greatest possible facilities for observation, spoke of him in glowing terms, and this means a good deal, for there are few exceptions, I believe, to the dic- tum, that "no one is a hero to his valet." From all Uhlmann said, with what I had already gath- ered from others, and they had all been friends of his childhood, I could reach only one verdict about him — that he was deeply and truly good.^ His chief characteristic seems to have been his wonderful truth of mind. He had a noble, straightforward nature, shunning pretense of all kind, and was deeply religious and spiritual- minded. He was beloved and looked up to by all his classmates at Woolwich, by all the serv- ants, by everybody in fact who had ever known and come in contact with him. The English sol- diers out in Zululand worshipped him, Uhlmann said, and no wonder, for besides his chivalrous and brave qualities, the Prince was always simple and generous, and shared everything with his comrades. When hampers of luxuries, in the 1 1 got the same impression from Monsignor Goddard of Chisle- hurst, and his friend the old Abb6 Toursel of the "French Chapel" (the old historic Embassy Chapel) in London, the last outsider to see and talk with him before he sailed for Natal. 50 FARNBOROUGH HILL shape of food and other things, reached him from his mother, he insisted on dividing up with the men, in spite of protest from those in authority, who thought he needed the extra food himself, as he was not very rugged. Uhknann also told me that one of his most striking characteristics was absolute fearless and unashamed recognition of his religion. Even in Woolwich da3^s and camp life, and up to the very last night before starting on that fatal reconnais- sance trip, he never missed saying his evening prayers aloud. He would call Uhknann into his room and the two would kneel down together by the side of the bed, just as they had done always when the Prince was a little child. He never let anything interfere with his devotional duty. A mortuary card, of which the following is a translation, was given by the Empress to her niece M., who made it over to me: MOETUARY CAED OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL. My last thought will be for my Country ; for her I would gladly give my life. [Extract from his will]. NAPOLEON Prince Imperial Born at the Tuileries March 16, 1856. Killed by the enemy in Zululand, June 1, 1879. 51 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE This Prince bom to a throne, had a mind and heart even higher than his birth. The misfortunes of his house during his boyhood were unable to crush him, and from then on he showed much dignity, which owed noth- ing to good fortune. If he gained distinction from his rank he gained still more by his merit. [Bossuet — Oraison Funebre.^ He acted courageously; fearing nothing, he did not fear the enemy. [II Pascal XXXII: 7]. He died leaving to all an admirable example of faith and strength. [Adaptation II Maccabees VI:31]. Merciful Jesus, give him eternal rest ! Pray for the father and the son whom death has reunited. On the back of the mortuary card is a prayer which, written out in his own handwriting, was found in his prayer book by the Empress after his death. It gives an insight into the deeply spiritual aspirations of the young soldier-prince. A translation follows : My God, I give you my heart, but I beg You to give me Faith. Without faith there can be no ardent prayers, and prayer is a necessity of my soul. I beg You not to remove the obstacles that traverse 52 FARNBOROUGH HILL my life, but to permit me to overcome them. I beg of You — not that you may disarm my enemies but that you may help me to vanquish my own self. Deign, O God, to grant my prayers. Preserve to my aifection those who are dear to me. Grant them happy days. If You only wish to scatter over this world a certain measure of joy — take, O My God, the sum which would come to me, divide it up among the most worthy and may the most worthy be my friends. If You wish to chastise mankind — strike me. Mis- fortune is turned into joy by the sweet thought that those we love are happy. Joy is poisoned by the bitter thought : I myself re- joiced, while those whom I cherish a thousand times more than myself are suffering. For me, O God, no more happiness. I fly from it — take it from my path. My only joy is to be found in forgetfulness of the past. If I forget those who are no more, I shall be forgotten in my turn. How sad it is to think : Time effaces every- thing! The only comfort I seek is that which will last forever: that given by a peaceful conscience. O my God, show me ever plainly where my duty lies — give me the strength to carry it out on all occasions. When comes the end of ray life I shall then be able to look back over the past without fear. My memories will have no remorse in them. Then I shall be truly happy. O my God, make the conviction sink deep into my heart, that those I love and who are dead are the wit- nesses of all my actions. My life will then be worthy to be seen by them, and I will never need to blush at the most secret of my thoughts. 53 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Maria and Antonia de Vejerano, though al- ways called the Empress's nieces — but only so by courtesy because of the great disparity in ages — were in reality her cousins. I think they had a great grandmother (a Cabarus) in common. In any case, the girls and the Empress were all cousins of M. de Lesseps. They were pleasant, healthy-minded girls, affectionate and with nice dispositions, and accustomed to think of others first and themselves afterward. Two years after their visit to the Empress, Ma- ria married Paco de Ansaldo, and at their mar- riage her uncle gave her one of the numerous titles which he owned. They are now Count and Countess de San Enrique. Her husband occu- pies some position at the court of King Alfonso XIII, and she helps him in his literary work. She has now, I hear from her sister, several very beautiful children. Antonia a little later mar- ried Luis de Casanova. After a blissfully happy six months, he died, leaving her a widow at eight- een. She spent much time afterward at Farn- borough and traveled with the Empress, who was very fond of her. From my diary: First and foremost among the few faithful ad- 54 FARNBOROUGH HILL herents of the Empress, must be named the Due de Bassano, Napoleon Ungues Joseph Maret, son of Hugues Bernard Maret, first duke of the name, whose title was created by Napoleon I. He inherited from his birth in 1804 ^ traditions of devotion to the Bonaparte family, which were furthered by having Napoleon and the Empress Josephine for his godparents, and the little Roi de Rome for playmate; and these traditions were loyally maintained all his long life. The Em- press had no truer friend than he in her hours of need. ^VTiile others were leaving her to her fate he bravely spoke in her behalf before the Cham- bre des Deputes, trying vainly to turn the torrent of anger away from her, or at least to obtain aid from the provisional government for her protec- tion against the furious rabble. When her flight was un fait accomjjUj and she had landed penni- less in England, without a single, belonging but a few absolute necessaries hastily gathered to- gether, and lent her by Mrs. Evans and Lady Burgoyne, the duke followed her almost imme- diately with only a carpet-bag (so the Empress told us) , saying simply on arriving, "Madame me voici," and begging to be allowed to give her his services. She said he did it with so much cheer- ful grace, that she had not the heart to refuse iMany authorities say 1803; he himself gave the date as 1804. He died in Paris in 1898. 55 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE his request, though she really had no means of maintaining a household. When Napoleon III died in January 1873, the widowed Eugenie offered the duke his free- dom to return to France and his family, from whom he had voluntarily separated himself in spite of his deepest affection for them. But he would not accept it and stayed on, unvaryingly cheerful, thoughtful and unselfish, with a quiet dignity that made you feel what a thorough gen- tleman he was. Again, after the Prince's death, the Empress gave him the chance of leaving her household, pointing out that conditions had changed and that there was no longer any reason for him to stay. But he again refused, and an- swered: "No, on the contrary Madame, now that you are entirely alone you need me all the more." The Duke has left a delightful picture of him- self in my memory as he was in 1886. A tall, handsome, dignified old man, with beautiful white hair; courteous to all, and with an especially chivalrous feeling toward women — the very type of the grand seigneur and preux chevalier of old, that one reads about but meets so rarely. Mme. Le Breton was a widow of long stand- ing, with several married sons and daughters, and was formerly one of the lectrices at the Tuil- eries ; and, alone of all the women in France, she 56 FARNBOROUGH HILL did not abandon the Empress, but accompanied her bravely on that eventful journey on the fifth of September when they fled from Paris. With the exception of a few short periods of absence for little holidays, she never left her imperial mistress' side through all those years. She was a most faithful friend, tried patiently to help and comfort the Empress and to make everything run smoothly, and this when Ma Souveraine, as she playfully called the Empress in speaking of her, was in such a state of nerves that she was often irritable and difficult to please. Mme. Le Breton was most capable and super- vised the household wonderfully. Everything was the pink of perfection with nowhere visible any hurry or fuss. She did not at all relish it, therefore, when the Empress on rare occasions made some criticism. It used rather to upset her equanimity and the Empress often rallied her about her sensitiveness. In my peregrinations on some mornings through the kitchen with her, I noticed that she kept the household rather in awe of her. This was really necessary, for she felt herself, and was ultimately, held responsible. Her position was a delicate one, but, considering the difficulties, she acquitted herself well and remained unusually cheerful. Always kind- hearted, a warm, enthusiastic friend, she de- lighted to welcome anybody who would bring a 57 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE little change into the Farnborough milieu, since life for its members, who knew all the interesting things by heart and had no fm'ther stimulus of curiosity, was often monotonous in the extreme. Though mentally bright, Mme. Le Breton cared not a pin for scientific talk, which fact often an- noyed the Empress. What Mme. Le Breton loved was social chit-chat, and in consequence she thoroughly enjoyed her rare holidays, which put her in touch with her family and the old friends of the past, who flocked round her on her arrival in Paris, where she was a great favorite. Only duty and true affection had kept her near her mistress through those long years of dullness, for society was the breath of life to her.^ Mme. de Arcos, who has been almost a lifelong friend of the Empress, was a Miss Vaughan. Her father had been an English consul in one of the southern towns of Spain, and she and the Empress made each other's acquaintance many, many years ago in rather a strange way. This is the story the Empress told us one evening, while walking up and down the gallery, leaning on my arm as she often did. Their two mothers, the Countess Montijo and Mrs. Vaughan, were on 1 She died at the age of eighty-two, very much regretted by the Empress and all her friends. In a letter received from M. Pietri, March 27, 1901, he gives me the details of her last illness, and thanks me de la part de S. M. I'lmp4ratrice for the share that I take in sympathizing with her great loss. 58 FARNBOROUGH HILL board ship going to England, where the Countess, who was ambitious for her beautiful daughter, was going to present her to Queen Victoria and bring her out in London society. Mrs. Vaughan was taking her daughter Christine to England also. It was very rough weather, and the two elder ladies were down below. The girls were on deck, but did not know each other then. It got more and more stormy, and Eugenie Mon- ti jo, violently sick, rushed to the side. The rail was quite low, and the seasick girl in such a state of indifference that she did not care whether she went overboard or not. Presently, she felt two arms put firmly around her waist with hands clasped in front, and she was dragged away. Struggling and indignant, she cried: "Leave me alone." Looking up, she saw a girl a good deal younger than herself, who spoke to her in English and told her that she was in a dangerous position, and helped her to a more comfortable place. The Countess Monti jo, when she heard later how her daughter had been rescued from a rather perilous position, sought out Mrs. Vaughan, to thank her. Thus the parents be- came acquainted, and a lifelong friendship be- tween the daughters resulted. Queen Victoria told the Empress on one of her visits to Windsor, that she well remembered her presentation that season as a young girl, and the 59 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE impression made on her at the time. It was a semi-private audience, preceding a fancy ball at Buckingham Palace, and the Queen told her friend she even recalled the costumes worn on the occasion. Eugenie Monti jo was dressed as a Spanish Infanta, Queen Victoria as Queen Anne, and the Prince Consort as William of Or- ange. Naturally when Eugenie, Condesa de Teba, became Empress, Mme. de Arcos always found a welcome at the Tuileries, — the friendship was further cemented, — and she, in her turn, re- mained faithful to Her Imperial Majesty all through the life of exile in England. She is the woman with whom the Empress has been most in- timate, excepting, of course, Mme. Le Breton. It was Mme. de Arcos, an intimate friend of my aunt's, who suggested my name to the Em- press, and was thus instrumental in my spending those interesting months at Farnborough. I shall always feel a debt of gratitude toward her for this alone. One evening, walking up and down, the Em- press talked of audiences and some of her diffi- culties when first confronted with her royal po- sition and was saying how hard it had been to throw herself suddenty into this novel situation and how much she had had to learn. She then turned to me, laughing for a minute, and said: 60 FARNBOROUGH HILL "Well, you know. Mademoiselle, you embar- rassed me dreadfully that day I sent for you to come to London." I expressed my surprise. "Yes, you did indeed! I do not know when I felt so embarrassed, even in difficult situations at the Tuileries," she added, and explained that she had thought it encumbent on her to question me, and though she did not like to risk hurting my feelings, yet felt she must say something, for it would otherwise have seemed foolish to have re- quested an interview. She laughed again, and would not at first tell me why. "Never in your life could you guess the very first question I put to Mme. de Arcos about you. I said to her, 'Now, Zizi, before you tell me anything further about Miss W. in the first place — louche t'elle?' " Noticing Mme. de Arcos's hesitation and sur- prise, the Empress insisted: "'Well, Zizi, you must be perfectly sure about this matter, for if you cannot put my mind at rest on this crucial point, I won't have another word said about Miss W. coming here. Even were she an angel from heaven I would not, under the circumstances, have her cross my threshold.' " The Empress added, sadly: "J'ai les person- nes qui louchent en horreur. Je ne puis me defaire de I'idee que I'oeil qui louche, accompagne aussi un esprit qui louche, et le maUieur m'est tou jours venu quand j'ai ete en relations avec 61 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE une personne qui louchait." ^ She then men- tioned Trochu and Bazaine, as squinting men, and expressed her special and intuitive dishke of Trochu, who behaved so shamefully before the fall of the Empire. Mme. de Arcos's Belgravia house was always put at the Empress's entire disposal for any length of time she might wish, for either lunch or for resting, whenever she went up to town for shopping or for visits to the doctors. Dr. Frederick B. Scott, a surgeon-major in the English army at Aldershot, was a constant visitor at Farnborough, and the Empress was very fond of him in a kind of grateful way. He was an excellent surgeon and a most conscientious man, but he was not brilliant, nor a good con- versationalist. On any amiable pretext he could invent he came over to Farnborough — nearly every afternoon saw him walking or riding up the avenue. He had known and been devoted to the Prince Imperial, and accompanied him to Zu- luland, where he was supposed in an unofficial way, but more as a friend, to be in charge of the young man's health. He it was who went out to search for and finally found the Prince's mu- tilated body the day after the boy had been killed, 1 "I have a horror of people who squint. I never can get rid of the idea that a squinting eye indicates also a spirit that is not straightforward. Misfortune has come to me every time I have had dealings with persons who squinted." 62 FARNBOROUGH HILL and later brought the corpse back to England in H. M. S. Orontes,^ and took a prominent part in the funeral." Since that event Dr. Scott has kept very much in touch with the Empress, and when she started for Zululand in 1880 accom- panied her, going over the ground and showing her the places of sad interest in the pathetic drama. Franceschini Pietri is a grandson of Paoli, the celebrated Corsican, and his mother was a Sebas- tiani, so that according to the Empress he is de- scended from Corsican patriots on both sides. He had been under-secretary to the Emperor and fought close beside him at the battle of Sedan, afterward sharing his imprisonment at Wilhelms- hohe. He is very intelligent, witty, has a great business capacity, and conceals a most excellent heart under somewhat brusque manners. "II se laisserait volontiers tailler en morceaux pour nous [He would voluntarily let himself be cut to pieces for us]," the Empress has often said of him to me, and I am sure it is true — though his constant devotion did not prevent his seeing through his imperial mistress's little foibles. His attitude at such times was manifested by a characteristic 1 At Spithead the coffin was transferred to the Admiralty yacht Enchantress. 2 In the party were also the Marquis de Bassano, Sir Evelyn and Lady Wood, and several other ladies who lost relatives in the Zulu War. 63 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE gesture, an almost imperceptible smile and shrug of his shoulders while listening to her. He had lost all his worldly possessions when, in his ab- sence at the front, the Tuileries Palace was burnt down. He was a man of sterling worth and one of the most reliable people about the Empress. 64 1^ '; PART II DAILY events: FURTHER EXTRACTS FROM DIARY AND LETTERS Thursday, February 18. This afternoon went with the Empress to see the Renaissance Memo- rial Church, which is a building on a neighboring hill in the midst of pine woods, a few minutes off from this house. The upper church is near- ing completion ; its crypt, which is really an archi- tectural gem, is quite finished, and Napoleon Ill's polished, red granite sarcophagus (Queen Victoria's gift, transported from the Little Lady Chapel in St. Mary's Church at Chislehurst, with many wreaths and national private memorials ) is in place to the right of a small altar. The sar- cophagus of the Prince Imperial stands on the left, and a vacant place awaits the wife and mother in the center. The Empress told us of a rather strange coincidence. Without knowing it, she had selected haphazard out of a great many designs for the tessellated pavement, the very same one which is, at present, in the "In- vahdes" in Paris (where Napoleon I is buried), and where her husband and son would have been 65 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE laid to rest had not untoward events in France interfered. From a letter : Farnborough Hill, February 20, 1886. Yesterday morning we had a little taste of sport. Her Majesty allowed the gentlemen of the neighborhood to come into her grounds with the beagles for a hare hunt. The huntsmen as- sembled and started from the park gates, the Em- press, Mme. Le Breton, M. Pietri, the girls and myself following, and keeping up with them for a little while. After losing sight of the sports- men for some time in the heat of the chase, we found them again on the common near the Em- press's woods in full tilt after the poor hare. We had a good deal of scrambling up and down to do, and were often ankle-deep in nuid, as the roads were very heavy. Poor Mme. Le Breton was tired out and was obliged to turn back alone, but we went on in spite of all, over stiles and through gaps in the hedges; the Empress was de- lighted to find that she got on just as well as the younger ones — in fact better than M., whose rather heavy build and sedentary bringing up in Spain have not made her very athletic. After luncheon we had some delightful music from Miss Smythe, who is quite a musical genius 66 DAILY EVENTS and spends most of her time in Germany studying for pleasure. One consolation, the Empress likes my simple playing quite as well as hers, and told us in the evening about a concert at the Con- servatoire, given for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, which lasted four mortal hours, and even sent the music-loving Prince Consort to sleep, to the disgust of all Paris. The Empress said that she herself, though she adores music, always passed for not liking it, for she really had not the courage and hypocrisy to follow the score, to beat time, to nod her head and appear ravie for whole hours. She owns frankly to neither liking nor understanding classical music. This latter assertion is, I am sure, strictly true. My Pinson et Fauvette is banal and superficial enough to be her favorite, and she is always asking for it and enjoys it. The conversation turned on Sir Arthm* Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan operatic fame), who has a little cottage in this neighborhood, where he retires from London when he wants to be quiet and work undisturbed. Sir Arthur told the Empress that just now he is writing to make money, but later on he is to bring out a serious opera he has on hand, which he hopes will add to his musical reputation. After dinner, it being Saturday, the Empress allowed us girls to go to the billiard-room with the gentlemen for a game of coclionnet, a rather 67 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE amusing French game played on a small billiard table. The parti de cochonnet over, we all joined the Empress in the grand salon and did not go up to our rooms till 11:30, but had quite sleep enough, for on Sunday mornings our breakfast is brought up to our rooms, as is that of the Em- press and Mme. Le Breton, and we need only make our appearance at 9:30, at which time the various carriages are in readiness to take us to the soldiers' church at Aldershot. Called by courtesy a church, in reahty it is nothing but a dreary, barnlike structure, perfectly gaunt and bare, and used in rotation by all the various de- nominations of North Camp. The commanding officer (a Catholic) and others were at the door to receive the Empress, and conduct her up the aisle to the seat reserved for her. Before mass, at which we had some very mediocre military mu- sic rendered exclusively by Catholic soldiers, morning prayers were said, and later we had a nice practical sermon from Rev. Father Corbett, the army chaplain. We returned home in the same order as we came, the Empress and Mme Le Breton in a brougham and pair, the two gen- tlemen, M., A., and myself in a closed wagonette, the guard turning out and saluting with bugles as we passed the barracks. Before and after luncheon a little walk in the park, and afterward the Empress took me herself into the drawing- 68 THE MEMORIAL CHURCH, FARNBOROUGH HILL From a drawing by B. B. Long DAILY EVENTS room and the salon de V Imperatrice , showing me everything and telling me the history of the beau- tiful things there. Now, dear, I must say good-by. This will probably be my first and last free time today, as it is just the rosary hour; then afternoon tea, and as a very extraordinary^ Spanish lady, the wife of General B., invariably comes to that little social gathering on Sundays, we shall have to sit indefinitely round the tea tray, listening to her very amusing stories in excruciatingly bad French. The Empress says she is as good as a play, and it distracts and amuses her to hear this visitor rattle on. P. S. 11 p. M.