TO LONDON FOR THE JUBILEE 
 
c^^O /-y- 
 
 TO LONDON 
 
 / 
 
 FOR 
 
 THE JUBILEE 
 
 BY 
 
 • • • r\ '1 • • • 
 
 TORONTO: 
 
 GEORGE N. MORANG 
 
 63 Yonge St. 
 
 1897 
 
Entered according to Act of the Parliament of 
 Canada, in the year one thousand eight hun- 
 dred and ninety- seven, by George N. Morang, 
 at the Department of Agriculture. 
 
 PRINTED BT TBI CARSWKLL CO. LIHITID. 
 
PREFACE. 
 •••• 
 
 In offering this little volume to the pub- 
 lic, I am obeying the commands of certain 
 shadows who, ever since these letters first 
 appeared in the Mail and Empire^ have 
 written over vague signatures asking that 
 such letters be gathered together and pre- 
 sented in the form of a book. I am now 
 presenting them in such a form. I am 
 hoping that you will care to read them. 
 Their only recommendation is that they 
 recite (in a more or less fragmentary man- 
 ner, I fear), the principal movements of the 
 great pageant of the Queen's Jubilee, an 
 event, the most dignified and tender of the 
 century. The letters have been little if at 
 all altered. They are newspaper writings, 
 which were set down with a hot pen while 
 the events related were yet happening. 
 
vi Preface. 
 
 They are offered to you for what they are, 
 
 as a little memory that you might care to 
 
 have and keep of the most historical year 
 
 in all the hundred years which are n earing 
 
 their close. I cannot say much for them. 
 
 Perhaps you will be kind and accept them 
 
 with all their shortcomings. 
 
 KIT. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 •••• 
 
 I. 
 
 The Eve of the Jubilee. 
 
 II. 
 
 Jubilee Day — London Decorations. 
 
 III. 
 
 Via Triumphalis. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Lights o' London. 
 
 V. 
 
 The Review of the Fleet. 
 
 VL 
 
 The Royal Military Review. 
 
 VIL 
 
 State Night at Covent Garden. 
 
 VIIL 
 
 Colonials Decorated by the Prince of Wales. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Duchess of Devonshire's Fancy Ball. 
 
I. 
 The Eve of The Jubilee 
 
 S the train steamed softly into 
 London you caught your first sight 
 of the Jubilee decorations. Coming 
 direct from the freshness of a bright 
 Canadian city, gray old London, with 
 the soft blue mists of June enveloping 
 her, and her flags and bunting gaily 
 flying, gave a splendid picture to the 
 eye tired of sad ocean reaches and the 
 monotony of the mournful sea. A sort 
 of breathlessness seized one at sight of 
 the tall towers of Westminster loom- 
 ing through the soft blue vapours ; 
 at glimpses up long vistas of streets 
 already decorated with tall Venetian 
 masts and crimson draperies ; at Father 
 Thames shining in the June sunlight, 
 with slow-moving barges sailing evenly 
 upon his broad breast, One felt the 
 nearness of the Jubilee, the importance 
 
10 The Jubilee. 
 
 that was attached to this great and 
 historical event, now that one was on 
 the spot and at the heart of things. 
 When the train stopped at Waterloo 
 Station the first burst of the splendour 
 of London came full upon one, for all 
 London society seemed thronging upon 
 the platforms on its way down to the 
 Jubilee Ascot, where, as you know, the 
 Prince's Fersimmon behaved in a royal 
 manner. We had a glimpse at great 
 people and their clothes. The young 
 Duchess of Marlborough wore a pink 
 foulard, and had three little frills edged 
 with lace to lier skirt. The bodice was 
 guipure lace over white satin. The sash 
 was black. A charming toque of black 
 and white chiffon, with pink roses, 
 topped up this gay costume, and the 
 Duchess looked very well, very Eng- 
 lish, and very, very young. The Mar- 
 chioness of Londonderry wore a lovely 
 gown of dove-gray moire, with a queer 
 waving satin design upon it. A lace 
 bolero opened on a soft front of white 
 silk muslin and exquisite lace. This 
 chic little coat was edged with grey 
 
The Jubilee. 11 
 
 chiffon. Her sunshade was of burnt- 
 straw coloured satin, covered with 
 Cluny lace and edged with lisse. The 
 Duchess of Westminster also wore gray. 
 It was a delicate silver-gray gown of 
 bengaline, finished with billows of 
 creamy guipure lace. The bodice v/as 
 a fluff of white chiffon. The sunshade 
 was gray. Mrs. Graham Murray, the 
 wife of the Lord Advocate for Scot- 
 land, wore a water-green and white 
 silk, simply veiled with white silk 
 grenadine, under which it shimmered 
 softly. She reminded one of pond 
 lilies and cool river reaches, and the 
 quiet country places. Many women 
 wore lovely dust cloaks of gray or 
 fawn silk, under which you could catch 
 the sheen of satin and billowy edges of 
 white chiffon. There were many glori- 
 ous poke bonnets tied round fresh, 1 jlly 
 Varden, English faces. Altogether it 
 was a lovely, cheery sight. 
 
 Driving from Waterloo Station, tho 
 first hansom that passed us contained 
 Mr. Laurier, Somehow I took it as a 
 good omen. It brought Canada near in 
 
12 The Jubilee. 
 
 a rather down-hearted moment — down- 
 hearted, probably, because of certain 
 fears as to where one would lay one's 
 head that night in this overcrowded, 
 tumultuous London. I thought I had 
 seen crow^ds and knew all about them. 
 Had one not experienced Chicago Day 
 at the greatest fair of the world? Was 
 not one packed with other sardines in a 
 row at the inauguration at Washing- 
 ton ? And did not one know what a 
 London crowd looked like ? " Eather," 
 I would have answered had anyone ad- 
 dressed these interesting queries to me 
 a couple of weeks ago in Toronto. But 
 here was a five and a half million crowd 
 augmented by three millions more. The 
 big town is literally packed. With dif- 
 ficulty does the traffic make any head- 
 way, and yet it is marvellous to see 
 the way the streets are managed. The 
 " bobby " lifts his imperial hand, and 
 busses, cabs, drays, hand-waggons, bi- 
 cycles, fall back as it were on their 
 haunches, and the crowd surges across 
 the narrow streets ; then onward rushes 
 the stream of traffic, and the wooden 
 
The Jubilee, 18 
 
 streets resound hollowly to the tramp 
 of horses' feet. The hum rises to a dull 
 roar, the Mansion House crossing looks 
 impassable, and shoals of timid women 
 make wild dashes for the little stone 
 " islands " in the middle of the streets, 
 and hover on these stony shores until 
 some officer, pitying these pilgrims, 
 escorts them across deep waters and 
 lands them on the other side. Country 
 cousins are here, thick as the currants 
 on the bushes in their gardens. They 
 block the way, and get run into as they 
 stand gaping at the decorations along 
 the Strand and Fleet street. The latter 
 roadway is almost impossible to tra- 
 verse. You march along at a funeral 
 pace, often getting a " set-back " from 
 the crowd in front, and oftener rush- 
 ing forward impelled by umbrella and 
 elbow-prods from the throng behind. 
 Your toes are calmly trampled upon, 
 and there is no time to resent it. By 
 the time you reach Ludgate Hill you 
 are hobbling like a cripple, but you see 
 St. Paul's in the distance, and gird up 
 again, and struggle to its heavenly pre- 
 
14 The Jubilee. 
 
 cincts, where you sit in a dim corner, 
 and suddenly forget all about your 
 punched and bruised person, because 
 afternoon service is going on, and a 
 boy's voice lifts you with it to the 
 dome, and you are lost to London. 
 
 Ordinarily, London holds something 
 over five millions of people, but just 
 now she is called upon to house and 
 feed eight millions and a half. Never 
 was such an immense crowd seen before 
 in the world's capital. The doings of 
 ten years previous, on the occasion of 
 the first Jubilee, fade into insignificance 
 before the splendour of the present un- 
 dertakings. The very Cit}' of London 
 proper — always such a deserted and 
 lonely place after business hours — is 
 invaded by hordes from the provinces 
 — from America, from the Cr^jnies, 
 Soldiers in strange uniforms are to be 
 met with everywhere. The women on 
 the streets blaze with diamonds and 
 jewels. These women are largely the 
 American contingent, who never — it 
 seems — can be taught the vulgarity of 
 wearing gems on the street. In the 
 
The Jubilee. 15 
 
 Park, early in the morning, you find 
 the really nice London people. The 
 prettiest human butterflies in the world 
 flutter here in the first sunshine of these 
 pleasant June days. Lady Ethel Keith - 
 Falconer rides here often. She has a 
 splendid seat, and rides her beautiful 
 mare with an ease that you do not 
 find among riding-school girls You 
 can only get that by country and hunt 
 work, and it is not common in London. 
 I saw Lord Wolseley in a brown squash 
 hat the other day, pacing along the Row 
 on his horse, and bowing to the Duke of 
 Cambridge. Nearly all London's beau- 
 ties come here for a quiet morning walk 
 or ride. The Irish girls are holding their 
 own. Lovely Lady Moyra Cavendish, 
 in white canvas, is something to wonder 
 at. Miss Enid Wilson, one of the greatest 
 beauties here, has a young sister just 
 coming out, whose exquisite little face 
 is one of the joys of the Jubilee to who- 
 ever is fortunate enough to look upon 
 it. The dresses are dreams of costly 
 simplicity. 
 
