CHAPTER 8 A HOME OF OUR OWN
CHAPTER 8 A HOME OF OUR OWN
It is very wonderful to live in palaces and entertain kings and emperors；but Queen Victoria's palaces belonged to the English nation，and not to herself，and their royal tenants had to suffer many inconveniences because they were not at liberty to manage their own housekeeping as they chose. “If we only had a home of our own！”said the Queen and Prince Albert to each other，and at last they decided to buy one. They talked the matter over with Sir Robert Peel，whom they had come to look upon as a faithful friend，and he told them of a beautiful estate which was for sale.
This property was situated on the Isle of Wight. It was far enough from London to assure them of privacy，and it was so near that there need be no delay in matters of government. In this charming place there were trees and valleys and hills，a wide stretch of sea-beach，with the woods growing almost to the water's edge；and，best of all，the royal family could walk and drive and wander about without feeling that they were on continual exhibition. There was a palace at Brighton which the Queen had sometimes occupied for the sake of being near the sea；but Brighton had become so much of a city，and the houses had clustered so closely about the palace，that there was no longer any view of the ocean from the lower windows，and no member of the royal family could go outside of the grounds without being followed by curious crowds. At Osborne，as the new purchase was named，there was perfect freedom. Perhaps the“grown ups”of the household appreciated the liberty indoors quite as much as that out of doors，for here there were no“departments”to consult，and if a window was broken，there was no need of sending over the kingdom for the signatures of five men before it could be mended.
The house was pretty，but it was too small，and a new one had to be built. Prince Albert made all the plans for it，and he was as eager as the Queen to get into a home of their own.
The cost of the house came from the Queen's own purse，from the regular grant made her by Parliament，though most sovereigns have called upon the nation to build whatever dwellings they thought desirable. The people of the kingdom were pleased to hear the English Court called the most magnificent in Europe，and many statesmen expected that when a new palace was to be built or a royal guest to be entertained，the sovereign would ask Parliament for a special grant of money to pay the expense. Frequently，far more was expected of members of the royal family than their purses could provide，and then came debts. King Leopold had not been able to live within his grant，and the Duke of Kent had left indebtedness at his death. The little Princess，who had not been allowed to buy a box until she had the money to pay for it，meant，now that she was on the throne，to carry out the principle on which she had been brought up. The first thing that she did was to pay her father's debts，and while living in as much luxury as her people desired，she managed her income so well that she could afford to build a palace if she chose. Prince Albert approved of this wise economy，and he carried out the same plan in managing the farm of the new estate；he spent a great deal on improving the land，but unlike most“fancy farmers，”he made his costly improvements so skillfully that they were paid for in the generous increase in crops.
When the new house was done，there was a joyful homecoming. Not only the grown folk，but the merry little company of princes and princesses，were very happy in it whenever a few days could be spared for its pleasures. As they grew older，a Swiss cottage was built for them，and this was their house. There was a charming little kitchen with a cooking stove，so that the girls could try all sorts of experiments in the cooking line；and happy they were when they could persuade their father and mother to attend a“banquet”of their own preparing. The boys had a forge and a carpenter's bench，where they built small boats and chairs and tables. Every child had a garden，and there he raised not only flowers，but fruits and vegetables. In this little paradise the children did what they liked，but they were shown the best way of doing it. A gardener taught them how to manage their gardens，and whenever their vegetables were a success，they either gave them away or sold them at market price to the royal kitchen. Prince Albert himself taught the boys how to use tools，and helped them to begin a museum of insects，minerals，and all sorts of curiosities，like the one that he and his brother Ernest had had in Coburg when they were boys.
Not only at Osborne，but wherever the royal children were，they were brought up as simply as the Queen herself had been. Whatever material was bought for their clothes had to be shown to the Queen，and if it were rich or expensive，she would refuse to allow it to be used. As soon as the princes and princesses were old enough，they were taught to take as much care of their clothes as if they had been a poor man's children. One of their nurses wrote that they had“quite poor living—only a bit of roast beef and perhaps a plain pudding；”and she added，“The Queen is as fit to have been a poor man's wife as a queen.”Baron Stockmar was consulted on all nursery questions，and he said that it was more difficult to manage a nursery than a kingdom.
