queen victoria-第52节

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hers　of　Prince　Alexander；　the　elder　had　married　another　of　her　grand…daughters；　and　the　younger　was　the　husband　of　her　daughter；　the　Princess　Beatrice；　she　was　devoted　to　the　handsome　young　man；　and　she　was　delighted　by　the　prospect　of　the　third　brotheron　the　whole　the　handsomest；　she　thought；　of　the　threealso　becoming　a　member　of　her　family。　Unfortunately；　however；　Bismarck　was　opposed　to　the　scheme。　He　perceived　that　the　marriage　would　endanger　the　friendship　between　Germany　and　Russia；　which　was　vital　to　his　foreign　policy；　and　he　announced　that　it　must　not　take　place。　A　fierce　struggle　between　the　Empress　and　the　Chancellor　followed。　Victoria；　whose　hatred　of　her　daughter's　enemy　was　unbounded；　came　over　to　Charlottenburg　to　join　in　the　fray。　Bismarck；　over　his　pipe　and　lager；　snorted　out　his　alarm。　The　Queen　of　England's　object；　he　said；　was　clearly　politicalshe　wished　to　estrange　Germany　and　Russiaand　very　likely　she　would　have　her　way。　〃In　family　matters；〃　he　added；　〃she　is　not　used　to　contradiction；〃　she　would　〃bring　the　parson　with　her　in　her　travelling　bag　and　the　bridegroom　in　her　trunk；　and　the　marriage　would　come　off　on　the　spot。〃　But　the　man　of　blood　and　iron　was　not　to　be　thwarted　so　easily；　and　he　asked　for　a　private　interview　with　the　Queen。　The　details　of　their　conversation　are　unknown；　but　it　is　certain　that　in　the　course　of　it　Victoria　was　forced　to　realise　the　meaning　of　resistance　to　that　formidable　personage；　and　that　she　promised　to　use　all　her　influence　to　prevent　the　marriage。　The　engagement　was　broken　off；　and　in　the　following　year　Prince　Alexander　of　Battenberg　united　himself　to　Fraulein　Loisinger；　an　actress　at　the　court　theatre　of　Darmstad。

But　such　painful　incidents　were　rare。　Victoria　was　growing　very　old；　with　no　Albert　to　guide　her；　with　no　Beaconsfield　to　enflame　her；　she　was　willing　enough　to　abandon　the　dangerous　questions　of　diplomacy　to　the　wisdom　of　Lord　Salisbury；　and　to　concentrate　her　energies　upon　objects　which　touched　her　more　nearly　and　over　which　she　could　exercise　an　undisputed　control。　Her　homeher　courtthe　monuments　at　Balmoralthe　livestock　at　Windsorthe　organisation　of　her　engagementsthe　supervision　of　the　multitudinous　details　of　her　daily　routinesuch　matters　played　now　an　even　greater　part　in　her　existence　than　before。　Her　life　passed　in　an　extraordinary　exactitude。　Every　moment　of　her　day　was　mapped　out　beforehand；　the　succession　of　her　engagements　was　immutably　fixed；　the　dates　of　her　journeysto　Osborne；　to　Balmoral；　to　the　South　of　France；　to　Windsor；　to　Londonwere　hardly　altered　from　year　to　year。　She　demanded　from　those　who　surrounded　her　a　rigid　precision　in　details；　and　she　was　preternaturally　quick　in　detecting　the　slightest　deviation　from　the　rules　which　she　had　laid　down。　Such　was　the　irresistible　potency　of　her　personality；　that　anything　but　the　most　implicit　obedience　to　her　wishes　was　felt　to　be　impossible；　but　sometimes　somebody　was　unpunctual；　and　unpunctuality　was　one　of　the　most　heinous　of　sins。　Then　her　displeasureher　dreadful　displeasurebecame　all　too　visible。　At　such　moments　there　seemed　nothing　surprising　in　her　having　been　the　daughter　of　a　martinet。

But　these　storms；　unnerving　as　they　were　while　they　lasted；　were　quickly　over；　and　they　grew　more　and　more　exceptional。　With　the　return　of　happiness　a　gentle　benignity　flowed　from　the　aged　Queen。　Her　smile；　once　so　rare　a　visitant　to　those　saddened　features；　flitted　over　them　with　an　easy　alacrity；　the　blue　eyes　beamed；　the　whole　face；　starting　suddenly　from　its　pendulous　expressionlessness；　brightened　and　softened　and　cast　over　those　who　watched　it　an　unforgettable　charm。　For　in　her　last　years　there　was　a　fascination　in　Victoria's　amiability　which　had　been　lacking　even　from　the　vivid　impulse　of　her　youth。　Over　all　who　approached　heror　very　nearly　allshe　threw　a　peculiar　spell。　Her　grandchildren　adored　her；　her　ladies　waited　upon　her　with　a　reverential　love。　The　honour　of　serving　her　obliterated　a　thousand　inconveniencesthe　monotony　of　a　court　existence；　the　fatigue　of　standing；　the　necessity　for　a　superhuman　attentiveness　to　the　minutia：　of　time　and　space。　As　one　did　one's　wonderful　duty　one　could　forget　that　one's　legs　were　aching　from　the　infinitude　of　the　passages　at　Windsor；　or　that　one's　bare　arms　were　turning　blue　in　the　Balmoral　cold。