— Bedtime. Yes, Mrs. B. is in- deed as good as or better than the majority of plays — she kept us all in fits of laughter; the poor General does not seem to enjoy it though. He was as quiet as a mouse all tea time, and gave us plenty of occupation passing him cakes, and bread and butter, and refilling his cup. Instead of tea the Empress takes a small cup of boihng water with about a teaspoonful of milk in it, and no sugar. It must be a very horrid concoction, I think, but she finds it agrees with her better. I do not think you would hke that brew, nor in- deed any of the tea we drink here. What one gets of the flavor is dehcious, but it is terribly weak. The Empress says that the Prince of 69 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Wales, when at home, has an urn and cups brought in every evening now at nine o'clock, and he also takes a hygienic cup of hot water, but per- fectly plain. He does not even pretend it is tea. Tomorrow Mme. de Arcos arrives on a visit; and soon the Empress and she, accompanied by the Due de Bassano, are going to Windsor Castle. She has promised her nieces not to be long away — if possible only two days. We shall miss her dreadfully. Monday, February 22. Mme. de Arcos ar- rived for luncheon. She was very gay, talked politics, and told us amusingly about the Queen's present dilemma . Each of the duchesses of the realm has offered excuses why she should decline being Mistress of the Robes, which is particularly awkward, as her English Majesty will have no one but a duchess. Wednesday, February 24. Lady Jane Tay- lor, sister of the Duchess of Wellington, called with her daughter at afternoon tea time. After the rosary, the Empress showed me over her own bedroom, the Due de Bassano's apartments, and other rooms. This evening, during our after-dinner consti- tutional, the Empress gave us a most impressive and graphic account of her flight from Paris, a theme about which so much has been written, 70 DAILY EVENTS and so many false versions circulated even by well-meaning people, that it was doubly interest- ing to hear the details of it from her own lips/ She dwelt first a good deal upon the horrors of the war and its fearful anxieties. Appointed Re- gent in 1870, during the Emperor's absence, she was alone in Paris from July to September, and the strain of responsibility and anxiety was per- fectly terrible. She never slept except with the aid of chloral, and often then had to be wakened up from her absolutely necessary though fitful slumber, to peruse telegrams arriving from the seat of war. The people howled around the Tuileries all night, for they hated her for the share they sup- posed she took in causing the war. In telling us all this in French, the Empress said: "Oui, j 'ai passe quelques moments terribles de Juillet a Septembre. Rien dans la nature — ni tempetes, ni elements courrouces — ne pent donner la moin- dre idee de 1 'horreur d 'un peuple en fureur. A moins de le voir, personne ne pent se figurer ce qu 'est toute une populace hurlant contre vous — c'est atroce ! ^ 1 On going up to my room within an hour of her recital, I made careful notes, from which this account, with very slight alterations mainly for the sake of clarity, has been written. 2 "Nothing in nature, neither storms nor the angry elements can give one the faintest idea of a people in violent anger. Without experiencing it, no one can imagine what it means to have a whole populace howling against you — it is horrible ! " 71 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE She then told us how several times, when she was presiding at a council of war, malicious tele- grams arrived announcing that the Emperor and her son were dead. She had to open these des- patches, read them in public, and preserve her composure, while her mind was racked with un- certainty. When the signal defeats of the French army by the Prussians came about, simi- lar false messages about husband and son were constantly arriving at the palace at night, and she was driven nearly out of her senses. After common report asserted that the Em- press had already left Paris, she stayed on one night longer, and left the capital the next day with Mme. Le Breton and Dr. Thomas W. Evans, an American — the court dentist. While foreign ambassadors and officials stood aloof fearing to implicate their governments, he came forward and put himself at her service in a most devoted and opportune way. Report said also that she was disguised, but she told us, and re- peated it emphatically several times, that she never did and never would disguise herself. She refused absolutely to wear even a thicker veil than usual, and was dressed in her ordinary clothes — a simple black dress, hat and cloak, such as she wore every day in her private life at the Tuileries.^ 1 This was her own description of herself to me and I wrote it down within an hour. Since then in reading over my notes I won- 72 DAILY EVENTS The idea of disguising herself was hateful to her pride, though she was taking great risks in re- fusing to do so. These three persons then left Paris on the fifth of September, in Dr. Evans's private carriage, driving down the rue de Rivoli in plain view of everybody. While so doing the Empress, who would not even consent to sit back out of sight as her companions implored her to do, was recog- nized by a little patissier boy, who began shouting excitedly: "The Empress!" Every one was on the qui vive, and, her life being eagerly sought by many, the situation at the outset of this eventful journey became critical in the extreme; but Dr. Evans, with great presence of mind, turned the tide of thought in another direction. Jumping out of the carriage, he caught the of- fending boy by his collar, shook him roughly, saying: "You little ragamuffin, how dare you cry, 'Long live the Empress'!" jumped back into the carriage with lightning speed and drove off, leaving the dazed boy neither time nor wits to even reason out how he had "put his foot into it." The patissier probably kept his impressions to himself after this, and as a crowd had had no time to gather, the incident fortunately caused no disastrous consequences.^ dered at the plain black dress, but an account in a book by her intimate friend, Mme. Carette, tallies with mine. 1 One man, Her Imperial Majesty said, wrote openly to the 73 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Once outside the gates of Paris (which only a thoughtfully prearranged scheme and much ready wit had enabled them to pass with im- punity), Dr. Evans took the first opportunity to send his carriage back by another barriere, and the journey, on which they met with unheard of difficulties, began in dead earnest. Thej^ proceeded slowly, sometimes walking so as to leave no trace of themselves, sometimes, when it seemed feasible, hiring a vehicle to get over the ground a little quicker. At one time it was raining hard, but there was nothing for it but to walk a long distance across open fields and then stand in the shelter of a barn door, while Dr. Evans reconnoitered and made further plans. They were of course anxious to avoid railroads as much as possible, as the Empress was being watched for everywhere and on the rail- roads in particular, as the most probable egress for her. Often, after much plodding over ploughed fields. Dr. Evans tried vainly to hire a vehicle for the two footsore women. At last he succeeded, and they drove for some distance, dis- cussing eagerly the while about the next move. Dr. Evans thought it might be prudent to test papers, declaring he had gone to the Tuileries with the mob, pre- pared to kill her, and deplored the fact that she had left, and that he had arrived just five minutes too late. So the success or non- success of her flight was really an actual matter of life or death, and not only polite fiction. 74 DAILY EVENTS the sentiments of the driver and see what kind of a man he was, before deciding anything fur- ther. Making a pretext of better seeing the country, he sat outside with the driver and began chatting with him. "Eh bien, quelles nouvelles de Paris?" asked Dr. Evans. "Ah," excitedly, "vous ne savez done pas?" "Non," answered the doctor. "Ah ! Elle nous a echappe !" "Qui done?" asked Dr. Evans, with as much ignorant indifference as he could feign. "Mais — cette maudite femme — cette Impera- trice! Ah! [with horribly abusive epithets and gestures suggestive of strangling] si je la tenais . . . elle ne mourrait que de mes mains!" ^ Dr. Evans tried to appear pas au courant and did not dare, of course, to defend the Empress, but he thought, that considering the would-be- victim was within a few inches of this blood- thirsty individual, the cabriolet was decidedly an unsafe place. Quarrehng about the fare accord- 1 " Well, what news from Paris?" asked Dr. Evans. "Ah, you don't know, then?" excitedly. "No !" answered the doctor. " Ah, she has escaped us ! " "Who?" again asked Dr. Evans, with as much ignorant indif- ference as he could feign. "Why, that cursed woman — the Empress! Ah, if I only got hold of her — she would die by niy hands ! " 75 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE ingly, he dismissed the man and got his compan- ions away as quickly as he could. It proved impossible to find any other vehicle and they had to walk on again across country, and strike out finally for the nearest railroad. Here they sat down nearly exhausted, on a bench in the httle waiting-room of a small wayside sta- tion. Dr. Evans kept his ears diligently listen- ing for reports, on which they might possibly shape their plans. At his wits' end how to con- ceal the well-known and strikingly beautiful woman from observation, he bought a newspaper, opened it out and pushed it into the Empress's hands as she sat there dazed and passive, saying, "Read that." Thus he forced her to keep this shght, temporary screen in front of her and hoped devoutly the peasants might not recognize her. The fugitives waited what seemed to them an endless time for a train going in the direction they desired. Many market people sauntered in and out with their baskets on their arms, the Empress risking recognition every instant, and escaping in a seemingly miraculous way, till finally the train they were to take drew into the station. The chef de gare then threw open the waiting- room doors and began to hustle the people out on to the platform. He seemed particularly to push the Empress, taking her by the arm and 76 DAILY EVENTS speaking very roughly. She told us that she could not help a first impulse to resent such a liberty, but of course had to control herself and submit. It was a tremendous transition from the treatment she had hitherto received, — even a few days before the utmost deference, and now rudely jostled with a crowd of peasants. She sadly reflected how quickly the change had been effected. She got meekly into a third-class compartment with her two companions. Just as the train was moving off the rude station master jumped up on the steps, and, to her great surprise, touched his cap respectfully, reached his hand into the carriage while taking hers, and, bending over it, kissed it. He had recognized his sovereign, and his officious attitude with the people was evi- dently assumed to help her escape observation. This incident comforted her a little, and she told it to us with a break in her voice. The next place they stopped was a common auherge, and here the Empress had to feign ill- ness and go to bed, to avoid appearing in the public eating-room. During the several days it took to reach Deauville, all the food she tasted consisted of scraps that Mme Le Breton had been able to pocket surreptitiously. She never got a regular meal, nor had her clothes off her back all that time. 77 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Finally they arrived at their destination, ut- terly worn out, and went at once to the hotel where Mrs. Evans was spending the season with her family; she had been notified beforehand of their probable arrival. The Empress was im- mediately taken up an unused staircase to Mrs. Evans's own bedroom, where she was locked in until midnight. Here her hostess paid her occa- sional stolen visits and smuggled up some food to her, but was not able even now to give her a properly served meal. Mrs. Evans could not do so without the servants' knowledge, and as they were strangers to her, and then- character and sentiments unknown, it was felt that, with such a prize as the imperial head, the temptation to be- trayal might possibly prove too strong. No one, therefore, was intrusted with the weighty secret. The Empress's plan was to get to England, but of course traveling on the public steamers was out of the question, and Dr. Evans tried among the yachtsmen to find some one willing to take the fugitives across the Channel. Several refused point-blank, not liking the responsibility and complications that might arise out of such action. Sir John Burgoyne, when appealed to, gallantly declared he would be dehghted and that he would risk anything to help; but added that his yacht was very small (only 40 tons) and with ladies 78 DAILY EVENTS aboard not really fit to cross the Channel in such a gale. However, he said, if the Empress was willing to risk a rough and dangerous passage, he would be only too glad to put the Gazelle at her disposal. Eugenie told us she would never to her dying day forget their tragic walk down to the quay in the darkness. Mme. Le Breton and Mrs. Evans walked ahead to see that all was safe. Dr. Evans and the Empress following. Everything was ominously still except the sea, which was lashed into a perfect fury.^ In the early morning the Gazelle at last got under way, and the fugitives felt comparatively safe for the time being. Nothing, during the trip, could equal Lady Burgoyne's eager and tender, womanly kindness to the Empress, who told us that her sense of humor obliged her, even in the midst of all her own misery, fatigue and seasickness, to see the ludicrous and incongruous side of things and to laugh at intervals during this terrible voyage. Lady Burgoyne's principal idea of available help in the way of food was a crust of bread and champagne, which she was constantly pressing on her two guests, who lay wretchedly helpless and utterly exhausted in their tiny bunks. 1 On that very night Sir John lost his nephew, Captain Sir Hugh Burgoyne, who was in command of one of the most power- ful British men-of-war, which mysteriously disappeared at the mouth of the Channel. 79 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Only after twenty-four weary hours did the yacht reach England, at Ryde, both passengers and crew having many times during the gale thought they would never see shore again. The Empress had no idea on landing where to look for her son — nothing but conflicting information as to his whereabouts greeted her. He was sup- posed, after the battle of Sedan, to have gone to Belgium and have since arrived somewhere in England, but there was also another report to the effect that he and Comte Clary, his tutor, had been killed. Neither could the Empress find her two Alva nieces,^ who had lived with her at the Tuileries since their mother's death in 1860. On account of possible danger they had been sent on to England, some time ahead. They were supposed to be at Brighton, but on reach- ing the hotel indicated they were reported gone, and had left no clue as to their whereabouts. Later on the whole party was discovered safely housed at Hastings, and the two Spanish girls had chosen that opportune time to indulge in measles. From Hastings the whole family soon after moved to Chislehurst, where Mr. Stroud very courteously put his residence, Camden Place, at their disposal. 3 One became Duquesa de Medina Celi and died after a year of marriage, much admired and beloved; the other became Duquesa de Tamames. 80 Mil m- A^Jlt.l_^.3^^i^^ ,.^;^^ , i ^-"t • , ^'*4j<> *^ DAILY EVENTS When the Empress had finished telHng us all these thrilling adventures, she continued walk- ing for a few paces in silence and deep thought; then added, "Je ne sais pas comment je ne suis pas devenue f olle, a bien des moments de ma vie ! Aussi, on comprend 1 'etat de mes nerfs a pres- ent!" ^ She then went on and told us, that on March 20, 1871, after his release from imprison- ment in Wilhelmshohe, the Emperor arrived in Dover. She and her nieces went there to meet him, and many thousands of sympathetic Enghsh gave him an enthusiastic welcome. That day at the famous Dover hotel, the Lord Warden, the imperial party by a strange coincidence, came face to face in a narrow corridor with the Orleans family. They were about to reenter France after many years of exile in England. Napoleon III was leaving France and going into exile from which he was never to return. The contrast of the situation was sharp. The two parties met, as I say, in a narrow pas- sage. They eagerly scrutinized each other, this being their very first meeting. Then, on a sign from the Empress, she and her nieces, and attend- ants drew up against the wall, courtesying low to the Orleans family, as they passed along on their way toward home and country. 1 " I do not know how I kept my sanity in many trying episodes of my life. My present state of nerves is easily understood." 81 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE From a letter : Famborough Hill, Saturday, February 27, 1886. As M. Pietri is away, we now have one game of cochonnet every evening with the Duke, who otherwise would have no one to play billiards with, and who misses his one tame little bit of gaiety very much. He is such a dear old man, and wonderful for his age, and so kind, so courte- ous, and so dignified, and yet so amusing. He has been suffering lately from indigestion and heartburn, but he is so patient and nice about it. In answer to the Empress's daily inquiry, "Eh bien, mon cher Due, comment cela va-t-il aujourd 'hui?" he answers simply, "J 'ai encore le fer chaud, Madame; que votre Majeste ne se preoccupe pas. Ca n'est rien — tout passe!" ^ Yesterday being our staying-up-late evening, I was at the piano a good deal, each time the Empress asking for "More! — ^more!" The Mu- sic Box appeared to delight her, she found it such a close imitation of a real one. Thursday, March 4. Mme. Le Breton spent the day in London. We three girls took a long walk with the Empress in the morning, and drove 1 " Well, my dear Duke, how are you today ? " "I have the hot iron today. I beg your Majesty not to preoccupy yourself on ray account — it is nothing — everything comes to an end." 82 DAILY EVENTS with the Due de Bassano in the afternoon, when he spoke of many interesting things. He told us a good deal about the poor demented Empress Charlotte, sister of Leopold II of Belgium and widow of the Archduke Maximilian, made Em- peror of Mexico in 1864 and shot in Quaretaro, June 19, 1867. The Due de Bassano's daugh- ter. Baroness d 'Hoogworth, lady-in-waiting to the Queen of the Belgians, occasionally passes a day with the ex-empress at Laeken, near Brus- sels. For many previous years she used to spend her time in front of an easel, painting and repaint- ing her husband's portrait, or writing pathetic letters, begging and imploring different sover- eigns of Europe to give her soldiers and means to help her Maximilian (long since shot down by his rebellious subjects). Charlotte's latest craze, and she has had many and varied ones, the Duke says, is not to allow her ladies to eat anything at mealtimes. The Duke also said he remem- bered her as young and gay on her first visit to Vienna after her marriage. On her arrival it was discovered that all her baggage had been de- layed on the road, and not having a court dress to appear in, she had to stay in her room durmg the official reception given in her honor. From these matters we drifted into talking of audiences, for one of his duties as Grand Cham- berlain was to interview the people who came to 83 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE the Tuileries, asking for audiences, or who had petitions to present to the Emperor. The Duke told us many interesting incidents that happened in consequence. One poor widow, who had lost her only son, her mainstay, had come to beg assistance of the always accessible sovereign. After seeing him she returned triumphantly to thank the Due de Bassano for his good offices. In her gratitude she recounted the Emperor's kindness to her: "Ah, Monsieur," she said, "que 1 'Empereur est bon; il a bien voulu se mettre en redingote, parce- qu 'il ne voulait pas trop m 'impressioner." ^ The poor woman evidently thought that robes of state were always worn, and that the Emperor had only donned civilian clothes out of delicate regard for her feelings. In the evening after dinner the subject of au- diences again came up in conversation, and this time it was the Empress who told us her experi- ences. She said how trying the hours of audiences were, as she was obliged to give them standing. If once she allowed people to sit down, she found from experience she never could get rid of them. Women were the hardest to deal with ; they would 1 " Ah, sir," she said, "how good the Emperor is — he very kindly wore plain clothes — so as not to overawe me!" 84 DAILY EVENTS stick pertinaciously to their request however ridiculous. A country woman was ushered in one day and gave, with much excitement, the details of a great plot she said she had discovered — hidden bombs, etc., — and tried to intimidate the Empress, who suspected the woman's sincerity and the truth of her narrative. She tested the woman by turn- ing the tables on her, and in her turn frightening her. Feigning to believe her statements, the Empress told her that she would certainly be ar- rested for complicity in the j^lot. The terrified woman then threw herself on her knees and begged for mercy, confessed to her Empress that the whole story was pure invention, and that she had only taken this mysteriously threatening atti- tude for the sake of obtaining an audience; what she really wanted was only "U-ne pe-ti-te bas- til-le," which the Empress — mimicking her queer petitioner, — pronounced with a strong Marseil- lais accent, and which she told us meant merely, a little house. Here is another audience our hostess told us about, which showed how constantly she had to keep her wits about her, not to be hoodwinked. A very saintly-looking Dommican monk one day early in her reign craved admittance to her pres- ence in the Tuileries. It was neither the regular 85 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE day nor hour for audiences, but as the monk said he had come from the celebrated Pere Lacordaire, who was well known to the Empress and often sent her urgent cases for immediate rehef, the Dominican was welcomed and listened to. He made a very thrilhng appeal for his monastery. The Empress, who was much touched by his pathetic story of emergency regretfully admitted she had not at that moment in cash the sum re- quired, but she would try to obtain it, and send it to his address before night. This he did not seem to relish; said he was very sorry but that arrangement, unfortunately, would be of no use, as urgent circumstances obliged him to leave Paris before evening! The Empress in her im- pulse to help, then bethought herself of the Em- peror, who was busily working near by. She left the monk for a moment and went into the ad- joining room to ask her husband for an addition to the sum she herself had in hand, which was 1500 francs. The Emperor questioned her about the case, disapproved of her giving in this offhand way, and though always so generous himself, absolutely refused for once to help. Doubts having been thus raised in her mind by the Emperor's firmness, something in the monk's attitude as she reentered the room further aroused her suspicions of him. She noticed a certain dis- comfort in the way he walked; he entangled his 86 DAILY EVENTS legs as if not very much at home in his habit. As soon as the monk had left the palace, the Empress sent quickly for her chef de police and had the case investigated. No such Dominican was known to Pere Lacordaire ; the monk was just a dressed-up swindler. This was a lesson and made her less apt, she said, to act on sympathetic impulses without due inquiry first. Friday, March 5. At dinner we talked about nuns, monks and religious vocations. The Em- press said she thought, provided the vocation was real, that it was the happiest lot in life — with its absence of sordid care and anxiety, its peace, its quiet and regular work. She added, it was only steady occupation which made life bearable in her case. She asked a good deal about I. and F., and their respective convent and monastery, hav- ing evidently in mind to glean all possible in- formation which might be useful for her own monastery adjoining the Memorial Church. She declared she would probably decide to have Bene- dictines there in charge. Saturday, March 6. M. D 'Antas, the Portu- guese ambassador, came to pay his respects. The Empress started for Winsdor later, and we went as usual to the gymnastic class at Aldershot. Monday, March 8. Went up to London on the 12:45 train with M. and A. At Mme. 87 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE de Arcos's house we met the Empress, who was returning from Windsor. In the evening, owing to her return from Windsor, the Empress naturally told us a good deal about her visit, and the way she usually spends her time there ; the kind of hf e they lead at the castle ; some special visits in her private apart- ments; and the routine of the day. She ex- pressed her dislike to being dressed up — they change their costumes in the royal household four times daily, and to the quiet Empress it meant bustle and rush all day long.^ She told us, too, of the fuss and commotion caused by the break- ing of a drainpipe near her room, and how anxious the Queen was, — dreading typhoid, al- ready so fatal in her family. The Empress's party had to move over into another wing of the castle in consequence. She explained also, how frigid it always is at the castle, especially after dinner. The Queen's love of fresh air and cold is phenomenal, and a window is always open where she sits. This is hard on the ladies-in-waiting, who, in the evening of course, have to be decolletee in all seasons. 1 The Empress always (even in the heyday of her glory) put on early in the morning the dress she was going to wear all day, till she changed it for dinner. She expressed admiration for the English in this respect, as well as her dislike for the laziness of certain women of fashion, who spent half their waking hours at home in the negligees and tea gowns, which type of garment she thoroughly despised. 