The Queen tried to make her children understand that they were no better than other children just because they were princes or princesses，and they were obliged to behave with perfect courtesy to the servants of the palace as well as to kings and emperors. It is said that，once upon a time，two of the children thought it very amusing to take possession of the brushes and blacken the face of a woman who was cleaning a stove；but when the Queen mother discovered their joke，she took the children by the hand and led them to the woman's room and made them apologize most sincerely.
Happy as the Queen and the Prince were in their home life，one subject in connection with her husband always troubled the loving wife，and that was the annoying question of status. She wrote of him in her journal：“He is above me in everything really，and therefore I wish that he should be equal in rank to me.”In England she could“put the Prince where she wished him to be，”but Parliament had given him no rank，and therefore out of England some sovereigns，like King Ernest，positively refused to grant him any honors that were not due to the younger son of the Duke of Coburg；and when status was accorded him，the Queen had to express gratitude as for a personal favor to herself. Unknown to the Prince，she had a long talk on the subject with Baron Stockmar.
“I wish him to have the title of King Consort，”she said earnestly.
“A king consort without the authority of a king would be a novelty，”replied the Baron，“and the English people do not like anything for which there is no previous example. Queen Anne's husband was never called king.”
“But Queen Anne's husband was stupid and unimportant，”declared the Queen. “There has never been a case like ours before. Albert and I reign together. He is sovereign as much as I. We discuss all matters and decide together.”
“True，”admitted the Baron，“but the constitution does not provide for such a condition of affairs. I will talk with Peel about it.”
Peel felt as Stockmar did，that it was not wise to propose such a title. The subject arose again some years later，and the shrewd Baron wrote to the Prince in his usual straightforward fashion：“Never abandon your firm，powerful position to run after butterflies. You have the substance；stick by it.”The title was never given him，but it was true that he had“the substance.”The Queen no longer met her Ministers alone；the Prince was always with her to help and suggest. Whenever either she or the Prince spoke to the Council，the word“I”was not used；it was always“We think so and so should be done.”
Not only the Council but the whole country were gaining in knowledge of the Prince's wisdom and devotion to the good of the kingdom，and in 1847 a valued mark of appreciation was given him in his election as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge，one of the greatest honors that could have been given him. The Queen was delighted，because she knew that the position was not given out of compliment to her，but was something that he himself had earned.
When Victoria thought of her husband and her children，she was supremely happy，but when she thought of the different kingdoms of Europe，and even of her own realm，there was much in 1847 and 1848 to make her unhappy. All Europe was restless and uneasy. Revolt had broken out in Italy，France，Germany，and other countries. The reigning sovereigns in most of these kingdoms were related to her either by blood or by marriage，and she could but feel grief for their trials，and，in some instances，fear for their safety. Indeed，the King and Queen of France had to flee to England，and they spent the remainder of their lives at Claremont. In Victoria's own realm there was trouble. Ireland was suffering from a terrible famine. Thousands of Irish were dying of either starvation or fever. In England there was no starvation，but everyone felt the hard times more or less. Those who had money did not dare to invest it，because business was so unsettled that they were afraid of loss. As capital was not invested，there was little work to be had，and the poor suffered severely. The rich as well as the poor felt the general stagnation. Greville said that his income was only half the usual amount，and even in royal palaces strict economy was practiced.
There was a special reason for great uneasiness in London. According to the laws at that time，no one could become a member of the House of Commons who did not own land enough to receive from it an annual income of 6 1，500. This law had been made in the belief that a man who owned land would be more interested in the welfare of his country than a man who had none. Thousands of workers were not allowed even to vote. When work was plenty，and they were comfortable and busy，they did not think so much about their rights；but when work failed，they began to say to one another：“This is all the fault of the laws. If everyone could vote，and if poor men as well as rich men could become members of Parliament，laws would be made for the good of the whole nation and not merely for the owners of land.”
These men held meetings to discuss such matters，and they concluded to send in a petition to Parliament，setting forth their wrongs and demanding that changes should be made. The plan was explained in what was called the People's Charter，and therefore its supporters were spoken of as Chartists.
