CHAPTER 9 QUEEN VICTORIA WITH HER CHILDREN，KING ED...

CHAPTER 9 QUEEN VICTORIA WITH HER CHILDREN，KING EDWARD AND THE PRINCESS ROYAL

With all their business and daily activity，it was sometimes the desire of the Queen and Prince to leave London for a little rest. Often they went to Scotland. They loved Osborne，but the Prince was feeling the strain of his intense work，and the physicians thought that the air of the mountains would be better for him than that of the sea. Therefore they went to Balmoral，a charming little gray castle that they had bought. It stood on the banks of the swiftly flowing River Dee，in the midst of hills and forests. The life at Balmoral was far simpler than that of many non-royal families. Of course a Cabinet Minister was always in attendance，and messengers with boxes of state dispatches were continually coming and going；but there was much greater freedom than the Queen could enjoy elsewhere.

At Balmoral they climbed mountains，searched for crystals and interesting stones，took long walks through the woods，made little picnics far up in the hills and built great piles of stones，each person placing one in turn，to mark the new ownership of the place. At dinner，the Prince wore the Scotch dress，and the Queen often wore over her shoulder a scarf of Stuart plaid. While the Prince was out shooting in the morning，she frequently ran about among the cottages，chatting easily and comfortably with the locals，comparing the height and weight of the latest royal baby with the latest baby of the neighborhood，going to the little stores in the village to buy dresses for poor people and toys for their children. On Sunday she went to the church like a true Scotchwoman，and one day she wrote in her journal enthusiastic praise of Dr. McLeod's speeches，because they were so“simple and eloquent，”she said. She was never pleased to have a minister pay her any special attention in his speeches；she liked to have him look upon her as only one more of his people；but she wrote that when Dr. McLeod prayed for her and the Prince，and then said“Bless their children，”it gave her“a lump in the throat.”

In their everyday life the royal family were Scotch when they were in Scotland. The English children of the palace wore kilts and tartans，and they played in the brooks with the Scotch children of the cottages. A Highland dancing master and a violinist were engaged to come to Balmoral and teach the Queen and her court how to dance Scottish reels. One evening，after an early dinner，the court set off for a fourteen-mile drive to see a Scotch ball at a nearby castle. It must have been a weird and beautiful sight. The dancing floor was out of doors，and all around it stood Highlanders in their gay plaids，holding blazing torches，while seven pipers provided the music. One of the reels was danced by eight Highlanders，each bearing a torch. Another interesting sight was the sword dance. In this two swords crossed were laid upon the ground，and the performer must dance around them without touching them.

It was soon apparent that the pretty little gray castle was not large enough for the Queen's guests and servants. “Every bed in the house was full，”wrote Mr. Greville when he had been spending a night at Balmoral. A new house was then decided upon.

When the house was partly done，the builder came to Prince Albert and said：“The price of materials has risen so greatly that keeping this contract will ruin me.”

“Tell me just what the prices are now and what they were when we made the contract，”said the Prince. The builder made a rapid list and gave it to him.

A few days later，the Prince sent for the builder and said，“I find that you are right，and so I have burned my copy of the contract. I will be the builder myself，and if you will supervise the work of building，I will pay you the same amount that you expected to make on the contract.”

Only a few days after one of the simple，merry evenings at Balmoral，a telegram broke into the happiness of the household，saying that the Duke of Wellington was dead. “One cannot think of this country without the Duke，”wrote the Queen. “Not an eye will be dry. He was Britain's pride，her glory，her hero，the greatest man she had ever produced.”A public funeral was given him by order of Parliament. Guards as still as statues stood at intervals along the passage，leaning upon their guns，which rested on the floor. On the coffin lay the Duke's sword and his cocked hat，and around the gravesite stood officers on guard，whose red uniforms shone out of the darkness in the light of the tall wax candles that outlined the grave. Finally the body of the Duke was brought to St. Paul's on an iron gun-carriage，followed by the dead commander's horse with its empty saddle and by a long line of soldiers representing every regiment. Thousands of people lined the street through which the funeral party marched. They stood with bared heads and in such perfect silence that not a sound was heard but the steady tramp of feet and the roll of the funeral drums. So it was that the great soldier was buried amid the grief of the nation.

