CHAPTER 3 EXAMINATION DAY

CHAPTER 3 EXAMINATION DAY

When Queen Victoria was a tiny child，she is said to have asked her mother one day，“Mamma，why is it that when Feodore and I are walking all the gentlemen raise their hats to me and not to her? ”In 1830，when she was nearly eleven years old，her mother and her teachers thought that it was time for her question to be answered. The King was so ill that everyone knew he could not live many months. The Duke of York had died three years earlier；therefore，at the King's death William，Duke of Clarence，would ascend the throne，and Victoria would succeed him.

It seems quite probable that the bright little girl had，before this time，answered the question for herself. There are stories that if she failed in a lesson a certain teasing boy cousin of hers used to say，“Yes，a pretty queen you will make！”and then he would suggest that when a queen did not rule well her head was likely to be cut off. Another story is that when the child was reading aloud to her mother about the Princess Charlotte，she suddenly looked up from her book and asked，“Mamma，shall I ever be a queen? ”Tradition says that the Duchess replied：“It is very possible. I want you to be a good woman，and then you will be a good queen.”Whether there is any truth in these stories or not，the child was too observing not to have noticed when very young that she was treated differently from other children，even her sister Feodore. She could not have failed to see that she was watched wherever she went and that far more attention was paid to her than to her mother. Indeed，she herself said long afterwards that the knowledge of her position came to her gradually and that she“cried much”at the thought of ever having to be a queen.

The little girl kept these thoughts to herself，and even her mother did not know that she was dreading a future on a throne. There are several accounts of just how she was finally told that she would some day wear the crown，but a version which may be trusted comes from Mr. Davys.

“Princess，”he said，“Tomorrow I wish you to give me a chart of the kings and queens of England.”

When morning came，she gave him the chart，and he read it carefully. Then he said，“It is well done，but it does not go far enough. You have put down‘Uncle King’as reigning，and you have written‘Uncle William’as the heir to the throne，but who should follow him? ”

The little girl hesitated，then she said，“I hardly liked to put down myself.”

Mr. Davys told the Duchess about the chart，and she wrote at once to the Bishop of London that the Princess now understood her position. The letter ended，“We have everything to hope from this child.”

It must have given the little girl of eleven years a strange feeling to read a chart of sovereigns of her country and know that her own name would be written in the next vacant place. She had seen the respect paid to“Uncle King，”she knew that his will was law，and it must have made the child's brain whirl to think“Some day I shall be in his place.”She had always been trained to the strictest obedience，but she knew that some day whatever order she chose to give would be obeyed. She seems to have thought more of the responsibility of the throne than of its glories；but if she had felt ever so much inclined to boast，she would soon have realized that after all she was only a little girl who must obey rather than command，for the first consequence of her queenly prospects was an examination in her lessons before two learned bishops.

The Duchess believed that the training of the future queen was the most important matter in the country. She could hardly have helped feeling that she had been most successful in her efforts to make the child what she ought to be，but after all，she herself was a German，her child was to rule an English realm，and the careful mother wished to make sure that the little girl was having the kind of instruction that would best prepare her for the difficult position she would have to fill. She selected two bishops as her advisers；men of much learning and fine character，and wrote them a long letter about the Princess. She told them what masters had been chosen for her and in what branch each one had instructed her. With this letter went a report from each instructor，stating not only what books she had used but what his opinion was of her progress and ability. Most of them seemed to feel that she was much further advanced than is usually the case with children of her age.

Three weeks after the letter was written，the two bishops went to Kensington and examined the little maiden. Afterward，the bishops returned home，and three days later they sent the anxious mother a report of the interview. They wrote that they had asked the Princess“a great variety of questions，”and that her answers showed she had learned“with the understanding as well as with the memory.”They were so well pleased with the results of their visit，they said，that they had no change to recommend in the course which had been pursued. So it was that the little girl began her public life，not by congratulations and entertainments and rejoicings，but by a thorough examination in her studies before two learned men.

Two months after the bishops’visit to Kensington the Princess passed her eleventh birthday. One month later“Uncle King”died，and“Uncle William”became sovereign，with the title of William Ⅳ. At William's death Victoria would become queen，and as that event might occur before she was eighteen and capable of ruling for herself，it was necessary to have a guardian appointed at once，so that，if it should come to pass，there would be no delay in matters of state.

