'Will I take the water, Your Majesty?'
I was confused by the mistake I came near making, in taking the maid of honor for the Queen.
'If you please,' she responded with the same kindly and encouraging smile.
It didn't take me long to get over the side of that vessel, you can rest assured. Remembering the Captain's injunction not to keep her waiting long, I drove through all the exhibition I could give and as I clambered aboard again the perspiration stood all over my forehead. On gaining the deck, I bowed to the Queen again and was about to go forward. The Queen stopped me and said:
'Captain Boyton, I am both delighted and astonished at your wonderful work in the water; I believe that dress will be the means of saving numbers of valuable lives.'
She asked me how old I was and many other questions. A handsome young lady who stood at her side said:
'Don't you feel very much fatigued after such an exertion and are not your clothes wet under your dress?'
'Oh, no, Miss, not the least.'
At this answer of mine a laugh went up from the royal group and I suspected that I had made some mistake. I added. 'To prove to your Majesty that I am perfectly dry underneath the suit, I am, with your permission going to take it off. You need not be afraid, I am perfectly dressed underneath.'
Seeing that she did not object, I quickly unbuckled the tunic and hauled it over my head cast it on the deck and kicking off my rubber pants, I stood in my stocking feet before them. The Queen examined the mechanism of the dress with much interest and said: