The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay Volume I Part 81

Mrs. Schwellenberg, just after, calling me aside, said, "For what have you brought me this man?"

I could make no answer, lest he should hear me, for I saw him look uneasily towards us; and therefore, to end such interrogations, I turned to him, and asked how many days he should continue at Windsor. He looked surprised, and said he had no thought of leaving it.

It was my turn to look surprised now; I had heard he only came upon her majesty's commands, and was to stay but a day or two. I now began to suspect some mistake, and that my message had gone to a wrong person. I hastened, therefore, to p.r.o.nounce the name of Mithoff, and my suspicion was changed into certainty, by his telling me, with a stare, that it was not his.

Imagine but my confusion at this information!--the queen's commission so ill executed, M. Mithoff neglected, and some one else invited whose very name I knew not!--nor did he, though my mistake now was visible, tell it me. Yet he looked so much disappointed, that I thought it inc.u.mbent upon me, since the blunder must have been my servant's, to do what I could to comfort him. I therefore forced myself forward to talk to him, and pa.s.s over the embarra.s.sment but he was modest, and consequently overset, and soon after took his leave.

I then cleared myself to Mrs. Schwellenberg of any voluntary deed in "bringing her this man," and inquired of John how it happened. He told me he had forgot the gentleman's name, but as I had said he was a German clergyman, he had asked for him as such, and thought this must be the right person. I heard afterwards that this is a M. Schrawder, one of the masters of the German language to the princesses. I gave all the apologies in my power to him for the error....

The queen, at night, with great good humour, laughed at the mistake, and only desired it might be rectified for the next day. Accordingly it was; and M. Mithoff had an invitation for the next day, in proper order: that is, from Mrs. Schwellenberg.

THE PRINCESS ROYAL's BIRTHDAY.

_Friday, Sept. 29_--This day the princess royal entered her twenty-first year. I had the pleasure of being in the room with the queen when she sent for her, early in the morning. Her majesty bid me stop, while she went into another apartment to fetch her birthday gifts. The charming princess entered with so modest, so composed an air, that it seemed as if the day, with all its preparations for splendour, was rather solemn than elevating to her. I had no difficulty, thus alone with her, in offering my best wishes to her. She received them most gracefully, and told me, with the most sensible pleasure, that the King had just been with her, and presented to her a magnificent diamond necklace.

The queen then returned, holding in her hands two very pretty portfolios for her drawings, and a very fine gold etui. The princess, in receiving them with the lowest curtsey, kissed her hand repeatedly, while the queen gave back her kisses upon her cheeks.

The king came in soon after, and the three youngest princesses. They all flew to kiss the princess royal, who is affectionately fond of them all.

Princess Amelia shewed how fine she was, and made the queen admire her new coat and frock; she then examined all the new dresses of her sisters, and then looking towards me with some surprise, exclaimed, "And won't Miss Burney be fine, too?"

I shall not easily forget this little innocent lesson. It seems all the household dress twice on these birthdays--for their first appearance, and for dinner--and always in something distinguished. I knew it not, and had simply prepared for my second attire only, wearing in the morning my usual white dimity great coat. I was a little out of countenance; and the queen, probably perceiving it, said--

"Come hither, Amelia; who do you think is here--in Miss Burney's room?"

"Lany," answered the quick little creature; for so she calls Mrs.

Delany, who had already exerted herself to come to the Lodge with her congratulations.

The king, taking the hand of the little princess, said they would go and see her; and turning to the queen as they left the room, called out,

"What shall we do with Mrs. Delany?"

"What the king pleases," was her answer.

I followed them to my room, where his majesty stayed some time, giving that dear old lady a history of the concert of the preceding evening, and that he had ordered for this day for the princess royal. It is rather unfortunate her royal highness should have her birth-day celebrated by an art which she even professes to have no taste for, and to hear almost with pain.

The king took Mrs. Delany to breakfast with himself and family.

I wore my memorable present-gown this day in honour of the princess royal. It is a lilac tabby. I saw the king for a minute at night, as he returned from the Castle, and he graciously admired it, calling out "Emily should see Miss Burney's gown now, and she would think her fine enough."

ARRIVAL OF A NEW EQUERRY.