Never was he needed more，for the sound of war was coming near. The Emperor Nicholas，whom the Queen had called so“easy to get along with，”proved to be somewhat less easy than he had been when on a visit. He had declared that he should protect the Christians in Turkey from the outrages of the Turks；but France and England believed that what he was really aiming at was to get possession of Constantinople. If he succeeded in this，no ship could enter the Black Sea against his will，and it would not be impossible for him to gain control of the Asian lands then ruled by Great Britain. If this came to pass，Russia would be far more powerful than any other state in Europe. This was the belief of England and France，and they wished to oppose him.

The Queen was always against war，but when it was finally declared，early in 1854，she did everything in her power for the success of England. When the first regiments that were ready to go to the Crimea marched through the courtyard of Buckingham Palace，she and the Prince stood on the balcony as enthusiastic as the troops. Then she hurried to Osborne to say farewell to the warships that were starting for the Baltic. Prince Alfred had already made up his mind to be a sailor，but he was as yet only a small child，and the Queen exclaimed，“How I wish I had two sons in the army now and two in the navy！”

The war was begun，and during the two years following，no one in the land suffered more intensely than the Queen. A powerful nation is always inclined to expect that its enemies may be crushed at a blow，but Russia was not so easily crushed.

The Queen was prepared for battles lost and battles won，but not for blunders and poor management；and to a woman as prompt and as careful of details as she，such faults were unforgivable. Before many months came the report of the Charge of the Light Brigade，which Tennyson has made famous in his poem. This useless charge by which six hundred men were sent to attack an army was caused by a mistake. “Someone had blundered.”Thousands of copies of the poem were printed and sent to the soldiers who were attacking Sebastopol.

The Queen was in constant anxiety. Telegrams were false and misleading，and if one brought good news in the morning，she dared not rejoice lest it should be contradicted before night. It was then that the work of the“special correspondent”began，for a physician who was at the scene of the war sent letters to the London Times，and for the first time，the people at home knew the daily life of their soldiers.

The story told in the columns of the Times was a narration of terrible suffering，which was all the worse because so much of it was unnecessary. It does not seem possible that such stupid blunders could have been made. Food was sent that was not fit to eat. A whole ship's load of much needed shoes braved the storms of the Atlantic and Mediterranean—and proved to be all for the left foot！Clothes，blankets，and medicines in generous amounts lay in the holds of English vessels off Balaklava Bay，while men were dying for the lack of them. Cattle arrived at Balaklava，and instead of being driven to the front，where there was sore need of beef，they were killed at once，and then came a long delay in arranging for transportation. The trouble was that it was no one's business to transport the stores，and no one had the right to interfere. The hospitals were so inefficient that nine-tenths of the men who died，perished of disease and poor management，and not from the bullets of the Russians.

When such news as this reached England，the whole country was aroused，but it was helpless. There was no time to change the organization of the conflicting“departments，”and the Minister of War finally decided to do exactly what the Romans used to do in times of great difficulty：he appointed a leader，with full power to go to the Crimea and do exactly as she thought best in making arrangements for the sick and wounded soldiers. This leader was a woman named Florence Nightingale. She had a large fortune and a beautiful home，but she cared more for helping the sick than for living in luxury. For more than ten years she had been studying nursing，not only in England，but in France and Germany. Late in 1854 she went to the Crimea，taking forty-two nurses with her. It was no small task that she had undertaken，for in a short time ten thousand sick men were in her charge. The sanitary arrangements of the camp and the hospital were all in her hands. She was a gentle，modest woman，by nature shy and retiring，but where the comfort of her soldiers was concerned，she would never compromise. “She had a voice of velvet and a will of steel，”they said of her；and as she walked down the long aisles of the hospitals—in one of them the rows of beds stretched along for nearly two and a half miles—the poor sufferers kissed her very shadow.

Meanwhile，the Queen was doing all in her power for the soldiers and their families. A Patriotic Fund was begun，and it soon reached $5,000,000. The“Soldier's Daughter”and her older girls sewed and knit for the army，the Prince of Wales，who was now thirteen years of age，painted a picture to be sold for the fund—no small contribution，for it brought nearly three hundred dollars—and the two older Princesses talked，as they sat knitting，about Miss Nightingale，and wished they could go to the Crimea and work by her side. At the opening of Parliament，the Queen began her speech bravely，but when she spoke of the war，her self-control failed her，and she struggled through the sentences as best she could with her eyes full of tears.

