There was a sideboard of most intricate carving at one end of the room, with some green Venetian glasses on one of its shelves, but I saw no decanters. The room was filled with a glory and power, reflected in the possessor of three Kingdoms. From without, through the deeply embayed windows, also hung with satin of the color of a morning sky, I could hear the tramp of the sentinels on the battlements, and the hoarse cry of the warders, going their rounds, demanding the counter-sign of strangers.
The charmed silence was broken by the voice of the flunkey in answer to my enquiry as to how the aromatic odors of the chamber were procured.
"Her Majesty is werry fond of perfumes, Sir," said he. "The carpets has Cologne shook on them every morning, and if you will come here to the bed, you will also get the smell of Patshooly."
I walked to the bed and I found that there was an odor of cologne, otter of roses, and musk, proceeding from the counterpane, which was bordered with purple velvet and gold lace, and had the royal arms embroidered in the centre. The pillow slips had trimmings of Valenciennes lace, half a yard wide, hanging from their open ends. The counterpane was of quilted blue and pink satin, and inside of the velvet canopy that covered the bed, was a lining of blue and white satin, from which hung down heavy folds of Mechlin lace.
A little table of ivory, inlaid with gold and lapis lazuli, stood a few feet from the bed, supported by a tripod elegantly worked in solid silver.
The flunkey explained to me the use of this table. "Sometimes Her Majesty takes her breakfast in bed," said he, "when she is indisposed. Her Majesty is werry fond of coffee, and often takes two cups of a morning when she is stopping at Windsor. She is fond of veal cutlets, well done, and sweet breads, for breakfast. Yes, Sir, I have heard that Her Majesty, God bless her, when she had a good appetite, before Prince Albert died, would eat a pound of veal at breakfast. The lady in waiting places her coffee on that small table, and after handing Her Majesty her breakfast in bed, she stands off at a respectful distance, and waits until she is called again to offer Her Majesty a favorite dish. The Duchess of Athole, who is a relation of Lady Mordaunt, is greatly liked by Her Majesty, and when she waits on the Queen, Her Majesty allows her to sit down, but all the other ladies in waiting, excepting Lady Dianna Beauclerk, has to stand up. Sometimes, when the Prince of Wales comes here, God bless him, he is awfully screwed (drunk), and then the Queen makes a preshis row, and she wont speak to him for a week after.
"WOT A PEOPLE THE HAMERICANS ARE."
"You are the only American ever was allowed to enter this ere room, Sir; but I have heard that one of your countrymen once strayed in here, and was astonished to find that there was no 'spittoons,' I think he called them, in the Queen's bed-room. A preshis thing that would be, to have sich things as 'spittoons' in the Queen's bed-room," said the indignant and loyal flunkey.
I informed the man that the story was incredible, and that my countrymen were not such savages as he believed them to be. When I informed him that in the old times in America, any free and unwashed citizen might have inspected the President's bed-room at the White House at Washington, he was greatly astonished, and said:
"My God, what a strange people the Hamericans are! And they allowed them to look at his bed, did they? My heyes, wot a people!"