 Almost the fir^it thing to do was to 
 
16 The Jubilee. 
 
 call at the Colonial Chambers, 17 Vic- 
 toria street, and pay one's respects to 
 our High Commissioner, Sir Donald 
 Smith. Overwhelmed with business as 
 Sir Donald is at this moment, he always 
 finds time to help you on your way, 
 give information of all kinds to travel- 
 ling Canadians, and welcome everyone 
 from the Dominion. The Colonials are 
 really the most important people in 
 town just now, and Canada stands at 
 the head of the Colonies. I called on 
 Mr. Laurier at the Hotel Cecil. There 
 are seven Premiers staying at this 
 magnificent hostelry, and each is pro- 
 vided by the British Government with 
 suites of rooms and special servants. 
 I found a Royal Canadian Dragoon 
 guarding the entrance to Mr. Laurier's 
 suite. Quite a crowd was awaiting 
 admittance, and the Premier has not a 
 moment to himself. The Earl of Jersey 
 was with him when we called, and all 
 sorts of notabilities were down in the 
 visitors' book. Our Premier had time, 
 however, for everybody. His private 
 room is a pretty, secluded chamber, 
 
The Jubilee. 17 
 
 furnished in pale blue and lemon colour. 
 On the table there was a huge bunch of 
 the largest and most beautiful orchids I 
 have ever seen, and in the midst of 
 these there stood one tall hollyhock. 
 That quaint, old-fashioned flower was 
 somehow a comfort to one. It brought 
 thoughts of an old garden, and moon- 
 light nights, a.id music stealing out 
 through open windows, and — maybe, 
 tender words. " And we'll be seeing 
 the old garden," I told Thady, who sat 
 silent, oppressed by London and all this 
 grandeur and the thoughts of seeing the 
 Premier. But he paid no heed to my 
 words. "Wait till I tell John," he 
 whispered. " He thinks he's great be- 
 cause his mother shook hands with the 
 President of the United States, but he'll 
 get a tit when he hears Mr. Laurier 
 shook hands with me." 
 
 Mr. Laurier received us with his 
 usual kindly courtesy. He is looking 
 extremely well, despite the incessant 
 fatigue to which he is subjected with 
 his immense correspondence and atten- 
 tion to the crowds of visitors who are 
 2* 
 
18 The Jubilee. 
 
 constantly calling. As we arose to 
 leave, I said : — 
 
 "I suppose it will be Sir Wilfrid 
 when next we meet, Mr. Laurier ? " 
 
 To which he replied that it was 
 optional with him whether it would be 
 so or not, and he had not yet made up 
 his mind about it. 
 
 He is certainly a great success in 
 London, is our Premier. He takes 
 precedence — as no doubt you will have 
 read — of all the other Premiers, and 
 will head the Colonial procession alone, 
 in a royal carriage. His speech at the 
 Colonial dinner, given at the Imperial 
 Institute, when the Prince of Wales 
 gave, as the principal toast of the 
 evening, " Our guests, the Colonial Pre- 
 miers," was a most happy one, although 
 his assertion that the Queen has no 
 more loyal and devoted subjects than 
 the French-Canadians was to me a little 
 surprising when I remembered the in- 
 tense loyalty and almost adoration in 
 which her Majesty is held by her Eng- 
 lish, Irish and Scotch Colonists. Still 
 Mr. Laurier knows whereof he speaks, 
 
The Jubilee. 19 
 
 and the fact that the leading man in 
 the Dominion is a French-Canadian 
 carries ^reat weight. Mr. Laurier add- 
 ed that nowhere is the unity of the 
 Empire more prized than in the Domin- 
 ion. He was assuredly right in that. 
 
 Altogether Canada assumes a very 
 important place in London just now, 
 and the cheers whenever " Our Boys " 
 parade are deafening. Some of the 
 London papers have it that there is 
 no " system " about the preparations 
 made for the Colonies. A Canadian 
 wrote to a London journal on this 
 matter, and concluded his letter with : 
 " We cannot kick up a row here, but 
 we can write home, and do you blame 
 us if we do ? " Scanty welcome and 
 abundant snubs are what this Cana- 
 dian complains of, and the Daily 
 Graphic publishes a conversation with 
 one of the Australian troopers, which 
 rather upholds the Canadian's view of 
 things. " We always get a good din- 
 ner," said the Australian, "and have 
 a capital time outside barracks, but 
 we are somtimes a little short morning 
 
20 The Jubilee. 
 
 and night." Naturally the English 
 papers' are incensed at this sort of thing, 
 and while abusing the want of system 
 of the authorities, they declare that the 
 Colonials are the men " whom all Eng- 
 land is desirous to honour." In fact, the 
 Colonies are the big people of the Jubi- 
 lee, representing as they do the solidity 
 and integrity of the vast British Em- 
 pire. Their loyalty is exploited in the 
 editorials of the leading papers, and the 
 brightest tribute to Queen Victoria on 
 her Commemoration Day will be the 
 immense Colonial contingent, which as- 
 sures the whole world — if any such as- 
 surance were needed — of the might and 
 strength of the British Empire, and of 
 the extreme personal attachment felt 
 for her Majesty, not only as Queen, but 
 as a most perfect and beautiful example 
 of all womanly virtues, by her subjects 
 from the Colonies. Any want of " sys- 
 tem," therefore, in the arrangements 
 made for Colonial troops, will, I feel as- 
 sured, be speedily rectified. To drift to 
 other matters. 
 
 London belongs just at present to 
 
The Jubilee. 21 
 
 carpenters and decorators. There is 
 virtually no business doing. Shop 
 fronts are boarded up, and business 
 people are grumbling. Not for merely 
 one day has commerce been interrupted, 
 but for a full week. The decorations, 
 as well as the Queen's procession, I will 
 reserve for another letter, touching on 
 them merely so far as to say that they 
 are on a very magnificent scale and 
 outdo anything I have ever seen. The 
 difficulty will be to find words wherein 
 to describe gray old London in her 
 royal garments. 
 
 Royalty is rather cheap just now. That 
 is, you may meet it anywhere. The 
 other night we saw the Prince and Prin- 
 cess of Wales and Prince and Princess 
 Charles of Denmark at Mme. Bern- 
 hardt's performance of that exceedingly 
 dull and long-drawn-out tragedy " Lor- 
 enzaccio," at the Adelphi. The always- 
 divine Sarah pla3^s the part of a young 
 man, who w^ears black tights and a 
 black embroidered tunic with a black 
 cloak. From amid these sombre sables 
 her blonde head and clear-cut features 
 
22 The Jubilee, 
 
 rise radiant, delicate, cameo-like, and 
 marvellously youthful ; but as a fact 
 not even the genius of the great actress 
 is able to cope with a play so gloomy, 
 crude and monotonous. Madame Bern- 
 hardt cannot lay aside her petticoats 
 with impunit}^ and she assuredly de- 
 serves much commendation for the de- 
 votion to her art which leads her to dis- 
 card them on this occasion, and appear 
 as the diminutive hero of de Musset's 
 tiresome drama. The Royal party seemed 
 very pleased, however, and applauded 
 heartily, and Bernhardt received an 
 ovation. 
 
 ^P" ^^ ^^ VJn ^> "^ ^^ '^* "T^ ^^ 
 
 We take off our hats to the Queen, 
 We take off our hats to the Queen ; 
 
 We tell naughty tales to the good Prince of 
 Wales, 
 But we take off our hats to the Queen. 
 
