CHAPTER 12 THE LITTLE FOLK
CHAPTER 12 THE LITTLE FOLK
In the midst of all the royalties that were present at the wedding of the Prince of Wales were the two great novelists of the realm，Thackeray and Dickens；but Tennyson，the poet，was not there. Again“someone had blundered，”and his invitation had been lost. Both the Queen and Prince Albert felt a sincere admiration and respect for the poet，and the Prince had asked the favor of an autograph with far more hesitation than most schoolboys would have shown. This is the way in which he made his very modest petition：
“Will you forgive me if I intrude upon your leisure with a request which I have thought some little time of making? Would you be good enough to write your name in the accompanying volume of the‘Idylls of the King’? ”Prince Albert was very fond of the“Idylls，”and when，only a month after his death，Tennyson brought out a new edition of the poems，it contained a beautiful dedication，which began：
“These to his memory—since he held them dear.”
In this dedication he speaks very earnestly of Prince Albert's wisdom and ability and unselfishness，and gives us the exquisite line which everyone quotes who writes of the Prince Consort：
“Wearing the white flower of a blameless life.”
As to the Princess Alexandra，everyone who met her seemed to love her. The Queen called her“the fairy.”“The little jewel of Denmark is the pet of the country，”declared the newspapers. The limitless admiration that had been shown to Queen Victoria in the early days of her reign was given to Alexandra. When the Queen came to the throne，young girls who were small and had fair hair and blue eyes were happy. Now，it was happiness to have any feature that resembled the Danish Princess. She had a custom of letting two curls of brown hair fall on each shoulder，and immediately English fashions demanded that every girl should wear four curls hanging on her shoulders. For months London was at the height of happiness. The Princess represented her royal mother-in-law at the drawing rooms of the season；no easy task，for so many ladies attended the first that it took four long hours for them to pass the throne. All this time the Princess Alexandra and the Princess Alice stood to receive them，except for one little resting time of twenty minutes. There were receptions and most magnificent balls，at which all the important persons of the day tried their best to make themselves agreeable to the young Princess.
Of course the Queen had no heart for these occasions，but she was glad to have the people pleased，and for one of the most elaborate entertainments she sent decorations and furnishings from Buckingham Palace. The Princess Alice and Prince Louis were with her for several months before the marriage of the Prince of Wales；and only three or four weeks after the great event，a little Hessian granddaughter was born at Windsor Castle. The chaplain of the Hessian court came to England for the baptism of the little maiden. The usual number of names was given her，but the first two were Victoria Alberta.
In the autumn，the Queen made the customary visit to Balmoral；but only a few days after her arrival she took an evening drive that put her into a great deal of danger，for the carriage turned over，and the Queen，the Princess Alice，and“Lenchen，”as the Princess Helena was called，were thrown out. Brown，the Queen's favorite Highland attendant，had little regard for court manners at any time，and less than ever in this situation. He called out，“The Lord God have mercy on us！Who did ever see the like of this before！I thought you were all killed.”The Queen had fallen on her face，and was somewhat bruised. Princess Alice，with her usual calmness，held a lantern so that the men could see to cut the horses free. Then while the driver went for help，the monarch of Great Britain sat in the road wrapped up in blankets and using the floor of the carriage for a back. The Princess had brought her page along，a Malay boy whose father had presented him to a traveler in return for some kindness，and little“Willem”sat in front with one lantern，while Brown held another. It was a strange situation，a Queen，with thousands of soldiers at her command，sitting in a broken carriage waiting for horses and guarded by one Highlander and a little boy. She wrote in her journal for that day：“People were foolishly alarmed when we got upstairs，and made a great fuss. I had my head bandaged and got to bed rather late.”
This soldier's daughter could make little of pain，but she could not so easily put away sorrow. Every place about Balmoral reminded her of something that Prince Albert had said or done，and she could not bear that his presence should be forgotten. On the summit of a hill which they had often visited together，she built a great pile of stones，on which was carved，“To the beloved memory of Albert，the great and good Prince Consort；raised by his broken-hearted widow，Victoria R.”