News of victories came，but nothing could be decisive except the capture of Sebastopol. “If we could only take Sebastopol！”she was always saying to herself，and one of her children said to a general who was starting for the Crimea，“Do hurry and take Sebastopol，or it will kill mamma.”In September，1855，the royal family and the Duchess of Kent were at Balmoral，when late one evening on the third day after their arrival，two telegrams were brought in，one for the Queen，and one for the Cabinet Minister.

“Good news，”exclaimed the Queen. “This tells the details of the destruction of the Russian ships.”

“But I have still better news，”said the Minister. “Mine reads，‘Sebastopol is in the hands of the allies. ’”

“Come and light the fire，”cried Prince Albert，and he started up Craig Gowan，the hill opposite the house，where material for a fire had been piled up nearly a year before in the hope that Sebastopol would fall before the Queen had to return to London.

The gentlemen of the court hurried after the Prince，in full evening dress as they were. The little Princes were awakened and quickly dressed，and they followed after their father. The servants followed，the keepers，the workmen，the whole population of the village. The fires blazed out and shone on all the peaks round about. The people in the valleys knew what it meant，and they too hurried to the top of the hill. There was cheering，dancing，shouting，playing of bagpipes，and firing of guns. “It was like a witches’dance，”declared the Prince when he came down. He was soon followed by the rest of the people，and when they were under the Queen's window，they sang to the music of the bagpipes，they fired guns，and then they cheered the Queen，the Prince，the Emperor of France，and last they gave a loud“Hurrah，for the fall of Sebastopol！”

It would seem as if this was excitement enough for one month，but four days later，the young Prince Frederick William of Prussia came to Balmoral to make a visit；and before the visit had lasted two weeks，there was a pretty little scene on the mountain side when he gave Princess Vicky a piece of white heather，the symbol of good fortune，and contrived to make it clear to her that the best fortune which could happen to him would be the gift of her hand. A few days before this，the father and mother and their guest had agreed that nothing should be said to the Princess for six months，but the secret had found its way out.

The Princess Victoria had always been Baron Stockmar's special favorite，and she as well as her father wrote their good friend at once，and sent him the news that he had been waiting for since the Princess was a little child，for such a marriage would make a strong alliance between England and Prussia，the two great Protestant powers of Europe. Prince Albert wrote，“The Prince is really in love，and the little lady does her best to please him. Come to us soon. We have so much to talk over.”A little later，he wrote again of his hope that he should soon hear the children say，“Do you know，papa，that the Baron is in his room below? ”He closed，“We positively must have some talk face to face.”

The Princess was to be confirmed in the spring，and until that event was past，nothing was to be said in public of the engagement. The marriage was not to take place until at least a year after the confirmation，but Prince Albert felt that the time was far too short for the preparation that her future position would make desirable；and，busy man as he was，he set apart an hour every evening to talk with her on historical topics，and listen to the papers which she prepared on subjects that he had given her. In the spring came her confirmation，which was preceded by an examination in religious studies held in the presence of her father and mother，the Duchess of Kent，and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

This marriage of the oldest daughter brought to the Queen mingled feelings of pleasure and pain；pleasure，because the alliance with Prussia，so desirable an arrangement for both countries，was to be brought about by a marriage that promised the happiness of her daughter；pain，because that marriage was the first break in the family circle. Nevertheless，in joy or in sorrow，the public life of the sovereign must go on. Many of the soldiers who had been severely wounded were sent home. The Queen had often visited them in the hospitals，and one day she said to her Minister：

“Those brave men ought to have medals that they can hand down to their children，and I have ordered a number to be made.”

As the day appointed for the distribution of the medals drew near，the Minister asked if she would have them sent to the men.

“No，”replied the Queen with decision，“I want to put those medals into their hands myself. I feel as if those men were my own children.”

It was a pitiful company of sufferers that she met. There were men with deep red scars，men with empty sleeves，men limping up to her on crutches to touch the hand of their Queen. Many of them would not give up their medals to be marked with their names，lest they should not receive again the very ones that the Queen had given them. One man was wheeled up in a chair. He had lost one leg and the foot from the other，but he had refused to give up the command of his battery till the fight was over，and had given his orders as calmly as if he had not been touched.