 So sings the knowing little soubrette 
 at the Gaiety. Poor Prince ! Gen- 
 ial First Gentleman of Europe ! they 
 are always having a sly fling at him. 
 He is truly beloved for all that. What 
 a popular King he will be if ever he 
 
The Jubilee, 23 
 
 gets the chance ! The theatres along 
 the Strand are doing a roaring busi- 
 ness. Country cousins go with delight 
 to spend " A Night Out " at the Vaude- 
 ville, and '* Two Little Vags " delight 
 crowds at the Standard. " The Red 
 Lamp" and "Ballad -Monger" at- 
 tract immense audiences, and yet the 
 streets are fairly impassable at night 
 with the throng of people who move 
 along at funeral pace. Ambling and 
 shambling and blocking up the thor- 
 oughfare before the splendid " Old 
 Lady of Threadneedle Street," who for 
 many nights before Jubilee day was 
 attired in royal jewels, the people 
 from the country stand and gape 
 while the Artful Dodgers pick their 
 pockets. Everybody has to walk un- 
 der ladders, whether it wiK bring him 
 ill-luck or not ; and every other per- 
 son receives with equanimity the drop- 
 pings of shavings and paint-pots. The 
 penny merchant stands along the kerb, 
 indifferent to the noses of horses which 
 rest on his shoulders, and to the frantic 
 cries of enraged cabbies, so long as he 
 
24 The Jubilee, 
 
 can sell you a jubilee decoration. You 
 see many shabby people. Seedy old 
 men and faded old women perambulate 
 the West-end and gaze, lost in admira- 
 tion, at the club decorations along Pali- 
 Mall. The very poor are out expressing 
 their loyalty, and the meanest London 
 street, along which a parade of troops 
 (not the Queen's procession) is expected 
 spends its pennies — none too plentiful — 
 in little Jacks and tawdry roses, and 
 bits of bunting. There is to me some- 
 thing very touching, not to say pathetic, 
 about this expression of loyalty from 
 poor and dingy Londoners. Their *• God 
 Bless Our Queen," " Sons of the Colon- 
 ies, we are proud of you," written in 
 sloppy letters on a rag of bunting, carry 
 a cordiality and honesty with them 
 which one hardly finds expressed in the 
 more gorgeous mottoes of the wealthy 
 districts. It cost some self-denial to 
 get up even these poor little decora- 
 tions — therefore are they priceless, as 
 the gifts of the poor always are. 
 
 It is a glorious thing, we know, to 
 be a Pirate King, therefore the private 
 
The Jubilee. 25 
 
 'buses are out in force, and the conduc- 
 tors thereof swoop down upon your 
 sixpence and behold with scorn your 
 coppers. Ihey are raking the big city 
 fore and aft. Occasionally the passen- 
 gers mutiny and leave the ship in a 
 body, whereupon the disappointed pirate 
 expresses his private emotions in lan- 
 guage quite unfitted for the use of 
 schools, and not to be printed in jour- 
 nals for fear of the Young Person. 
 Sharks sail about the London streets, 
 and gobble the colonial and country 
 little fishes. Altogether there is a good 
 deal of wholesale plundering going on. 
 
 We spent a moment or two at old St. 
 Stephen's. The House w^as in jubilee 
 mood, and it was easy to capture your 
 particular member. The place was full 
 of American ladies, who, lu splendid 
 apparel, which lighted up the sombre 
 dark-green hue of the House of Com- 
 mons, were being escorted everywhere 
 by attentive Parliamentary cavaliers. I 
 had a few minutes' chat wituT. P. O'Con- 
 nor, and a glance at the Speaker and a 
 few other Parliamentary notabilities. 
 
26 The Jubilee. 
 
 There is a tremendous fall in the 
 price of seats. The jubilee syndicate 
 seats people will learn the value of 
 soap-bubbles. Their prices were for- 
 bidding, and it is now surmised that 
 sales of seats will never pay for the 
 elaborate stands the syndicate got up. 
 The wise ones wait till the last mo- 
 ment, and then procure places at a 
 trifling cost of twelve shillings or so. 
 Many orders have been cancelled. Two 
 windows in Fleet Street, which at first 
 asked twenty -five pounds a window, and 
 are now willing to let you have them 
 at two guineas each, will give some 
 faint idea of the slump in seats. Mean- 
 time the sandwich men go up and 
 down with all sorts of prices printed 
 on their backs, and the street vendors 
 sell everything from jubilee pins to 
 penny matches. The carpenters drop 
 ends of timber and fragments of gas- 
 pipe on the heads of the innocent 
 crowd ; little fires start and frizzle up 
 the paper roses and strings of ever- 
 greens, and cemeteries are hidden 
 away under loads of finery. Thus 
 
The Jubilee, 27 
 
 do the dead participate. As for the 
 rest — 
 
 We take off our hats to the Queen, 
 We take off our hats to the Queen ; 
 
 We tell naughty tales to the good Prince of 
 Wales, 
 But — we take off our hats to the Queen, 
 
28 The Jubilee, 
 
 II. 
 
 Jubilee Day 
 
 LONDON DECORATIONS. 
 
 No city in the world lends itself more 
 readily to decorative art than the old, 
 gray, hoary City of London. The 
 June sunshine which floods the streets 
 on these summer mornings turns the 
 smoke-cloud — which lies always over 
 the vast city — to faint blue tones, misty, 
 cloud-like, unreal. Through this blue 
 haze the ancient, gray, stone houses, the 
 blackened steeples of churches, the 
 domes, the high roofs, loom vaguely. 
 Sometimes they are quite lost in mists, 
 and the steeples are often far up in 
 cloudland ; the sky seems to brood low 
 in dim, gray vapours that descend on 
 the high roofs and envelop them softly. 
 Then, as if a radiant hand swept aside 
 this curtain of mist, the old buildings, 
 suddenly irradiated with sunshine, stand 
 forward, exhibiting many a quaint 
 
Tlie Jubilee. 29 
 
 griffin and gargoyle, and the doves wheel 
 in soft gray circles about St. Paul's, and 
 the Temple, and the British Museum, 
 and sometimes they, too, are lost in the 
 clouds. Looking down the streets one 
 sees the buildings at the far end through 
 these delicate mists, which soften the 
 old dark places, and make London a 
 half-phantom City — a place where 
 poetry lurks as well as romance ; a sort 
 of grim old fairyland, peopled by fan- 
 tastic and weird human types. 
 
 Given, then, this City of fog and 
 smoke ; these narrow gray streets ; 
 these ancient and blackened churches ; 
 these tall and aged houses ; given these 
 — to say nothing of broader thorough- 
 fares, of glorious green parks, of com- 
 monplace shop-lined roads — all deco- 
 rated with a reticent magnificence, an 
 artistic taste, an admirable harmony, a 
 fine regard for the unities, and you have 
 a picture of splendid colouring, which 
 nothing short of the brush of the great- 
 est painter could present. 
 
 I shall begin with the City proper, 
 and try to give a faint idea of the 
 
30 The Jubilee. 
 
 splendour in which this old, old part of 
 London arrayed herself for the coming 
 of her Queen. Afterwards we shall 
 drift — spasmodically, for I cannot pre- 
 tend to describe them all — to the decora- 
 tions of the West-end. The City hoary 
 and old, the City which has seen so 
 many processions— -Coronation Proces- 
 sions, Royal Funeral Processions, 
 Processions to the Scaffold and to the 
 Tower — has an interest far and away 
 beyond that which the more modern 
 and youthful part of London com- 
 mands. It is so old and gray. The 
 houses seem full of grim secrets and 
 grimmer laughter. They have seen so 
 much. So many ants have moved 
 along the ways carrying each one his 
 burden ; so many poor little royal hu- 
 man atoms have pranced in gallant ar- 
 ray along the narrow streets, atoms 
 long since ground into dust in the 
 great mill of Eternity; so many still 
 poorer human atoms have gone on 
 their hopeless way to destruction and 
 to the river. And the old houses have 
 seen them all. The old houses that 
 
The Juhitee. 
 
 31 
 
 lave been bedecked so many times 
 tor so many Royal Processions. Bulg- 
 ng forward as though bursting with 
 reminiscences, these ancient dwellings 
 [are yet again to be decorated for a 
 [Royal Progress. 
 
 Beginning, then, at the Griffin, that 
 
 [odd monument which replaces terrible 
 
 ITemple-Bar, let us look down Fleet 
 
 Itreet. I wonder what Dr. Johnson 
 
 ^ould have said had he seen the lamp- 
 
 )osts he so loved to touch on, all 
 
 jlothed with purple and gold, with long 
 
 loops of greenery festooning them, one 
 
 dth another? Doubtless he would 
 lave bellowed, " What's all this, sir ? 
 