She was touched and grateful when the citizens of Aberdeen wished to put up a statue of the Prince，and asked her to be present at the debut. It was nearly two years since his death，but she had not yet taken part in any public ceremony，and she dreaded to have the morning come. When it did come，however，she wrote in her journal the words that were the basis of her courage in meeting difficulties，“Prayed for help and got up earlier.”The rain poured，but the streets of Aberdeen were crowded with people. Out of sympathy with her grief，there was no cheering，and no band playing. For more than twenty-five years she had never appeared on public occasions without both cheering and music；and although she appreciated the thoughtful sympathy of the people，the silence only made the contrast greater between the past and the present. The exercises began with an address to the Queen by the Lord Provost. She handed him a written reply. Then he knelt before her；her Minister gave her a sword；and touching the Provost with it on each shoulder，she said，“Rise，Sir Alexander Anderson.”Mr. Anderson had now become a knight，and would be called Sir Alexander all the rest of his life. After this little ceremony，the cover was drawn away from the statue，and what the Queen called a“fearful event”was at an end.
The one upon whom the Queen depended most was Princess Alice. She often went on little picnics or drives“because Alice advised.”The Princess and Prince Louis spent as much time in England as possible，and when they were in Germany the letters of the Princess gave her mother a great deal of pleasure. She loved hearing about the children the most. In a year and a half there was a little Elizabeth. Next came the exciting news that little Victoria could get on her feet by the help of a chair and could push it across the room. Before long，she was walking out with her father before breakfast，with her independent little hands in her jacket pockets.
There was also a little boy in England who was taking much of the Queen's attention，the baby son of the Prince of Wales. Princess“Alix”was as eager to be with her precious baby as the Queen had been to stay with her children，and she looked like a naughty child when she had succeeded in slipping away from some grand company long enough to give baby“Eddie”his bath and put him to bed.
The little Princess Beatrice was scarcely more than a baby herself，but she seems to have felt all the responsibility of being aunt to so many small people. When she was hardly more than three years old，Princess Vicky's second child was born，and then Prince Albert wrote of the little girl to his oldest daughter，“That excellent lady has now not a moment to spare. ‘I have no time，'she says when she is asked for anything. ‘I must write letters to my niece！’”
Around her and across the Channel were children in whom she was most warmly interested，but the Queen's own childhood was rapidly growing more distant，not only by the passing of time，but also by the death of those who were most closely associated with her early days. Bishop Davys died in 1864，and in 1865 the death of King Leopold occurred. He was well called“the wisest king in Europe，”and more than one dispute between kingdoms had been left to him for settlement. He knew all the royal secrets，and he made a fair and kindly use of his knowledge. Ever since the Queen's rise to power he had aided her with his counsel，and now there was no one to whom she could look for objective advice. In that same year the assassination of President Lincoln occurred. The Queen was not satisfied with a formal telegram of regret；she wrote a letter，not as the sovereign of England to the wife of the President，but as one sad woman to another，expressing her warm sympathy.
Few people realized how much severe mental labor the Queen had to endure. Often in the course of a single year many thousand papers were presented to her，and of these there were few to which she did not have to give close thought. For twenty-one years she had discussed everything with Prince Albert，and when they had come to a conclusion，he would，as in the Trent affair，write whatever was necessary. Then they would read the paper together and make any changes that seemed best. After his death，the Queen had to do all this work alone. What belonged strictly to matters of state was more than enough for one person，but besides this there were schools，hospitals，and markets to open，prizes to distribute and corner stones to lay. Then there were entertainments，receptions，balls，etc. ，frequently in behalf of some good object，whose success was sure if it could be said that the Queen would be present. The Prince and Princess of Wales could not lessen the weight of the public business that pressed so heavily upon the Queen，but they could relieve her from the strain of these public appearances，and this they did. They were both beloved by the people，but after the Queen had lived for five years in retirement，some of her subjects began to complain.
“She thinks of nothing but her own sorrow，”said another. “She has lost all sympathy with the people.”
After some time，the Queen learned the feelings of her people，and she soon published a response which must have made the complainers feel ashamed. She said she was grateful for their wish to see her，but so much was now thrown upon her which no one else could do that she was overwhelmed with care and anxiety，and did not dare to undertake“mere representation，”lest she should become unable to fulfill the duties which were of real importance to the nation. Some months later，she wrote of herself in a private letter：“From the hour she gets out of bed till she gets into it again，there is work，work，workletter-boxes，questions，etc. ，which are dreadfully exhausting.”