A law was proposed in Parliament called the Regency Bill. As it was possible that William would have a child，Victoria was spoken of as the“possible heir.”The bill provided that if she should come to the crown before she was eighteen，her mother should be her guardian and should rule the country in her name until she was of age. This bill became a law，and few laws have been so pleasing to both houses of Parliament and to the whole country.

When Parliament was closed until the next session，the Princess was with her Aunt Adelaide，who was now the Queen. They stood together at one of the palace windows watching the procession，while the people shouted，“Cheers for Queen Adelaide！Long live the Queen！”Then the loving aunt took the little girl by the hand and led her out on the balcony so that all might see her. The people cheered louder than before，not only for the Princess，but for the generous woman who had not a thought of jealousy because it was the child of her friend and not one of her own little girls that stood by her side.

Soon another official was added to the household of the Princess，a“state governess，”the Duchess of Northumberland. Her business was to attend the royal child on all state occasions and to teach her the details of court manners that were to be observed. This lady had nothing to do with the education of the Princess in any other respect.

The education of the young Princess went on in much the same way as during the previous years. Her study hours were observed with such strictness that even when a favored guest at Kensington was about to take his departure，she was not allowed to leave her work for a moment to say goodbye. Occasionally，however，an interruption came，and three months before she was twelve years of age the books had to be closed for one day that she might make her first appearance at Queen Adelaide's drawing room. She wore a white dress，hardly more elaborate than her ordinary gowns，but a diamond ornament was in her hair，and around her neck was a string of pearls. She stood beside the Queen，and although the ceremonies were almost as unfamiliar to her as they would have been to any other child of her age，she did not appear embarrassed，but seemed to enjoy her new experience.

During this year，1831，while the glories of Victoria's brilliant future were beginning to shine faintly about her，the first sadness of her life came to her in the death of her grandmother of Coburg and the departure of her Uncle Leopold for Belgium. The year before，he had been asked to become king of Greece，but had refused. Now the throne of Belgium was offered him，and he accepted it. The happiest days of the little niece had been spent with him，and the child，who，in spite of her royal birth，had so few pleasures，was sadly grieved at his departure. All her life he had been her devoted friend，always near，and always ready to do anything to please her. Child as she was，she knew enough of thrones and sovereigns to understand that the visits of kings and queens must be few and far between，and that she could never again have the wonderful times of her earlier years.

The crowning of King William took place in September，but neither the Duchess nor the Princess was present. No one knew the reason of their absence，and，therefore，all sorts of stories were spread abroad. “The Princess is not strong enough to attend so long and tiring a ceremony，”said one. “Her mother keeps her away to spite the King，”declared another；and yet another reason assigned—and this was probably the true one—was that the Princess was not allowed to go because the King had refused to give her the place in the procession which her rank and position demanded.

Whatever reason may have been the correct one，the Princess remained at home，but she did some little traveling during the summer. It was only around the western part of the Isle of Wight，but to the child whose journeys until the previous season had been hardly more than from Kensington to London or to Claremont these little trips were full of interest.

The following summer brought much more of travel. Not only the King but the people of the kingdom in general were beginning to feel somewhat upset that so little was seen of the Princess. The Duchess believed that the best way for the future Queen to know her realm was to see it，and that the best way to win the loyalty of her future subjects was for them to see her.

The general course of their travel was from Kensington to the northwest，and its limit was the little island of Anglesey. Of course，she was required to keep a journal，in order to document all of the new experiences she encountered. As part of her trip，she was made to visit numerous different manufactures. With each visit，an explanation of the various processes was given，and she carefully made a record of this in her journal. It speaks well for her intelligence and her wish to learn that she seems to have been genuinely interested in these explanations.

She visited a library possessing a book of Latin exercises in which Queen Elizabeth wrote when she was thirteen，just the age of the Princess. Of course the little visitor compared her own handwriting with that of Elizabeth，and the thought must have passed through her mind that some day her exercises and copybooks would perhaps be put into libraries to be looked at as she was looking at Queen Elizabeth's.

Other events than studying manufactures came into those weeks of travel. The Princess laid the corner stone of a boys' school；she planted a little oak tree on the estate of one of her entertainers；in Anglesey she presented the prizes at the National Eisteddfod，a musical and literary festival which had been celebrated annually from ancient times；she listened to addresses without number from mayors and vice chancellors，and she was present at the formal opening of the new bridge over the Dee，which for this reason was named the Victoria Bridge. One thing which seems to have made a special impression upon the child's mind，and which she noted particularly in her journal，was that she was allowed to dine with her mother and the guests at seven o’clock.

When the Princess and her mother traveled by boat，they were greeted sometimes with the firing of guns. This annoyed the king a great deal. He could not endure that anyone but himself should receive the royal salutes. “The thing is not legal，”he said to the naval authorities. “Stop those poppings.”He then called the Privy Council and ordered them to pass an order that even the royal flag should not be saluted unless the vessel flying it bore either the King or the Queen.

注释

ascend[ə´send]vt. 继承；占领；上升

e.g. He ascended the throne upon the death of his father. 他在父亲去世后继承了王位。

to ascend the mountain登山

teasing[´tiːziŋ]adj. 取笑的tease vt. 取笑，揶揄

make[meik]vt. 达到某种地位（职位或军衔）；发展成为

e.g. She made lieutenant. 她的军衔为中尉。

She will make a fine doctor. 她将会成为一个好医生。

Tradition says/runs that...据传说…

dread[dred]vt. 担忧，畏惧

e.g. She dreaded her driving test. 她为驾驶考试而担忧。

version[´vəːʃ∂n]n. （某人或从某一角度的）说法，看法，描述

e.g. There were contradictory versions of what the President said. 对于总统说的话，各种说法相互矛盾。

reigning[´reiniŋ]adj. 在位的，本届的，统治的

hesitate[´heziteit]vi. 犹豫，迟疑

everything[´evriθiŋ]n. 最重要的事，最重要的行为根据

e.g. In business，timing is everything. 在商业中，时机最为重要。

vacant[´veik∂nt]adj. 空缺的，没有现任者或占有者的

e.g. a vacant position空缺职位

whirl[（h）wəːl]v. 眩晕

obedience[ə´biːdiəns]n. 服从，顺从

responsibility[riˌspɔnsə´biliti]n. 责任，职责

inclined[in´klaind]adj. 有…倾向的，有…爱好的；其后接不定式；incline vt. 有…的倾向，使倾向于

e.g. He wasn't inclined to believe the excuse. 他不愿意相信这个藉口。

boast[bəust]v. 自夸，以有…而自豪

consequence[´kɔnsikwəns]n. 重要；（在等级或地位上的）重要性

e.g. an issue of consequence重要的议题；scientists of consequence卓越的科学家们

queenly[´kwiːnli]adj. 女王的

prospect[´prɔspekt]n. 前景，前途，展望

e.g. There seems great prospect of his success. 看来他很有希望成功。

could hardly have helped feeling...其意同短语：could not have helped feeling...，意为：不由得，禁不住感到…。