 'hat's all this d — d nonsense, sir?" 
 ind have passed, growling, to visit Gold- 
 smith, at No. 6 Wine Office Court, and 
 thence the two friends would have 
 [ourneyed to the sanded parlour of the 
 /heshire Cheese, and there surveyed 
 [hings from the famous window of that 
 tncient tavern. And they would have 
 |een how the telegraph-poles that re- 
 place the lamp-posts were turned into 
 
 [uare columns, surmounted by tall 
 
32 The Jubilee. 
 
 tripods, bearing flowers, and how these 
 columns were clothed with purple cloth 
 and twined with gold, each one bearing 
 mouldings and enrichments, and shields 
 and banners, covered with gold leafage. 
 A wreath with the initial " V " appeared 
 in a little panel at the top of each column, 
 and the garlands of green which linked 
 them were each caught up in the middle, 
 and festooned gracefully along the ways. 
 And from where they were looped there 
 hung charming bouquets of purple and 
 yellow flowers, which swayed in the 
 wind, now almost against the old black 
 walls of St. Dunstan's Church ; now out 
 towards the centre of the narrow street. 
 Columns bearing relief banners of ele- 
 phants, through whose trunks the lines 
 of garlands passed, were also placed at 
 intervals. These elephants w^ere decked 
 with gold and purple trappings, and 
 were mounted on bases of Eastern de- 
 sign. The houses were festooned with 
 crimson and purple cloth, shields, crowns 
 — which at night would blaze as with 
 royal jewels — and other charming de- 
 vices. Thus old Fleet Street, through 
 
The Jubilee. 33 
 
 whose historical way all the Coronation 
 IProcessions of ages liave passed on their 
 Jway from the Tower to Westminster ; 
 iwhose straight street witnessed in 1448 
 ithe most extraordinary procession of 
 lill, that of Eleanor Cobham, Duchess 
 f Gloucester, and aunt of Henry VI., 
 I^valking bareheaded through it to St. 
 aul's, with a lighted taper in her hand, 
 n penance for having made a wax fig- 
 re of the young King, and melted it 
 efore a slow fire, praying that his life 
 iglit melt with the wax. 
 On up Ludgate Hill. Here we have 
 belisks draped still with royal purple 
 nd gold, with embossed devices, and 
 reat palms bearing the Queen's mono- 
 ram. So to St. Paul's, where the 
 ast warehouses in the churchyard 
 ave followed the harmonies of Fleet 
 treet and Ludgate Hill, by draping 
 hemselves with the same royal colours 
 larvellous loopings of purple cloth 
 re outlined in gold, and mixed with 
 hese there are lines of shields bearinof 
 olden palms, and floral crowns and 
 
 )ouquets, and rich hane^ing baskets 
 3* 
 
34 The Jubilee. 
 
 filled with flowers. Down now to the 
 Mansion House, the Bank and all the 
 rich heart of the world's greatest city. 
 Evergreens festooned with blue-em- 
 broidered draperies almost hide the 
 great house of London's Lord Mayor. 
 Around its immense columns garlands 
 twined, and the Royal Crown was out- 
 lined upon these splendid hangings. 
 Facing the Mansion House stands the 
 Equitable Life office, gaily picked out 
 with light and dark blue. Over the 
 Old Lady of Threadneedle Street there 
 was erected a great allegorical paint- 
 ing by Legros, symbolizing Great 
 Britain, Labour and Commerce, and 
 all about the gray old buildings look- 
 ed almost grotesque, arrayed with this 
 splendid flaunting of flags, draperies, 
 flowers, shields and crowns. Every- 
 where " V. R." met the eye, and half 
 hidden among the gorgeous hangings 
 one could detect the dull-coloured 
 bulbs, which at night would flash forth 
 in golden, crimson and green ropes of 
 light, that would transfigure this an- 
 cient city, and make of her for the 
 moment a city fit for the gods. 
 
The Jubilee. 35 
 
 Down Cheapside and the Poultry, 
 Venetian masts, painted dark blue and 
 supporting small shields, golden crowns, 
 and royal quarterings, line the road. 
 Further on lines of little flags flutter 
 in festoons between the richly-draped 
 telegraph poles. The great railway 
 bridge by St. Saviour's Church, cross- 
 ing to the Borough, was roofed with 
 cloth of purple and gold ; the letters 
 V. I. R. were supported in the middle 
 of it by natural palm fronds, while fes- 
 toons of flowers hung from gilded laurel 
 wreaths. In the Borough, you came 
 again on Venetian masts draped with 
 crimson and yellow, with garlands 
 stretched between and fastened with 
 purple and gold sashes. At old 
 St. Georges (Little Dorrit's church), 
 Southwark, sweeping garlands were 
 stretched on wires across the road. 
 Large gilt eagles, with wings out- 
 stretched, brooded above the roadway, 
 sustained there by invisible wires, and 
 ropes of greenery trailed off* in charm- 
 ing curves over the nearest house-tops. 
 Again came decorated masts — how Bri- 
 
36 The Jubilee. 
 
 tain rejoices in her navy — and stream- 
 ers, and ropes of flowers topped by 
 standards upon which little gilded lions 
 *' ramped." Further along the famous 
 cricket-bat makers, Messr . Lilly white 
 & Frowd, had a big sign out congratu- 
 lating the Queen on her record innings, 
 " 60 and not out." Along the quaint 
 old Borough, crystal Prince of Wales 
 Feathers replaced the lamps. And 
 now imjxgine for yourseh^es the streets 
 arrayed thus, the gray houses glorious 
 with colour, yet preserving their reti- 
 cent, grave, serious individuality, as 
 though saying, " Yes, you may deck us 
 with gewgaws ; you may festoon us 
 with drapings and flowers in honour of 
 our beloved Queen, but w^e will not per- 
 mit you to infringe upon our respect- 
 ability, nor our solidity, of which we 
 beg to inform her Majesty." But the 
 gay little flags brushed across the brows 
 of those grim old houses, and the flower- 
 baskets beat softly against the gray 
 walls, and the great ropes and ever- 
 greens, lifting on the wind, tried to 
 crown their stony heads with wreaths 
 
The Jubilee. 87 
 
 of laurel, and down below the crowd 
 murmured and cheered, and flung abroad 
 its laughter. 
 
 PTo ! for London Bridge ! the Queen 
 never crossed it until Jubilee Day. She 
 went \nuler it in the Royal barge with 
 her prince-husband tliat day long ago, 
 when they went to inspect the Thames 
 tunnel. But not until she had reigned 
 for sixty years did her Majesty cross it. 
 The Mayor and Corporation did nobly. 
 The crimson gates were thrown wide, 
 and a great arch built on royal- 
 crowned poles, gay with gold and violet 
 garlands, floral shields bearing the dates 
 1837-1897, and a royal crown in flowers 
 of yellow, scarlet and white spanned 
 the centre of the bridge. Long, white 
 masts stretched away, and from them 
 the flags flung out over the great river. 
 Opal globes, ready for illuminating the 
 bridge at night, clustered above the gas 
 standards. The craft in the river were 
 gloriously dressed in the gayest colours, 
 and the view of the Thames on either 
 side of the immense bridge was en- 
 chanting in colour and harmony. Far 
 
33 The Jubilee. 
 
 off, the Monument, with it8 long lines of 
 
 bunting curving down from the high 
 
 gallery, brings this marvellous scene to 
 
 a climax. There is no expression in 
 
 mere language for the splendour of the 
 
 decorations. They tire the senses. It 
 
 is too much. 
 
 Away, for a moment, to some parts of 
 
 the West-end of London. The clubs, 
 St. James, Piccadilly, and the Strand — 
 verging as it does citywards — demand 
 attention. Where shall I begin ? One 
 grows confused, dazed with all this mag- 
 nificence. In Piccadilly, from Hyde 
 Park corner to the top of St. James 
 Street, the decorations almost baffle de- 
 scription. Venetian masts, hung with 
 evergreens, flowers, electric light bulbs, 
 ran along either side. Crimson cloth, 
 picked with gold, almost clothed the 
 houses. Lord Rothschild's house, at 
 Hyde Park corner, was simply studded 
 with flags, red, white and blue. The 
 courtyard seats were canopied with red 
 striped canvas, festooned with pink and 
 white flowers, which ran along between 
 tall poles clothed in white and red. Tiie 
 
The Jubilee. 39 
 
 Junior Constitutional Club was also fes- 
 tooned with gay little flags, and the bal- 
 conies were draped with cloth of light 
 blue, red and white. From Apsley House 
 (the Duke of Wellington's mansion) 
 many flags floated, the Royal Standard, 
 the Jack, the Spanish, Portuguese and 
 Belgian flags. A flag-framed picture of 
 the Queen' shone from the face of the 
 house. Crimson and gold enwrapped 
 the Junior Athenseum Club, and with 
 the Burdett-Coutts house, the decora- 
 tions reached a climax of loveliness. 
 Imagine the whole side of a building 
 decorated with drapery, simulating 
 leaves, and over these hangings of crim- 
 son and mauve velvet edged with gold, 
 the whole topped by a greao crown ! It 
 was a splendid sight ! One of the most 
 marvellous in London. 
 
