queen victoria-第42节

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e　of　mere　representation　which　are　now　thrown　upon　the　Queen；　alone　and　unassistedduties　which　she　cannot　neglect　without　injury　to　the　public　service；　which　weigh　unceasingly　upon　her；　overwhelming　her　with　work　and　anxiety。〃　The　justification　might　have　been　considered　more　cogent　had　it　not　been　known　that　those　〃other　and　higher　duties〃　emphasised　by　the　Queen　consisted　for　the　most　part　of　an　attempt　to　counteract　the　foreign　policy　of　Lord　Palmerston　and　Lord　John　Russell。　A　large　sectionperhaps　a　majorityof　the　nation　were　violent　partisans　of　Denmark　in　the　Schleswig…Holstein　quarrel；　and　Victoria's　support　of　Prussia　was　widely　denounced。　A　wave　of　unpopularity；　which　reminded　old　observers　of　the　period　preceding　the　Queen's　marriage　more　than　twenty…five　years　before；　was　beginning　to　rise。　The　press　was　rude；　Lord　Ellenborough　attacked　the　Queen　in　the　House　of　Lords；　there　were　curious　whispers　in　high　quarters　that　she　had　had　thoughts　of　abdicatingwhispers　followed　by　regrets　that　she　had　not　done　so。　Victoria；　outraged　and　injured；　felt　that　she　was　misunderstood。　She　was　profoundly　unhappy。　After　Lord　Ellenborough's　speech；　General　Grey　declared　that　he　〃had　never　seen　the　Queen　so　completely　upset。〃　〃Oh；　how　fearful　it　is；〃　she　herself　wrote　to　Lord　Granville；　〃to　be　suspecteduncheered　unguided　and　unadvisedand　how　alone　the　poor　Queen　feels！　〃　Nevertheless；　suffer　as　she　might；　she　was　as　resolute　as　ever；　she　would　not　move　by　a　hair's　breadth　from　the　course　that　a　supreme　obligation　marked　out　for　her；　she　would　be　faithful　to　the　end。

And　so；　when　Schleswig…Holstein　was　forgotten；　and　even　the　image　of　the　Prince　had　begun　to　grow　dim　in　the　fickle　memories　of　men；　the　solitary　watcher　remained　immutably　concentrated　at　her　peculiar　task。　The　world's　hostility；　steadily　increasing；　was　confronted　and　outfaced　by　the　impenetrable　weeds　of　Victoria。　Would　the　world　never　understand？　It　was　not　mere　sorrow　that　kept　her　so　strangely　sequestered；　it　was　devotion；　it　was　self…immolation；　it　was　the　laborious　legacy　of　love。　Unceasingly　the　pen　moved　over　the　black…edged　paper。　The　flesh　might　be　weak；　but　that　vast　burden　must　be　borne。　And　fortunately；　if　the　world　would　not　understand；　there　were　faithful　friends　who　did。　There　was　Lord　Granville；　and　there　was　kind　Mr。　Theodore　Martin。　Perhaps　Mr。　Martin；　who　was　so　clever；　would　find　means　to　make　people　realise　the　facts。　She　would　send　him　a　letter；　pointing　out　her　arduous　labours　and　the　difficulties　under　which　she　struggled；　and　then　he　might　write　an　article　for　one　of　the　magazines。　〃It　is　not；〃　she　told　him　in　1863；　〃the　Queen's　SORROW　that　keeps　her　secluded。　It　is　her　OVERWHELMING　WORK　and　her　health；　which　is　greatly　shaken　by　her　sorrow；　and　the　totally　overwhelming　amount　of　work　and　responsibilitywork　which　she　feels　really　wears　her　out。　Alice　Helps　was　wonderfully　struck　at　the　Queen's　room；　and　if　Mrs。　Martin　will　look　at　it；　she　can　tell　Mr。　Martin　what　surrounds　her。　From　the　hour　she　gets　out　of　bed　till　she　gets　into　it　again　there　is　work；　work；　work；letter…boxes；　questions；　etc。；　which　are　dreadfully　exhaustingand　if　she　had　not　comparative　rest　and　quiet　in　the　evening　she　would　most　likely　not　be　ALIVE。　Her　brain　is　constantly　overtaxed。〃　It　was　too　true。

III

To　carry　on　Albert's　workthat　was　her　first　duty；　but　there　was　another；　second　only　to　that；　and　yet　nearer；　if　possible；　to　her　heartto　impress　the　true　nature　of　his　genius　and　character　upon　the　minds　of　her　subjects。　She　realised　that　during　his　life　he　had　not　been　properly　appreciated；　the　full　extent　of　his　powers；　the　supreme　quality　of　his　goodness；　had　been　necessarily　concealed；　but　death　had　removed　the　need　of　barriers；　and　now　her　husband；　in　his　magnificent　entirety；　should　stand　revealed　to　all。　She　set　to　work　methodically。　She　directed　Sir　Arthur　Helps　to　bring　out　a　collection　of　the　Prince's　speeches　and　addresses；　and　the　weighty　tome　appeared　in　1862。　Then　she　commanded　General　Grey　to　write　an　account　of　the　Prince's　early　yearsfrom　his　birth　to　his　marriage；　she　herself　laid　down　the　design　of　the　book；　contributed　a　number　of　confidential　documents；　and　added　numerous　notes；　General　Grey　obeyed；　and　the　work　was　completed　in　1866。　But　the　principal　part　of　the　story　was　still　untold；　and　Mr。　Martin　was　forthwith　instructed　to　write　a　complete　biography　of　the　Prince　Consort。　Mr。　Martin　laboured　for　fourteen　years。　The　mass　of　material　with　which　he　had　to　deal　was　almost　incredible；　but　he　was　extremely　industrious；　and　he　enjoyed　throughout　the　gracious　assistance　of　Her　Majesty。　The　first　bulky　volume　was　published　in　1874；　four　others　slowly　followed；　so　that　it　was　not　until　1880　that　the　monumental　work　was　finished。

Mr。　Martin　was　rewarded　by　a　knighthood；　and　yet　it　was　sadly　evident　that　neither　Sir　Theodore　nor　his　predecessors　had　achieved　the　purpose　which　the　Queen　had　in　view。　Perhaps　she　was　unfortunate　in　her　coadjutors；　but；　in　reality；　the　responsibility　for　the　failure　must　lie　with　Victoria　herself。　Sir　Theodore　and　the　others　faithfully　carried　out　the　task　which　she　had　set　themfaithfully　put　before　the　public　the　very　image　of　Albert　that　filled　her　own　mind。　The　fatal　drawback　was　that　the　public　did　not　find　that　image　attractive。　Victoria's　emotional　nature；　far　more　remarkable　for　vigour　than　for　subtlety；　rejecting　utterly　the　qualifications　which　perspicuity；　or　humour；　might　suggest；　could　be　satisfied　with　nothing　but　the　absolute　and　the　categorical。　When　she　disliked　she　did　so　with　an　unequivocal　emphasis　which　swept　the　object　of　her　repugnance　at　once　and　finally　outside　the　pale　of　consideration；　and　her　feelings　of　affection　were　equally　unmitigated。　In　the　case　of　Albert　her　passion　for　superlatives　reached　its　height。　To　have　conceived　of　him　as　anything　short　of　perfectperfect　in　virtue；　in　wisdom；　in　beauty；　in　all　the　glories　and　graces　of　manwould　have　been　an　unthinkable　blasphemy：　perfect　he　was；　and　perfect　he　must　be　shown　to　have　been。　And　so；　Sir　Arthur；　Sir　Theodore；　and　the　General　painted　him。　In　the　circumstances；　and　under　such　supervision；　to　have　done　anything　else　would　have　required　talents　considerably　more　distinguished　than　any　that　those　gentlemen　possessed。　But　that　was　not　all。　By　a　curious　mischance　Victoria　was　also　able　to　press　into　her　service　another　writer；　the　distinction　of　whose　talents　was　this　time　beyond　a　doubt。　The　Poet　Laureate；　adopting；　either　from　complaisance　or　conviction；　the　tone　of　his　sovereign；　joined　in　the　chorus；　and　endowed　the　royal　formula　with　the　magical　resonance　of　verse。　This　settled　the　matter。　Henceforward　it　was　impossible　to　forget　that　Albert　had　worn　the　white　flower　of　a　blameless　life。

The　result　was　doubly　unfortunate。　Victoria；　disappointed　and　chagrined；　bore　a　grudge　against　her　people　for　their　refusal；　in　spite　of　all　her　efforts；　to　rate　her　husband　at　his　true　worth。　She　did　not　understand　that　the　picture　of　an　embodied　perfection　is　distasteful　to　the　majority　of　mankind。　The　cause　of　this　is　not　so　much　an　envy　of　the　perfect　being　as　a　suspicion　that　he　must　be　inhuman；　and　thus　it　happened　that　the　public；　when　it　saw　displayed　for　its　admiration　a　figure　resembling　the　sugary　hero　of　a　moral　story…book　rather　than　a　fellow　man　of　flesh　and　blood；　turned　away　with　a　shrug；　a　smile；　and　a　flippant　ejaculation。　But　in　this　the　public　was　the　loser　as　well　as　Victoria。　For　in　truth　Albert　was　a　far　more　interesting　personage　than　the　public　dreamed。　By　a　curious　irony　an　impeccable　waxwork　had　been　fixed　by　the　Queen's　love　in　the　popular　imagination；　while　the　creature　whom　it　representedthe　real　creature；　so　full　of　energy　and　stress　and　torment；　so　mysterious　and　so　unhappy；　and　so　fallible　and　so　very　humanhad　altogether　disappeared。

IV

Words　and　books　may　be　ambiguous　memorials；　but　who　can　misinterpret　the　visible　solidity　of　bronze　and　stone？　At　Frogmore；　near　Windsor；　where　her　mother　was　buried；　Victoria　constructed；　at　the　cost　of　L200；000；　a　vast　and　elaborate　mausoleum　for　herself　and　her　husband。　But　that　was　a　private　and　domestic　monument；　and　the　Queen　desired　that　wherever　her　subjects　might　be　gathered　together　they　should　be　reminded　of　the　Prince。　Her　desire　was　gratified；　all　over　the　countryat　Aberdeen；　at　Perth；　and　at　Wolverhamptonstatues　of　the　Prince　were　erected；　and　the　Queen；　making　an　exception　to　her　rule　of　retirement；　unveiled　them　herself。　Nor　did　the　capital　lag　behind。　A　month　after　the　Prince's　death　a　meeting　was　called　together　at　the　Mansion　House　to　discuss　schemes　for　honouring　his　memory。　Opinions；　however；　were　divided　upon　the　subject。　Was　a　statue　or　an　institution　to　be　preferred？　Meanwhile　a　subscription　was　opened；　an　influential　committee　was　appointed；　and　the　Queen　was　consulted　as　to　her　wishes　in　the　matter。　Her　Majesty　replied　that　she　would　prefer　a　granite　obelisk；　with　sculptures　at　the　base；　to　an　institution。　But　the　committee　hesitated：　an　obelisk；　to　be　worthy　of　the　name；　must　clearly　be　a　monolith；　and　where　was　the　quarry　in　England　capable　of　furnishing　a　granite　block　of　the　required　size？　It　was　true　that　there　was　granite　in　Russian　Finland；　but　the　commit