WE have been absent a week visiting different friends, and on our return this morning took a Royal luncheon at the Castle. Our dear Queen received us most kindly, and we sat with her for half an hour before luncheon. Her conversation was most interesting. I wish I could give it you word for word. It showed such a feeling, religious, good mind. It was about her loss in one whom she termed a faithful servant, indeed a friend—old Barton (only sixty-four, but he had a paralytic stroke two years since, which had aged him very much), her treasurer. He was their factotum at Bushey. The painful part of it, she said, was feeling that she in a manner had been the cause; for the good old man was so over-excited with joy at witnessing the enthusiastic reception she met with on her return, he went out to meet her. The fatigue and excitement were too much for him, and, after he got home, he had a stroke. He lost all power of speech, but retained his senses, and, by pointing to letters, made himself understood, and a dutiful and affectionate message to the King and Queen was written and sent. The dear Queen immediately wrote to him herself a letter, which was beautiful, so kind, so pious. He answered his hour was come, and he was resigned. Now, had you heard the manner in which she, in her pretty English, described all this, you never would have forgotten it.
'I never saw her or the King look better. He had all his daughters with him but Lady Mary Fox, who is abroad, and a swarm of grandchildren running about the corridor, and Her Majesty playing with them, and making them all happy and at ease.'
From the above we clearly see that Queen Adelaide had the power of feeling and inspiring sympathy with dependents as well as friends, with young as well as old. The following month the Clitherows again stayed at the Castle in quite homely fashion.
'WINDSOR CASTLE, 'September 27, 1834.
'There is no company but ourselves and the Duke of Dorset; consequently, we really enjoy the Queen. We set at her work-table in the evening with the King, Princess Augusta, and the Duke of Dorset, and really the cheerful, good-humoured conversation that goes on is most agreeable. The Ladies-in-Waiting have two work-tables. The gentlemen sit and chat with them, and there are generally four at whist, the Queen's beautiful band playing in the anteroom.
'We came on Thursday. Friday we were on Virginia Water, with the Guards' band playing in a barge moored. The weather was actual summer, and we were rowed about for two hours—the King, Queen, and ten of us.
'To-day the Queen, Lady Isabella Wemyss, Mrs. Clitherow, and myself in a barouche, my brother, with Miss Hope Jolynson, in a phaeton, drove out for two hours in Windsor Park and Forest. The evening was lovely, though we had heavy rain in the night and morning. The scenery is quite magnificent, and the dear Queen's conversation was so interesting, giving an account of her journey and adventures abroad. It was a drive to be envied.
'We do not think the Queen looking well, though it is uncourtly to say so. She is most miserably thin, and has a sad, wearing cough. However, she assures us she is better. The oppression on her chest is removed by a German medicine, which she has great faith in. I dread Brighton for her, which never agrees.
'The King is uncommonly well. He is out all the morning inspecting his farms, which they say he is getting into beautiful order, and to-day he returned to them after luncheon, instead of driving out with the party, as he generally does.
'Lady Augusta Kennedy and her four children are here. Lady Sophia Sydney[*] and her three children live here. Sir Philip is backwards and forwards. He is going on slowly at Penshurst, feeling, I suspect, that it will be time eno' to live there should anything happen to prevent their all living on "papa." Lady Augusta has a house at Isleworth near us, which "papa" gave her, but lives a great deal here. Lady Falkland is sadly out of health, and in town for advice. Her fine boy is left here, and the King and Queen have all the children in the corridor after luncheon to run about. It is so pretty to hear them lisp, "Dear Queeny," "Dear King." She plays with them with such good-humour.