 But when you turned into St. James* 
 street you almost cried out, for it was 
 walking into fairyland ! All across the 
 road hung garlands of greenery. These 
 formed great St. Andrew crosses, and 
 from these and the straighter garlanded 
 lines depended huge baskets of flowers. 
 
40 TJie Jiihilee. 
 
 Other ropes of feathery fronds were 
 
 festooned and looped from the crosses ; 
 
 while birds, with outstretched wings, 
 
 were invisibly wired so as to sway in 
 
 and out among the greenery and flower 
 
 baskets. Fifty tall white masts lined the 
 
 street, and these were linked and crossed 
 
 with garlands of Britisli oak, crowns, 
 
 and wreaths, and ropes of roses. Upon 
 
 these crept lines of electric bulbs, ready 
 
 for lighting when the darkness fell. 
 
 The houses, heavy with crimson cloth, 
 
 with purple and gold, and paler drapings 
 
 of pink and silver and delicate mauve, 
 
 were softened by the swaying green 
 
 roof that shaded all the street. One 
 
 walked in a lovely arbour, seeing 
 
 a vista of tender blue mist, which served 
 
 as a delicate veil to all this beauty. 
 
 Below, at the foot of the street, the 
 
 stern gray old palace, unadorned, laden 
 
 with history, heavy with the secrets of 
 
 ages, seemed to view witli sad eyes this 
 
 resplendent roadway, this shimmering 
 
 green-roofed street, the most fitting 
 
 highway for royalty to travel that has 
 
 ever been seen before in London. The 
 
The Jubilee. 41 
 
 contrast, of all this fairy-like beauty, 
 this splendour, with the old brick gate- 
 way and sfrim walls of St. James' Pal- 
 ace, struck one with a shock. The mind 
 leaped to history. There was something 
 sardonic in the appearance — amidst all 
 this exquisite frivolity — of this old 
 fortress, with the Anna Boleyn love- 
 knots on the side-doors of its heavy 
 gateway, with the memories of Charles 
 I. about its ancient rooms, with the 
 echoings of the marriage rites of Mary 
 and William of Orange whispering 
 through the dim corridors ; this palace 
 where Kings and their mistresses lived ; 
 where Queens died and Princea were 
 born. We could no longer view further 
 decorations. We came to a dead stop 
 here by the old palace. London seemed 
 to end before these gaunt, gray walls, 
 pierced with the narrow, peering win- 
 <lows that had seen so much. One real- 
 ized at this full moment that despite her 
 frivolities, her gay trappings, her make- 
 beUeve joyousness, London, hoary, sad, 
 very old, faced you, uncompromising, 
 If^tern, a warrior alwnys, a great creature, 
 
42 The Jubilee. 
 
 whose hand was the mailed hand of 
 Britain, one that gripped the edges of 
 the world. 
 
 And all other things grew, in the mo- 
 ment, small. 
 
The Jubilee. 43 
 
 III. 
 
 The Via Triumphalis 
 
 If the good people of London Town 
 and its vicinity slept at all the night 
 before Jubilee day, they must have done 
 it in short snatches taken mostly in the 
 B treats. All night long London — always 
 restless — hummed and thrilled with 
 sound. Hammers knocking dismally 
 woke one up suddenly, and for a mo- 
 ment one lay trembling there in the 
 darkness, thinking of coffins and scaf- 
 folds, and other gruesome things. Bands 
 of singers went by, shouting lustily 
 brave songs of war and loyalty. Now 
 and again a woman's shriek broke across 
 the other noises of the night, and climbed 
 the air with a note of murder in its 
 tones. Now came a lusty shout of 
 " Stop Thief ! " and feet scampered down 
 
 lie streets and were lost in the dingy 
 urts abutting on the Embankment. 
 
 (ccasionally the sharp wail of some 
 
44 The Jubilee. 
 
 outcasl". child sent its whimper straight 
 to your heart, and thoughts of houseless 
 and homeless children disturbed you 
 from semi-consciousness. A street 
 brawl drowned the hopeless little cry, 
 and shrill whistlings pierced clear and 
 high above all other sounds. But the 
 dull humming of the city went on 
 through the night like the low growling 
 of some threatening beast, and always 
 the hammers knocked and the saws bit 
 their way through the planks, and the 
 night cabs crawled by the kerb, and the 
 strange human night-hawks of London 
 flitted through the great city. Nor, 
 when towards dawn, these sounds and 
 sights, gathered through the chinks of 
 blinds, ceased, and a dull drowsiness fell 
 upon one, was sleep permissible. Five 
 and six o'clock saw everyone up on Ju- 
 bilee morning, and in the hotels richly- 
 dressed women, unused to such intem- 
 perate risings, made eager demands for 
 tea and toast, while outside, the early 
 cofFee-shops were already doing a roar- 
 ing business. 
 
 A gray day, full of vaporous mists 
 
The Jubilee. 45 
 
 witliout one gleam of sun. A gloomy, 
 heavy, dull dawning. *' Queen's wea- 
 ther," quoth we, looking out of the win- 
 dow at the old houses lost in the heavy 
 smoke clouds. " Queen's weather is not 
 for her Most Gracious and Most Good 
 on this gay Jubilee Day." Far below a 
 drunken drab was screeching *' God 
 Siive the Queen" in a cracked and 
 seamed voice. As she crawled along by 
 the wall, her bonnet, loosened by much 
 battering, fell away, and one could see 
 her white head with ragged hair strag- 
 gling over her awful face. A woman, 
 old, but perhaps j^ounger than the Queen 
 — a woman as the Queen is a woman, but 
 what a contrast to the Great Old Lady, 
 who presently, surrounded by her glit- 
 tering court, would ** ride thro' London 
 1'own " to see her subjects, and receive 
 their blessings and congratulations. 
 
 " Send Her vic-to-ri-ous, 
 Hap-py and glorious, 
 Long too re-ign over us, 
 Go o-d bless the Queen." 
 
 1 p rang the words from the withered 
 ^i[)s of the poor old creature. What 
 
46 The Jubilee. 
 
 faint glimmerings of loyalty were stir- 
 ring in that miserable breast, who could 
 tell ? An angle of wall soon hid her, 
 but for a moment longer the shrilling 
 could be heard. Then the poor sound 
 melted into the clangour of London and 
 was lost in it. 
 
 Down the Strand a stream of people 
 poured. Some with tickets in their 
 hands looking for the numbers of their 
 boxes and their seats. At the last mo- 
 ment the prices of seats went up again, 
 and two and three guineas for a back 
 seat was the order of the minute. This 
 included a luncheon with champagne — 
 but may Heaven protect whoever had 
 the temerity to quaff that sour cider ! 
 Cabs fled along the streets, conveying 
 early " fares " to their destination, and 
 the people who had no seats began to 
 line up on either side. Vehicular traf- 
 fic was to be stopped at an early hour, 
 so by eight o'clock, or a little after it, 
 most people were in their places. We 
 had secured splendid seats in the old 
 Strand, where the street was narrowest 
 and the houses grayest. We chose them 
 
The Jubilee. 47 
 
 ere rather than in broader thorough- 
 ares, because we wanted the mists of 
 kistory and romance to fall upon us ; 
 T^ e liked to think of all the Coronation 
 Processions that had passed this way 
 through the ages, and we liked to be 
 able to peer out at the Griffin, and think 
 of old Temple-Bar, with its dreadful 
 f^pikes, whereon, in the savage old days, 
 the heads of traitors grinned and with- 
 ered. So, the imagination being satis- 
 1i(3d, we settled in our places, and dipped 
 a little back into history, and were quite 
 ready to see Queen Elizabeth riding on 
 her palfrey to the Tower, surrounded 
 by her lords of Raleigh and Essex, and 
 others of her great court. 
 
 Slowly the veil of the sky lifted, and 
 faint glimmerings of sunshine shot 
 through the chinks of Heaven, and 
 shimmered for a moment on the tall 
 roofs opposite. 
 
 " Queen's weather after'all," we said, 
 
 happily. A little^south-west wind came 
 
 out to flirt with the flags and whirl down 
 
 the narrow street. It eddied in among 
 
 I the garlands, and waltzed with the 
 
48 The Jubilee. 
 
 flower-baskets, and set the great Jacks 
 that crowned the cohimns waving with 
 dignified motion ; it beat up against the 
 boxes — as I call the boarded-up shop- 
 fronts, behind which seats were built — 
 and sent a cool wave through these hot 
 little corners, which was a Godsend, for 
 it was evident a stifling day was about 
 to descend upon London, since now the 
 sun flared boldly down, determined to 
 to do his best to show oflf the gold lace, 
 the shining brasses, the glittering hel- 
 mets, the jewelled turbans, the gemmed 
 collars of the great military and courtly 
 pageant which would presently wind its 
 way along the streets of old London. 
 