No one would have objected to having as many petitions sent to Parliament as the house would hold，but among the people were many hotheaded persons who had much to say about“oppression”and“revolution.”The crowds sometimes became noisy and turbulent，and one evening some of them rushed wildly toward Buckingham Palace. The only harm that they did was to break some street lamps；and when their leader was taken by the police，he made no resistance，but began to cry. Nevertheless，people felt very uneasy，and when it was reported that on the 10th of April the petition would be presented by 1,000,000 men，there was much alarm in the city. Shops were boarded-up，weapons were put where they could be caught up in a moment，and old guns that had not been used for half a century were brought down from the attics and put in order for the riots that were feared. The Duke of Wellington，as commander-in-chief of the army，made very wise preparations. There was no display of soldiers or cannon，but Buckingham Palace and the public buildings were quietly filled with armed men，and gunboats were brought up the river. The Queen had shown again and again that she was no coward，and she would have stayed in London，but her Ministers persuaded her to take her three-weeks’-old baby to Osborne House. All London trembled when the 10th of April arrived；but when night came，those who had feared most laughed hardest. The whole affair had ended in a few thousand men starting for Parliament with the petition. “You cannot cross the bridge in mass，”said the police，and the Chartists went home obediently，sending their petition in cabs.
The Queen had long wished to go to Ireland，and in 1849 she and the Prince and the four older children went to that country in the yacht Victoria and Albert. Now，however indignant the Irish might be at England's rule of their country，they would not give the Queen any but the most cordial greeting；and when the yacht sailed into the mouth of the River Lee，the people of the place called Cove of Cork asked that she would step ashore，if only for a moment. “We wish to change the name of our town，”they said，“so that it may mark the place where the Queen first set her foot on Irish soil.”The flag was run up on which was written the word“Cove，”but as soon as the Queen had gone back to the yacht，the flag was dropped，and another was run up marked“Queenstown.”
Victoria and Albert went on to Cork，and the party also visited several other places in Ireland. Wherever they went，the crowds pressed to the water's edge with cheering and shouts of welcome. Cannon were fired and bells were set to ringing. Every little cottage had its flag，or at least a wreath of flowers. All were interested in the royal children，and at Kingstown an old lady cried out：“Oh！Queen dear，make one of them Prince Patrick，and all Ireland will die for you.”
When the Irish visit had come to its end，and the Queen was about to leave for England，the crowds on the shore cheered her more wildly than ever，and both the Queen and the Prince climbed aboard ship and waved their handkerchiefs again and again. The year following the visit to Ireland the Queen's seventh child was born，a boy.
“Now we are just as many as the days of the week，”cried the brothers and sisters joyfully.
“But which of us shall be Sunday? ”asked one.
“The new baby，”answered Princess Vicky decidedly，“because he's just come，and we must be polite to him and give him the best.”
The little boy was named Patrick，as the old woman in Ireland had suggested，but his first name was Arthur，for the Duke of Wellington，on whose eighty-first birthday he was born.
The days of the Queen were full of joys and sorrows that came almost hand in hand. Her home life was perfectly happy，but her duties as a sovereign took much time that she would have gladly given to her family. “It is hard，”she said，“that I cannot always hear my children say their prayers.”She had the warmest，most devoted friends，but in the six years preceding 1850，she had lost several who could never be replaced. Sir Robert Peel and Lord Melbourne had died，the opposing Ministers who had both won her confidence and gratitude；and the“good Queen Adelaide，”who had loved the little Princess Victoria as if she had been her own child，was also gone. The sorrow which Prince Albert felt at the loss of his father had been to his wife a grief almost as deep；and both she and the Prince were sad about the loss of the Coburg grandmother，who loved him so that she was almost heartbroken on his leaving her to make his home in England，and called after his carriage，“Oh，Albert，Albert！”The three who had been nearest to the Queen in her childhood were living，her mother，Dr. Davys，and Baroness Lehzen. The kind，scholarly clergyman she had made Bishop of Peterborough，and she saw him from time to time. After the marriage of the Queen the Baroness Lehzen returned to her friends in Germany，but the busy sovereign found time to send her long and frequent letters.
The losses of the Queen were many，but with Prince Albert by her side，she felt that she could bear whatever came；and it was a great happiness to her that the better he was known in the country，the more highly the nation thought of him. They could hardly help respecting him，for he seemed never to have a thought of himself；all was for the Queen and for her people. For several years he had had a plan in his mind for a great industrial exhibition. When he first laid the scheme before the public，the people were wildly enthusiastic. Then，as the difficulties arose，there was much criticism. The building would cost $1,000,000，and donations were slow. Still the Prince worked all the harder for his project.
