CHAPTER 6 HOUSEKEEPING IN A PALACE

CHAPTER 6 HOUSEKEEPING IN A PALACE

Common people may make a wedding tour，but kings and queens are too fully occupied to afford such luxuries. The sovereign of England could spend her honeymoon in Windsor Castle，but it must be a honeymoon of only four days. Those four days，however，were marked by a freedom which she had never enjoyed before. For the first time in her life she could talk with someone of her own age without having to be on her guard lest what she said should be repeated and do harm.

Prince Albert was not yet twenty-one at the time of his marriage，and the question had arisen whether，as he was not of age，he could legally take the oath that was required of every member of the Council. Soon after the marriage，King Leopold asked an English lady about him.

“Do the English like him? Will he be popular? ”inquired the King.

“They call him very handsome，”was her reply，“but the English are always ready to find fault with foreigners，and they say he is stiff and German.”

As the months passed，however，the English learned that this young Prince was a remarkable man in his grasp of politics，his talent for art and music，and his honest and unselfish devotion to the good of the realm. What was more，they showed their appreciation by an act of Parliament. The country was not yet at rest about the succession to the crown. If the Queen should have a child and die before the child was of age，a regent would be necessary. Parliament discussed the question，and named the Prince，“the foreigner，”as regent. “They would not have done it for him six months ago，”declared Lord Melbourne with delight.

The Queen had always been loved by the Whigs，and just about this time，a great wave of devotion to her swept through not only their ranks but also those of the Tories. A boy of seventeen tried to shoot her，not because he hated her，but because he wished to be notorious. The Queen was in her carriage with the Prince when the attempt was made. She drove on rapidly to tell the Duchess of Kent that she was safe，then she returned to the park，where hundreds of people had gathered，hoping to see her and make sure that she was not injured. She was received with cheers and shouts of delight，and all the horseback riders formed in line on both sides of her carriage as if they were her guard. When she appeared at the opera a few days later，she was greeted with a burst of cheers and shouts. The whole house sang“God Save the Queen！”Then they pleased her still more by crying，“The Prince！The Prince！”and when Prince Albert stepped to the front，he was cheered so warmly that she knew he was fast winning the hearts of her people.

Operas and popularity were not the only things to be thought of in those days. The royal couple，barely twenty-one years of age，was working hard on constitutional history. They were very anxious，too，about the possibility of war with France on account of trouble in regard to Turkey and Egypt，and when their little daughter was born in November，1840，the Queen said：“I really think she ought to be named Turko-Egypto.”

The little girl was not named Turko-Egypto，but Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise，and she had to wait three months for her name，as the baptism did not take place until February. She was baptized with water brought from the River Jordan，and was very well behaved during the ceremony. “She didn't cry at all，”wrote her proud father.

There was much rejoicing at the birth of this Princess Royal；but when，a year later，a Prince was born，then the delight of the nation knew no bounds. He was the heir to the throne，and it was impossible to do too much to celebrate his birth.

All England rejoiced；but across the water，in Germany，was a man who was not at all pleased to hear that a son and heir was born to Victoria，for he had always had a lingering hope that he might yet become King of Great Britain. His aide-de-camp said that King Ernest was generally ill-natured when he heard from England；and he was indignant enough when he was not asked to become his grandnephew's godfather. Who should be the chief sponsor was a serious matter；but Baron Stockmar's advice was followed，and the King of Prussia was invited to take the place of honor. The Queen wished the little Prince named Albert for the husband who was so dear to her，and Edward for the father whom she could not remember，and these names were given him. This small Prince was an expensive baby，for it is said that the celebrations at his baptism cost at least $1,000,000. The Queen gave him the title of Prince of Wales when he was only a month old.

In all these honors and rejoicings the little baby sister was not forgotten，and the Queen wrote in her journal：“Albert brought in dearest little Pussy in such a smart dress，trimmed with blue，which mamma had given her，and a pretty cap. She was very dear and good.”