88 THE EMPRESS EUGENIE AXD NAPOLEON III WITH THE PRINCE IMPERIAL DAILY EVENTS The Empress told us an amusing little anecdote about Princess Beatrice, who, one particularly chilly evening, rather mischievously ran into the drawing-room ahead of her royal mother, quickly put the thermometer outside the window for a few moments and then hung it deftly back again in its accustomed place. The Queen, on entering the room, glanced mechanically at the thermom- eter, looked puzzled, and expressed her surprise at the low temperature registered. As soon as she had turned her back, the mercury naturally rose, but the Queen, once satisfied by her hasty glimpse at the instrument, sat down, perfectly un- aware of the trick played upon her, and the ladies had a more comfortable evening in consequence. Poor Princess Beatrice is nearly driven wild; she has so much given her to do and not half enough time to do it in. She is constantly at the Queen's beck and call and never even sits down to write a letter, so her imperial friend says, without constantly being sent for by her mother. Her only real leisure is after a nine- fifteen dinner and the later social reunion of the royal household at ten o'clock (every one stand- ing the while) . She and her husband then go to their own suite of rooms at 11 p. m., and enjoy each other's society and their absolute freedom. The Queen then regularly settles down to several hours serious work, which does not prevent her 89 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE from being up betimes ; and it behooves her ladies not to be lagging either. If she makes others work hard, she at least sets them a good example. Every state document passes under her own eyes and is thorouglily mastered by her. She keeps well up in current English, French and German literature, and is an excellent linguist, as indeed are all the other members of the royal family. Princess Beatrice in talking to the Empress about her husband. Prince Henry, and of Kai- ser William's persistently unkind treatment of him, told her "auntie" that when her betrothed went to announce his prospective marriage at Berlin, the German Empress, in audience, kept him standing like a stranger the whole time. Moreover, when because of his betrothal to an English Princess he sent in his army demission to the Kaiser, Prince Henry waited and waited in vain for the document to be ratified, and ap- parently his communication was taken no notice of. In the meantime, the day fixed for the wed- ding was approaching rapidly; he could delay no longer, so he decided to start for England, preter serinent a la Heine without the Kaiser's ratification, and shortly after the nuptial cere- mony took place. Kaiser William when he heard of it was per- fectly furious, as his telegram in answer to the 90 DAILY EVENTS Queen's announcement of Beatrice's marriage, to the German court, shows. All he replied to his royal and imperial grandmother was: "Je viens d'apprendre I'etonnante nouvelle." ^ His wife says that if Prince Henry were now to return to Prussia he would be liable to five years' imprisonment as a deserter. Princess Beatrice further told the Empress that he feels intensely the rude and unkind treatment he has been subjected to, and is so extremely amiable and unassuming that it comes doubly hard on him. "If he were a criminal," she added, "they could hardly treat him more scornfully!" Prin- cess Beatrice also spoke of her present anxiety about Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, Henry's brother. His relatives quite expect that he will be assassinated some day, and her husband has not the heart to open the telegrams, so she does it herself. The Queen, in many ways so domestic and simple, is a great stickler for etiquette and precedent, and certain forms of deference are insisted upon in her presence. This must try her ladies in more ways than one, for possessing great physical strength she sees no reason, for in- stance, why they should not, well or ill, stand almost indefinitely in her presence. The Em- press said it often made her own back ache sym- i"I have just heard the astonishing news." 91 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE pathetically, thinking about the poor maids of honor as they stood up hour after hour behind the Queen's chair. They were expected, too, whatever the weather, to take long walks with their royal mistress.^ The robust Queen was evi- dently unaware of the hardships these more deli- cate women underwent, for nobody could have been more usually considerate, kind or sym- pathetic, than she. As an instance of her thoughtfulness, the Em- press was much surprised, she told us, the first Friday she spent at Windsor, at finding a whole maigre dinner specially prepared for her. The service was so quietly and beautifully arranged that the many courses of the two dinners went on simultaneously, without any one noticing any- thing unusual but the one guest to whom the special dishes were presented. The table deco- ration on this particular day, the Empress re- called, consisted of blocks of ice in the center, sur- rounded by choice cut begonias. 1 The Queen while temporarily lame often drove in her private grounds, both at Windsor and at Osborne, in a bath chair drawn by a favorite donkey, and the Empress recalled many a time when she had walked by her side. One day in particular stands out. As the conversation between the two ladies waxed more and more interesting, the Queen unconsciously, if gradually, acceler- ated the speed of the donkey, till, getting no response to what she was saying, she turned in surprise to find even the quick- walking Empress speechless with lack of breath. The ladies-in-waiting cast a look of gratitude on the Empress, who, gasping for breath, explained the situation. 92 DAILY EVENTS Here is another anecdote lately told the Em- press by the Queen, herself, in course of conver- sation, and which her imperial guest brought back to us. It shows the Queen's independence of character, willingness to abandon precedent when it suited her. Very fond of primroses, and finding none in the royal gardens, she sent word to have some planted. The gardeners, the Queen said, made many objections, and finding shortly afterward that her wishes had not yet been car- ried out she despatched a royal messenger to inquire the reason. "I suppose Queen Anne had none," she said to the Empress, "so they did not think it proper for me to have any; but I sent them word promptly that Queen Victoria would have some — and she did/^ Tuesday, March 9. Today at lunch the Em- press showed us how the Queen eats her orange, and advised us to imitate her, — cutting a small hole in the top, removing the central pith with a very sharp knife, and then scooping out the juicy pulp with a spoon, leaving the rind intact. Since the Queen eats it thus, none of her ladies would dare depart from the conventional way, unless encouraged to do so by Her Maj- esty — who, to their regret, does not so encourage them. The girls and Mme. Le Breton went to a con- cert. I drove into Aldershot to make some in- 93 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE quiry for the Empress from Father Bellord,^ one of the army chaplains. A long, cold drive through the North and South camps and past all the barracks. After a warming cup of after- noon tea with the Empress, she took me into the cabinet de travail, where I had a long, interesting talk with her. She told me another story apropos of Windsor, about an impromptu visit the Empress of Aus- tria paid there some years ago. Empress Eliza- beth arrived one Sunday unannounced, while all the Queen's household was attending service. Every one was in a state of excitement as to what should be done under these unusual circum- stances. Divine service could not be interrupted, neither could the Austrian Empress be ignored. She had appeared suddenly on foot with a suite of fifteen persons, and remained walking about the grounds until the important members of the distracted court had collected their wits. After some cogitation the Queen left the chapel, went down alone to receive her inconsiderate and un- ceremonious guest and persuaded her to enter the castle. The Empress of Austria's large New- foundland dog followed into the drawing-room and jumped up on the sofa beside the Queen, to the secret delight of the unconventional Austrian monarch and the intense discomfiture of the punc- 1 Later on Bishop of Gibraltar, who has since died. 94 DAILY EVENTS tilious Queen of England. The animal, so Em- press Eugenie said, snarled every time its mis- tress was spoken to, but Queen Victoria, who it appears dislikes large dogs in the house, had to submit to the discomfiture out of politeness. This story was told her by the Queen herself, and the Empress added: " This was the Empress of Austria's way of paying off old scores." What she meant exactly by this last remark I do not know. A la suite of this, the Empress described to me an interesting ceremony she had witnessed years ago, and which took place either at the corona- tion, or as a New Year celebration, in which the Emperor of Austria, who is also King of Hungary, took the leading part. The Emperor, sword in hand, galloped up a small hill or mound, saluted the four quarters of the globe, and then rode down again. The cloak worn by him for this quaint ceremony had been in use many hun- dreds of years, and only Empresses are allowed to mend it; my Empress says it was shockingly cobbled and a disgrace to some of the imperial darners of bygone days. Tuesday, March 16. Anniversary of Prince Imperial's birthday. He would have been thirty years old had he lived. Very sad day for the Empress. Loving hands have put quantities of 95 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE violets, where generally one modest little bunch is to be seen, in front of his picture on the easel in the gallery. Passing by it, while going to and fro on our evening walk, the Empress told us about an illness of his at the same age as the Dauphin of France, and drew a kind of parallel between her son and the little Fils de France. "Mon pauvre petit garc^on," she said, "etait malade (tombe d 'un trapese et blesse a la hanche) au meme age, que le petit Louis XVII etait aussi gravement malade. Marie Antoinette a fait tant de neuvaines et a tant fait prier, que lui a gueri, — mais pour son malheur; moi, je n 'ai jamais une seule fois demande a Dieu avec les autres que mon Louis guerisse! Je ne pou- vais pas! — Une mere ne sait souvent pas ce qu 'elle demande au Ciel. Mon fils a gueri, lui aussi, — cependant il aurait mieux valu pour lui qu'il mourut enfant, au lieu de guerir pour — " ^ Here she burst out into smothered sobs, and did not finish what we all knew she meant to say, 1 " My poor little boy was ill — he had fallen from a trapezium and had injured his hip, — at about the same age that the little Louis XVII had also had a dangerous illness. Marie Antoinette made so many novenas and had so many prayers offered up that he, Louis XVII, was cured — but for his own misfortune. I never once, with all the rest of the people, asked God to cure my Louis — I could not ! A mother often does not know what she is asking of Heaven. My son recovered also — it would have been better for him, however, if he had died in childhood rather than recover to — " 96 DAILY EVENTS — "live to meet a savage death among Zulus!" She told us also of her growing feeling, since her son's death, of devotion to the Guardian Angels, of her gratitude toward them, and the comfort it is to her, to feel that they at least were with her boy when he was abandoned and dying. And, later on, talking of the Palace of the Tuileries, she said: "Je suis en somme contente que les Tuileries aient brule,^ car tous les derniers en- fants nes dans ce Palais ont ete maUieureux — le pauvre petit Louis XVII; Napoleon II (Roi de Rome) ; — mon fils." ^ She was not afraid of death, she explained, and she looked forward with joy to being reunited to those who had gone before her. "C 'est la foi, qui donne le courage de mourir [It is faith which gives us the courage to die]." She was glad to feel her son had been a thoroughly good young man, that she had no doubt whatever of his being in heaven. "Si je pensais que mon fils ne fut pas au Ciel, — je ne desirerais pas y aller," — and noticing me draw in 1 In one of the vitrines the Empress showed me one day a small delicate porcelain statuette of the Prince Imperial, which used to be in her bedroom at the Tuileries, and which, in a wonderful way, had escaped the flames and the falling debris of the burning palace. Loving hands had found it in some nook protected by a fallen column, and restored it to its former owner. 2 "I am after all glad that the Tuileries was burned down — for all the later children born in that palace were unfortunate, the poor little Louis XVII, Napoleon II (Roi de Rome) — and my own son ! " 97 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE my breath in quiet horror, she added : "C 'est peut-etre terrible a dire, mais franchement ce ne serait alors pas le Ciel pour moi." ^ ' Wednesday, March 17. His Excellency the Marques de Casa la Iglesia, Spanish ex-am- bassador, lunched here. The girls were de- lighted to hear and speak to a Spaniard again. In the evening apropos of various health re- sorts the Empress and Mme. Le Breton told us their experiences in Holland with Dr. Metz- ger, to whom they had gone for treatment for rheumatism. World-renowned for his wonder- ful cures by massage, with more patients than he could personally attend to, and an autocrat by nature, he would not waste time going to the bedside of any sick person. High or low, there- fore, journeyed thither to him, and at his hospital in Amsterdam he gathered a motley crowd — em- perors, kings, breadwinners, beggars, were all treated alike by the doctor, who, though kind- heartedness itself, handled them very roughly. The Empress told us how the patients had to wait their turn in order of arrival, in a series of little cubicles open at the top, and how nervous it made her as she heard Metzger coming along from one compartment to another and getting 1 " If I thought my son were not in Heaven, I should not wish to go there. — It is perhaps terrible to say so, but frankly, it would not then be Heaven for me." 98 DAILY EVENTS nearer and nearer, his progress along the corri- dor being marked by the screams of the sufferers under his skilful but rough hand. At last, after a few days, she could stand it no longer and got worked up to such a pitch of nervous tension that she feared she would have to give up the treatment altogether. After several interviews, however, between the famous masseur, M. Pietri and Mme. Le Breton, and on account of excep- tional circumstances, Metzger at last consented to a slight change, a wonderful and unusual con- cession. For the remainder of the course Her Imperial Majesty was allowed to take preced- ence over the other patients ; she was always put into the first cubicle and was thus spared the misery of daily suspense. Metzger charged one uniform fee and that a very modest one, to rich and poor alike. But he always welcomed, from those who could afford it, donations for his hospital and needy cases, and most of his patients in their gratitude gave generously. Thursday, March 18. Sir Evelyn and Lady Wood, Major Parsons and the Marquise de la Valette, lunched here.^ Dr. Scott came after 1 H. I. M. was agitated lest Sir Evelyn and Lord Wolsey should by some coincidence arrive on the same day; they were both expected about this time. They are rivals, if not open ene- mies, she says, and the meeting at her table would be awkward for all. 99 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE lunch and accompanied us to the gymnasium. The Prince of Wales with his eldest son, Prince Albert Victor, called on the Empress in the after- noon. During our evening walk, mentioning the Prince of Wales's visit of the afternoon. Her Im- perial Majesty spoke disapprovingly of his great severity toward his son, who is stationed at Alder- shot. The other young officers of his regiment are allowed to go off shooting and have occa- sional days off, but nothing of the kind for Prince Albert. Never a single day away from his regi- ment, except to be made use of in opening some public institution, or doing some of those things the royal family get such a dose of. His mother fears that so much severity may make her boy hate the army, and have a bad influence on him. Monday, March 22. General Lord and Lady Wolsey, Mme de Arcos, JNIrs. Vaughan and her niece lunched here. We showed the latter all over the house and grounds. The Due de Bas- sano left here at 10:19 for London en route to Paris, for a two months' leave of absence. Wednesday, March 24. The Empress went up to London. She told us on her return about her crossing Hyde Park just as the Queen's pro- cession happened to pass. A policeman, recog- nizing her, got a good place for her carriage to stand, saying, "I will arrange it all for your 100 DAILY EVENTS 'Ighness." He returned shortly after — having given the necessary orders — adding with much genuine unction, "I am so glad to see you, Ma- dame." Speaking of this little incident, brought out several reminiscences in om* evening conversation. It would seem that it was often those to whose gratitude she had the most claim, who proved to be totally lacking in nice feeling; while on the contrary she often met with gratitude from un- expected quarters, as the following examples show. In passing through Paris some years ago, the Empress told us she went over much of the same route she had taken during the eventful flight from the capital in 1870. Many of the officials recognized her; they looked carefully round first to see if they were observed, and when reassured, saluted her openly as of old. A woman at the railway station pressed up close to her one day, and in a touching way rapidly kissed the hem of her dress ; then disappeared in the crowd with- out a word. Another time in visiting incognita the chateau at Fontainebleau, she went about with the crowd, and was shown over the different apartments by the gardien. At last they came to some room very intimately connected with her son (probably his nursery), and turning away sadly, she gave 101 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE a last wistful look back before having to leave it. The gardien let the other people ahead drift away, and gently pushing her back into the room closed the door, whispering to her: "Madame, je reviendrai tout a I'heure [Madame, I will re- turn in a moment]." He had recognized the widowed mother and delicately wanted to procure her a few undisturbed moments with her memo- ries. A man at the Galerie du Louvre came up to the Princess Mary of Cambridge one day, and said to her: "Etes-vous anglaise?" — "Oui." — "Eh bien, vous devez alors connaitre notre Im- peratrice. Dites lui que . . . [naming himself] se souvient d'elle." ^ In connection with these anecdotes it might not be inappropriate to tell a somewhat similar experience of my own, when living in Paris at the end of 1886. It showed me once more how the memory of the Empress, and even more, that of the Emperor, lingers still undyingly in the minds of many of the French. Walking down the Champs Elysees one day with M. and J. de S., we stopped a few moments in front of a little toy-stall to buy some trifle. The choice 1 " Are you English?" — "Yes." — "Well, then you must know our Empress! Tell her that . . . thinks of her still." 102 DAILY EVENTS made, I handed J. a one-franc piece, which he tendered to the very sunburnt and wrinkled marchande. She scrutinized the coin closely, turned it over several times in her hands, and just as I thought bj^ her behaviour she might be about to return it to me as bad currency, she put it to her lips and began kissing it vigorously, saying, "Ah, mon cher Empereur! ma chere Im- peratrice! — Ah, qu'ils etaient bons — ah, helas! comme tout a change maintenant !" ^ The woman then rambled on volubly, making a great many comparisons between the Empire and the Republic; told us how the Emperor had often in the past stopped at her little stall to buy some toy for the Prince Imperial, and had alw'ays given her a gold piece in exchange for her wares. "Ah, — lui — il nous aimait bien, nous autres pauvres [Ah, he — he loved us well, we poor things]," she said, and much else in the sa-me strain. Having sufficiently drawn out her sentiments by listening interestedly to her, and recognizing her evident devotion, I could not resist the pleas- ure of telling her what I felt would please and 1 " Ah, my dear Emperor ! my dear Empress ! — Ah, how good they were ! — Ah, alas ! how all has changed now." 103 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE agreeably surprise such an enthusiast, namely, that I, who casually stood before her, knew her Empress intimately, and that I had only a few weeks previously left the hospitable roof of Farn- borough Hill. At this my marchande could not contain her astonishment and excitement, began kissing my hands, and to my utter surprise and discomfiture threw herself upon my neck and wept with joy, regardless of all the passers-by. After that her stall was never passed by us with- out a little friendly chat. I gave her a few vio- lets from the Prince's and Emperor's tombs, which made her supremely happy and proud, and we were always sure of a warm welcome from the faithful and genuine old creature. The next visit I paid to Farnborough, I told this little story to the Empress, who seemed much touched by it. Saturday, March 27. H. got here at 9:10 A. M. I went to meet her in the landau, which had just returned from fetching Mme. de Saulcy, who arrived on a visit by an earlier train. Sunday, March 28. Mme. de Saulcy returned to Paris after a stay of two days only. She is an old friend of the Empress's, another of the 104 DAILY EVENTS coterie of devoted women — femme si distinguee du spiritnel inemhre de VInstitut. She used to be a good deal at the Tuileries during the Em- pire. From a letter : Farnborough Hill. April 2, 1886. In spite of unpropitious weather, M. De- tailleur, the Paris architect who is building the beautiful little Memorial Church, crossed the English Channel and managed to arrive here. All day, naturally, the conversation turned on plans for the adjoining monaster}^, which is to be commenced at once, and having a Benedic- tine brother, I was constantly appealed to by the Empress as to the necessities for a monastery ! Next week Princess Beatrice and some other princesses are expected over from Windsor to see the Empress. If they come to luncheon we shall, of course, see them; if only for a call, perhaps we may not. However, time will reveal, and when I know more about the proposed visit, I will write you word. Speaking of visits from royalty in general, the Empress said this evening that they are now too ceremonious for her to enjoy. She hates her daily routine being interfered with, and a royal visit involves so much fuss. The princesses are 105 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE all extremely amiable and nice, but in her pres- ent state of nerves she would rather they stayed at home, excepting always, of course. Princess Beatrice, for "I am so fond of her," she said. Ordinary visitors, who come quietly and bring new ideas, are always welcome, and tlie Empress is as interested as ever in any new scientific theory or curious invention. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, April 6, 1886. My letters lately have been only hasty scribbles with little news in them, but this one will I hope be more interesting, as I have to tell you about the royal visit which took place yesterday. On Saturday we heard definitely that Princess Bea- trice was coming. Sunday, telegrams kept ar- riving all day, first saying that the royal party would come by carriage from Windsor, — then by train, — and then again later the hour as well as the route were altered. After a good many changes of plan and much fuss in the house, — servants rushing about, putting the awnings up and the carpets down at the entrance, — Princess Beatrice with Prince Henry of Battenberg and his sister, the pretty Countess of Erbach, arrived by special saloon train, getting here about one o'clock. The first greetings over, the Empress 106 DAILY EVENTS went out with her guests on foot, taking them up to see the new Memorial Church, and return- ing about 2 p. M. for luncheon. We, poor things, who had breakfasted very lightly at 8 A. M., were dying with hunger, and while wait- ing for the royal visitors to take off their things, wickedly wished them back at Windsor, or even at Jericho. As they passed up the gallery, on their way to the dining-room, they made a slight pause, and the Empress presented each of us separately to the Princess, her husband and sis- ter. We kissed Princess Beatrice's hand, and courtesied to her companions who were both very nice. The Countess is extremely distingue e, amiable and merry, and so is Prince Plenry. I was sitting next but one to him at lunch, and he chatted away and laughed a good deal with JNI. and myself. Princess Beatrice was very quiet indeed, and seems dull and out of spirits, "suppressed," the Empress says, from the con- stant restraint of the Queen's presence. She was very simply dressed, shabbily I might even say, as her mauve woolen tailor-made dress was faded and had lost its first bloom of youth. According to the Empress, Prince Henry keeps his wife (so well inured herself to all court etiquette) always on thorns, for he is unconven- tional and outspoken, and not in the very least awed by the Queen, as her own children appear 107 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE to be on the surface. At the risk of offending his royal mother-in-law he gives his opinion frankly, whenever he finds an opportunity, and P.rincess Beatrice never knows what he may say or do next. During luncheon two telegrams came to Princess Beatrice from "Mamma" at Windsor — giving the latest account of the Duchess of Connaught's condition. The Duke, it appears, is in a great state of anxiety, as his wife is seriously ill. Her weakness is something appalling. Even lifting her head in bed makes her go off in a swoon, wliich lasts for hours, and her anxiety to get well so as to be able to start with her soldier-husband for India in June only throws her back. The royal party left at 4:30, after having been shown the house and its treasures by the Empress herself. Again, before parting, we kissed Princess Beatrice's hand, which seemed to embarrass her, but as we had previously received our instructions the Princess had to fall in with the program as well as we. This time we shook hands with the others. A short drive took them to Famborough Station, where a special train was waiting to convey them to Ascot, whence they were to go by carriage to Windsor. Prince Henry was most amusing at lunch. Talking about his idea of London, he told us how deadly tired he was and how he hated going about continually opening this, that and the other insti- 108 DAILY EVENTS tution, and presenting prizes day after day. He said that last week, driving in a barouche to go to WhitechajDel, one of the horses sh'pped and fell, and during quite a long delay, while the men were getting the horse on to its legs again, there he was, surrounded by a highly aristocratic East End crowd! What made it most awkward was that some of the people looked very black at him indeed, and some few made faces, shook their fists and put out their tongues at him. He added, "It seemed hardly possible in decency to bow to them and take off my hat, in response to a tongue half a yard long," and still it had to be done. The Empress, in conversation about bowing to crowds and different incidents con- nected with this sort of salutation, urged its im- portance on the young people, ending with some- thing like, "Enfants, c'est comme cela qu'on gagne les coeurs [Children, that is the way to win their hearts]." To which Prince Henry re- sponded, smiling and thanking his hostess, and then addressing his wife : "Entends tu Beatrice ? — Je te dis tou jours que ne salues pas assez [Do you hear, Beatrice? — I am always telHng you, you do not bow enough] !" From my diary: After dinner and during our evening walk with the Empress, talking over our guests, she 109 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE began speaking about gatherings of people she had seen and been in, and dilated specially on the great mutability of a French crowd. She told me about a certain visit to Lyons, August, 1860, and the procession to the cathedral. The authorities begged H. I. M. not to go, as in the unsettled state of the town they had fears for her safety, but she scorned to change her plan. It proved a terrible drive, the horses walking all the way uphill in the midst of the menacing and gesticulating crowds. The Empress was alone in her open carriage with the little Prince Im- perial, both smiling and bowing all the time, till her own charm and his baby friendliness finally conquered the sullen populace, and so completely, that before arriving at the cathedral it had gradu- ally veered around and became sufficiently enthu- siastic to take the horses out of the carriage, and to drag it proudly and exultingly themselves. In the evening the crowds were cheering so vo- ciferously that they obliged her to leave the offi- cial dinner table and show herself on a balcony before they would be pacified. A ball was given that night at the Hotel de Ville, the courtyard of which was covered in with huge blocks of ice, and flowers in the center, as decorations. The heat was so intense that even one of the splendid, six foot Cent-gardes sol- diers in his gorgeous uniform fainted, and a gen- 110 DAILY EVENTS tleman in full dress got into the fountain, hoping to revive himself. When the tired Empress at last was able to go to bed, she could not sleep for the noisy demonstration still keeping up out- side. So she got up, took a lighted candle and appearing in flowing robes on the balcony, bowed to the assembled people, — and then blew out the candle. Their fancy was tickled at her dramatic manner of bidding them good night, and after one more rousing cheer, they took the hint and retired quietly to their homes. By going out on the balcony, overheated, in response to the clamor of the people, the Empress told us she caught a fearful cold. Prince Na- poleon suggested a remedy, — snuffing up water and opium. It was most efficacious, but a yellow nose all the rest of the journey was the unex- pected result. From a letter : Farnborough Hill. On Wednesday the seventh, I had a two hours' drive in the victoria alone with the Empress. She was so delightful, chatting the whole time about all sorts of interesting things. She in- quired very particularly about you. She gave me an account of how she eluded Bismarck's vigilance, and paid a visit to the Em- peror in the castle at Wilhelmshohe just after 111 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE the war; she was half-way back to England be- fore he got wind of the proceeding. Having first telegraphed to ask the Chancellor's per- mission to visit her husband, and being answered that if she did, she might be liable to arrest as a prisoner of war — she determined nevertheless to go at all hazards. She drove in greatest secrecy with her maid and the Comte Clary from Chislehurst to London; there she dismissed car- riage and attendant and went into the waiting- room alone, while Comte Clary bought the tickets. Reaching Cologne that night, they found they had missed the connecting train and had to remain in the waiting-room until the next morning. Finally they arrived at Wilhelmshohe and presented themselves before the governor, who, misled by her matter-of-fact boldness, never doubted but that the Empress and her escort had permission to enter the fortress. He received the travelers very courteously, had rooms prepared for them, and the Empress was able to see her husband undisturbed for several hours, and to talk over all their affairs together with his faith- ful friends, Dr. Conneau, M. Pietri and others, who were sharing his captivity with him. Late in the afternoon she retired to her room soi-disant to rest, sending word to the governor that she would like a pass to leave the castle a little later on, to go into the town and buy a few necessaries 112 DAILY EVENTS before dinner. The polite and unsuspecting gov- ernor granted her request at once and she lost no time, but started off immediate^ with Comte Clary, having already quietly taken leave of her husband. The two made straight for the station. There they inquired eagerly, when the very first train was to depart and where, and were told — to Hanover, which seemed a long way around, con- sidering London was their destination, but there was no help for it. They were hungry, not hav- ing had their dinner, but they did not dare delay or risk recognition by trying to buy food, or necessaries, though they had not so much as a hand bag or a traveling rug between them. The night set in bitterly cold. Regular traffic was suspended at the wayside stations, where they stopped often, and they had to walk up and down to keep warm, stepping as they did so over Ger- man soldiers, who were sleeping on the platforms while waiting for their trains.^ In the railway caiTiage, she and the Count had much difficulty in hiding their identity from in- quisitive and excited travelers, who insisted upon trying to draw them into conversation about the events of the day, fiercely criticizing the policy of the French Empire. Afraid to show their own knowledge of affairs, they neither dared to keep 1 They were being disbanded after the war. 113 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE too much aloof, for fear of exciting suspicion. One man would not be silenced ; he recommended hotels to the mysterious couple, and tried in every way to engage them in conversation, to put them off their guard, and to discover their names. Several times they were taken for General and Mme. MacMahon, and at The Hague were placed in a most awkward dilemma about rooms. The hotel-keeper, taking them for husband and wife, which they did not dare deny even had they been able to make themselves understood in Dutch, and the hotel being overcrowded, insisted upon giving them one room together. At the last gasp they barely got out of the difficulty by Comte Clary's explanation, in halting language eked out by many gesticulations, that they were brother and sister. They walked about the streets for some time next morning. The Empress was very anxious to have speech with her great friend, Queen Sophie of Holland,^ but the husband, Wilhelm III, was such an irascible man that H. I. M. feared to get the Queen into trouble by an open visit, and so the travelers began casting about for some way of making their presence privately known to the Queen. 1 First wife of Wilhelm III, formerly Princess of Wurtemberg, and first cousin to Plon-Plon and Princesse Mathilde through Catherine of Wurtemberg, wife of King Jerome (brother of Na- poleon I). 114 DAILY EVENTS Comte Clary no less than his companion looked so travel-stained and shabby that he was refused admittance to the castle, when he inquired for one of the ladies-in-waiting, known to him and of whom he meant to ask aid in his scheme. They were dejectedly turning away wondering what they had better do, when luckily the 'Queen's carriage drove past and although she had not the shghtest knowledge of the Empress's visit to The Hague, she had with one swift glance recognized her stately form. She drove on, however, seem- ingly oblivious of everything. But she had seen her, and on arriving home made it known that strangers were to be expected, for when the shabby couple presented themselves a second time at the castle, they were admitted immediately, al- though the halberdier evidently did not like their looks. They were taken up a small back stair- case to the private apartments of the Queen, where the Empress had a comforting talk with her friend. Soon the Empress heard steps ap- proaching, and she noticed that the Queen, always in deadly fear of her tyrannical husband, began to be very uneasy and restless. The Em- press said she herself was not in an over-comfort- able situation, when King Wilhelm suddenly walked in, and intensely surprised both ladies by his great and unexpected amiability toward both his wife and her visitor. The call passed off most 115 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE pleasantly, and when it came to an end the King himself gave the Empress his arm and conducted her ceremoniously down the grand staircase, at the bottom of which he gave her the roya*l salute — a kiss on both cheeks — in sight of the bewil- dered halberdier. The Empress told me she never should forget that guard's face on seeing the shabby woman whom he had so recently and scornfully repulsed, kissed by the King, by which token he knew im- mediately that she must be a sovereign. His ex- pression of dismay was so fear-laden and so ludicrous that the Empress burst out laughing in spite of all her anxieties. Comte Clary and she got back to London safely from this trip, and reached Chislehurst just eight days after leaving it, having been to bed only two nights out of the eight, nearly all the time without sufficient food. The Empress said she had managed the whole so quickly that Bismarck with all his keenness had no time to sus- pect, or frustrate her plans. Before the end of our drive we drifted into talking of second sight and kindred subjects, and the Empress told me about Malvina, the old ne- gress who had come over from the Island of Mar- tinique with Josephine de Beauharnais, wife of Napoleon I, and lived afterward with Queen 116 DAILY EVENTS Hortense at Arenenberg in Switzerland, and who was a clairvoyant. In a trance one day during Prince Louis Napoleon's absence from home ( supposedly on a hunting trip ) , M'alvina became very much excited and called out suddenly to her mistress: "Oh, je vois le Prince, — il se trouve dans une ville! Je vois de grandes mai- sons! ... II est entoure de soldats! All, mon Diieu! on le prend!" ^ This all turned out to be true. As soon as there was time for the ill news to travel, Hortense heard that her son's supposed hunting trip was only a blind in order to get off unhindered — a subterfuge to save her anxiety of suspense. In reahty he had hastily gathered a few faithful friends about him, had attemp.ted the coup d'etat of Strassburg which failed so sig- nally, and was at that moment a prisoner. This was on October 30, 1836. Louis Na- poleon was condemned by the French govern- ment to exile and banished to the United States. After some delay he was taken to Lorient, and there embarked on the frigate Andromeda, which sailed November 21, 1836. After a long tour via Rio de Janeiro by order of the government, he was put ashore at Norfolk and was there set at liberty March 30, 1837, after which he made 1 " Oh, I see the Prince — he is in a town ! — I see tall houses ! He is surrounded by soldiers ! Ah, God, they have seized him ! " 117 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE his way up to New York, where he lived some time. The Empress told me also the most thrilling story about the escape of Louis Napoleon later on, from the fortress of Ham,^ where he had spent several years. Without tremendous audacity, coolness, and that feeling of strong belief in "his star" that all would end rightly, he could never have dreamed of such a madly rash attempt, nor have succeeded in getting out safely in spite of all the jailers and sentries guarding him.^ The following story of a strange coincidence I heard at FarnJborough, but not from the Em- press's own lips. It touched on the chance which gave her one day (November 12, 1836), as a 3^oung girl, her first glimpse of her future hus- band. Taking her dancing lesson with the daughter of the Prefet de Police of Paris, M. Delessert, the children were allowed to go to the window to look out and see, — crossing the court- yard of the prefecture, — a prisoner just brought in for interrogation. It was Louis Napoleon, under arrest after the Strassburg affair. 1 He had been imprisoned there after a second coup d'dtat, which failed like the first. It was called L'affaire de Boulogne, August 6, 1840, and brought much ridicule on all concerned. 118 DAILY EVENTS From a letter : Farnborough Hill. On Tuesday, I think I told you, we had some Parisians to lunch, Count and Countess and Mile, de Pourtales. The mother used to be a re- no^^Tied beauty sous VEmpire, and is still very fascinating, so at least the Empress thinks, but we three girls talking it over afterward all agreed that the Empress herself was far more charming. All visitors who are not royal are generally shown over the house by us three, so I am beginning to be a regular walking catalogue of the different historical curios in the glass cases, the paintings, etc. M. says her aunt told her today she was going up to see Dr. Chepmell next week, so if I accom- pany them and the Empress should take the girls sight-seeing somewhere, I shall avail myself of the chance of paying you a visit. At any rate Easter is so near at hand now, that I suppose we shall meet soon. Young Prince Napoleon Mu- rat * is coming from his Jesuit college at Canter- bury, to spend his hoHdays, and I may be needed here, but the Empress with her usual kindness and thoughtfulness will manage, I am sure, to let me spend at least a few days with you in London. The other day the Empress lent me a most in- 1 Louis Napoleon Charles Achille Murat, born 1870, son of Prince Achille Murat (grandson of the King of Naples). 119 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE teresting book to read. It is one the Queen sent her lately, on the title page of which Her Majesty has written, in her usual clear, bold writing, the following words : Pour ma chere Soeur, I'lmperatrice Eugenie, de la part de son amie devouee, Victoria, R. I. The volume is very prettily bound in blue mo- rocco, and contains the account (taken from the Queen's diary) of the Emperor and Empress's visit to Windsor in April, 1855, and the subse- quent return visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, — "Vicky and Bertie" as she calls them always — with a huge suite to Paris, the following year. I cannot tell you how much it has inter- ested me, knowing personally so many of the people mentioned, besides being acquainted with a great many others by name, hearing them so constantly referred to here. I don't think much of the Queen's style, it is decidedly simple and commonplace, but she has said some very pretty and true things about the Empress, of whom she repeats over and over again that she finds her most charming — and with whom, she evidently was quite fascinated from the first, in spite of preconceived prejudices to which she owns quite frankly. 120 DAILY EVENTS In offering me the Queen's journal to read, and speaking of it and the visits themselves, the Empress told me incidentally, that things were done on a much more lavish scale for England's sovereigns in France, than for the Emperor and Empress in England. One ball alone given at Versailles for Queen Victoria cost 300,000 francs. The Empress also told me, at the same time, about another fancy ball at the Tuileries, in which all the gods of Olympus were represented. Francois de Noailles, son of the Due and Duch- esse de Mouchy, who was only a very little boy at the time,, represented Cupid. In the middle of the entertainment the poor child got so tired and sleepy that he cried and refused to personate the love-god any more, and had to be sent off to bed. From a letter : Farnborough Hill, April 11, 1886. Just a few words with some violets, which we have been picking in the walled-in garden near the greenhouse since tea, which Major and Mrs. Scott, and General and Mrs. Byrne took with us. We made a bouquet for the Empress, one for Mme. Le Breton, a buttonhole for M. Pietri, and a large bunch each for ourselves. I am sending you mine. 121 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE After picking the violets, we also took a few cuttings from some historic willow trees. These trees as small cuttings were brought back with great care by the Empress, when on her journey to Zululand in 1880, she stopped at St. Helena. She cut them with her o^\ti hand from the famous willow tree under which Napoleon I used fre- quently to sit and meditate — and they have now grown into quite large trees. A peach slip brought from the Cape at the same time, has also reached mature growth, but a peculiarity about it is that it insists upon keeping to its orig- inal African blooming time (about midwinter here ) . In seeing the willows and speaking of them, the Empress gave her personal reminiscences of St. Helena. She told us her ship The German touched there for a few days on the way out from England to Zululand.^ She described to us her reception on the island, and remarked how strange it was that she should be the first and 1 The Prince Imperial's funeral had taken place on July \-2, 1879, a short time before my arrival at Chislehurst. 1 rememlier the impression made upon me one morning after mass, the fol- lowing spring in the little Chislehurst church, at seeing suddenly a white hand coming out of the darkness and grasping the open iron-work door of the Prince's mortuary chapel, where his leaden cofSn was resting covered with wreaths. It was the Empress Eu- genie. She was inside making a farewell visit to her son's grave, and praying there, before embarking for the Cape, where she was going to visit the scene of his death, and find out all she could about his last moments. 122 DAILY EVENTS only Bonaparte to visit St. Helena since Na- poleon I's captivity there. On reaching the port the Empress was met by an old lady ^ who pre- sented her with a bunch of violets, telling her that as a little girl she had done the same thing for Napoleon I when he arrived at The Briars, where he stayed as a guest while "Longwood" was being made habitable for him by the British govern- ment. The old lady gave the Empress many in- teresting details about the royal prisoner, whom she had seen a great deal of, and remembered well. The Empress said that portions of the island are lovely, but Longwood House and its environs dull and uninteresting. The only part in which the Emperor was allowed to roam freely was a bare arid space like the bed of a crater, which it probably had been, and shut in on all sides. In front of his dwelling Napoleon, who was passion- ately fond of flowers, had planted a field full of pink geraniums, which he cultivated himself. He was given permission to ride, but finding him- self always closely watched and followed, he gave up availing himself of the privilege, such as it was. Sir Hudson Lowe refused him the use of 1 Evidently Mrs. Elizabeth Balcombe Abell, for, the account she gives in her book, Recollections of Napoleon at St. Helena (1844), which I have lately read, corresponds almost exactly with every detail the Empress told me that old lady had given her in 1880. 123 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE the Plantation House, wishing to occupy it him- self. Longwood House, the Empress said, was a low wooden building, very much like the officers' camp-huts at Aldershot, and wretchedly fur- nished. The Government House on the contrary was splendid, surrounded by luxuriantly fertile land. When Napoleon became seriously ill, the French asked that he might be removed to the better dwelhng of the two, but this was again re- fused. The Empress confided to me several times how keenly she felt England's ungenerous attitude toward a fallen foe. The climate of St. Helena the Empress found delightful, and, according to the old lady, storms were almost unknown. Never in her recollec- tion, so she told the Empress, had there been a violent storm, until the day of Napoleon's death. Napoleon's favorite walk was by a little stream, the water of which he drank and thought it bene- fited him. It ran through a grove, the willows near which he was buried two days after his death, and where his body remained till removed to France and entombed on the banks of the Seine, — ^that river which, in his own words, he "loved so well." When death released Napoleon I from his captivity on INIay 5, 1821, Longwood House was shut up and dismantled. At the time of the Empress's visit, there remained in the death chamber only a railing around the place where the 124 DAILY EVENTS great man's bed had been, and a bust in the center with many wreaths surrounding it. From a letter: Tuesday. On Saturday we had a Mr. and Mrs. Russell to lunch. He used to write for the Times, and the Empress says he was merciless toward herself and her husband in 1870. He has a charming little wife, an Italian, daughter of the Countess Mal- vezzi, who used formerly to be invited to the Tuileries and the house parties at Compiegne. Mr. Russell is a most intelligent man, and enter- tained us mightily the whole of lunch. He it was who wrote those interesting descriptive articles on Ischia at the time of the disaster there some years ago. He had a narrow escape himself, leaving the island only a few hours before the oc- currence of the earthquake, which swallowed up all his friends. Wednesday, April 14. Lunch at 11 :30. The Empress went to London on business with M. Pietri, and we girls took a drive to Aldershot where we saw two races; the horse which was just winning, stumbled in leaping the last hurdles, threw its rider, and fell on him. Dr. Scott, who was with us, ran off at once to offer his assistance. 125 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Thursday, April 15. Before returning home on Wednesday from London, the Empress went to Marshall and Snellgrove's and chose some very pretty white dinner dresses for the girls, and yes- terday after dinner she was telling us about all the pretty things she had seen. While I was dressing this morning there came a knock at my door and in walked Mme. Pelletier, saying Her Majesty had sent her to take my measurements, that she might also choose me a pretty dinner dress at Marshall's, and wanted to know what color I 2)referred. The Empress meant to give this as a surprise Easter egg, but Mme. Pelletier was obliged to tell me beforehand because of the needed measurements. From a letter : Farnborough Hill, April 16, 1886. The week has gone so quickly, that here is Friday evening and I have not written you in time; I fear you will be anxious. The dinner gong has sounded already and we are all wait- ing, but fortunately for me the Empress has been busy with JNI. Pietri, who starts for Paris tomor- row morning, and she has only this minute gone up to dress. I shall just have time to scribble this and send it off as it is, without any further news though, as H. I. M- positively dresses in 126 DAILY EVENTS five minutes (we have more than once timed her) — helas, here she comes! From a letter: Farnborough Hill, Sunday, May 2, 1886. It is now a quarter past four and as yet I have not had a minute to write to you, for after church this morning we went out into the woods till lunch; immediately after which the Empress asked me to trace out some plans of houses from a book she has for her architect in Paris. I have only just this minute finished, and must hurry that this may leave tonight. I thought so much of you, dear G., during the return journey, and wondered yesterday how you were getting on. Mr. Wilmot's book about South Africa and the Zulu war, which was given me to read in the train on starting, is most interesting. I read the chap- ters about the Prince Imperial's tragic death and the subsequent court-martial of Captain Carey. Arrived here safely about six o'clock, and found every one glad to see me back. The Empress I did not meet till dinner, and then she inquired very kindly after you, and wanted to know all the London gossip, etc. She said, in fun, that it was shameful of me not to bring back a large stock of news from the capital to "nous autres pauvres campagnards [to us poor country 127 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE folk]." They are rather dull down here and much in need of new faces on the scene, and a change of ideas. Visitors will be hailed with de- light by all and several are expected soon, I hear. In telling how deadly monotonous the country could be, the Empress remarked that she thor- oughly realized now the truth of the saying, which some old aunt of hers used frequently to repeat in her childhood, that anybody who lived buried deep in the country, away from all communica- tion with town and the intellectual life going on there, after a time became hete, sale et gourmand. They would first stagnate mentally, then become careless in their clothes and habits, and finally greedy, looking forward to meals as events of un- due importance in the monotony of the day. Wednesday, May 5. The Empress was born sixty years ago today. No reference to the anni- versary was made, as birthdays are not in favor here. One evening, however, some time ago, the Empress in speaking of her chequered career, had already told us about her coming into the world in the midst of an earthquake, exactly five years after Napoleon I had closed his eyes on the world she was entering. "La nature meme sem- blait vouloir des le commencement rendre ma vie orageuse!" was her comment.