"Ah! oh! Then run, boy, to the Three Tuns and say that the king expects them;—to the Three Tuns, boy, d' ye hear? They are sure to be there, for the landlord makes the best purl in Windsor."
CHAPTER VI.
There was great excitement in the palace when the king entered Queen Charlotte's apartments one day, and exclaimed quite joyously, "Well, here I am, safe and well, though I have had a very narrow escape from being stabbed." He then proceeded to tell how a woman had presented him with a paper, just as he was about to enter his carriage at the gate of St. James's Palace, and as he proceeded to open it she struck at him with a knife, which pierced his clothing, but fortunately did him no injury. She was about to repeat the thrust, when a yeoman of the guard caught her arm and wrenched the knife from her grasp. She was proved to be insane in the examination which followed, and sent to an asylum; but Queen Charlotte was so alarmed for the safety of her husband that she could not bear to see him go about unattended, as he often did, and every time he went to London she watched for his return with the utmost anxiety.
A.D. 1787. It was a great comfort to the queen when a reconciliation took place with the Prince of Wales, after a coldness that had prevented his attending several of the drawing-rooms. Miss Burney gives an instance of his playfulness when he was visiting at Windsor to celebrate the return of his brother, the Duke of York, to England, after an absence of seven years. "At near one o'clock in the morning, while the wardrobe-woman was pinning up the queen's hair, there was a sudden rap-tap at the drawing-room door. Extremely surprised, I looked at the queen to see what should be done; she did not speak. I had never heard such a sound before, for at the royal doors there is always a peculiar kind of scratching or rattling of the knob instead of tapping. I heard it, however, again, and the queen called out: 'What is that?' I was really startled, not conceiving who could take such a liberty as to come to the queen's apartment without being announced by a page; and no page, I was very sure, would make such a noise. Again the rapping was repeated, but more smartly. I grew quite alarmed, imagining some serious evil at hand, either regarding the king or some of the princesses. The queen, however, bade me open the door. I did so; and what was my surprise to see there a large man, in an immense wrapping great-coat buttoned up around his chin, so that his face was almost hidden. I stood quite motionless for a moment;—but he, as if also surprised, drew back; I felt quite sick with sudden terror. I really thought some ruffian had broken into the house,—or a madman. 'Who is it?' cried the queen. 'I do not know, ma'am,' I answered. 'Who is it?' she called aloud, just as the man took off his hat, and I beheld the Prince of Wales. The queen laughed heartily, and so did I, too, happy at this unexpected explanation. He told her eagerly that he only came to inform her there were the most beautiful northern lights to be seen that could possibly be imagined, and begged her to come to the gallery windows to see them."
This is a long story about a trifling matter; but it proves that the prince was at that period on friendly terms with his mother, and that he felt privileged to lay aside court etiquette when such was the case.
A.D. 1788. Everything was forgotten by Queen Charlotte, except the alarming illness that now threatened the king. He tried to conceal it as long as possible, and by so doing became much worse, until at last the disease affected his brain, and he was seized with delirium. This lasted so long that it was thought death would result; and the politicians, belonging both to the government and the opposition party, began to speculate as to how far they, individually, would be affected. The Prince of Wales and his brother of York did not behave with common decency at this time, but gayly flew about from club to club, party to party, without even pretending to care that their father was ill and suffering. Their shameful conduct was universally discussed, for they acted like men with little feeling and less brains. The poor queen had a succession of fainting spells that prostrated her almost as low as her royal husband. Between these attacks she would pace her room, too nervous to rest, and if by way of solace she attempted to read aloud to her children, she would stop in the midst of it and burst into an agony of tears.
The royal patient constantly bewailed the fact that he could not sleep, and would pray aloud for that blessing; then he would declare that he needed no physician but the queen, adding: "She is my best friend; where could I find a better?"
One night he got out of bed, and with a candle in his hand, walked to the queen's couch to make sure that she had not left him; then he sat and conversed with her, at times rather incoherently and hoarsely, for nearly an hour. The sufferer was occasionally better, but relapses were so frequent that at last the queen was advised to remove to a room in another part of the palace,—the one she had occupied adjoining the king's being required for the medical men and others, who, with the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, kept watch.