The children's father and mother would have been very glad to forget all outside cares and luxuries and live quietly by themselves，but that could not be. There was much to think of and many subjects concerning which they felt anxiety. One of these was the change of government，for a little before the birth of the Prince the event took place which the Queen had dreaded so long，the victory of the Tories and the resignation of Lord Melbourne. Never was a retiring Minister more generous to his opponents and more thoughtful of the comfort of his sovereign. Soon after his resignation he had a little conversation with M r. Greville about the Tories.

“Have you any means of speaking to these chaps? ”he asked.

“Certainly，”answered Greville.

“I think there are one or two things Peel ought to be told，”said Lord Melbourne，“and I wish you would tell him. When he wishes to propose anything，he must tell the Queen his reasons. She is not conceited；she knows there are many things which she does not understand，and she likes to have them explained.”

Sir Robert was grateful for the advice；and followed it. It was not pleasant for him to become Prime Minister，for，although the Queen treated him with the utmost courtesy，he knew that she looked upon him as responsible for cutting down the grant to Prince Albert and for opposing her wish to give the Prince status next to herself. Peel had done exactly what he thought was right，but he could not help feeling sensitive when he was brought into so close relationship with the Queen and knew that this relationship was not welcome to her. “Any man with the feelings of a gentleman would be annoyed at having given her so much pain，”he said. Moreover，he was exceedingly shy，“so shy that he makes me shy，”said the Queen.

Fortunately，Sir Robert and Prince Albert found that they had much in common in their love for literature and art，and the Queen could not help liking the man who showed such warm appreciation of the husband whom she adored. Very soon Peel paid him a compliment that completely won her heart.

The new houses of Parliament were to be decorated，and there was a strong desire felt by all who were interested in art that they should be so artistic as to be an honor to the country. Peel invited the Prince to become the chairman of the commission which was to control the matter. This position gave him the best of opportunities to become connected with the prominent men of the country，and both Prince and Queen were grateful to Peel for his thoughtfulness. The Queen came to appreciate the Tory Premier；then she saw that the Tories were not so black as they were painted；and before the end of 1841，Victoria was no longer“Queen of the Whigs，”but Queen of all her people.

The Queen had no easy life. “She has most of the struggle and least of the enjoyments of the world，”wrote her husband. She had also much of the danger. Without an enemy in the world，she was shot at twice during the summer of 1842 by men who seemed to have no motive for such a deed. When Peel heard of the attempt on her life，he hurried to the palace to consult with the Prince. The Queen entered the room，and the shy，cold，self-contained Minister actually wept tears of joy at her safety. After that，there was no question about the friendliness between the Queen and her Premier.

Just how these would-be killers should be punished was an important matter，and here the common sense of the sovereign found a way out of the dilemma. “It is a mistake，”she said，“to treat such attempts as high treason，for it gives too much importance to the crime，and makes the criminals feel that they are bold and daring men.”Parliament learned from her wisdom and passed a bill punishing any attempt upon the sovereign's life by imprisonment and whipping. This had so good an effect that the Queen saw seven years of peace before another attempt was made to injure her.

In spite of all these dangers and political responsibilities，Victoria was radiantly happy. The home life was all that she could have asked. She and the Prince were not only husband and wife，they were the best of comrades. Whenever they could win a little leisure from the cares of state，they read and sketched and sang together. Music gave them both the most intense pleasure，and both had rare musical ability，which had been carefully cultivated. Mendelssohn describes a visit to them which he seems to have enjoyed as much as they.

The great musician says that he found Prince Albert alone，but as they were looking at the new organ and trying the different stops，the Queen came in，wearing a very simple morning gown.

“I am glad that you have come，”she said. “We love your music，and it is a great pleasure to have you with us.”

“I thank your Majesty，”replied the guest，and he went on to speak of the beauty of the organ.

“Yes，it is indeed fine，”said the Queen，“but then I think any instrument fine when the Prince is playing on it. But what confusion！”she exclaimed，glancing around the room. The wind had scattered leaves of music over the floor，even on the pedals of the organ，and she knelt down and began to pick them up. Prince Albert and Mendelssohn started to help，but she said，“No，go on with the stops，and I will put things straight.”