^ 1 " Even Nature herself seemed to wish from the beginning to conspire in making my life a stormy one." 128 CATHULIC (HUUCil AT CHISLEHUKST INTERIOK OF CATUoLK ( 111 l;( 11 AT rlUSLKHCKST DAILY EVENTS From a letter : Farnborough Hill, May 5, 1886. It is after tea time and they are all gone out for a drive in the various carriages, but not hav- ing had a minute to myself for ever so long and wanting to answer your two letters, I have re- mained behind, and am now sitting outside en- joying the fine weather and the lovely view. We simpty live out of doors in a tent. It is one of those the Empress took with her, and lived and slept in, during her up-country journey from the Cape to Zululand in 1880. The wicker chairs also, and lounges, are the same she used during the months of her stay in South Africa. We are most comfortably installed, have a table and all our books, and it is for the time being a regular sitting room, and a very pleasant one. Little Prince Napoleon Murat is still here. He is a nice, simple schoolboy, and very bright and amusing when alone with us, but rather sub- dued with the Empress. He returns to his col- lege on Saturday morning. The day before yes- terday we had a long drive of two and a half hours with him. We formed quite a procession of carriages, the Empress and Mme. Le Breton in the victoria; M. and A. driving with a groom in one dogcart; Prince Napoleon and myself, with another groom behind, in a second dogcart, 129 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE the Prince and I driving alternately and he giv- ing me many points. We drove Umgeni, a small saddle horse the Empress brought from Zulu- land and which she prizes highly. Glad H. saw the procession of the Queen at the opening of the Colonial Exhibition. I have not had a minute to look at a paper, but hear it all went off very well, and it appears the Queen was much pleased with the reception given her. She wrote herself to the Empress this morning to tell her so. From a letter : Farnborough Hill, May 9, 1886. Lack of time again, helas ! In the morning it was decided that the Empress would go to town to see her doctor, taking Mme. Le Breton and M. with her. Just as we were leaving our tent for a very early luncheon, at 11 ;30, on the Empress's account, Mme. Le Breton came to ask me to change my dress quickly as I was to go in her place, since I was better equipped than she for a shopping expedition. At 12:30 we started from here, accompanied by Mouron, the footman, who always goes up to town. A private carriage was waiting for us at Waterloo Station. We only returned by the 5:45 train, dividing all that time between Dr. Chepmell and some of the lead- ing shops, choosing all sorts of pretty things for 180 DAILY EVENTS the girls. I was pilot, interpreter and bursar of the expedition. Hoping to preserve her incog- nito, and thereby save herself from extortion, she insisted on speaking English to me on these occa- sions, till I gently suggested that our usual lan- guage would perhaps attract less attention. The Empress must have been quite tired out, for even we active young people had had all we could stand, and were delighted to get home again. We had traveled up in the morning with General Fielding. The girls had asked their uncle to send me some Spanish music from Madrid as a little gift for the seventh, but no one else knew of my birth- day, — they are not a la mode here. Even A.'s the other day, though known to all, was paid no attention to. We take our morning walk now directly after breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30, it being too hot at noon. Then we go to our tent and work till lunch at one o'clock, after which we again retire to our open air study-room till a quarter to five and then come the "month of May devotions" in the chapel. After tea at about a quarter before six, the Empress, if well, goes out for a good brisk walk, taking any one of us who cares to join her. Dressing for dinner follows, which is at eight, and the usual evening all together. This is our present program, modified to suit the warm 131 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE weather, so you can follow us through the day if you wish. On Thursday the five ladies and Prince Murat drove to a verj^ pretty winding canal near here, called the Basingstoke Canal, where we hired two boats of which there are numbers. The Prince and M. went in one, A. and myself in another, the Empress and Mme. Le Breton walking abreast of us along the bank, bewildering us with conflicting directions, and the carriages following a short distance behind. M. and her companion got on famousty, for he is a good oarsman, but A. not being able to row, all was left to my exertions, and my own very slight knowledge of the art. In consequence we soon got behind, so Mouron was i3ut into our boat to help, and before the hour and a half was over we were far ahead of our rivals. It was lovely on the water, — the officers' canoes gliding about, the pretty surroundings, and the setting sun made a charming picture. Tuesday, May 11. M. de Varu, military at- tache to the French Embassy, lunched here today. Thursday, May 13. M. and A. were away at a concert. I remained at home alone with the Empress and had a long and interesting tete-a- tete with her at tea time. She began by talking over the news of the day and her fears of a war between England and 132 DAILY EVENTS France. She gave as her opinion, that war is certain if England does not evacuate Egypt ; that everything points to a rupture. France with over a milhon soldiers does not fear to engage a small number of troops, she said, but will not quarrel with Germany. She seemed very much excited over the French newspaper she had been reading and said: ^ "Nous touchons a un temps terrible, a un boule- versement-complet de la societe. Tout est use — il n'y a pas moyen que cela continue a marcher comme cela en Europe; il faut un changement absolu. Tant qu'on avait de la religion on etait resigne et on souffrait en esperant le Ciel, mais maintenant le nombre des mecontents s'augmente de jour en jour, et bientot ils auront le dessus, et si je vis quelques annees encore, je suis sure que nous en reviendrons a dig, dig, dig! ^ II faut ime revolution complete, et c'est maintenant qu'il faudrait un genie pour arranger les choses car si la reforme vient d'en haut, ce sera bien, mais si elle vient d'en bas (du peuple) , nous verrons une epoque terrible, mais elle sera courte et alors I'equilibre se retabhra. Pour le moment, il n'y a, a mon avis, que I'emigration. Si j'etais libre, 1 This seemed so interesting to me at the time, that I wrote down the words as nearly verbatim as I could remember. - Here she made a vigorous gesture as if digging, implying that European affairs had reached such a pitch of social tangle, that we should have to go back to primitive methods again before things could properly readjust themselves. 133 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE je dirais adieu pour tou jours a cette vieille Eu- rope degeneree, pour trouver une nouvelle vie dans les pays non-civilises." ^ Then we drifted somehow into talking of the unpleasant treatment the Empress had met with from Belgium and the kindness of some other nationalities. Belgimn, she said, was the only country where she met with rudeness after her troubles. On one journey from Dover to Os- tend on board one of the government steamers, commanded by retired naval officers, she had en- gaged a private cabin — the captain's. On her being recognized, the officials refused to let her have it, on the pretext that they had no right to assign it to her. It remained unoccupied the en- tire voyage, and the Empress stayed on deck all night without shelter, not choosing to go below to the one common saloon. This was, she said, only one of many discourtesies offered her by this na- 1 "We are verging on a terrible time, a complete upsetting of society. All is worn out, — it is not possible for things to con- tinue going on as they are now in Europe; there must be an absolute change. As long as people had faith to count on, they were resigned, and they suffered and hoped for Heaven — but now the number of malcontents is increasing from day to day and soon they will get the upper hand. And if I live a few years more I am sure we shall come back to dig — dig — dig! There must be a complete revolution — it is now that the advent of a genius would be welcome to readjust matters, for if reform come from above, it will be all right, but if it come from below (from the populace), we shall see a terrible epoch — but it will be a short one — and then the world's equilibrium will be reestab- lished. If I were free, I should say goodby forever to this old degenerate Europe, to find a new life in non-civilized countries." 134 DAILY EVENTS tion. Leopold II was the only sovereign who did not go into mourning with his court at the Emperor's death. He absolutely refused to do so. She spoke very frankly of her personal dis- like and mepris of the private character of Leo- pold II. He was narrow and mercenary. She knew him well, for he spent a whole month with his suite at the Elysee Palace in Paris at the Emperor's expense. "II est si mielleux s'il veut quelque chose de vous; et puis il ose si peu moralement," ^ she said finally. She told me what she thought might be the origin of Leopold's marked hatred of France. The then French ambassador and Bismarck met somewhere at a dinner; after the meal they sat talking in a friendly way about the aflFairs of Europe, and jokingly named what each would like to "gobble up" for his country. When the Iron Chancellor had finished enumerating the slices of Europe he coveted, the French ambassa- dor gave his list, naming Belgium among others. Bismarck feigned not to understand clearly, and pushing pen and ink toward the Frencliman, asked him to draw a little map, so as to explain his meaning better. The ambassador fell into the trap and made a httle rough drawing, which the crafty Chancellor immediately pocketed. 1 "He is so fair-spoken if he wants something from you; and then, he has so little moral courage." 135 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE This little sketch Bismarck unscrupulously- showed to several people, and the affair ulti- mately got to Leopold's ears. He never forgave the offense. The Empress then went on to tell of the kind- ness of other nationalities, from whom she had less reason to expect it — of the great deference and courtesy shown her everywhere while travel- ing through Germany, and the very cordial visit paid her there, at great personal inconvenience to themselves, by the Crown Prince and Princess. She mentioned also the Czar of Russia's friendly visit to her at Chislehurst, and his trip afterwards to Woolwich to see the Prince Imperial, who was pursuing his course of military training there. From a letter : Farnborough Hill, May 13, 1886. Well, I have not yet told you that M. was al- lowed by her aunt to go to a grand ball given by the officers last week, so now that it is known she goes out a little, there will be plenty of invita- tions, this being the very gayest season here. The other day five tickets came from Sir Howard Elphinstone for a play at the Royal Engineers' Theatre. Mme. Le Breton did not wish to go, it being in English ; A. also refused for the same reason, but M. was delighted, and when the Em- 136 DAILY EVENTS press asked me if I would care to go, I accepted with pleasure. General and Mrs. Byrne dined here at seven, and at eight they, M. and myself started for Aldershot. The acting was excep- tionally good and the music too (the Engineers' band from Chatham). It was a nice little the- ater, very well arranged and managed entirely by Sir Howard. The combination of the officers' uniforms and ladies evening dresses was very pretty. We had some of the best seats in the front row, and quite near us sat Prince Albert Victor of Wales in his hussar uniform. He came in with Lady Elphinstone. Tomorrow there is to be a review, and I think there will be several carriages going from here, so we shall all go. It will be a novel and interesting sight. The Em- press and I will have the Mois de Marie to our- selves today, and tea also, as M. and A. have gone out with Mme. Le Breton. Tomorrow she will be left quite alone. Later : I broke off in the midst of describing last night's performance, and never told you how much M. and I enjoyed the play. At 11:45 p. M. we left Aldershot, and at 12:30 were home; the whole household was in bed when we were safely deposited in the hall. All late comers are let in by the night watchman, an officially appointed policeman, who perambulates through the house all night. The Empress has had the 137 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE same man ever since she arrived in England, now sixteen years ago. When the Imperial house- hold moved from Chislehurst here, the Queen allowed him to follow. He has now been trans- ferred exclusively to the service of the Empress. During tea the Empress and I had a long tete- a-tete and she told me many interesting things, mostly about Spain and Italy. One old Span- ish custom she spoke of was most probably a very useful one: The Vicaire of the parish church always goes the day before a wedding and interviews the girl who is going to be mar- ried, asking her in private if she is really taking the step of her own free will. If she says "y^s" it is all right, and the ceremony takes place, but if she says "no" he conducts her to a convent till the appointed day is past, and the disappointed and unprincipled relatives have regained their equanimity and good humor. Then talking of the present rage for dressing children in sailor and Highland costumes, the Empress said that at one time the fashionable way for boys to dress in Spain was like monks; and in her youth during a revolution the fashion was changed to Guardlas civiles. On Maundy Thursday, in honor of Our Lord's washing the feet of the Twelve Apostles, the feet of twelve poor men are washed and afterward a dinner is given to them in the royal palace. Each 138 DAILY EVENTS man brings with him a large basket, into which he is allowed to put everything that is presented to him in the way of food, and even the dishes, plates and spoons that go with it. The men do not attempt to eat the meal, but being permitted to take it away, find it more profitable to carry it off and to sell it. The money received will buy them many ordinary dinners. It is a custom among people of good family, who wish to eat a dinner from the royal kitchen, to buy these baskets and their contents ; and servants in livery may be seen waiting in line outside the palace gate for this purpose. It is also the Spanish queen's prerogative on that one day of the year to pardon a criminal sentenced to death. The Empress then went on to speak of Ital- ians, and to draw a parallel between their char- acteristics and those of the Spaniards. The Ital- ians, she feels, are the greatest natural diplomats in the world, and are the most pleasant people to mix with socially, much more so than the French — "mais, je ne leur confierais ni ma fenmie, ni ma fille, ni mon argent." ^ The Spaniards even of the lower classes (Castilians), on the contrary, have the greatest natural sense of honor and loy- alty. Business matters of the greatest impor- tance are transacted only by word of mouth and 1 "But I would not confide to their care my wife, my daughter, nor my money." 139 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE a clasp of the hands. This is considered suffi- cient guarantee. You can also, she says, reach them by politeness and make them do heroic and difficult things by simply appealing to their honor. As an example, the Empress told me the story of some official she knew of as a girl, who had charge of a great sum of money in gold. His house was surrounded and attacked by a revolutionary mob. Completely at their mercy, and not being able to defend his trust single- handed, he bethought himself of some way to save it. He asked speech with the chief of the band. Addressing him and his followers politely as cahalleros, he handed the keys of his house to the ringleader, saying that he "trusted to their honor" not to touch or hurt anything. This worked like a charm. They went away proudly, never hav- ing touched a single thing. Education in Spain, the Empress says, is mak- ing rapid progress now, but the nation at large still remains very ignorant, though they often make up for their educational deficiency by an astonishingly great amount of natural wit. "The Marquesa — , my father's sister, who lived to a very advanced age, was most ignorant scholastically, — knew nothing, and did not want to learn, — but still she was able to fascinate and hold the attention of young and old by her witty conversation, and had a most interesting salon." 140 DAILY EVENTS With some malice the Empress also told me that there is a very appropriate portrait of her aunt by the celebrated painter, Goya. She is de- picted holding a closed book. Once on hearing Napoleon I mentioned as a great general, she showed her utter and astounding ignorance of Spanish history and its heroes, with whom even the peasants are familiar, by evidently mixing him up with el Gran Capitan,^ and saying with some astonishment: "But Napoleon must be very old!" This same Marquesa speaking of her father-in- law, who lived on and on to a great and appar- ently interminable old age, said, wittily, if not very reverently: "Je savais bien qu'il y avait un Pere Eternel; mais je ne savais pas qu'il y eut un beau-pere eternel! " ^ That same evening after our long talk at tea time, the Empress resumed the subject of Spain and told us about her very earliest recollections. One of the first things she remembers is the chol- era in Madrid, and the terrible fear everyone had of it. She called to mind perfectly the dead cart coming around morning and evening to carry away its gruesome load. An association of gen- tlemen, of whom the Count de Monti jo, her 1 Gonsalvo de Cordova, 1453-1515. 2 "I knew there was an Eternal Father — but I did not know there was an eternal father-in-law." 141 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE father, was one, was formed to assist in burying the numerous dead. Ignorance made the wrought up populace distrust everyone who went near a fountain of poisoning it, and the perplexed government found it convenient, so as to allay their fears, to allow the unprotected monks to be suspected and massacred by the enraged mob for three days unhindered. From the windows of her house Eugenie Monti jo one day saw a monk fleeing from an assassin, caught by his hood and stabbed. The awful picture of the spouting stream of blood haunted her for all the years of her childhood ; it recurred in every bad dream and even nowadays, she said, the sight of a friar al- ways instantaneously brings back to her mind that horrible scene. She remembered, also, during a revolution, a journey en diligence to Barcelona ^ for safety, with her sister, mother and little brother Paco, protected by torreros; and told us how the Jesuits and others had all escaped being killed, through the power the ringleader of the mob possessed over it. En route the Montijos took refuge in a monastery one night, and after their departure the next day, they heard that their late hosts, the monks, were all murdered. The family next 1 This flight of the Montijo family from Spain must have been that of July 29, 1834. 142 DAILY EVENTS stopped at a lazaretto. They had a sauf conduit to go on further, but this did not apply to the torreros or other fugitives who accompanied the party, and these were held. A riot ensued among the bullfight-loving people there, to have at least the favorite torreros released, but these favorites gallantly said it was no use releasing them alone, as they would positivelj'' give no bullfights unless all of them were set free, so to obtain their fa- vorite sport, even in the midst of a riot, all were let go and escaped in that way. Here is one more anecdote the Empress told about herself as a young girl, showing the effect of youth and womanhood on the chivalric, roman- tic Spanish people. This is how Eugenie swayed the feelings of the crowd in favor of Queen Isa- bella. It was at a time when the revolutionary feeling was again rife and people made menacing gestures while the Queen was passing. Eugenie Monti jo, driving at the time with her cousins in an open carriage, sensed the situation, waved her handkerchief with particular emphasis as the Queen passed, while the latter continued bowing to the scowling crowd. Eugenie, indignant at their disrespectful attitude, called out, rather peremptorily, to some men near her own carriage: "Take off your hats!" They looked up at her for a moment astonished, and then said smilingly, 143 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE "Como podriamos rehusar algo a esa chica [How could we refuse anything to this girl] ?" and dropped their sullen way as by a charm. The Empress added in telling us this, "L'Espagne est le pays de tout autre, oij la femme est reine, pourvu qu'elle soit jeune et jolie! " ^ Monday, May 17. At 4:30 during tea time, a telegram came from the Queen of Spain, an- nouncing the birth of a son. Later on another telegram from Queen Victoria, repeating the same news. These are copies of the answers sent by me at the Empress's request, one of which went to Ex-Queen Isabella, grandmother to the new-born infant : -'A la Reine Isabelle d'Espagne, Hotel de Castille, Paris. Je felicite Voire Majeste de la naissance du roi. J*espere que cet heureux evenement adoucira la douleur Voire Majesie.^ Comiesse de Pierrefonds. To the Queen, W^indsor. Thank you kindly for sending the welcome news from Spain. It has given me great pleasure. Comiesse de Pierrefonds. 1 "Spain is the country of all others where woman is queen — provided she is young and pretty." 2 I felicitate Your Majesty on the birth of the King. I hope that this happy event will soften Your Majesty's grief. 144 THE EMPRESS EUCENIE From a Sevres miniature DAILY EVENTS From a letter : Farnborough Hill, May 18, 1886. I suppose the birth of Queen Christina's little son is in all the papers today. The poor little fatherless king, who succeeds to the throne, was born at 12:30, and at 4:30 we knew of the event here. The arrival of the telegram started the Em- press telling us many things about Queen Chris- tina. She spoke sympathetically about her lonely position as queen, widow and mother; of what a responsible task she has before her as regent in governing wisely a restless country, where an Austrian archduchess would not natur- ally be liked; how fine and intelligent a woman she is, how well she has brought up her daughters, and with what tact she is winning her way gradu- ally with the people of her adoption. The chivalry of the nation is appealed to by her fine, dignified way of meeting the situation and its dif- ficulties. Then the conversation turned upon the mother- in-law, ex-Queen Isabella, who now lives in Paris — her former great popularity, and how she has not the slightest particle of rancune against any- body. "It was left out of her nature. She still has tr^s grand air" Her irrepressible uncon- 145 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE ventionality was shown by her meeting with Don Amadeus ^ in a Paris salon. She waved her hand and called out to him across the room, "Hola compadero, que tal (Hello comrade — how goes it) !" The following story about Queen Isabella and the Infanta Eulalia, was meant to illustrate the former's courage and thoughtfulness of her sub- jects. She and her daughter were driving, the Empress said, during some disturbed period of her reign when her popularity was on the wane. There were constant menaces from the crowd, who even pelted the carriage, but the two ladies continued bowing, apparently unconcerned. Is- abella might ver}' reasonably just then have been thinking of her own safety and her daughter's, but standing up and with real anxiety in her voice, she called out to the coachman, who had to force his way through the gathering crowds: "Take care, go slowly, do not crush anyone!" In a few minutes this act of courage changed the menace into enthusiasm. Some one in the crowd called out, "Que valiente es esa! Vive la reina [How courageous she is! Long live the queen]." Isabella returned home to the palace, not in the least frightened nor ruffled by the episode. 1 Amadeus, Duke of Aosta, elected King of Spain in 1870; re- signed 1873. Then came Alfonso XII. 146 DAILY EVENTS The Empress remarked that Isabella had much natural nobility of mind and heart; spoke of her ignorance and lack of pohtical education, — in her absolute naivete she was made to do all sorts of harm as the tool of unscrupulous people. When dethroned and expelled from Spain,^ she arrived at Biarritz, with her son Alfonso. The Empress and Prince Imperial went to meet them, and the two boys, wholly alive to the situation and white as sheets, embraced and cried in each other's arms, while Isabella remained perfectly cheerful and insouciant, as if no distressing event had taken place. Isabella's generosity, and independence of pub- lic opinion were also touched upon. In 1870, when Napoleon III was a prisoner in Wilhelms- hohe. Queen Isabella dared to telegraph openly to him in his prison: "Tous mes bijoux sont a votre disposition si vous en avez besoin [All my jewels are at your disposal, if you need them]," and she meant it, the Empress added. In spite of her utter failure politically as a sovereign, she had many fine qualities as a woman, was the warmest of friends, and would wiUingly have been as good as her word and have sold every jewel she possessed to come to the assistance of 1 Flight to France, September, 1868. Deposition declared Sep- tember 29. She abdicated in favor of her son Alfonso, June 25, 1870. 