There was much opposition to admitting foreign exhibits，for many English manufacturers had a wild fancy that the sight of them would prevent the English from buying home products. In Parliament，one of the members called for lightning to fall from heaven and destroy the half-finished building. Nevertheless，enormous masses of goods were constantly arriving，and the huge structure continued to rise. It was made of iron and glass，and was like an enormous greenhouse.
The Crystal Palace，the people called it，and no better name could have been given. It stretched out one thousand feet in length，and part of it was one hundred feet high，so high that two trees which had been growing on its site grew on in freedom under its glass roof. The ironwork was painted a clear，bright blue. There were red hangings，fountains，statues，banners，flowers，palms，everything that could make it bright and beautiful.
May 1，1851，had been named as the day of opening. In the royal family the day began with birthday gifts for the little Arthur—toys from the parents，a clock from the Duchess of Kent，and，strange presents for a baby，a bronze statue and a beautiful paper-knife，from the Prince and Princess of Prussia. Long before noon，the Queen，the Prince，and the two older children drove to Crystal Palace. As they entered，there was a flourish of trumpets，followed by tremendous cheering. Then the deep tones of the organ broke in up on them. The music of two hundred instruments and six hundred voices followed，leading the thousands present in the National Song. Speeches were given，and then a famous choral piece was sung by all present. While this was being sung，a Chinese mandarin，who had been walking about most perfectly at his ease and quite indifferent to the gazing crowds，now took his stand before the Queen and made a very profound bow. He proved to be of considerable use a little later，for when the long procession of distinguished Englishmen and foreigners was formed，it occurred to someone that China was not represented，and the mandarin was taken possession of as an addition to the train. He made no objections，but marched along with his former calm，thinking apparently that all foreigners were treated in such manner by those remarkable people，the Englishmen.
So ended what Victoria called“the proudest and happiest day of my life，a thousand times superior to the crowning.”In her journal she wrote：“Albert's name will now forever be remembered. God bless my dearest Albert，God bless my dearest country！”
注释
tenant[´tenənt]n. 房客
inconvenience[ˌinkən´viːnjəns]n. 不方便
estate[i´steit]n. （大的）房产
property[´prɔpəti]n. 财产，地产
situated[´sitjueitit]adj. 位于…的
assure[ə´ʃuə]vt. 保证，使…确信；常用结构：assure sb. of sth.
e.g. He assured the leader of his loyalty.
privacy[´privəsi]n. 独处而不受干扰，隐私
stretch[stretʃ]n. 延伸
for the sake of...为了…；sake n. 理由，兴趣
cluster[´klʌstə]vi. 聚集
purchase[´pəːtʃəs]n. 购买物
household[´haushəuld]n. 家庭，王室
appreciate[ə´priːʃieit]vt. 重视，欣赏
consult[kən´sʌlt]v. 请教咨询，考虑
purse[pəːs]n. 钱包，财源
dwelling[´dweliŋ]n. 住处
indebtedness[in´detidnis]n. 债务