 There was not a moment's boredness 
 during the long wait. What with the 
 pretty ladies, who, in gorgeous raiment 
 and matinee hats — so underbred and 
 selfish of them ! — began to fill the 
 boxes and window seats ; what with 
 the shifting crowds on the streets ; the 
 country cousins, fresh and rosy, up 
 from the pleasant lanes of Surrey and 
 Kent ; the tough denizens of White- 
 chapel, here in scores ; the begrimed 
 

 The Jubilee, 49 
 
 (1 horny-handed, with their " old 
 gals " ; the young coster, with his dona ; 
 tlie old coster, with his Dutch, and all 
 with their bottles and their sand- 
 wiches — there was no time to be dull. 
 |A good-humoured crowd, too, joking 
 n\ ith " Mr. P'liceman," and cheering 
 everyone, from a belated American boy 
 in Eton dress to i\\i sandcarts which 
 came to lay down the sand which is 
 always used on a royal route. The 
 Cockney, with his bewildering accent, 
 joked with his mate, asking her " W'y 
 she 'adn't pervvided 'erself with a seat 
 in a wan ? " Whereat she, indignant, 
 ' said, " as she wasn't goin' to pay for 
 seats in no wan wile she 'ad two as good 
 legs as there was in all Hingland to 
 stand upon." 
 
 Cheers ! — for the ambulance corps 
 swinging along with their litters, which 
 they laid down along the edge of the 
 kerb at intervals. Cheers ! — for the 
 Rifles, who marched briskly, and, divi- 
 ding, edged off the patient crowd. 
 Cheers for the police, who lined up at 
 wide spaces behind the military. Cheers 
 
50 The Jubilee. 
 
 for Papa, Mamma and Baby, who ar- 
 rived late, and scuttled down between 
 the lines of people, hunting vaguely for 
 their seats. Cheers for a jaunty 
 messenger- boj'', who trooped along with 
 big steps, his cap set on the extremest 
 edge of his ear. Cheers for an empty 
 carriage, which bowled along at a smart 
 pace, to which the little footman re- 
 sponded, waving his hat and bowing 
 condescendingly, whereat the crowd 
 roared him another. 
 
 Suddenly, so suddenly, that a silence 
 fell upon the crowd, and people sat 
 erect in their seats, the sounds of 
 bugling cut sharply across the air. 
 Far-off, the thud of drums. Nearer and 
 nearer, till the roll grew distinct, and 
 ' Rule Britannia " swept merrily down 
 the street. Then a long, loud, deep 
 cheer — that sounded almost like a wail, 
 beginning on a high note and swelling 
 down into a roar — f^^ ^^re are the blue- 
 jackets marching eight abreast, their 
 Lee-Metford rifles at their sides, their 
 sailor hats cocked high behind, and 
 their sailor collars spread upon their 
 
The Jubilee, 61 
 
 goodly shoulders. Smart little beggars ! 
 On they march as only bluejackets can 
 march, while round them roar the clieera 
 of the people. The celluloid lamp-balls 
 of rose and green, that, at intervals, 
 spanned the Strand» trembled with the 
 vibrations of those great British hur- 
 rahs. On marched the boys, then came 
 a lull. We had tasted the first moment 
 of excitement, and were ready for any- 
 thing. ** The Colonials are coming ! 
 The Colonials ! " The cry raced down 
 the ranks of the people, and leaning out 
 we caught sight of Field-Marshal Lord 
 Roberts, and behind him the Canadian 
 Cavalry and Mounted Police. " God 
 bless you, Lord * Bobs ' ! " roared the 
 people as splendid Roberts rode by. 
 Then gloves ofF in a moment, and wild 
 clapping and cheering, as our own boys 
 passed. " Splendid fellows ! " " Rummy 
 beggars, these Canadians ! " By Jove, 
 those fellows look fit ! " from the 
 people behind. They did look well. 
 But when the royal carriage containing 
 Mr. and Madame Laurier passed, the 
 cheers increased a thousand-fold. Our 
 
52 The Jubilee. 
 
 Premier certainly looked in splendid 
 form as he bowed from side to side with 
 courtly grace. He is by long odds the 
 best-looking and the youngest of all the 
 Colonial Premiers, and his fine manners 
 and happy speeches have made him a 
 favourite over here. He received a per- 
 fect ovation, and we cheered for the 
 honour of Canada until our voices failed 
 us. Madame Laurier, dressed in soft 
 gray, touched with mauve, sat beside 
 her husband veiy quietly. She bowed 
 slightly, as the carriage, surrounded by 
 Canadians, swept along the route. 
 
 Then came the Premiers of New South 
 Wales, Victoria, New Zealand, Queens- 
 land, Cape Colony, Newfoundland, Tas- 
 mania, Western Australia and Natal, 
 escorted by their troops. Wild cheering 
 greeted the bronzed Australians and 
 New Zealanders, while the men on foot, 
 the Houssas, the Sikhs — who marched 
 splendidly — the Canadian Volunteers, 
 all came in for an enthusiastic reception. 
 The Chinamen, the Dyaks, and the 
 Black troops were gallantly cheered. 
 Then the Colonials passed on their way 
 
The Jubilee. 53 
 
 to St. Paul's, and the magnificent Pro- 
 cession of British troops began. 
 
 One after another the splendid fellows 
 with helmets, cuirasses, and appoint- 
 ments glittering in the sun, rode by, un- 
 til such an excitement of pride and loy- 
 alty and love fell upon the crowd, that 
 it fairly went wild. Yet there was no 
 pushing, no disturbance, no interference 
 necessary on the part of the police or 
 soldiers. The people went out to see 
 their Queen and their troops, to help, 
 not to hinder, the Royal progress, and a 
 happier or gentler crowd 1 have never 
 seen. On came Capt. Ames, of the 2nd 
 Life Guards, the biggest man in the 
 British army. He had a line of pro- 
 cession all to himself, and he filled it. 
 Then the bluejackets again with their 
 naval guns, and presently the fine band 
 of the 1st Life Guards, with a gorgeous 
 drummer on horseback, filed by. The 
 music beat against the tall gray houses, 
 up to the root's and down again, and the 
 old buildings reverberated with sound, 
 and gave back hollow mutterings. The 
 drummer, sitting well back on his 
 
54 The Jubilee. 
 
 charger, and guiding it with his feet, 
 beat gallant tattoos on his steel-cased 
 drums, which hung astraddle the horse's 
 shoulders. The narrow street echoed 
 and re-echoed, and again the voice of 
 the people, mighty, deep, sonorous, filled 
 the air with sound. Then came the 
 magnificent Life Guards, their cuirasses 
 glittering, the tall white plumes on 
 their helmets waving in unison, so per- 
 fect was the marching of their horses. 
 Here was the "jingle-te-jing" of Kip- 
 ling's verse. Here was the hollow tramp 
 of hoofs, here the clank of steel and the 
 gorgeous trappings, and all the glory of 
 military movement. Kipling, Kipling ! 
 One felt like shouting the man's name, 
 and calling for three cheers for him. 
 His verse kept time to every movement 
 of the troops. The Royal Horse Ar- 
 tillery, all in yellow braid, the officers 
 a mass of gold lace, with Persian 
 lamb saddle cloths, came next, and one 
 heard the peculiar rattle of the gun 
 carriages, as, drawn by six great 
 horses, they clanked past. More 
 Guards and Dragoons, with Royal 
 
The Jubilee. 55 
 
 Horse sandwiched between. Bands 
 headed each squadron, and glorious 
 drum majors twirled their glittering 
 batons in a splendid, yet dignified man- 
 ner. The Hussars succeeded the Dra- 
 goons, then came the 12th Lancers and 
 the beloved 17th. How we cheered ! 
 Officers, with their magnificent accoutre- 
 ments and leopard-skin saddle-cloths, 
 other officers with iicarlet saddle-cloths, 
 worked with heavy gold monograms ; 
 others again all a-glitter with medals 
 anr^ lace and flowing plumes. It was 
 the greatest military sight of one's life. 
 Between these detachments of mounted 
 troops squadrons marched. The living 
 story of British arms, British pluck and 
 fight wn,s passing before us. The most 
 stolid were moved. Every gallant in- 
 stinct awoke in the breast of man and 
 woman. A great pride that one belonged 
 to such a nation stirred the deepest 
 centres of one's soul. Sentiment min- 
 gled largely with this glorious feeling of 
 joy and pride and love of fight, and 
 there were eyes which were not dry. 
 The sight of the Colonials moved the 
 
56 The Jubilee. 
 
 people most deeply. To see these 
 bronzed and black faces, these gallant, 
 well set-up, handsome Canadian boys, 
 and know that they served under the 
 same old flag, that they were one race 
 with those of the British Isles ; that 
 they had come from far places to honour 
 the same Queen so adored by this Lon- 
 don populace ; and, above all, that they 
 told, as nothing else could tell at the 
 moment — the might and strength of the 
 great British Empire — visibly affected 
 the people of England. A frenzy of en- 
 thusiasm took them. The roars of ap- 
 plause shook old London. 
 