147 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE the Emperor. The Duchesse de Montpensier (the Infanta) is so different from her mother, with a nature so bitter against everybody. The Empress told us about the Infanta's rudeness to her at a fancy fail* some years ago. From a letter: Farnborough HiU, May 18, 1886. Now about Friday last. I have already told H. that we enjoyed the field day very much, that it was most interesting, and gives one a very tolerable idea of what a terrible thing a battle must be. Thursday night a letter came from General Fielding saying that the Duchess of Connaught and the Grand Duchess of Oldenburg would drive over from Bagshot Park and would start again from Farnborough station at 10 A. M., that we must follow the royal carriage everywhere to the places reserved for us, so that we might see to the best advantage. Every one was punctual, and the scene a most animated one ; the road filled with soldiers of all sorts, infantry, cavalry, and artillery with all their heavy guns and ammunition carriages. Some of the horses were beautiful animals. All along the road there was a mounted escort for the Duchess, and when we arrived at what is called Long Valley, six miles from here, we found the scene a very busy 148 DAILY EVENTS one indeed — officers dashing past like the wind, regiments appearing and disappearing behind the hills and into the woods, and the booming of can- non in the distance. General Fielding com- manded the South Force, and Major General Sir Drury Lowe, the attacking force, supposed to have marched on Aldershot from London. The great feature of the day was the taking of the pontoon bridge over the Basingstoke Canal, and the firing was very heavy there. From a hill overlooking the valley and surrounding coun- try, where our carriages were stationed, we saw splendidly. While we were standing with all the other people, who had alighted from their ve- hicles and were chatting in groups, Lady Bm*- goj^ne introduced me to Mrs. and Miss St. Quen- tin. Sir Howard Elphinstone and Surgeon- ]\Iajor Scott rode up and spoke to us. The noise even in the distance was very great, but nothing to what it was later when the supposed enemy came to capture our hill, and soldiers were swarm- ing up the steep heather covered sides like ants. There were hundreds of them and we had to get out of the way as best we could, but there was no danger, as they used, of course, only blank cart- ridges in their rifles. The noise was deafening when the artillery pulled their guns to the top of our hill and thundered at our make-believe ene- mies below, and there was great excitement, as 149 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE the vibration from the cannon was so great that it made every one jump. Some ladies were very much startled, especially when a few horses who did not understand the fun, began to rear and plunge and try to get away. The Empress's horses never moved a muscle, but those of the Duchess of Connaught, considering everything, were not so well behaved. One brougham, which had been stupidly placed just behind the artillery had its windows smashed in at the first discharge. Fortunately, its occupants were on foot at the time, as was indeed everyone else, and so no one was hurt. At one o'clock "cease firing" was sounded, the fight was supposed to be over, and the carriages proceeded down into the valley to see the troops march past. We were in an enclosure quite near the royal carriages all the time, and as the union jack was planted there, and the spot became a center for all the bands, too, it was very ani- mated. The saluting of the officers as they passed was very pretty. The Duke of Con- naught and the Grand Duke of Oldenburg in his light blue uniform, with several generals, re- mained on horseback throughout. The Duchess bowed to us and the Duke rode up and spoke to us. We were not home till 2 : 30, and the poor Empress and Mme. Le Breton, who had re- mained behind, were famished. The former had 150 DAILY EVENTS thoughtfully sent us word by a mounted groom not to hurry home, which was very kind of her, but even had we wished to try it, we could not have made our way through the dense throng of troops. There were in all nearly seventy thou- sand soldiers out that day, and with the beauti- ful horses of the artillery and the bright uni- forms of the regiments, it was an impressive sight, which I shall never forget. The royal party and staff officers went to lunch with Sir Archibald Alison, commander-in-chief. Since Saturday we have not seen a soul, and as the young French lady, who is to come with her aunt, is ill, we shall have no one till about the seventh of June. What a terrible tornado they have had in Madrid and the neighborhood. Several relatives of our girls had a narrow es- cape for their lives, and the Empress heard to- day that a chateau she owns at Carabanchel, near Madrid, is an almost complete ruin. Pleasant news! especially as another place of hers, near Granada, was swallowed up by an earthquake last year, and some of the vineyards have become useless on account of the phylloxera, which has destroyed the vines. This has caused a serious monetary loss — about 4000 pounds out of her in- come of 25,000 pounds. The Empress is quite depressed, and said the other day, with tears in her eyes, in connection with this accumulation of 151 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE bad news, "Tout ce qui m'appartient parait voue a la destruction [All that belongs to me seems doomed to destruction]." It certainly does seem true. From a letter : Farnborough Hill, May 21, 1886. I was delighted to receive your welcome let- ter this morning, and to see that my description of the field day interested you so much. I did not expect to have anything new to tell you about today, but yesterday at 5 : 30, after tea, we went out for a very long drive, — the Empress, Mme. Le Breton, M. and myself in the landau, with A. driving in a pony cart behind. We went by quite a new route, past Wellington College, and just as we thought we were turning toward home, the Empress told the coachman to drive in at some handsome gates, which were right before us, — ^and we found ourselves in some beautiful grounds in front of Broadmoor Asylum. We asked for the governor, who is personally known to the Empress, and she immediately got per- mission for us to see the grounds inside the huge walls. Presently the governor appeared, seemed delighted at the Empress's arrival, and not only showed us the grounds, but the whole establish- ment, which is admirably kept and managed. 152 DAILY EVENTS All the inmates have committed murder or have at least tried to kill some one; only escaping the death penalty because found insane. There are 140 women and 450 men, and everything is done for their comfort and cure, but they are, un- known to themselves, closely guarded and well watched, in case of alarming symptoms or at- tempts to escape. The two head doctors and four or five uniformed keepers went with us everywhere, though the precaution seemed quite unnecessary. The prisoners or patients, for they are both, without exception looked wonderfully quiet and happy, walking about or reading, working and chatting. Some of them are per- fectly sane in everything, except for their one savage inchnation. In one of the private bedrooms, busily paint- ing, we found a certain Miss E., who, you may remember, some years ago in Brighton poisoned a number of children with sweetmeats, which she had mahciously tampered with and then returned to the shop, pretending they were not what she wanted. She exchanged them for others, which she also poisoned and returned to the shop with disastrous results. Her mania was only discovered after her deadly scheme had been put in operation several times, and thirty little innocent children had died. Miss E. has hand- some features, is well dressed, skilfully rouged 153 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE and with her hair dyed, so that though the doc- tor said she was fifty-eight years old, she hardly looks thirty. My companions passed on to other rooms. I was so much interested in looking at JNIiss E.'s very artistic sketches, that I did not notice she had gently closed the door behind me, till one of the doctors, who missed me from the rest of the party, came back rather hurriedly and got me out with what seemed rather over-zealous haste. Once outside in the corridor he explained that Miss E.'s killing mania was not over, that she had several times lured people into her room, closed the door on them and then sprung at their throats. I was grateful to the doctor and after that kept close to his side notwithstanding the innocent looks of the patients. Among the men, who were walking about freely out of doors, and cultivating their little gardens, we saw a madman who tried to shoot the Queen two years ago, — and many other no- torious persons. We did not get home till eight o'clock, and as the household knew nothing of our visit to Broad- moor, they could not make out why we were so exceptionally late in returning from our drive. Saturday, May 22. The little King of Spain was baptized today, and was christened Alfonso. 154 DAILY EVENTS Monday, May 24. The Marquise de la Valette came to lunch with her niece, Lady Emily Fitzmaurice, who is to be married on June sec- ond. Tuesday, May 25. Great excitement about the possible expulsion of all princes from France; if all, and not only pretendants to the throne are expelled, and their property confiscated, it will make the greatest possible difference to the Em- press and mean a great monetary loss, as she owns a good deal of house property in Paris. She also owns a good deal in New York and London. Wednesday, May 26. Mme. Pelletier started for Paris on her usual little visit to her family, and also to lay in a stock of small necessaries of clothing for the Empress, buying among other things, quantities of long, buttonless gloves, called gants beiges at the Bon Marche. Eng- land's Queen, who one day at Windsor much ad- mired the practical comfort of the Empress's gloves, has ever since got all hers there also, though few know it, bought for her by Mme. Pel- letier during this yearly shopping trip for her own mistress. 155 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE From a letter: Farnborough Hill, May 26, 1886. Last Saturday, Major and Mrs. Bigg came to lunch, and afterwards all went for a drive, the objective point of which was the North Camp, Aldershot, to see a polo match between the 11th Hussars and a club called the Freebooters. The latter won the game, much to tlie disgust of Prince Albert Victor, who was present, and saw his own regiment beaten. Just as the game was over up came the Duke of Connaught's four-in- hand, he himself driving, and sitting beside him the Duchess of Connaught, with the Grand-Duke and Grand-Duchess of Oldenburg behind. The polo game was a very pretty sight, the players in white, mounted on lovely little ponies as swift as the wind. Today his Excellency M. D'Antas, Portuguese minister, has been lunching here, and has been conversing with the Empress in her salon de travail. She is very agitce about the law concerning the expulsion of princes, for if it goes through it will bear heavily upon her too. She will lose, in that event, all her private house property in Paris, though she is innocent of any cause for uneasiness on the part of the French government. We shall probably get a telegram this afternoon, saying whether or not the bill has passed. 156 DAILY EVENTS May 28. Mme. de Arcos came to lunch on her return from Paris. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, Mav 30, 1886. Last Sunday, the twenty-third, a number of people came for tea, which we had out of doors on the terrace. We were about seventeen in all. Among others: General and ]Mrs. Byrne, Miss ]\Iontague, ]Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, Major and Mrs. Scott and their niece Flora Dunolly, and Captain Blake, formerly stationed at Dover, who knows my cousin very well. After tea we showed them the entire house and its treas- ures. Yesterday Dr. Tyler, who is governor I think of the Agra (India) prison, and in charge of the Hindoos at the Colonial Exhibition, came to look at the rug which his prisoners had been working on for the last two years, and which has some little defect they are going to try to remedy. He brought one native with him and in a few days two others are coming to help. It was a most amusing visit. Dr. Tyler asked me very politely where the gentleman was he had been corresponding with, during M. Pietri's ab- sence, and was much surprised to find that 1 was "A. Whiteside, Esq., Private Secretary to the Empress" as he had addressed the envelope to 157 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE me. I enjoyed the joke. After luncheon and much talk over the rug business, the Empress sent us driving with Dr. Tyler and the Hindoo, to show them the neighborhood. During the drive the doctor told us very many interesting things about his political prisoners, several of whom are princes. He seems a very able man, and wants us very much to go to the Exhibition, where he is all-j^owerful, and would much enjoy showing us the inner working of everything. But just now the Empress is too wrapped up in the outcome of the pending law in France to think of pleasures for this household. The young Indian prince (he is a political prisoner) who came yesterday, is of a very high caste, and would not for the world have touched anything cooked by Christians, nor sit at the table with us; neither would he eat what to him was orthodox food if a Christian's shadow had been cast across it. He however accepted some fruit and bread, which the girls and I gave him. Dr. Tyler told us that his "boy," as he called him, could take these from us as a gift, if given with our own hands. Sunday, May 30. The officers who receive the Empress at the church door on Sunday morn- ing and escort her up the church, are nearly al- ways invited by the Empress, on entering her 158 DAILY EVENTS carriage afterwards, to come and have tea with us in the afternoon. Captains Galton and Bol- ton thus came today, and we showed them after- wards about the house until 7: 30. From a letter: Famborough Hill, Wednesday, June 2. I am writing you this from the tent, where since this morning we have taken up our abode afresh. Yesterday early we had a real deluge, but the afternoon was lovely, and before dinner we three had a good long walk to Sandhurst and back, — about eight miles I should think. It was great fun, as there were numbers of stiles and five-barred gates, and now, as a result of the gymnastic lessons at Aldershot, M. and A. are much more agile, and they find barriers a pleas- ure instead of an annoyance. Since Saturday last a good deal has happened that will interest you. Dr. Tyler came again, bringing with him fom* Hindoos to arrange the wonderful rug made by the prisoners at Agra. It is from 80 to 100 feet long, a perfect beauty, whose only defect is that it does not lie flat. Dr. Tyler said it would be a very easy matter to remedy, though to us it seemed almost an impossibility. It was very interesting to see the prisoners working over the 159 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE rug. They never touched it with their hands, but did everything with their feet, and after three of them had labored over it for an hour or two, their little bare feet always scuffling and shuffling over it from the center toward the border, it came out as absolutely flat as if it had been rolled by some heavy machine. The Empress was as much pleased with the change in it as she had been disappointed when it was first put down. Their greeting to the Empress was very pic- turesque and touching. She came forward to shake hands with them, but they gave her no op- portunity of so doing. After removing their sandals they bowed low to the ground, touching their foreheads to her foot and kissing it, and making a great many obeisances. Dr. Tyler told them in Bengalese a few words about the Em- press, and translated her questions and their an- swers. Their costumes were brilliant and pic- turesque, and we took some photographs of them. This delighted the "boys," and they enjoyed roaming about the park after they had finished their task. I think I told you about the tea the Empress gave Saturday afternoon (in honor of the Queen's birthday) to 180 poor children from Farnborough village and Aldershot Camp. The Empress herself went down to the school to greet her little guests, and we, with some ladies of 160 THE EMPRESS EUGENIE, ADOUT 1860 DAILY EVENTS the parish and their clergyman, served the chil- dren who had wonderful appetites. Just be- fore our dinner hour, when the little ones had played about and enjoyed themselves to the full, they were marshaled into the Farnborough grounds and marched past the Empress, who stood near the house to see them. They cheered her lustily, and also the Queen and the royal family, and then went home very much pleased, I think, that the Queen had attained another year and given them the opportunity of enjoying such a delightful birthday feast. On Sundaj^ evening at about 10 o'clock, M. Pietri arrived from Paris, having crossed the Channel with old Prince Lucien Bonaparte. M. Pietri brought with him a nice elderly gentle- man, ]M. Rainbeaux,^ who formerly held a high appointment, Vecuyer de VEmpereur, in the Im- perial household of Napoleon III. Also a young soldier of the French army. Captain Bizot, playfellow of the Prince Imperial and son of General Bizot, whose widow was made gov- erness to the Prince Imperial at his birth; and finally M. Urbain Chevreau, son of the last min- ister chosen by the Empress. All are very gay and merry, and the house is quite animated now. On Monday, the eve of the seventh anniver- 1 Mentioned elsewhere in connection with the attempted assas- tiuation of the Czar. 161 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE sary of the Prince's death, the Empress with Mme. Le Breton went privately and quietly to Chislehurst to pray at her son's tomb, as she said she did not care to show her sorrow to the cu- rious, who would probably be there in crowds next day. The next morning, the first of June, we ladies went to a requiem mass at the camp church, where we all received holy communion. The day was naturally a sad one, and we were very glad when the Duke, M. Pietri and the three French gentlemen, who attended the more sol- emn requiem at Chislehurst, returned, as then there was a little animation, and the Empress was obliged to put her own sorrow aside for her guests' sake. Wednesday in the morning, M. Rainbeaux, who is a splendid amateur photographer, took advantage of the sunshine to take some views of the house and grounds. For one of these photographs we were fetched from our tent, for a group with the gentlemen of the party. I do not know what the result will be, but I suppose time will reveal. I hope M. Rainbeaux will give me some prints when they are finished, as they will be a nice souvenir of Farnborough. Young M. Bizot left in the evening for Paris, and tomorrow M. Chevreau returns to France, too, so the party here soon grows and diminishes again. 162 DAILY EVENTS In the evening, apropos of foreign deputa- tions, which had come over in years gone by to greet the Emperor and his son on different oc- casions, H. I. M. told us the following funny anecdotes : One was about a Corsican, who forming part of a deputation to the Prince Imperial on his legal majority (18 years) in 1874, got as far as London en route for Chislehurst. It was his first journey to England. He went to bed, knowing nothing about London black fogs. When he had slept himself out he got up, but finding it still dark went back to bed. This manoeuver he went through several times, always with the same result. At last, wondering why he felt so wide awake and thinking his watch must have played him false, he rang the bell, for he heard, people moving about the hotel. He made some inquiries, and found it was the late afternoon; he had been waiting all these hours for daylight, which never came. His astonish- ment was great when the situation was explained to him. Another anecdote was about a member of the deputation to congratulate Alfonso XII, the late King of Spain, on his twenty-first birthday, when, as an exile, he was undergoing his military train- ing at Sandhurst College. This Spaniard left London at six in the morning and only arrived 163 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE at his destination at five in the afternoon, his cravat e blanche rather the worse for so many- hours passed in the underground railway. When he got to the necessary underground sta- tion, instead of changing as he should have done, he continued on quietly going round and round the "Circle" underground, wondering whether he would ever get to the terminus. Finally, well on in the afternoon, he inquired of some one who understood French, and was put on the right track and really started on his journey. Arriv- ing finally at Sandhurst he expressed his astonish- ment, saying naively: "Mais on me disait que c'etait tons pres de Londres [But they told me it was near London]." From a letter: Farnborough Hill, June 6, 1886. Our first lesson in tennis, given us by Dr. Scott, who spent the day with us. I wish we were going to the Exhibition. We and others here have given as many delicate hints as possible, and Dr. Tyler has written "by desire of the Prince of Wales," with whom he dined the other evening, to say that all could be ar- ranged comfortably for the Empress if she hked to visit the Exhibition. Nothing has as yet been decided. I suppose we shall get there some day, 164 ^ Chas. Taylor TOMB OF EMPEROR NAPOLEON III AT CHISLEHURST Afterward removed to Farnborough Hill Hills & Saunder TOMB OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL At Farnborough Hill DAILY EVENTS and at any rate we must not grumble, as we have had a good many pleasures lately, and hav- ing such pleasant visitors in the house is an agree- able change from the daily monotony. This afternoon while I am wi'iting, M. Rain- beaux is taking photographs again in different parts of the grounds, and we are being called and grouped constantly. I wish the Empress would allow herself to be taken, but that, unfortunately, she will not consent to. She has an almost mor- bid horror of having her portrait taken now. I told you, I think, that on Thursday we all went with Sir Howard and Lady Elphinstone by special permission, to see the Duke of Con- naught's place, Bagshot Park, the family being away at the time. We had a delightful drive in the foui*-in-hand, and when the opportunity pre- sented itself in the conversation, I inquired of Sir Howard if he had seen Sir William Anderson lately. He said, no, but spoke very highly of the dear old man, and said he was much pleased to meet a niece of his. After they had shown us all over the Duke of Connaught's house, which is just an ordinary, large, comfortable dwelling, but nothing more, we had tea. Lady Elphin- stone had ordered it beforehand, and did the hon- ors very charmingly. Then we went out to the grounds and through the hothouses, which are really very fine. Sir Howard picked each of us 165 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE a flower as a souvenir of our visit. Mine was a piece of stephanotis. On Friday nothing happened outside the usual routine, but yesterday afternoon we three girls went in the landau to Sandhurst Military College grounds, to see the cadets' athletic sports. Part of the grounds were inclosed for the officers, their families and friends, and we met a good many people there we knew, and had great fun. The most ludicrous thing of the whole affair oc- cured just after tea and before the giving of the prizes (by Lady Jane Taylor, the governor's wife). It was a donkey race. Imagine about thirty-five donkeys with their riders dressed in the most absurd costumes possible. An organ- grinder's monkey; a gigantic youth dressed as a baby in long clothes, and urging his donkey on with his feeding bottle; Gladstone with a mask and his huge collar — he was hissed and knocked about unmercifully; an old market woman; an elegante with parasol, veil, etc.; several chefs in their white caps, one of whom won the race; a barrister with wig and gown; the "Private Secre- tary" with all his innumerable parcels and bun- dles; and a Japanese, who was afterward intro- duced to us, and turns out to be young Hussey Walsh. It was great fun ; everyone was in fits of laughter at the efforts to make the donkeys go on, and the tumbles and struggles to mount again 166 DAILY EVENTS incidental to the petticoats of some of the gal- lantly mounted cadets, added not a little to the mirth. There are a good many more coming events on the horizon, and I am selfish enough to hope there will not be too many visitors here when they come off, as I should be obliged sometimes then to relinquish my place to the strangers. Thursday, June 8. After tea, lawn tennis with Dr. Scott and M. Rainbeaux. Mme. Le Breton told me that the Empress, accompanied by her nieces, is soon going to the Exhibition by invitation of the Prince of Wales. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, June 11, 1886. M. and A. were delighted with their visit to the Exhibition, and well they might be, for they saw everything under the best auspices. The Em- press was received in style by the authorities, and a magnificent carpet was laid down for her to walk over. They were shown everything, and at twelve Princess Louise and the Marquis of Ijorne joined the party, and there was a great crowd, it appears, to watch the royal and im- perial ladies meet and embrace each other. The lunch given by the Prince of Wales in his own pavilion was magnificent, and during it 167 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE a band of the Guards serenaded them. Several very pretty httle souvenirs were ordered by the Prince for the Empress and the girls, and each of the ladies had a beautiful white and mauve bouquet given to her. The whole thing was roy- ally done, and the Empress it appears was de- lighted, though she says had she known how for- mal the reception was to be she would have re- fused to go, as she had never, since the Prince Imperial's death, consented to appear in public. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, June 16, 1886. Without anything special having occurred, what with studies, walks, perpetual scrambhng to be ready for meals, going to bed late and getting up early, I have not had a minute during the last few days to write to you. Nearly every day there has been some one for lunch ; on Sunday, Sir Algernon and Lady Both- wick, and their little boy, who is at school near here at Mr. Morton's. On Monday, M. le Comte Minszech, a very amusing Austrian and a great friend of the Empress. M. Rainbeaux left on that day, so we shall have no more photographs taken now. Yesterday Mme. de Arcos came to lunch, bringing with her Father Antrobus of the Oratory. Today we shall, I think, be only our 168 DAILY EVENTS own home party, but tomorrow the new Spanish minister, Leon y Castillo, and an attache from the embassy, Senor Osma, are expected, so we shall come in contact with plenty of new people. This makes a little change for us, as with the ex- ception of seeing lunch visitors, our everyday routine is at present unbroken. We had so hoped to go to Ascot for the races, and several friends had offered to take us, but it did not come off. The Empress likes arranging surprises her- self, and I fear the affair failed by its having been too much spoken of beforehand. Mme. Lefevre, the French lady who is still staying here, is very friendly, bright and pleas- ant. We shall be sorry when she goes back to Paris. Her husband was prefet (or soiis-prefet) under the Empire, and very devoted to the Bona- partes. She herself, an intelligent partisan, worked very pluckily in the Empress's favor against public prejudice. She was absolutely fearless, and when everybody turned on the Em- press, she showed the metal she was made of. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, June 19, 1886. Our everyday routine, which I told you we had quite resumed, was broken, and very much broken, yesterday. The day previous the Em- 169 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE press had arranged for us to go to Windsor, as she wished Mme. Lefevre, who was leaving this morning, to see the castle first. Accordingly, we left here, — Mme. Le Breton, Mme. Lefevre, M. Pietri and ourselves, at ten, and after a good many changes of train, arrived at Windsor. We went at once to the castle, where we saw the state apartments, and enjoyed them very much. I need not tell you anything about them, because you are familiar with them, and besides I must hurry, so as to get on to the telhng of the end of our day. After lunching at a restaurant, we drove from Windsor through the beautiful park to Virginia Water, where we again took the train and were back at Farnborough about seven. We were glad to find some tea waiting for us, as it was a very warm day and we were tired out. We quite appreciated the Empress's kind thought. Now, before I go on, I must tell you that M. had been invited to a ball that night. Yesterday morning she heard that General and Mrs. Byrne could not take her, which was, of course, a great disappointment, but she had philosophically made up her mind to give it up. After dinner, just as we were going into the drawing-room about nine o'clock, the Empress called me aside and said, how sorry she was for M.'s disappointment, and asked me if I would be willing to take Mrs. 170 DAILY EVENTS Byrne's place and go with her. Of course I was willing, so the Empress announced to M. that I would chaperon her and she might go after all, ordered the carriage, and sent us off upstairs to dress. She herself went up to her own room to choose me some pairs of evening gloves from her store, besides getting with her own hands some flowers, as I had neither proper gloves nor flowers on hand at the time. An hour later we two were starting off together in the large carriage, M. in a pretty white tulle dress and I in my new pink (the Empress's Easter gift), which came in most appropriately and looked very handsome. The ball was at Sandhurst Military College, and given by the cadets and officers in charge. Lady Jane Taylor, who received, was veiy gra- cious and introduced numbers of dancers to M. and myself. She danced the whole night and I could have done the same, but I thought best to refuse during the early part of the evening, not knowing exactly what was expected of me as M.'s chaperon. Several ladies, however, who knew us well and who often come here, pressed me very much to dance too, and as I saw M. en- joying herself, I accepted the partners found for me and started in. By that time it was a mere pretense of dancing, for there was such a ter- rible crush that one only got trodden on and had great difficulty in getting around the room. You 171 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE will readily believe this when I tell you that there were nearly 800 people present in all, — cadets, officers, and their friends. The scarlet and High- land uniforms with the ladies' dresses, which were mostly white, looked very effective indeed. The supper and refreshments were served in a mar- quee adjoining the ball room. At two o'clock we returned home, as we had promised to be in early, but I do not suppose the ball was over till four o'clock at least. I was not in bed until daylight, for having been away all day in Windsor, and dressed and redressed sev- eral times in much violent haste, I got everything topsy-turvey in my room to such a degree, that it was a long time before I could disentangle and straighten them out sufficiently to get into bed. June 22. Mme. Bartohni, an old friend of the Empress's, another of the small coterie of fearless women who upheld the Empress in French so- ciety when vast numbers were against her, ar- rived from Paris for a few days' visit. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, June 23, 1886. Yesterday, Mr. and Mrs. Ayhff from the Cape of Good Hope, and who are traveling in Eng- land, lunched here, bringing with them a whole 172 DAILY EVENTS bazaarful of curiosities from South Africa for the Empress. They had been very kind and had entertained her on the Cape in 1880. They are simple genuine people, and enjoyed their visit here very much. They know Mr. Wilmot out there, it seems. A Captain Pemberton of the Royal Engineers (on leave from Malta, a friend of Captain Auld) arrived and lunched here too, and we all, at three o'clock, drove over to Alder- shot to see some athletic sports given by the offi- cers of the regiments quartered there. It was much the same as at Sandhurst lately, but on a grander scale. Dr. Scott remained with us all the afternoon, and we only got home at 6:30. M. went after- wards to a ball at the Officers' Club with General and Mrs. Byrne. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, June 24, 1886. I think there is just a possibility of our going up to London soon, as on July 2 there is to be a grand review at Aldershot, and according to present plans the Queen and royal family are to be present, and will stay at the Queen's pavilion for two or three days. Queen Victoria, the Em- press says, is sure one day to invite herself over to lunch, and as she hates making new acquaint- 173 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE ances, and as the girls were despatched off to London the last time she came, we might all be sent off on this occasion. Wednesday, June 30. The Marquise de la Valette and Earl Sidney came to lunch. Talk- ing of his coming visit, the Empress spoke so nicely of the latter and his wife, and said, "J'aime tou jours tant a voir les Sidneys ensemble, ils sont comme au premier jour de leur mariage — il ne se quittent jamais. C'est rafraichissant de voir comme ils s'aiment." ^ At five Mme. Juliette Conneau and her daugh- ter arrived on a visit from Paris. She was the widow of Dr. Conneau who had been for many years the Emperor's faithful physician, be- queathed to him so to speak by his mother, of whom he had taken much devoted care in her last illness. He was one of the Emperor's most faith- ful friends, and had been in prison with him for six years in the fortress of Ham, in 1840, and helped him escape later on; and again at Wil- helmshohe after being made prisoner with his Imperial master at the battle of Sedan, 1870. The story the Empress told us of Mme. Con- neau's marriage was a romantic one. Both fam- 1 "I do so like to see the Sidneys together — they are exactly as in the first days of their married life — they are inseparable. It is refreshing to see how they love each other." 174 DAILY EVENTS ilies lived at that time in Corsica, and the doctor was an intimate friend of Juliette's father when she was quite a little girl. Conneau often talked to her and told her stories, and used sometimes jestingly in his daily visits to the house, to call her "his little wife." This went on for years, and everyone had grown so accustomed to the appel- lation that no one attached any meaning to it whatever. The doctor, however, who had been steadily growing fonder of his little friend, went one day to her father and said, "What I have been calling your daughter in jest for years, I wish could come true — I wish you would let me marry her." The father was much astonished and pro- tested that Coimeau was much too old, for though only thirty he was more than double her age. He agreed, however, when he saw that Conneau was in earnest. "You are my best friend and I could wish no better husband for my daughter. So, if she is willing, I consent to the match, but it must be of her own free will — there must be no pressure brought to bear on her." Juliette was then just fourteen. The doc- tor went to her at once, told her that he was really serious, and asked her what she thought about the project, and whether she would hke to marry him. There and then she answered, "Oh certainly, I Hke you very much. I should be glad to be your wife, but on one condition. You 175 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE must do one thing for me — take me where I can have singing lessons." Of course he said "y^s," and so very joyfully, and in a very childlike way she accepted the doctor. They were married before her fifteenth birthday, having first ob- tained special license from the Emperor, as she was under the legal marriageable age. The Em- peror was delighted that his friend should marry out of love, and the union turned out a remark- ably happy one, in spite of the disparity of their years. Louis, the son, who once came on a visit to Farnborough, was barely sixteen years younger than herself, and, mother and son were the great- est friends, almost playmates. IVIme. Conneau, once married, got her heart's desire, — singing les- sons by the best masters, — and was found to have a most beautiful voice. Dr. Conneau being the Emperor's physician, the family always lived within reach of one of the royal residences, either Fontainebleau or Compiegne where the Imperial family came at stated times of the year. Louis Conneau was a constant playfellow of the Prince Imperial's. Mme. Conneau, in talking over those days to me, told me how anxious she used to be during many hours daily, because these two boys were so daring. They kept her in a state of perpetual anxiety, until it was time for Monseigneur to go home, and she felt that she 176 DAILY EVENTS could conscientiously have her mind at rest until his next visit the following day. The Empress told her not to interfere with or protect him, and let him have absolute freedom to do whatever he wanted. So, these two venturesome boys spent most of the time climbing chimneys, jumping from roof to roof, and doing all sorts of danger- ous things, which she was powerless to prevent, but for which she felt nevertheless she would have been held morally responsible if any accident had happened. Small wonder then her relief when the Prince went home safely in the evening. When, after her husband's death, she was left with little money to live upon and educate her children, she turned her talent to account, became a professional singer, and this very charming woman was soon extremely popular in Paris. From a letter; Farnborough Hill, July 1, 1886. Today on coming up to my bedroom I found a quantity of pretty flowered sateen on my bed, and on inquiry found that the Empress had sent it me as a little surprise gift. She had been get- ting a number of pretty dresses for her nieces and wanted me to have the same. It was nice of her to think of me. Tomorrow will be the review. Earl Sidney, 177 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE who lunched here yesterday, told us that the Queen's plans are all changed ; instead of remain- ing three days, she is to arrive at 4:30 p. m. for the review only. It will commence at five, be over about nine, and then her Majesty will return at once to Windsor, and according to this plan, she will not of course come to Farnborough at all. I hope we shall all go to the review, but I doubt it, as we are such a large party now, and I do not think the Empress will care to have her several pairs of horses out for so many hours at a stretch. From a letter: Farnborough Hill, July 4, 1886. They are in the midst of hay-making just now. The Park looks very picturesque with the har- vesters and the haycocks. Mme. de Arcos and Mrs. Vaughan were here for the review and were going to Brighton the next day to see my aunt and give her news of me. She will be much pleased. I need not tell you anything about the review itself; the papers gave a better account of it than I could. We went a party of twelve. We saw everything; we were in one of the enclosures and quite close to the royal carriages, whose occupants we readily recognized. There were present the Queen, with 178 DAILY EVENTS Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Batten- berg; Princess Louise of Lome; the Princess of Wales with her three daughters; the Prince of Wales and Prince Albert Victor; the old Duke of Cambridge; the Duke and Duchess of Con- naught ; and the Duke and Duchess of Teck with Princess Victoria, or Princess May, as she is gen- erally called. The march past was a grand sight, and had it not been for the bhnding dust, would have been perfect. To our delight, we found in the carriage delicious sandwiches, fruits, soda water and champagne, so we refreshed ourselves. We left the review ground at 7 :30, as soon as the Queen left, and returned home to dine a party of fourteen. Monday, July 9. Dr. Scott called in the after- noon to play tennis, while the girls and Mme. Le Breton were at a garden party; we two were alone with the Empress. Over our cups of tea, we talked of her very early days in England. The Empress told us that she "failli prendre la maison a Berkeley Square [had been on the point of taking the house at Berkeley Square]," celebrated for its terrible ghost stories, which have kept it uninhabited dur- ing several decades. She actually went over the building with the Prince, with a view to hiring it, but on coming out was warned by a strange gen- 179 EMPRESS EUGEXIE IX EXILE tleman who saw they were unknowing strangers.^ Also about a visit to Huntley and Palmer's enor- mous biscuit factory, her sensations in going up en ascenseur for the first time; and how very many biscuits she had to croquer before she left the large building with its 4000 workmen. At each different section of the many rooms she vis- ited, she had to accept and eat samples pressed upon her by the hands, who wanted to do her the honor of presenting her with their own special brand. Talking of Camden Hill and a tame monkey of hers, the Empress told us how angry he became with the Duchesse de ^louchy for laughing at him one day. It was at afternoon tea, and the little creature came up to the tea tray gibbering, made a dash at the cups and saucers, and viciously smashed the valuable Sevres service all to bits before he could be stopped. She told us also of her mingled horror and embarrassment once, when this same monkey jumped onto the head of a solemn diplomat who was calling on her, and made off with the wig he wore. The monkey had for some unknown reason taken a special dishke to him. After this escapade the monkey had to be relegated to a menagerie. 1 It has since been pulled down as unprofitable property. 180 DAILY EVENTS From a letter ; Farnborough Hill, July 7, 1886. We have had several people here lately. Old Prince Lucien Bonaparte dined with us on Mon- day. He is the son of Lucien, brother of Na- poleon I, and there is no mistaking his kinship. The likeness is the more striking, as he even has the trick of sticking his left hand into the front of his buttoned-up coat in exactly the same way the Petit Corporal did. He is quite poor; lives in a small house in Bayswater, and devotes his entire life to scientific research. He is a great chemist and naturalist. Yesterday M. D'Antas, the Portuguese Min- ister, and his wife dined here, and today Countess Clary has arrived for a visit of a day or two. Thursday, July 8. The Dowager-Marchion- ess of Ely came to lunch and stayed till 4:45. She was for many years Mistress of the Robes and intimate friend of Queen Victoria. Mme. Conneau sang several songs for us after luncheon. She has a lovely voice and we all enjoyed listen- ing to her very much. A little song by Augusta Holmes called Noel especially took our fancy. Tuesday, July 13. I returned to Farnborough after a few days' absence at Downside. I had the same nice welcome which has always awaited 181 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE me on my various homecomings. Found the Marquise de la Valette here on a visit. We heard definitely this evening that we are going Saturday next to Osborne, on a visit to the Queen. Thursday, July 15. The Pere Pollin came to see the Empress. After much cogitation all is finally settled now; the Premonstratensians ^ are coming to take charge of the Empress's Memorial Church and the monastery adjoining, as soon as completed. Friday, July 16. Mrs. Byrne and Mrs. Scott came to take leave of the Empress. 1 Members of a religious order founded at Pr^montrd, France, in 1119. 182 PART III THE EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA From a letter : Osborne Cottage, East Cowes, Isle of Wight, 11:30 p.m., July 17, 1886. It is late as you see, but I cannot go to bed without at least commencing a few lines to tell you all about this day, which has been tiring though a very pleasant one. My note written this morning must have reached you tonight, and told you that we left Farnborough at 1 :50 p. m. ; the horses, carriages and most of the servants hav- ing gone ahead yesterday to be in readiness for us here today. We reached Southampton at 3:30 p. M., and went down to the docks accompanied by the station-master and part of the crew, num- bers of people lining the way, for they had seen the royal yacht getting up steam, and were curi- ous to know who the distinguished travelers might be. The pretty little Alberta was put at our dis- posal. Its white and gold fittings, bright awn- ings, and the scarlet drugget on the gangway, 183 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE looked very gay and made a good groundwork for the uniforms of the naval officers and the crew, drawn up to receive the Empress. We went all over the yacht before she weighed anchor, and then sat on the upper deck enjoying the fine weather and the pretty view of the harbor. The short journey to the Isle of Wight was over only too soon, and at 4:30 we came ashore at Trin- ity Pier, the Queen's private landing, with much formality, and found our own carriages waiting for us. By 6:15 we had reached Osborne Cot- tage, enjoyed the first peep at our rooms, and were drinking some delicious tea all together. We thoroughlj^ appreciated it after an hour's blow on the sea.^ Directly afterward the Em- press, ]M., A. and I started out for a walk. The Empress wished to show us the little old town of West Cowes, of which she is very fond, and she is obliged to make hay while the sun shines, for on Tuesday the Queen arrives, and she would be hor- rified, and would positively veto for the Empress a trip on foot through the long, narrow, strag- gling street which constitutes the town. Eii chernin we met Lady Burgoyne, who was de- lighted to see the Empress and took us off to the Royal Yacht Squadron Club, where her husband, 1 On our arrival we telegraphed our absent hostess: "To the Queen, Windsor. Just arrived, splendid passage. Osborne looks quite beautiful. — Comtesse de Pierrefonds." 184 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA Sir John, joined us and did the honors of the place. We returned at 8 p. m., just in time to go to table (we do not dress for dinner here). After dinner we sat in the drawing-room a while and came upstairs rather early. I have since un- packed all my belongings and written this, and now I must really pop into bed, for I am quite tired out. I shall add more to my letter tomor- row, but think it prudent to get at least so far done, in case of unforeseen hindrances later. Good night. From a letter: Osborne Cottage, July 20, 1886. This is a cottage in name only ^ — in reality it is a pretty little country house, with a large ver- anda running around it. There is a central stair- case, and all the bedrooms open out into a gallery overlooking the hall. The whole is daintily and simply decorated, the furniture very plain, old- fashioned, and stiff, — but it is impressed upon us many times a day that we must nevertheless be very careful of everything, as the Queen is most particular. She will notice the least damage done to anything, when, at the end of our visit, following her usual plan, she may come in person 1 The castle being too small for guests after the accommodation of the large royal household, the Queen was in the habit of offering Osborne Cottage and others, built on her own grounds, to members of her family or distinguished visitors. 185 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE as the Empress has known her to do, and look over the empty cottage with a housekeeper. There being only the one little sitting-room, we are not supposed to leave any of our personal things about. The chau-s must remain during our stay arranged exactly as we found them, also the books on the central table; anything that is moved must be put back on the same spot. It is the only place into which the Queen or the prin- cesses can be shown, and as they are likely to come in at any moment, it is kept more or less sacred to Her Majesty, and we therefore com- monly use the dining-room or our own rooms. One royal housemaid belongs permanently in the house as caretaker, but the Empress has had to provide all the other servants, carriages, horses and silver. Gifts of most delicious French bread, though, are brought us every morning from the royal bakers, and fruit from the Queen's hot- houses. Since the first day's walk we have not seen much of Cowes, as the girls have been busy, and when there has been leisure after tea, torrents of rain have come down regularly to drive us imme- diately home ; but I think we are soon going for a little trip on the coach, which passes this door daily on its way to Carisbrooke Castle, and per- haps other expeditions may be proposed. You were very much in my thoughts on Sun- 186 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA day. Mme. Le Breton and the two girls sat in what you have described to me as your old pew in the quaint little Catholic church. (I pictured you and my aunt as little girls kneeling there with your mother.) I knelt just behind them with the Due de Bassano. The Empress had a priedieu in the sanctuary. I wish I could identify the house j^ou used to live in, and which you describe. Lady Burgoyne loiows our friend Captain Thel- luson very well. The Boadicea she tells me has been sold and belongs to an elderly maiden lady, who has rechristened it the Ariadne. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Thelluson are coming down here for the regatta. They have only a tiny yacht. Lady Burgoyne is going to find out all she can about their plans and let me know. On Sunday, as our royal hostess had not yet arrived, the Empress, with whom we went for a very long walk in Cowes, took the opportunity of showing us over every nook and corner of the grounds of Osborne Castle (it is known officially as Osborne House), a modern building erected by Queen Victoria. She told us the while many interesting things about it all. The park is magnificent, and the view of the sea through the foliage is beautiful. We went down and picked up shells on the sand, while the Empress rested part of the time. We saw Princess Beatrice's bathing place and walked along the lovely ter- 187 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE race wall, which, shaded with trees and overhang- ing rocks, skirts the sea for miles. How the good breeze there would have refreshed you, dear G., if our long, steady tramp of two and a half hours had not first killed you. In front of the castle there are some trees planted many years ago by the Emperor and Empress, and quite a few others put there by celebrated personages. The names of most of the sovereigns and princes of Europe are in- scribed on the little metal plates which record the date of planting. This afternoon at 1 :30 amid great clatter of horses and carriages, Highland regiments and bagpipes, the Queen arrived, and everything is bustle and brightness in the land now. A mounted messenger has already come up to the cottage to announce the first royal visit, and another followed a few minutes later bearing notice of postponement and change of plans, which will keep us constantly on the qui vive. Her JSIajesty is expected any minute now, and everyone has retired to his or her room, so as not to be in the way. It is not etiquette for anyone to be seen, except those whom the Queen has spe- cially asked for, and it is still worse form to be seen hurrying away. To avoid the dilemma, therefore, there is nothing for us to do in this tiny house but to remain closely secluded. 