“Such bravery as that，”cried the Queen，with tears in her eyes，“calls for more than a medal，and you shall be one of my aides-de-camp.”

“That pays me amply for everything，”he replied. The Queen wrote the account of this incident to King Leopold. “One must respect and love such soldiers as those，”she added.

She was never weary of visiting the hospitals and camps. As the regiments returned from the Crimea in the spring and summer of 1856，there were reviews without end. On one occasion she reviewed eighteen thousand troops. She was dressed in the uniform of a field marshal，with a dark blue skirt；and as she rode down the front and returned by the rear，the thousands of men presented arms，and the bands of twenty regiments gave her a joyful greeting. Then she rode to a little hill from which she watched her troops as they filed past her.

There was no limit to the enthusiasm and loyalty which were aroused by the presence of the Queen. One review was held in a pouring rain. The evolutions were spoiled，and the men had every reason to feel gloomy and disappointed，but the Queen saved the day，for she rose in her carriage and made them a kind little speech of welcome that was like a flash of sunshine. When she closed with，“I thank God that your dangers are over，while the glory of your deeds remains，”there was a wild outburst of cheers. The men waved their hats，their swords，anything and everything that would wave，and shouted till the hills echoed.

One thing more the Queen planned to do for her soldiers，and that was to give a badge of special honor to those who had been especially distinguished by some deed of rare bravery. This badge was the Victoria Cross，which was then given for the first time. With it went a pension of fifty dollars a year. More than one hundred thousand people assembled in Hyde Park to see the sixty-two chosen heroes receive their Crosses. The Queen was now in the red jacket of the army. Prince Albert rode on one side of her and Prince Frederick William on the other side. She remained on horseback during the whole ceremony，leaning forward as one brave fighter after another was led up to her，and pinning the Cross on his breast.

Florence Nightingale lingered in the Crimea until she had seen every soldier leave for home，then she herself returned as quietly as if she had been on a pleasure trip. She seemed to have entirely forgotten that thousands of men in England would have been lying in Crimean graves had it not been for her；but the men remembered，and England gave her such a welcome as even the Duke of Wellington had hardly received. She was an honored guest at Balmoral. Everyone was longing to do something for her，but what should it be? “Make her a gift，”said the people，“and let her do with it as she will.”Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars was raised by popular donation and presented to her. She did with it as she would；she endowed schools for the training of nurses to carry on the work that she loved.