 Slowly the great procession moved 
 along its way. The Scots Greys — oh, 
 the splendid fellows ! — came riding up 
 five abreast. The marching was phe- 
 nomenal. The gray horses, their little 
 ears pointed, stepped together as sol- 
 diers' horses ought to do, and the tall 
 riders, one mass of sheen and glitter, 
 rode in stately fashion. The Inniskil- 
 lings, with splendid record written in 
 gold upon their banner, brought a 
 storm of applause, but when the High- 
 
The Jubilee. 67 
 
 landers passed, their pipes skirling 
 gaily, piercing through all other noises, 
 the British hurrah that greeted them 
 was something to remember. 
 
 Far down the street, but within sight, 
 the Griffin, decorated gaily, stood at the 
 City entrance. Behind it the Lord 
 Mayor's horse waited, and at the door of 
 Child's Bank — that famous old corner — 
 the Lord Mayor himself was in attend- 
 ance to escort the Queen to the City. 
 The Lord Mayor of London, in his 
 official robes, is alwaj^s the people's de- 
 light. He is so gorgeous, so grotesque, 
 so divinely disguised out of all sem- 
 blance of himself ! Here he was, clothed 
 in a great robe of deepest purple that 
 flowed about his ample form ; his head 
 entombed in a vast black cap, covered 
 with feathers, his ermine cloak upon his 
 ^shoulders, and across his breast his gor- 
 geous chain and badges. Under his loose 
 robes you could see.if you looked sharply, 
 a very neat pair of riding boots, and a 
 smart red uniform. The City sword, in 
 its ivory scabbard, with its hilt of gold, 
 and the great mace of the town, glim- 
 
58 The Jubilee. 
 
 mered near by. So the Mayor waited 
 for the Queen. 
 
 And now the aspect of the procession 
 changes somewhat. Suites, Equerries 
 and Gentlemen in Attendance ride by, 
 three abreast, llie Corean suite, in 
 richest raiment, pass like a flash. For- 
 eign, naval and military attaches suc- 
 ceed them. Then a radiant medley of 
 Princes, Dukes, Serene Highnesses, For- 
 eign Potentates and splendidly-attired 
 Indian Princes, whose turbans and rich 
 mantles blazed with jewels, riding on 
 great chargers. A space — and now the 
 carriages. The foreign ministers occupy 
 the first five ; in the fourth sits the 
 Papal Nuncio and the representative of 
 the Emperor of China, who carried a 
 fan ; then cornes the sixth, containing 
 the Princess of Wales' Lady-in- Waiting 
 and three Chamberlains ; the Earl of 
 Lathom, Lord Chamberlain, with the 
 Mistress-of-the-Robes to the Empress 
 Frederick, and the Dowager Lady 
 Churchill, occupy the seventh carriage ; 
 Royal Highnesses and Princes with im- 
 possible names and titles pass in the 
 
The Jubilee. 69 
 
 eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh 
 vehicles, and in the twelfth we find the 
 Duchess of Teck, " Princess May's " 
 mother ; little Princess Charles of Den- 
 mark — our " Princess Maud " — sits in 
 the same carriage, and in the one follow- 
 ing sits the Duchess of York. " Princess 
 May " herself. Royal Duchesses follow, 
 and in the sixteenth carriage we see 
 Princess Louise, the Empress Frederick 
 of Germany, and the Duke of Edinburgh. 
 Princess Beatrice of Battenberg sat in 
 the preceding carriage, with the Duchess 
 of Edinburgh. A number of Equerries 
 close up about the sixteenth carriage. 
 Then follows a Colonial escort. And 
 now the most brilliant crowd of Royal 
 Princes and representatives ride in 
 threes immediately before the Queen's 
 carriage. Russian, Prussian, Prince 
 Amir Khan of Persia, Prince Ali Pa- 
 cha of Egypt, Sir Per tab Singh, Prince 
 Mahit of Siam, all flash past, one 
 blaze of jewels, of golden sword-hilts, 
 of flowing silken mantles. They 
 look like a cloud of marvellous 
 birds or butterflies, for they are rid- 
 
60 The Jubilee. 
 
 ing more swiftly now. Next comes 
 the escort of Indian cavalry, splendid 
 men, riding straight and swift. And 
 now, alone, rides Field-Marshal Vis- 
 count Wolseley, Commander-in-Chief of 
 the British forces. A wild cheer for the 
 Irishman, and then great silence fell for 
 a moment, as the first pair of cream 
 horses showed their noses down the 
 street. The Queen was coming ! Slowly 
 the carriage containing her Majesc}'' drew 
 into full sight. The eight cream-colour- 
 ed horses were heavily caparisoned in 
 crimson trappings wrought in gold. 
 They were completely hidden under 
 these gorgeous crimson coats and head- 
 stalls, through which their eyes peered 
 curiously. They were the quaintest 
 little horses, with red-tasselled manes 
 and gold-plated and Morocco harness. 
 The postilions in gold-embroidered red 
 coats and velvet hunting caps, with the 
 running footmen at their side, gave 
 glorious notes of colour to this splendid 
 State equipage. The scarlet hammer 
 cloth, all woven with gold, and the gor- 
 geous coachman in white wig, red coat, 
 
llie Jubilee. 61 
 
 and heliotrope silk stockings, held the 
 eye for a moment, and then we saw the 
 face of the Queen, and everything else 
 vanished. 
 
 The carriage moved very slowdy, and 
 there was ample time to study, even 
 minutely, the occupants. The Queen 
 sat alone, facing the horses. Oppo- 
 site to her sat the Princess of Wales 
 and Princess Christian. Her Majesty 
 carried a small sunshade. The other 
 ladies did not, but most unselfishly 
 faced the brilliant sunlight, so that 
 the people might have a full view of 
 the great and good woman who so 
 long has reigned over them. The 
 Queen was dressed in black silk em- 
 broidered with silver. Her black lace 
 bonnet was trimmed with a wreath of 
 white acacia, among which diamonds 
 glittered. There was a touch of sad- 
 ness in her Majesty's benignant face 
 She is far and away handsomer than 
 any late picture that I have seen 
 represents her. She seemed deeply 
 touched by the loyalty — the adoration 
 I might well say — of her people. She 
 
62 The Jubilee. 
 
 looked like one who was living for 
 the moQient in the p£ist. A grave, 
 somewhat serious face — one seamed by 
 grief and pain, and yet full of benevo- 
 lence, of dignity, of sympathy. This 
 woman, sitting in the open carriage, 
 within hand -reach of her people, sur- 
 rounded by no guard, knowing well 
 that she needed no " protection " from 
 the crowd that adored her, expressed 
 in all her attitude that of mother, more 
 than anything else. Right and left she 
 bowed, smiling very little, and bowing 
 oftenest to the poorer people on the 
 edge of the pavement. This I noticed 
 quite plainly. Her Majesty had ex- 
 pressly stated her wish that her poorer 
 subjects might have the chance to see 
 her, and she singled them out for many 
 a gracious bow and slow smile. Her 
 face, very pale, bore upon it a look of 
 earnest attention. Her sunshade thrown 
 back, and a slight delay at the moment, 
 permitted an attentive study of her 
 features, and there shone there the 
 expression of one whose soul was stir- 
 ring with deep thoughts. Suddenly the 
 
The Jubilee. 63 
 
 immense mass of people began to chant 
 the National Anthem. It was a mighty 
 moment. Emotion, held down so tightly 
 by the English people, broke its bounds, 
 and out poured the great torrent of a 
 people's love. It might be the Queen s 
 last public procession, and perhaps that 
 thouo:ht came to her. For a moment 
 her head bent slightly, and the hand 
 that held the sunshade wavered. Then 
 that wise, gentle, benignant face turned 
 once more to the people, and the cheers 
 that broke in a storm from British 
 throats was the greatest sound I ever 
 heard in my life. 
 