188 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA The Empress has just sent up word to the girls that if the Queen asks for them, they will be fetched, if not, they are to remain out of sight. I have been showing them how to improve their low courtesy, as I am supposed by the Empress to be an adept. Mme. de Arcos arrived here yes- terday to stay some time. I should answer H., but I have not a moment. It is only thanks to the Queen's presence that we are at this moment comfortably installed in our rooms and have ink. So far we have had to stay in the garden with our books a good part of the day, and are not allowed even to take an inkstand about with us, for fear of spilling it. This is one of the privileges (?) of living in a house belong- ing to Queen Victoria. It seems so funny to have everything in the house marked with the Queen's famihar mono- gram "V. R.," and the arms of England, — even the hot water cans, towels, sheets, and books. It is also strange to see nothing on the walls but por- traits and engravings of the different members of the royal family. Over the piano is an engrav- ing after Winterhalter, representing the Prince Consort, the Queen and three or four of her chil- dren ; and a Landseer, Prince Consort and Dogs, is another one. Goodby for the present. 189 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE From a letter: Osborne Cottage, July 22, 1886. I said I should only write to you after the naval review tomorrow, but as I have a little time today, while M. and A. are writing home to their uncle, and as I may possibly not have a minute later, it is best to begin while I can. Yesterday morning we went for a walk with the Empress and Mme. de Arcos. We missed our way and got lost. An unknown lady we met showed us the right road, and invited us to her house, where we sat and rested on her veranda, and admired her lovely sea view. Mrs. Firman, as her name turned out to be, was delighted at the opportunity of thus unexpectedly giving hospitality to the Empress, and begged us to come again. After lunch at three, the Empress, the Duke, and Mme. Le Breton returned the Queen's of- ficial visit of the day before. We three girls started for a drive, but the blue sky was suddenly obscured, and such torrents of rain fell we were obliged to turn back immediately. This morn- ing, for the first time, A. took a sea bath. I ac- companied her, but did not care to go into the water, as the beach here is covered with rough shingle, and as it is necessary to hold a rope on account of dangerous undercurrents the bath would have seemed too stupid after the delightful 190 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA freedom of Ostend. A. found it a great scram- ble, as we had driven to the bathing place (quite the other side of West Cowes) with the Empress, who got out and walked with Mme. de Arcos while we were down at the water's edge, and of course we could not keep her waiting too long. Tomorrow will be the naval review, and unless plans are changed between this time and then, we are going with Mme. de Arcos to see it, on board the man-of-war Northampton, which is com- manded by Captain Fane, a cousin of hers. Princess Beatrice says she does not know whether the Queen will be present. Her Maj- esty thinks herself it would be well for her to do so, but she so hates and dreads the sea, and it makes her so ill and nervous, that her daughter has not the courage to "persuade mamma" to go. It seems she told Prince Hemy, who was urging the Queen to go, that if he knew the state her mother would be in, he would never again press her to do so. The yacht Alberta and the other larger royal yacht, Victoria and Albert, are ly- ing in readiness, in case they are needed by the castle. I think the Empress is going to dine with the Queen this evening, but alone, without any lady or gentleman to accompany her, as Her Majesty finds it too hot for large parties just now, the Empress says. M. and A. have not been presented yet. Tire- 191 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE some, after our long wait of two and a half hours the other day, closely imprisoned in our rooms, without being able even to go out and to get a book, — and with no work, or anything on earth to do. It was exasperating, but it will be the last time, I hope, that this will happen, as that was the Queen's official visit. From now on. Her Maj- esty's daily calls will be quite private and in- formal. She comes down now through her grounds from Osborne Castle alone, and across the road which separates our place from hers, passing through a small wicket gate just opposite my window. At any hour in the morning now we are apt to hear the key turn in the lock, and see her appear through the gate and walk into the cottage unannounced, with possibly one of her lit- tle grandchildren or her colHe dog for sole com- panion. Then I am always supposed to give the alarm quickly: "The Queen," which promptly sends the rest of the household, Mmes. Le Breton and de Arcos, the Due de Bassano and others, scrambling to their various rooms to leave the coast clear. If the morning visit fails. Her Majesty sends a messenger in the afternoon to name the hour she will come for afternoon tea, and many changes of plans are gone through again, before that little social affair is finally un fait accompli. Her Majesty, and the princes and princesses who 192 R. V. S. CLUBHOUSE West Cowes, Isle of Wight O.SBOKNE HOUSE The Isle of Wight, home of Queen Victoria EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA may accomj^any her, always have tea alone with the Empress, while the ladies-in-waiting and other lesser visiting mortals drink tea with us. Wednesday evening. Instead of keeping this letter to finish until after the naval review, I think it will give you more pleasure if I send what is written tonight. The Queen's private messenger carries the royal despatches, and also takes our letters twice a day to the mainland (Southamp- ton ) , so you will get this some time before even- ing, I hope. From a letter: Osborne Cottage, July 24, 1886. At eleven o'clock M., A., Mrs. Vaughan and myself drove to West Cowes. There we took the steamer Carisbrooke for Ryde, where we were joined by Colonel Vaughan, Mme. de Arcos's brother, with about twenty other people, prospec- tive guests of Captain Fane of the ironclad N orthavipton. After waiting on the pier a little while and signaling to the man-of-war, we went aboard the Argus, a small Admiralty steamer do- ing omnibus duty, which dropped the invited guests at their respective ships. Then we were transferred to rowboats and boarded the North- ampton about two o'clock, finding in the mess- room on the main deck a delicious lunch laid out, 193 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE which was done great justice to by all, as each one of the thirty guests seemed ravenous. The lunch over, Captain Fane and six of his officers took us all over the ship, and showed us everything in detail. It was most interesting. The crew numbers 600 men, and the Northamp- ton is a ship of 12,000 tons. The guns are ter- rible looking things, and the noise between decks, while firing salutes, is something dreadful. A. and several other ladies fired some off. The guns are so perfected now that they can be worked by simply pressing an electric button some distance of¥. You have no doubt read all about the review in the papers, so I will not waste time telling you what you already know. All I will say is, that it was extremely interesting, and when the Al- berta steamed through the fleet, we were sur- prised as it passed close alongside to see our Em- press sitting comiDosedly on deck with the Queen, and to recognize Mme. de Arcos, the Duke and Mme. Le Breton with the royal suite, on the Victoria and Albert, which followed. We had left the rest of our party in the morning all quietl}^ at home, not expecting to go to the review at all, — hence our astonishment. No sooner had we started off, it appears, than a royal invitation came for all of us. We were delighted to have escaped it, and probably enjoyed our day on the 194 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA Northamjiton veiy much more than we should have done amid the honors and restrictions of the royal yacht. Tea, ices, etc., were served at 6 :30 P. m. be- fore starting home, and we arrived at Osborne Cottage only at 9 p. m., very tired and wet. Had it only been fine overhead instead of rain- ing cats and dogs without ceasing, it would have been one of the most delightful days I have ever spent and full of most interesting and novel ex- periences. From a letter : Osborne Cottage, July 26, 1886. Yesterday morning we were suddenly inter- rupted by the Empress, who brought a letter in- viting us all to visit the Victoria and Albert. Nothing loth, we three soon had our things on and with the Empress crossed over to the Queen's landing place, where the royal yacht Alberta was lying. While waiting for Mme. de Arcos to pick up a few friends of hers in Cowes we got into the Queen's barge, a small steam launch, and young Lieutenant Carr took us for a short cruise around several vessels anchored in the bay. When our entire party had been rounded up we were received on board the Victoria and Albert by a whole legion of officers in uniform, who 195 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE showed us all over the magnificent yacht. She is immense and has a crew of 180 men, which is sufficient to give you some idea of her size. Queen Victoria's bedroom and sitting-rooms are exactly like those of a small country house, decorated in white and gold, and though simply furnished, contain everything one could possibly want in one's home. The cabins of the princes and princesses are smaller, but roomy and pretty, and the suite, too, is comfortably provided for, as are also the servants. These latter, I think, are almost better off than the officers, for though lodged below the main deck, they have plenty of light, air and space. The engine room is simply a picture, so beautifully kept, all as bright as sil- ver and no smell whatever, and the kitchen with its huge fires and the many white-capped chefs superintending the roasting of large joints for the crew, would make one quite forget one was anywhere but in an ordinary town kitchen. I wish the Queen would offer us the Victoria and Albert for a cruise around the island, such as Mme. de Arcos and Colonel Vaughan made last year with the Prince of Wales. The small steam pinnace has been put at the Empress's dis- posal for our entire visit on the Isle of Wight, but that trip is so long and time is flying. M. and A. have been in suspense all week, for according to etiquette the Empress could not 196 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA present them to the Queen till the latter expressly asked for them, which she only did this afternoon. The Queen, Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry came to afternoon tea at 4:30. They joined the Empress in the little drawing-room and the rest of us, as usual on these occasions, entertained the Queen's lady-in-waiting in the dining-room. A few minutes before Her Majesty's departure the girls were hastily summoned, and went to make their courtesies and kiss her hand. Literally in two minutes they were back, having found Her Majesty very simple, gracious and kind. The contrast of her small stature and gi-eat dignity surprised them very much. It seems strange that a woman of her build, verging on extreme old age, bereft of many former physical attractions and unbecomingly dressed, should have such a dignified bearing, and be able to im- press everyone who comes in contact with her by her queenly person-ality and charm. Her de- lightfully modulated voice and sweet, genuine smile, have, I think, much to do with it ; and her strong sterling qualities of mind and heart make themselves felt in spite of the somewhat plain exterior. The Queen's memory for names and faces is something marvelous. Like the Empress she also takes a great though impersonal interest in people, whom she has never seen, and prob- ably never will see; makes inquiries into inci- 197 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE dents of their lives; and, years after, sui'prises her hearers by her remembrance of the details which have been given her. So far the Empress has only dined once with her hostess, as the Queen is busily occupied just now with a change of ministers. The Empress looked lovely the evening she went to the castle. I do not wonder people raved about her when she was younger, for she is still so charming and withal so majestic. And now I am going to answer all your nu- merous questions about the castle and Cowes. First of all, I have looked about everywhere and cannot see your old house, Ivy Cottage, nor do I know where Lord Henry Seymour's place was, unless it could have been Norris Castle, just across the water adjoining Osborne. It is an old thirteenth-century chateau-fort, with lovely grounds, and stately peacocks strutting about and perching on every available piece of stone- work, while showing off their gorgeous tails and uttering ear-splitting screeches. The place has now been bought by the Duke of Bedford and made a present to his wife. The Empress was telling us the other day during our walk in Nor- ris Castle grounds that the Queen, who is so fond of Osborne Castle, spent a good part of her girl- hood in the vicinity. After her father's death, the Princess Victoria and the Duchess of Kent, 198 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA it appears, lived here in this very Norris Castle and the details of her life as they came direct from her own lips to the Empress and repeated to us, were most interesting. H. I. ]M. told us a great deal about the Queen's young days and of the help which Leopold I of Belgium, her maternal uncle, had given her in those times of quasi-poverty. Without him her mother could not have afforded the many pro- fessors and masters called in to give the young Victoria the thorough education which helped so materially to make her in after days a good and useful queen. In the gardens we saw a small pavilion, where the little Princess took most of her lessons in fine weather. Her Majesty's early training made her thrifty, but, in spite of her saving, she did not accumu- late the large fortune which most people at- tribute to her, as there have always been many private outlets for her wealth. She herself said, that she had been gradually paying off the enor- mous debts left by her father, and not until 1880 had she finally succeeded. Princess Beatrice, she said, had long before (as a measure of pre- caution) been provided for, because should she marry after the Queen's death, she could not obtain the marriage portion granted to the daughter of a king, but not granted to the sister of a king, as she would then be. 199 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE These things seem to me to reveal the charac- ter of Queen Victoria, always a strong, vigorous, earnest woman, who took her life's responsibili- ties seriously and strenuously, and who proved herself a true and loj'^al friend to those who had the honor of close intimacy. From a letter : Osborne Cottage, Monday, July 26, 1886. Today we were just going out for a walk with the Empress on our way to the baths, when on passing the pier where the Alberta is moored, we saw that preparations had been made for the re- ception of some one. The officers were e7i grande tenue. We passed by, not thinking the gala clothes were for us. When we were almost out of sight the captain came running after us to say he had received orders from the castle, and the steam launch was waiting the other side of the Alberta to convey us to the turret ship, Colossus, the great feature of the review the other day. It was then 12:15 and the whole crew had been since 11:30 on tiptoe in expecta- tion of the Empress's visit on board the man-of- war, so we lost no time in starting off, and soon came alongside. The crew was drawn up on the main deck as was also a detachment of marines, and as soon as the captain handed the Empress 200 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA up from the gangway to the deck, they presented arms, the bugle sounded, and one of the sailors piped a sort of mournful whistle, which is sup- posed to be a mark of great honor. We were shown everything. The Armstrong guns are marvelous, and to see whole turrets of iron and steel with monstrous guns turning around and moving to the requisite position, by just the slightest pressure on a small spring, makes one shudder to think how the mind of man can invent, perfect, and be focused on such instruments of destruction. The whole battle can be fought, the ship managed, and orders given to the men below, by three officers placed in a turret called the conning-tower, the walls of which are six- teen inches thick, with ingeniously arranged slits through which the enemy can be seen. There are mathematical instruments of every sort, a whole battery of electric buttons, and speaking tubes which go down to the very depths of the ship. The officer in control can fire guns, give his orders, slack or accelerate the speed of the ship, without moving an inch away from his post. It is simply astounding! We only got home at two o'clock and found Osborne Cottage quite anxious at the Empress's non-appearance, as they knew nothing of our ex- pedition. By some mistake, the Queen's mounted messenger bearing the letter of invita- 201 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE tion with particulars had never reached the cot- tage till five o'clock in the afternoon. The Empress's servants were to accompany those of the Queen's sight-seeing at 3 p. m., which they did, and as luck would have it a num- ber of people came to write their names in the Visitors' Book during their absence. A German prince, Augustus of Saxony, arrived in one of the royal carriages to call, and after him came the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, who reached Cowes only today. It amused the Em- press very much, as there was no one available but the Due de Bassano to open the door. I must finish now abruptly, or I shall miss the post, and to-morrow I shall be unable to write, as the Empress has accepted an invitation to cruise, and we shall be away all day. P. S. Yes, the ferry joining East- and West- Cowes still exists, as it did in your youthful days. We all wish there was a bridge instead, as it is such a tiresome, slow business getting horses and carriages over each time we drive out from here. From a letter: Osborne Cottage, July 28, 1886. Now, I daresay, you would like to hear a little about our yachting trip of yesterday, — but there is not much to tell you, except that we enjoyed 202 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA the yacht itself very much, for as we were sud- denly becalmed we never got to Alum Bay and The Needles at all. We saw nothing of the con- tour of the island, and remained perfectly mo- tionless for hours between Yarmouth on the island and Lymington on the mainland. It was a great pity, as it is our only chance for a sail at present, the Modwena having been lent to Sir John and Lady Burgoyne for the Empress's use on that one day only. The owner, a Mr. Gret- ton, was away, and had put his yacht at their dis- posal with a splendid luncheon and every com- fort possible, besides a substantial tea at five o'clock. The schooner is not so large as I re- member Captain Thelluson's Guinevere to have been. The Modwena is pretty fast and very comfortable, and has just returned from a long cruise around Norway and Sweden. We landed at 6 :30 p. m., having been taken out each time and brought back to shore by the Queen's steam launch. It is not true, as the papers state, that Osborne Cottage has been of- fered us for a month longer, but the Empress is going to stay on for another week anyway, and we shall most probably only return to Farn- borough Saturday week, and shall therefore I am glad to say be here for the regatta. 203 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE From a letter: Osborne Cottage, July 30, 1886. There is not very much news just now, but still the time passes quickly, and on the whole, in spite of many annoying restrictions, I shall be very sorry when we have to leave. I told you about our afternoon on board the Modwena on Tuesday. Well, M. and I have not done any- thing very special since then, but A., who is a better sailor than her sister and enjoys the water, went yesterday for a little cruise with the Em- press and Mme. de Arcos in the steam pinnace. The party returned to tea at five, bringing with them the young officer in command. Admiral Phillimore's son. To-day M. too, is to venture out on the sea. They are going with the Em- press for a sail in the Duke of Connaught's yacht. This morning as we were coming home from the town, after A.'s sea bath, we met the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, and further on, this side of the Medina River, we got a very cordial bow from Princess Beatrice, who with her husband was driving down to board their tiny yacht, Leander, Wednesday was quite a royalty day. At 11 o'clock the Queen came to see the Empress, bringing with her two of her little grandchildren, the Connaughts, and accompanied by Princess 204 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA Beatrice, who remained with the Empress after the Queen's departure till past one o'clock, when she, too, returned to the castle through the little wicket gate opposite my window. A Mrs. Ev- erett lunched with us. In the afternoon the Em- press went to return the call of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, who are staying at Kent House, one of the Queen's guest cottages. The Empress then drove to the castle, where the Queen was waiting with Princess Beatrice, to take their imperial friend for a drive. The members of the royal family, though so ex- ceedingly domestic and affectionate, have de- veloped — true also of the people connected with the court — a strange surface dread of meeting the Queen, which is perfectly incomprehensible to outsiders. It is quite genuine on the part of her children, and is probably the result of their rather stern bringing up. As little things they were much loved, but also subjected to much discipline. The efforts they now make to vanish into thin air, when the Queen comes upon them unawares, are most ludicrous. From the mem- bers of the family the entourage has caught this same spirit, which often leads to amusing inci- dents. Here is one which happened yesterday: The girls and I had been in the afternoon for a quiet walk to look at Whippingham Church, designed and built by Prince Albert, and where 205 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE Princess Beatrice was married last year. Re- turning home, we came suddenly upon a party, which turned out to be Mme. de Arcos and the Duke, who having met Prince Henry and the Duke of Connaught with their aids-de-camp, were walking leisurely home toward Osborne Cottage with them. Naturally, we slackened our pace, when to our dismay we saw looming in the distance certain white ponies and outriders. Caught between two fires, we paused a moment, took in the situation, and quickly decided that we had just time to scramble to safety before the Queen's carriage could draw up at the door. Seeing that the advance party had already turned into the ivy-covered porch, we gave wings to our heels and bolted in, and came upon them saying goodby to one another, nearly knocking them over in our mad haste. What followed was most amusing. Prince Henry and the Duke of Con- naught, seeing our breathless condition and hear- ing at the same time horses' hoofs quickly ap- proaching, sensed the impending danger and left their conversation unfinished, having in common with us only one idea, — that of getting out of the Queen's sight at once. Prince Henry, who knew his way about the cottage, waited for no one and dashed off through our small private gate; but the Duke of Connaught, less versed in the topography of the place, turned appealingly 206 EMPRESS VISITS QUEEN VICTORIA to me, asking piteously to be shown some way out. A few seconds later I had hastily guided him through our hall and dining-room and out bj^ the long French window, and he was madly careering down our garden, leaving the aids-de- camp, Majors Bigg and Edgerton, to get away as best they could. The Empress was much amused at hearing the story at dinner, and told us she had seen over the garden hedge, as she drove by with the Queen, the two gentlemen running away and wondered what it meant. She says she has often seen even the Prince of Wales, in years gone by, hiding behind bushes in the grounds of Os- borne Castle, when he thought his royal mother was coming along. Poor people or perfect strangers the Queen never minds seeing at all. It is only those whom she knows something about, that she does not care to encounter, as it would put her in the awkward position of either being discourteous and passing them by, or being forced to talk to them when she feels disinclined to do so. Hence out of deference to the Queen's feelings there is a tacit understanding that one must never be seen on her path. This has grown into a stereo- typed rule. Friday, July 80. Went with A. on foot to 207 EMPRESS EUGENIE IN EXILE the baths. Coming back, met the Duke and Duchess of Connaught in Cowes, and at the ferry Sir John and Lady Burgoyne, who invited the girls and me to take tea with them on Sunday. From a letter: Osborne Cottage, July 31, 1886. M. and A. enjoyed their httle trip on board the Prince of Wales's yacht, lent to the Duke of Connaught for that particular occasion. The Aline, you remember, was Captain Thelluson's first yacht, which he brought to Ostend during several summers, and on which we spent such pleasant days when I was a child. Later on, after building the Guinevere, he sold the Aline to the Prince of Wales. They had tea on board with the Duke and Duchess, and returned home about 7:30. The Empress, Mme. de Arcos and the Duke are expected for dinner at the castle at 9:15. The Duke looked unusually handsome and digni- fied in his court dress, the very picture of an old courtier; Mme. de Arcos, resplendent with dia- monds; and the Empress so distinguee, her soft gray hair so prettih^ dressed, and her whole per- son so graceful and so wonderfully young look- ing. Her youthfulness was accentuated by her simple black dress with only a suggestion of jet 208 .* T' f. ^' 'S c'o o-N "t:. ''^.^' ^ : .^^ '<> x^^'