adviser[əd´vaizə]n. 顾问，指导老师

maiden[´meidn]n. 少女

a variety of多种多样的；variety[və´raiəti]n. 多样性，种类

recommend[ˌrekə´mend]vt. 推荐，劝告

pursue[pə´sjuː]v. 执行，从事

e.g. She pursued the goal of perfection in her art. 她以追求艺术上的完美为目标。

rejoicings[ri´dʒɔisiŋz]n. 庆祝活动，欢庆；rejoicing n. 欢欣，喜悦

e.g. There were terrific rejoicings on the day war ended. 战争结束那天人们举行盛大庆祝活动。

ruling[´ruːliŋ]n. 统治；rule v. 统治，治理，行使最高权力

guardian[´ɡαːdiən]n. 监护人

appoint[ə´pɔint]vt. 任命，指定

propose[prə´pəuz]v. 提议，提出以供考虑

e.g. propose a change in the law提议修改法律

session[´seʃ∂n]n. 会议，会议期（一系列会议的持续时间）

procession[prə´seʃ∂n]n. 游行，行进队伍

balcony[´bælkəni]n. 阳台（伸出的阳台）

cheer[tʃiə]v. 欢呼，用欢呼声表示祝贺或赞赏

generous[´dʒen∂rəs]adj. 高尚的，有雅量的

household[´haushəuld]n. 家庭，住户

Northumberland[nɔː´θʌmbələnd]诺森伯兰郡（英国英格兰郡名）

detail[´diːteil，di´teil]n. 细节，详情

observe[əb´zəːv]v. 遵守，遵从（法律、规定或传统礼仪等）

e.g. observe the speed limit遵守速度限制；observe the terms of a contract遵守合同的条款

have（nothing/something）to do with...与…无关/有关联

elaborate[i´læb∂rət]adj. 精心制作的，精美的

gown[ɡaun]n. （正式的）女长服

ornament[´ɔːnəmənt]n. 装饰品

embarrass[im´bærəs]vt. 使局促不安，使困窘；文中embarrassed为过去分词作appear的表语

faintly[´feintli]adv. 微弱地

grieved[ɡriːvd]adj. 伤心的，难过的（常与at连用）

e.g. I feel deeply grieved at your misfortune.

child as she was=though she was a child是用倒装句表示的让步状语从句。这种句型是一常见用法。

e.g. Ridiculous as it seems，the tale is true. 这个故事看似荒唐，却是真的。

crowning[´krauniŋ]n. 加冕，加冕仪式；crown v. 加冕，登基

spread abroad广泛流传

spite[spait]vt. 向…表示怨恨，故意使气恼

e.g. He did it just to spite her. 他那样做只是为了激怒她。

assign[ə´sain]vt. 把…归因于（与to连用）

e.g. They assigned his failure to his laziness.

Isle of Wight怀特岛：英吉利海峡中的一个岛，著名旅游胜地和帆船运动中心。

...that so little was seen of the Princess. 该句是说明upset的原因状语从句，从句中使用倒装语序，将so little提前表示强调。还原语序为：The queen was so little seen of.

see...of sb. （常常/很少/从不）见到某人

loyalty[´lɔiəlti]n. 忠诚，忠心

subject[´sʌbdʒikt]n. 臣民，国民

document[´dɔkjumənt]vt. 记载，实录

e.g. The trial was well documented by the media. 媒体真实地记录了这次审判。

encounter[in´kauntə]v. 碰见，不期而遇，（尤指意外或偶然遇见）

e.g. He encountered an old friend on the street.

numerous[´njuːm∂rəs]adj. 众多的，许多的

manufacture[´mænju´fæktʃə]n. 制造业，产品制造（流程），制成品

process[´prəuses]n. 生产过程，程序

It speaks well for...that...该句中It为形式主语，that引导主语从句。speak well/ill for证明…很好/不好，显示（好/不好的兆头）；speak well of sb. 称赞某人；speak ill of sb. 说某人坏话

intelligence[in´telidʒ∂ns]n. 智力，聪明

genuinely[´dʒenjuinli]adv. 真诚地，真实地

copybook[´kɔpibuk]n. 习字簿

other...than...不同于，除了

e.g. You can't get there other than by boat. 你除了乘船没有别的办法到那里。

corner stone奠基石，墙角石

oak[əuk]n. 橡树

estate[i´steit]n. 房屋（地产）

entertainer[entə´teinə（r）]n. 款待者，演艺人员

National Eisteddfod威尔斯艺术节，一年一度的诗人、音乐家比赛大会

eisteddfod[ais´tedvɔd]n. 诗人，音乐家，大会

annually[´ænjuəli]adv. 一年一次，每年

mayor[mɛə]n. 市长，一个市、镇等的政府首脑

chancellor[´tʃαːnsələ]n. 高级官员；（美）大学校长；（英）大学名誉校长；vice chancellor副首脑，副大法官，副校长

Dee迪伊河（沿威尔士—英格兰边境直至爱尔兰海的一条河）

endure[in´djuə]vt. 容忍，忍受

salute[sə´ljuːt]n. （尤指军队等）升降旗致敬，呜礼炮等

legal[´liːɡ∂l]adj. 合法的，法定的

naval[´neiv∂l]adj. 海军的

authority[ɔː´θɔriti]n. 权威人士，政府官员

popping[´pɔpiŋ]n. 砰砰声，爆音

Privy Council n. 枢密院（君主任命的顾问团，包括现任或卸任政府大臣）

privy[´privi]adj. 非公开的，对政府秘密私下知情的

vessel[´ves∂l]n. 船，容器

bear[bɛə]v. （过去时与过去分词为：bore，born）运输，携带，具有