“Will you not play something for me? ”begged Mendelssohn of the Prince，and added，“so I can boast about it in Germany? ”The Prince played，while the Queen sat by him listening and looking perfectly happy. Then Mendelssohn played his chorus，“How Lovely Are the Messengers，”but before he was at the end of the first verse，his royal hosts were singing with him.

The Queen sang one of his songs to him. “She really sang it charmingly，”he wrote in a letter，but when he told her so，she exclaimed，“Oh！If I only had not been so frightened.”

Mendelssohn played a wonderful short piece of his for them；then the musician took his leave. “But do come to England again soon and pay us a visit，”said the Queen earnestly，as he made his farewells.

Running about to see the world was not so common an amusement in the first half of the nineteenth century as it is today. Nevertheless，in the autumn of 1842 she and the Prince made a journey to Scotland.

Much that she saw was almost as new to her as it would have been to any village maiden who had never left her home，and she was interested in whatever came before her. She was especially delighted with Edinburgh. “It is beautiful，”she wrote；“totally unlike anything else I have ever seen.”As she entered the city，she was met by the Royal Archers Guard. This was an association formed by one of her royal ancestors more than two hundred years before. Its special business was to protect the sovereign，and in the old days its members were covered from head to foot with armor. Long before Victoria's time the armor had vanished，but in memory of the old customs each man carried a bow in one hand and had arrows stuck through his belt. As soon as the Queen appeared，they began to perform their ancient office，walking close beside the carriage all the way through the town.

In this journey the Queen and Prince Albert were received by various noblemen，but the most pleasant greeting was at the home of Lord Breadalbane at Taymouth. As they drove up to the castle，the gates were thrown open，and there stood their host in a Highland dress，at the head of a company of Highlanders，who were gorgeous in the bright-colored plaid of the Campbells. Pipers were playing on the bagpipes，salutes were fired，the soldiers and the crowd of country folk cheered over and over again. When the royal guests went into the house and were escorted up the wide stone staircase，long lines of Highlanders in kilts stood on both sides of the hall and the stairway. It is no wonder that the Queen wrote in her journal that it seemed like the old feudal times. In the evening，the gardens were illuminated. There were no electric lights then，but she says there was“a whole chain of lamps along the railing，and on the ground was written in lamps，‘Welcome，Victoria-Albert. ’”Fires were built on the tops of the hills，and fireworks were set off. Then the bagpipes began to play，torches were brought on the lawn in front of the house，and by their wild and flaring light the Highlanders danced the gayest，merriest reels that can be imagined. The visitors spent several days in this charming place. A ball was given for them，but the Queen seems to have enjoyed much more the quiet drives that she took about the country，the row up the lake，with two pipers sitting in the bow of the boat，piping and singing strange Gaelic boat songs；and perhaps most of all，the little picnics they had and the walks that they took，for there was no one to stare at them，and they wandered about in perfect freedom，guarded only by two Highlanders，who，according to the ancient custom，followed them with drawn swords wherever they went.

注释

legally[´liɡəli]adv. 法律上，合法地

take the oath宣誓；oath[əuθ]n. 誓言，宣誓

stiff[stif]adj. 拘谨的，刻板的

unselfish[´ʌn´selfiʃ]adj. 不自私的，慷慨的

rank[ræŋk]n. 官位，显贵

e.g. persons of rank达官显贵

notorious[nəu´tɔːriəs]adj. 臭名昭著的，声名狼籍的

barely[´bɛəli]adv. 仅仅，刚刚

on account of由于，因为

e.g. They were late for the meeting on account of the traffic jam. 他们开会迟到是因为交通堵塞。