What；　above　all；　seemed　to　make　such　service　delightful　was　the　detailed　interest　which　the　Queen　took　in　the　circumstances　of　those　around　her。　Her　absorbing　passion　for　the　comfortable　commonplaces；　the　small　crises；　the　recurrent　sentimentalities；　of　domestic　life　constantly　demanded　wider　fields　for　its　activity；　the　sphere　of　her　own　family；　vast　as　it　was；　was　not　enough；　she　became　the　eager　confidante　of　the　household　affairs　of　her　ladies；　her　sympathies　reached　out　to　the　palace　domestics；　even　the　housemaids　and　scullionsso　it　appearedwere　the　objects　of　her　searching　inquiries；　and　of　her　heartfelt　solicitude　when　their　lovers　were　ordered　to　a　foreign　station；　or　their　aunts　suffered　from　an　attack　of　rheumatism　which　was　more　than　usually　acute。

Nevertheless　the　due　distinctions　of　rank　were　immaculately　preserved。　The　Queen's　mere　presence　was　enough　to　ensure　that；　but；　in　addition；　the　dominion　of　court　etiquette　was　paramount。　For　that　elaborate　code；　which　had　kept　Lord　Melbourne　stiff　upon　the　sofa　and　ranged　the　other　guests　in　silence　about　the　round　table　according　to　the　order　of　precedence；　was　as　punctiliously　enforced　as　ever。　Every　evening　after　dinner；　the　hearth…rug；　sacred　to　royalty；　loomed　before　the　profane　in　inaccessible　glory；　or；　on　one　or　two　terrific　occasions；　actually　lured　them　magnetically　forward　to　the　very　edge　of　the　abyss。　The　Queen；　at　the　fitting　moment；　moved　towards　her　guests；　one　after　the　other　they　were　led　up　to　her；　and；　while　dialogue　followed　dialogue　in　constraint　and　embarrassment；　the　rest　of　the　assembly　stood　still；　without　a　word。　Only　in　one　particular　was　the　severity　of　the　etiquette　allowed　to　lapse。　Throughout　the　greater　part　of　the　reign　the　rule　that　ministers　must　stand　during　their　audiences　with　the　Queen　had　been　absolute。　When　Lord　Derby；　the　Prime　Minister；　had　an　audience　of　Her　Majesty　after　a　serious　illness；　he　mentioned　it　afterwards；　as　a　proof　of　the　royal　favour；　that　the　Queen　had　remarked　〃How　sorry　she　was　she　could　not　ask　him　to　be　seated。〃　Subsequently；　Disraeli；　after　an　attack　of　gout　and　in　a　moment　of　extreme　expansion　on　the　part　of　Victoria；　had　been　offered　a　chair；　but　he　had　thought　it　wise　humbly　to　decline　the　privilege。　In　her　later　years；　however；　the　Queen　invariably　asked　Mr。　Gladstone　and　Lord　Salisbury　to　sit　down。

Sometimes　the　solemnity　of　the　evening　was　diversified　by　a　concert；　an　opera；　or　even　a　play。　One　of　the　most　marked　indications　of　Victoria's　enfranchisement　from　the　thraldom　of　widowhood　had　been　her　resumptionafter　an　interval　of　thirty　yearsof　the　custom　of　commanding　dramatic　companies　from　London　to　perform　before　the　Court　at　Windsor。　On　such　occasions　her　spirits　rose　high。　She　loved　acting；　she　loved　a　good　plot；　above　all；　she　loved　a　farce。　Engrossed　by　everything　that　passed　upon　the　stage　she　would　follow；　with　childlike　innocence；　the　unwinding　of　the　story；　or　she　would　assume　an　air　of　knowing　superiority　and　exclaim　in　triumph；　〃There！　You　didn't　expect　that；　did　you？〃　when　the　denouement　came。　Her　sense　of　humour　was　of　a　vigorous　though　primitive　kind。　She　had　been　one　of　the　very　few　persons　who　had　always　been　able　to　appreciate　the　Prince　Consort's　jokes；　and；　when　those　were　cracked　no　more；　she　could　still　roar　with　laughter；　in　the　privacy　of　her　household；　over　some　small　piece　of　funsome　oddity　of　an　ambassador；　or　some　ignorant　Minister's　faux　pas。　When　the　jest　grew　subtle　she　was　less　pleased；　but；　if　it　approached　the　confines　of　the　indecorous；　the　danger　was　serious。　To　take　a　liberty　called　down　at　once　Her　Majesty's　most　crushing　disapprobation；　and　to　say　something　improper　was　to　take　the　greatest　liberty　of　all。　Then　the　royal　lips　sank　down　at　the　corners；　the　royal　eyes　stared　in　astonished　protrusion；　and　in　fact；　the　royal　countenance　became　inauspicious　in　the　highest　degree。　The　transgressor　shuddered　into　silence；　while　the　awful　〃We　are　not　amused〃　annihilated　the　dinner　table。　Afterwards；　in　her　private　entourage；　the　Queen　would　observe　that　the　person　in　question　was；　she　very　much　feared；　〃not　discreet〃；　it　was　a　verdict　from　which　there　was　no　appeal。

In　general；　her　aesthetic　tastes　had　remained　unchanged　since　the　days　of　Mendelssohn；　Landseer；　and　Lablache。　She　still　delighted　in　the　roulades　of　Italian　opera；　she　still　demanded　a　high　standard　in　the　execution　of　a　pianoforte　duet。　Her　views　on　painting　were　decided；　Sir　Edwin；　she　declared；　was　perfect；　she　was　much　impressed　by　Lord　Leighton's　manners；　and　she　profoundly　distrusted　Mr。　Watts。　From　time　to　time　she　ordered　engraved　portraits　to　be　taken　of　members　of　the　royal　family；　on　these　occasions　she　would　have　the　first　proofs　submitted　to　her；　and；　having　inspected　them　with　minute　particularity；　she　would　point　out　their　mistakes　to　the　artists；　indicating　at　the　same　time　how　they　might　be　corrected。　The　artists　invariably　di