The following evening I first saw the newly-arrived equerry, Colonel Goldsworthy. Mrs. Schwellenberg was ill, and sent for Mr. de Luc, and told me to go into the eating-room, and make the tea for her. I instantly wrote to Miss Port, to beg she would come to a.s.sist me: she did, and Mrs. Schwellenberg, changing her plan, came downstairs at the same time. The party was Major Price, General Bude, Mr. Fisher, and the colonel. Major Price immediately presented us to each other.

"Upon my word!" cried Mrs. Schwellenberg, "you do the honour here in my room!--you might leave that to me, Major Price!"

"What! my brother equerry?" cried he; "No, ma'am, I think I have a right there."

Colonel Goldsworthy's character stands very high for worth and honour, and he is warmly attached to the king, both for his own sake, and from the tie that binds him to all the royal family, of regard for a sister extremely dear to him, Miss Goldsworthy, whose residence here brings him frequently to the palace. He seems to me a man of but little cultivation or literature, but delighting in a species of dry humour, in which he s.h.i.+nes most successfully, in giving up himself for its favourite b.u.t.t.

He brought me a great many compliments, he said, from Dr. Warton, of Winchester, where he had lately been quartered with his regiment. He rattled away very amusingly upon the b.a.l.l.s and the belles he had seen there, laughing at his own gallantry, and pitying and praising himself alternately for venturing to exert it.

CUSTODIAN OF THE QUEEN'S JEWEL Box.

_Oct. 2_--The next day we were all to go to Kew: but Mrs. Schwellenberg was taken ill, and went by herself to town.

The queen sent for me after breakfast, and delivered to me a long box, called here the jewel box, in which her jewels are carried to and from town that are worn on the Drawing-room days. The great bulk of them remain in town all the winter, and remove to Windsor for all the summer, with the rest of the family. She told me, as she delivered the key into my hands, that as there was always much more room in the box than her travelling jewels occupied, I might make what use I pleased of the remaining part; adding, with a very expressive smile, "I dare say you have books and letters that you may be glad to carry backwards and forwards with you."

I owned that nothing was more true, and thankfully accepted the offer.

It has proved to me since a comfort of the first magnitude, in conveying all my choice papers and letters safely in the carriage with me, as well as books in present reading, and numerous odd things....

_Friday, Oct. 6._--We returned to Windsor without Mrs. Schwellenberg, who stayed in town for her physician's advice. The queen went immediately to Mrs. Delany, and the princess royal came into my room.

"I beg pardon," she cried, "for what I am going to say: I hope you will excuse my taking such a liberty with you--but, has n.o.body told you that the queen is always used to have the jewel-box carried into her bedroom?"

"No, ma'am, n.o.body mentioned it to me. I brought it here because I have other things in it."

"I thought, when I did not see it in mamma's room," cried she, "that n.o.body had told you of that custom, and so I thought I would come to you myself: I hope you will excuse it?"

You may believe how I thanked her, while I promised to take out my own goods and chattels, and have it conveyed to its proper place immediately. I saw that she imagined the queen might be displeased; and though I could never myself imagine that, for an omission of ignorance, I felt the benevolence of her intention, and received it with great grat.i.tude.

"My dear ma'am," cried she, "I am sure I should be most happy to do anything for you that should be in my power, always; and really Mrs.

Schwellenberg ought to have told you this."

Afterwards I happened to be alone with this charming princess, and her sister Elizabeth, in the queen's dressing-room. She then came up to me and said,

"Now will you excuse me, Miss Burney, if I ask you the truth of something I have heard about you?"

"Certainly, ma'am."

"It's such an odd thing, I don't know how to mention it; but I have wished to ask you about it this great while. Pray is it really true that, in your illness last year, you coughed so violently that you broke the whalebone of your stays in two?"

"As nearly true as possible, ma'am; it actually split with the force of the almost convulsive motion of a cough that seemed loud and powerful enough for a giant. I could hardly myself believe it was little I that made so formidable a noise."

"Well, I could not have given credit to it if I had not heard it from yourself! I wanted so much to know the truth, that I determined, at last, to take courage and ask you."

"And pray, Miss Burney," cried the Princess Elizabeth, "had you not a blister that gave you great torture?"