Turko-EgyptoTurko-前缀，表土耳其之意；Egypt n. 埃及

baptize[bæp´taiz]vt. 给人施洗礼（作为入基督教的标志）

bound[baund]n. 限度，界限（常用复数）

e.g. exceed the bounds of the kingdom超出了王国的疆界

lingering[´liŋɡəriŋ]adj. 逗留不去的

aide-de-camp侍从武官，副官

-natured本性…的，…性情的

e.g. mean-natured情绪性的；sweet-natured性格温和的

grandnephew[´ɡrænd´nevjuː；-ˌnefjuː]n. 甥（外）孙，侄孙

Prince of Wales威尔士亲王，英国皇太子的封号，即英国君主授予男性王位继承人的封号。

trim[trim]v. 装饰，点缀，修饰

dread[dred]v. 担忧，担心

e.g. He dreaded the long drive home before Christmas. 他非常担心圣诞节前回家的长途驾驶。

resignation[´reziɡ´neiʃ∂n]n. 辞职

opponent[ə´pəunənt]n. 对手，反对者

thoughtful[´θɔːtful]adj. 考虑周全的，细心的

chap[tʃæp]n. （英，俗语）男子，家伙

conceited[kən´siːtid]adj. 自以为是的，逞能的

courtesy[´kəːtisi]n. 礼貌

grant[ɡrαːnt]n. 为某一特定目的供给的基金

appreciation[ə´priːʃi´eiʃən]n. 欣赏

adore[ə´dɔː]v. 崇拜，爱慕

compliment[´kɔmpliment]n. 敬意，恭维

artistic[αː´tistik]adj. 艺术的，有美感的

commission[kə´miʃ∂n]n. 委员会

opportunity[ˌɔpə´tjuːniti]n. 机会

thoughtfulness[´θɔːtfulnis]n. 思虑，慎重

enjoyment[in´dʒɔimənt]n. 享乐

motive[´məutiv]n. 动机，目的

consult[kən´sʌlt]v. 咨询，商榷

self-contained[´selfkən´teind]adj. 有自制力的；contain[kən´tein]v. 自制，抑制

weep[wiːp]v. 哭泣（过去时wept）

killer[´kilə]n. 杀手

common sense常识（尤指判断力）

treason[´triːz∂n]n. 叛逆

bold[bəuld]adj. 大胆的

imprisonment[im´prizənmənt]n. 关押

whipping[´（h）wipiŋ]n. 鞭打

radiantly[´reidjəntli]adv. 容光焕发地

leisure[´leʒə]n. 空闲，闲暇

cultivate[´kʌltiveit]v. 培育，培养

Mendelssohn门德尔松（1809-1847），德国指挥家，钢琴家及作曲家

organ[´ɔːɡən]n. 管风琴

stop[stɔp]n. （风琴的）排列的音管

confusion[kən´fjuːʒ∂n]n. 混乱；文中句是感叹句，原句为：What confusion it is！省略了it is。

scatter[´skætə]n. 分散，散开，撒开

leaves[liːvz]n. （leaf的复数形式）页，书的一张

pedal[´pedl]n. 踏板

straight[streit]adj. 整齐有秩序的

e.g. Put the living room straight. 把房间收拾整齐。

verse[vəːs]n. 诗节，诗篇

charmingly[´tʃαːmiŋli]adv. 迷人地，愉悦地

farewell[fɛə´wel]n. 辞别，再见；常用短语：make/bid one's farewell

Edinburgh爱丁堡，苏格兰首府，位于苏格兰东部的福斯湾畔，是一个酿酒中心和旅游胜地。

archer[´αːtʃə]n. 射手

association[ə´səusi´eiʃ∂n]n. 协会

armor[´αːmə]n. 装甲

perform[pə´fɔːm]vt. 履行，执行

of fice[´ɔfis]n. 职责，任务

nobleman[´nəubəlmən]n. 贵人

Highlander[´hailəndə（r）]n. 苏格兰高地的人

plaid of the Campbells苏格兰的一种民族服装

plaid[plæd]n. 格子花呢，彩格呢披衣（苏格兰高地服装的一种）

piper[´paipə]n. 吹笛者，风笛手

bagpipe[´bæɡpaip]n. 风笛

kilt[kilt]n. 苏格兰格呢短裙

feudal[´fjuːdl]adj. 封建的

torch[tɔːtʃ]n. 火炬

lawn[lɔːn]n. 草地，草坪

flaring[´flɛəriŋ]adj. 耀眼的

reel[riːl]n. 里尔舞

Gaelic[´ɡeilik]adj. （苏格兰的）盖尔人的n. 盖尔语