The Queen wished sincerely not only to do what was best for the people，but also to please them. She could not go to balls and theaters，but early in 1866 she determined to open Parliament in person. The London world rejoiced. They tried to imagine that the old days had come again，and they put on their jewels and their most splendid robes. All the way to the Parliament Building the streets were full of crowds who shouted，“Long live the Queen！”In the House of Lords there was a most brilliant assembly. Silks swayed and jewels sparkled as all rose to welcome the sovereign. As she entered，the Prince of Wales stepped forward and led her to the throne. The royal parliamentary robes with all their glitter of gold and glow of red were laid upon it，for the Queen wore only mourning colors，of deep purple velvet. All the radiant look of happiness with which those were familiar who had seen her on the throne before，was gone. She was quiet and self-controlled，but grave and sad. Instead of reading her speech，she gave it to the Lord Chamberlain. At its close，she stepped down from the throne，kissed the Prince of Wales，and walked slowly from the room.
The Queen's two daughters，Helena and Louise，had attended her in opening Parliament. This must have been a little embarrassing for the older one，as the Queen's address declared that the royal permission had been given for the Princess Helena to marry Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein；but members of the royal family cannot always consult their own feelings. When they rule different countries，it is not always easy for them even to remain friendly. The fact that the Queen，her daughters，and her Danish daughter-in-law were as fond of one another at the end of 1866 as they were at the beginning of 1864 is proof that the English royal family were very harmonious. Trouble had arisen between Denmark and the German states in regard to the regions of Schleswig-Holstein，and in 1864 war had broken out between the little kingdom of Denmark and the united powers of Prussia and Austria.
Both countries were anxious to win the help of England. Princess Vicky and Princess Alice naturally sympathized with the German states；while Princess Alexandra's affection was of course with her own home land，which had now become her father's kingdom. The Emperor of France did not wish to have the German states increase in power，and he was ready to help Denmark，provided England would stand by him. England was willing，but England's sovereign would not hear to any talk of war with Germany，and the Ministers hesitated to act against her decided opposition. Of course，the Danish Princess was grieved that the Queen would not consent to help her beloved country. Bismarck was the German statesman who was pushing on the war；therefore he was the man who was most hated by the Princess of Wales. There is a story that the Queen had promised the little Beatrice a present，and that when she asked，“What shall it be? ”the little maiden，who had been carefully tutored by her sister-in-law，replied，“Please，mamma，I'd like the head of Bismarck on a plate.”