The little princess...shehad been brought up. 该句的主句为“The little princess meant to carry out the principle on which she had been brought up.”其中插入了一个由who引导的定语从句和一个有now that引导的状语从句。
principle[´prinsəp∂l]n. 原则
economy[i（ː）´kɔnəmi]n. 节约，理财
costly[´kɔstli]adj. 昂贵的
skillfully[´skilfuli]adv. 有技巧地
homecoming[´həum´kʌmiŋ]n. 回家聚会
company[´kʌmpəni]n. 陪伴，伙伴
cottage[´kɔtidʒ]n. 村舍，小别墅
banquet[´bæŋkwit]n. 宴会
forge[fɔːdʒ]n. 锻铁炉
carpenter[´kαːpintə]n. 木匠
paradise[´pærədais]n. 天堂
curiosity[ˌkju∂ri´ɔsiti]n. 好奇心
blacken[´blækən]v. 使变黑
accord[ə´kɔːd]v. 给予
consort[´kɔnsɔːt]n. 配偶（尤指君王的配偶）
earnestly[´əːnistli]adv. 认真地
novelty[´nɔv∂lti]n. 新奇的事
abandon[ə´bændən]v. 放弃
substance[´sʌbstəns]n. 实质，实权
stick by固守，坚持
election[i´lekʃ∂n]n. 当选
supremely[sjuː´priːmli]adv. 极度地
revolt[ri´vəult]n. 反叛，叛乱
grief[ɡriːf]n. 悲痛
trial[´trai∂l]n. 磨难，考验
instance[´instəns]n. 实例
remainder[ri´meində]n. 余生
famine[´fæmin]n. 饥荒
unsettled[´ʌn´setld]adj. 未处理的
stagnation[stæɡ´neiʃən]n. 萧条，停滞
practice[´præktis]v. 实行，实施
annual[´ænjuəl]adj. 年度的，每年的
welfare[´welfɛə]n. 幸福，福利事业
petition[pi´tiʃ∂n]n. 请愿书
set forth提出
e.g. He set forth a sound plan. 他提出了一个合理的计划。
wrong[rɔŋ]n. 错误，不公正的行为
Chartist[´tʃαːtist]n. 宪章派
hotheaded[hɔt´hedid]adj. 性急的，鲁莽的
oppression[ə´preʃən]n. 压迫
turbulent[´təːbjulənt]adj. 狂躁的
resistance[ri´zist∂ns]n. 反抗
attic[´ætik]n. 阁楼
riot[´raiət]n. 暴乱
commander-in-chief n. 总司令
commander[kə´mαːndə]n. 指挥官
display[dis´plei]n. 显露，展示
gunboat[´ɡʌnbəut]n. 炮舰
coward[´kauəd]n. 懦夫
tremble[´tremb∂l]vi. 战栗，感到焦虑
e.g. I tremble at the very thought of it. 我一想到这件事就不寒而栗。
mass[mæs]n. 大量，大批
obediently[əu´biːdiəntli]adv. 顺从地
yacht[jɔt]n. 游艇
cordial[´kɔːdjəl]adj. 诚恳的
cove[kəuv]n. 小海湾
Cork科克（爱尔兰南部港市）
ashore[ə´ʃɔː]adv. 向岸地
cheering[´tʃiəriŋ]n. 喝彩，欢呼
Patrick[´pætrik]帕特里克，爱尔兰基督教士和守护神
joyfully[´dʒɔifuli]adv. 喜悦地
decidedly[di´saididli]adv. 果断地，断然地
sorrow[´sɔrəu]n. 悲痛
preceding[pri（ː）´siːdiŋ]adj. 在前的
heartbreak[´hαːtbreik]v. 伤心欲绝
scholarly[´skɔləli]adj. 学者气质的
clergyman[´kləːdʒimən]n. 教士，牧师
Peterborough彼得伯勒，英格兰中东部一城市
industrial[in´dʌstriəl]adj. 工业的
agreat industrial exhibition（1851. 5. 1—1851. 10. 15）此次博览会被称为万国大工业博览会，也被公认为是第一届世界博览会。
criticism[´kritisiz∂m]n. 批评
donation[dəu´neiʃ∂n]n. 捐款
manufacturer[´mænju´fæktʃ∂rə]n. 制造业者
wild[waild]adj. 无根据的
e.g. wild accusations胡乱指控；a wild guess胡乱猜测
fancy[´fænsi]n. 想象，猜测
product[´prɔdəkt]n. 产品
lightning[´laitniŋ]n. 闪电
structure[´strʌktʃə]n. 结构
greenhouse[´ɡriːnhaus]n. 温室
crystal[´kristl]n. 水晶
site[sait]n. 选址，地点
ironwork[´aiənwəːk]n. 铁制品
fountain[´fauntin]n. 喷泉
statue[´stætjuː]n. 雕像
palm[pαːm]n. 棕榈
bronze[brɔnz]adj. 青铜制的
flourish[´flʌriʃ]n. 花式吹奏，一段讲究仪式的音乐
tremendous[tri´mendəs]adj. 极大的
tone[təun]n. 音调，音质
break in upon突然进入
choral[´kɔrəl[´kɔːrəl]adj. 合唱的
mandarin[´mændərin]n. 满族人
at（one's）ease不拘束，心安理得的
e.g. He is quite at ease with strangers.
indif ferent[in´dif∂rənt]adj. 不在乎的，漠然的（常与to连用）
e.g. He is indifferent to the sufferings of others. 他对别人遭受的痛苦漠然处之。
gaze[ɡeiz]v. 凝视
profound[prə´faund]adj. 深深地（鞠躬）
distinguished[dis´tiŋɡwiʃt]adj. 高贵的
apparently[ə´pærəntli]adv. 显然地
superior[sju（ː）´pi∂riə]adj. 更高级的，较好的（其后与to连用）
e.g. This computer is superior to that one. 这台计算机比那台好。