注释

strain[strein]n. 过度疲劳，紧张

intense[in´tens]adj. 强烈的，剧烈的

Balmoral巴尔莫拉，苏格兰东北一城堡

non-royal adj. 非皇室的

dispatch[dis´pætʃ]n. 急件（特指官方通信），重要讯息

Scotch[skɔtʃ]n. 苏格兰人，苏格兰语adj. 苏格兰人（的）

scarf[skαːf]n. 围巾，头巾

Stuart[stjuət]n. 英国斯图亚特王朝（1603—1649，1660—1714）

eloquent[´eləkwənt]adj. 生动感人的，有说服力的

a lump in（one's）throat哽咽

lump[lʌmp]n. 块，团

tartan[´tαːtən]n. 格子呢（苏格兰人所穿的有许多格子图案的织物）

brook[bruk]n. 小溪

weird[wiəd]adj. 不寻常的，奇异的

torch[tɔːtʃ]n. 火把，火炬

decideupon/on对…作出决定

contract[kɔn´trækt]n. 合同

supervise[´sjuːpəvaiz]v. 监督，管理

lean[liːn]vi. 倚靠

cocked hat前后成尖形的三角帽，配合某种制服戴的

gravesite[´ɡreivsait]n. 墓地

wax[wæks]n. 蜡adj. 蜡制的

outline[´autlain]vt. 显示…的轮廓

regiment[´redʒimənt]n. 团，大群

bared[bɛəd]adj. 光着的，未遮掩的；bare vt. 使露出

tramp[træmp]v. 用沉重的脚步行走，踏

amid[ə´mid]prep. 在…中

outrage[´autreidʒ]n. 暴行，残暴

Constantinople君士坦丁堡（土耳其西北部港市伊斯坦布尔的旧称）

Crimea[krai´miə]克里米亚（前苏联西南部黑海中一半岛）

Baltic[´bɔːltik]adj. 波罗的海的，波罗的海诸国的（波罗的海：大西洋的一个海湾，波罗的海诸国在一战前为俄国的省份）

crush[krʌʃ]vt. 压垮，粉碎

at a blow一举，一下子

blunder[´blʌndə]n. 失误，大错v. 因无知或粗心造成大错

prompt[prɔmpt]adj. 敏捷的

unforgivable[´ʌnfə´ɡivəbl]adj. 不可饶恕的

brigade[bri´ɡeid]n. 旅，大部队

Tennyson丁尼生，阿尔弗雷德（1809-1892）英国诗人，其作品包括《悼念》（1850）和《轻骑兵进击》（1854），反映了维多利亚时期的情感和美学思想。这里的作品指《轻骑兵进击》。1850年他获得桂冠诗人的称号。

Sebastopol塞瓦斯托波尔（苏联克里米亚半岛西南岸港市）

misleading[mis´liːdiŋ]adj. 易于误导的

rejoice[ri´dʒɔis]v. （使）欣喜，喜悦

contradict[´kɔntrə´dikt]vt. 与…相矛盾

correspondent[´kɔris´pɔndənt]n. 通讯记者

Times n. 泰晤士报

column[´kɔləm]n. 专栏（文章）

narration[næ´reiʃən]n. 叙述（的材料）

Mediterranean[´meditə´reinjən]n. 地中海

vessel[´ves∂l]n. 船

Balaklava巴拉克拉瓦：塞瓦斯托波尔市的一部分，位于苏联欧洲部分南部的克里米亚半岛上。在克里米亚战争期间，因英国轻兵旅对俄国重火力的毁灭性进攻而闻名（1854）。

（in）soreneed极度需要

transportation[ˌtrænspɔː´teiʃ∂n]n. 运输，运送

interfere[ˌintə´fiə]vi. 干涉，干预

inefficient[ˌini´fiʃənt]adj. 不能胜任的，无能的

perish[´periʃ]vi. 死亡，毁灭

bullet[´bulit]n. 子弹

sanitary[´sænitəri]adj. 清洁卫生的

inone's hands由某人负责管理

retiring[ri´taiəriŋ]adj. 害羞的，谦虚的

compromise[´kɔmprəmaiz]v. 妥协，让步

aisle[ail]n. 走廊，过道

patriotic[ˌpætri´ɔtik]adj. 爱国的

fund[fʌnd]n. 基金

knit[nit]v. 编织

capture[´kæptʃə]vt. 夺取

allies[´ælaiz]n. 联盟者

evening dress晚礼服，用于晚间社交活动的服装（女子晚礼服也用evening gown）

peak[piːk]n. 山顶，山峰

witch[witʃ]n. 女巫

hurrah[hu´rαː]（int. 感叹词）好哇（用于表达快乐、胜利等）

heather[´heðə]n. 石南花

contrive[kən´traiv]v. 设法，动脑筋

alliance[ə´laiəns]n. 联盟，联合

confirm[kən´fəːm]v. （基督教施坚信礼使成为正式教徒）给…行按手礼

precede[pri（ː）´siːd]v. 先于…之前发生

mingle[´miŋɡl]v. （使）混合

distribution[´distri´bjuːʃ∂n]n. 发送，分发

pitiful[´pitiful]adj. 可怜的，令人同情的

scar[skαː]n. 伤痕，疤痕

limp[limp]vi. 跛行

crutch[krʌtʃ]n. 拐杖

amply[´æmpli]adv. 充足地

weary[´wi∂ri]adj. 厌倦的，疲倦的

rear[riə]n. 后面，后部

present arms举枪致敬

enthusiasm[in´θjuːziæz∂m]n. 狂热，热情

evolution[ˌiːvə´luːʃ∂n，´evə´luːʃ∂n]n. （军队）按照计划的行动

spoil[spɔil]vt. 扰乱

gloomy[´ɡluːmi]adj. 忧郁的，沮丧的

outburst[´autbəːst]n. 爆发

badge[bædʒ]n. （荣誉）徽章，证章

breast[brest]n. 胸部

linger[´liŋɡə]v. 继续逗留

entirely[in´taiəli]adv. 完全地，全然地

Crimean[krai´miən]adj. 克里米亚半岛的

donation[dəu´neiʃ∂n]n. 捐款，捐赠品

endow[in´dau]v. 捐赠（基金）