Two years later，there was a still more difficult condition of affairs in the Queen's family，for now that Prussia and Austria held the Schleswig-Holstein regions，it was a question to which of the two powers they should belong；and to complicate matters even more，Princess Helena had married Prince Christian. Prussia and the north German states held together，and Austria joined the forces of the south German states. Prince Fritz belonged to the north and Prince Louis to the south，and therefore the husbands of the two English Princesses were obliged to fight on opposite sides. The war lasted for only seven weeks，but it was an anxious time for Queen Victoria，who shared so fully in the troubles of her daughters. Princess Alice's two little girls were sent to England to be safe in her care，but in the midst of the war，a third little daughter was born. The boom of the distant guns was heard as she lay in her cradle in Darmstadt. Wounded men were being brought into the town，and the residents were fleeing in all directions. By and by the end came，and then the little dark-eyed baby was named Irene，or peace. Never before had a child so many godfathers，for when Prince Louis said farewell to his horsemen，he delighted them by asking the two regiments，officers and men，to be sponsors to his little girl.
注释
folk[fəuk]n. （pl. folk，folks）亲属，亲戚
e.g. the old folk（s）老人们；the young folks儿女
Thackeray萨克雷，威廉·梅克皮斯·萨克雷（1811—1863）英国作家，以小说《名利场》（Vanity Fair）奠定了自己的声誉，该书讽刺了19世纪早期上流社会的生活。
Dickens狄更斯，查尔斯·约翰·胡法姆·狄更斯（1812—1870）：英国著名现实主义小说家，以描写维多利亚女王时代的生活和境况而出名，其作品有《匹克·威克外传》，《双城记》和《大卫·科波菲尔》等。
autograph[´ɔːtəɡrαːf]n. 亲笔签名
intrude（upon）[in´truːd]v. 打扰，把（自己的想法）强加于
accompanying[ə´kʌmpəniŋ]adj. 陪同的，伴随的
volume[´vɔlju（ː）m]n. 卷，册，书籍
idyll[aidil]n. 田园诗，牧歌
bring out出版
dedication[´dedi´keiʃən]n. （写在作品前的）题献，献辞
to the memory of献给…（作者书前纪念性题词）
hold sth. /sb. dear珍视某物/某人
unselfishness[ʌn´selfiʃnis]n. 无私，慷慨
exquisite[´ekskwizit]adj. 优美的，高雅的
blameless[´bleimlis]adj. 无可责备的，清白的
fairy[´fɛəri]n. 仙女
feature[´fiːtʃə]n. 面貌的部分特征，容貌
resemble[ri´zemb∂l]vt. 像，与…类似
curl[kəːl]n. 卷发
drawing room客厅，休息室
elaborate[i´læb∂rət]adj. 精心制作的，详细的
furnishing[´fəːniʃiŋ]n. （常用复数）家具，陈设品，服饰用品等
Hessian[´hesiən]adj. n. （德国）黑森州的，黑森人
chaplain[´tʃæplin]n. 主持非教区教堂礼拜的教士
customary[´kʌstəm∂ri]adj. 习惯的，惯例的
bruise[bru：z]v. 撞伤，擦伤
lantern[´læntən]n. 灯笼，提灯
page[peidʒ]n. 男侍童，青年听差
atone's command可自由支配
makea great fuss大惊小怪，小题大做，fuss[fʌs]n. 忙乱，大惊小怪
bandage[´bændidʒ]vt. 用绷带包扎
make little of不重视；反义：make much of重视，悉心照顾
summit[´sʌmit]n. 顶端，最高点
Aberdeen指Aberdeenshire亚伯丁，苏格兰东北部一郡
debut[deibjuː]n. 首次露面，出台
basis[´beisis]n. （事物依赖的）基础
contrast[kən´trαːst，´kɔntrαːst]n. 对比，对照
Provost[´prɔvəst]苏格兰市长
knight[nait]n. 爵士，（低于从男爵，因其对国家或某政党有贡献而颁授之，其姓名前冠以Sir. ）
fearful[´fiəf∂l]adj. 可怕的，糟糕的
scarcely[´skɛəsli]adv. 几乎不，刚刚
dispute[di´spjuːt]n. 争论，争吵
objective[ɔb´dʒektiv]adj. 客观的，不带偏见的
assassination[ə´sæsi´neiʃ∂n]n. 暗杀
severe[si´viə]adj. 费力的，艰难地进行或完成的
distribute[di´stribjuːt]vt. 分发
in behalf of为了…
object[´ɔbdʒikt]n. 目标，目的
relieve[ri´liːv]vt. 减轻，解脱
retirement[ri´taiəmənt]n. 隐居（处），退休
complain[kəm´plein]v. 抱怨
overwhelm[ˌəuvə´hwelm]vt. 淹没，压倒
undertake[ˌʌndə´teik]vt. 承担，担任
mere[miə]adj. 纯粹的，仅仅的
representation[ˌreprizen´teiʃ∂n]n. 扮演，代表
fulfill[ful´fil]vt. 履行，完成（计划等）
dreadfully[´dredfuli]adv. 可怕地
exhausting[iɡ´zɔstiŋ]adj. 令人筋疲力尽的
sway[swei]v. 摇摆，摇动
sparkle[´spαːk∂l]vi. 闪耀，闪烁
glitter[´ɡlitə]vi. 闪闪发光
purple[´pəːp∂l]adj. 紫色的
All the radiant look of...was gone. 为该句的主句，其中插入了两处限制性定语从句：一是with which those were familiar，修饰happiness；二是who had seen...，修饰前一定语从句中的those.
embarrassing[im´bærəsiŋ]adj. 令人为难的
Schleswig什勒斯威格：历史上的一个地区，先前为德国北部和丹麦南部的公爵领地。1866年它被普鲁士吞并。1920年其北部归还丹麦，南部在二战后成为西德所属什勒斯威格-荷尔泰因州的一部分。
Holstein[´hɔlstain]荷尔斯泰因：德国北部一地区
harmonious[hαː´məunjəs]adj. 和睦的
in regard to；with regard to关于
provided[prə´vaidid]conj. 如果，倘若
e.g. The bonus will be paid provided the task is completed on time. 若能按时完成任务，将会发奖金。
Bismarck俾斯麦（Otto von，1815—1898）德意志帝国第一任首相
pushon推动，推进
tutor[´tjuːtə]v. 指导
complicate[´kɔmplikeit]v. （使）变复杂
beobliged to（do...）不得不；oblige vt. 迫使，责成
e.g. They are obliged to work on the weekend in order to complete the task on schedule. 他们不得不在周末加班以按计划完成任务。
boom[buːm]n. 隆隆声
cradle[´kreidl]n. 摇篮
resident[´rezid∂nt]n. 居民
Irene[airi：ni]n. 艾琳，（希腊）和平女神