 The Princess of Wales looked like a 
 slender, graceful, young girl. Her face, 
 too, was very pale, and her deep eyes 
 that have known many tears — as the 
 eyes of all women know — looked out 
 calmly over that immense concourse. 
 Her figure, lithe, exquisitely poised, 
 was very erect, and though all life's 
 story spoke upon her face, time or grief 
 have not robbed it of one youthful con- 
 tour. It is impossible — looking at her 
 — to believe in her birth-vear. Some 
 
64 The Jubilee, 
 
 monstrous mistake must have been 
 made. And yet — those dark eyes, those 
 delicately-curved lips — all the expres- 
 sion of the beautiful face reveal a sad- 
 ness that is only to be found on the 
 faces of those who have lived lonpr 
 enough to sufler. Slowly the royal 
 carriage moved on. There was no time 
 to look at the Prince of Wales, who was 
 riding beside his Boyal Mother. The 
 faces of two women filled all the world 
 for the moment. We sat very still and 
 silent after the passing of the Queen. 
 The world seemed suddenly to have 
 grown chill. 
 
The Jubilee. 65 
 
 Intermezzo 
 
 THE ROYAL DRESSES. 
 
 There were only a few minutes in 
 which to study the elaborate gowns 
 worn by the royal women, but a pow- 
 erful glass, and, I suppose, the fine 
 training to which journalists come in 
 the exercise of an arduous profession, 
 helped one very largely. The eye, 
 trained to observation, transmits its 
 pictures to the mind with the utmost 
 accuracy and rapidity, and there they 
 remain fixed — without help of note or 
 scrawl — until the moment arrives for 
 setting them down upon paper. A 
 woman's eye, too, is quick to detect 
 the chiffons and millinery of another 
 woman, and where a man might halt 
 over the delicate and perplexing intri- 
 cacies of feminine attire, the woman 
 writes firmly on, not to be daunted by 
 the most impossible French -named fa- 
 brics or gossamers. 
 5* 
 
66 The Jubilee. 
 
 Her Majesty the Queen wore a gown 
 of brocaded silk, black in colour, and 
 embroidered in jet and silver (or steel). 
 Her cape was of chiffon over silk, stud- 
 ded with points of steel, jet, and sil- 
 ver. Her bonnet was a lace creation, 
 garlanded with white, through which 
 diamonds and jet glimmered. Steel 
 paillettes shimmered among the laces. 
 Her veil was of thin white net, and 
 her sunshade was a trifle of white 
 silk, untrimmed and very simple, with 
 a white enamel handle. 
 
 The Princess of Wales wore a deli- 
 cate-hued gown of pale orchid mauve 
 satin, veiled with white net, and fleck- 
 ed with silver points. The effect was 
 radiant as the sun struck full upon 
 these gleaming silver specks, shrouded 
 with filmy lace. The bodice of mauve 
 satin was also hidden with white lace, 
 while the high collar was one mass of soft 
 white fluff, amid which diamonds glim- 
 mered. Her Royal Highness wore one 
 of those tiny bonnets for which she is 
 famous — a little creation of mauve satin 
 and lisse, silver and diamonds. Her deli- 
 
■f 
 
 The Jubilee. 67 
 
 cate pale face rose like a flower from its 
 cloud of star-decked chiffon. 
 
 Princess Beatrice was all in white, 
 without a speck of colour. A white 
 silk p;'o\vn, bonnet of white crepe, and 
 fluffy white parasol completed her cos- 
 tume. 
 
 The Duchess of York — who received 
 a special ovation from the crowd — wore 
 a pale pink silk underdress, over which 
 fell a simple overdress of cream silk 
 nuislin. Her toque was a mass of 
 palest pink roses. She looked exceed- 
 ingly handsome and fresh. 
 
 Princess Louise (Duchess of Fife) was 
 in ivory-white brocade, festooned wnth 
 white wreaths. The bodice was veiled 
 with sun-pleated Avhite chiffon. Her 
 bonnet was a delicate trifle of chiffon 
 and mauve, with shaded flowers. 
 
 Princess Charles of Denmark (Prin- 
 cess Maud of Wales) wore a dress of 
 rose-petal pink satin, veiled with rose- 
 silk muslin. Bruges lace covered each 
 seam. A bolero of pink muslin edged 
 with lace showed a front of white 
 chiffon. A fancy silk sash in three 
 
68 The Jubilee, 
 
 shades of pink was folded softly about 
 her waist. A diamond buckle shone 
 among these rose and white chiffon 
 clouds. Her toque was a tiny thing 
 of cream-coloured chiffon and pink 
 plumes. Her sunshade, of pink mus- 
 lin over satin, matched her lovely 
 dress, and her sweet little face shone 
 out from these cloudlike folds like the 
 face of an English rose. This is all 
 the little history I can give you of 
 the gowns I saw worn by the Royal 
 Ladies — a scanty one indeed ! 
 
The Jubilee. 69 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Lights o' London 
 
 London by night is a sight for the 
 gods. Above, tlie great smoke-pall that 
 lies ever over the city, is reddened by a 
 dull red glare as though, once more, a 
 giant fire had broken loose and was 
 roaring through the streets. Not one 
 solitary vehicle was permitted through 
 the streets on Jubilee night, for eight 
 and a half millions of people were pour- 
 ing through wide and narrow thorough- 
 fares like a vast human river. London 
 was one brilliant blaze of light, from 
 " Shepherd'sbush to Shadwell, from 
 death -clad Hampstead to the Crystal 
 Palace.'' The wonder of the world is 
 this hoary old city, crowned in her 
 glorious age with such crown of light as 
 never illuminated the path of any Sov- 
 ereign of Britain from Great William 
 downwards. Awe beats down admira- 
 
70 The Jubilee. 
 
 tion at the plienomenal sight. Fire 
 seems to run with the people along the 
 ways, and all that the Science, Art and 
 inventions of the Victorian era can 
 accomplish in the w^ay of illuminations 
 is being exploited at the moment of 
 writing in the metropolis of the world. 
 The stars pale, and the sky — so clear 
 and brilliant when you move out of 
 London these exquisite June nights — 
 is, within a mile's radius of the city, 
 one vast glowing dome, draped in rosy 
 mists, bending to meet the fire-god who, 
 for the moment, owns the vast town. 
 
 Poor, puny little lire-scene in ** Die 
 Walkure ! " How small the sta^^e-trick 
 is compared w^ith this fiery display of 
 a rejoicing city. There has never yet 
 shone upon London a day so bright 
 as are these brilliant nights. All the 
 houses are bejewelled, for the lights are 
 coloured to represent emeralds, glow- 
 ing rubies, dull-blue turquoises, amber, 
 rose-coral, and steel- white diamonds. 
 Amethyst lamps give an opalesque 
 effect, fairy-like, te: der. Great shields 
 seem filled with living fire, and rivers 
 
The Jubilee. 71 
 
 of light; run round the windows, and 
 play — in fountains — on the tops of 
 gaunt, gray buildings. We set out 
 Jubilee night, on our long walk from 
 the Embankment (Charing Cross), to 
 the Monument. I will try to give you 
 a faint picture of the appearance of the 
 streets on our progress. 
 
 We walked straight along the Strand 
 and into the City of London. The 
 Strand is arched at markedly short 
 intervals by straight archings of light. 
 Rose-pink celluloid lamps hang invis- 
 ibly, as though leaning from the sky, 
 across the street, and from these de- 
 pend grape-like bunches of green lights 
 which sway softly in uie night- wind. 
 The sky reflects in tender rosy tones 
 these exquisite illuminations, while 
 from the face of the houses on either 
 side, illuminated crowns, shields, and 
 flaring gas torches flash out, until the 
 night becomes a thousand times brighter 
 than any day. 
 
 At the top of the Illustrated London 
 News office there is a glowing little 
 Windsor Castle, with real water flowing 
 
72 The Jubilee, 
 
 and a girl in a canoe paddling 
 happily. Fiery roses are banked along 
 the front. The theatres glow with 
 crowns and ropes of light. Romano's 
 Restaurant is brilliant with arches of 
 light, and Simpson's is a glory of liv- 
 ing fire. The New Law Courts stand 
 massive and sombre, looking with grave 
 and ji'dicial eye at the frivolities of the 
 Strand and old Fleet Street. What 
 would Dr. Johnson say if he saw his 
 beloved old thoroughfare arraying itself 
 in crowns and gewgaws of shivering 
 lights ? Queen Bess herself would have 
 stopped her royal progress to stand and 
 look upon this hoary old Bacchus of 
 a street disporting itself in a glory of 
 light on Jubilee night. 
 
 Ludgate-Hill, with all Benson's win- 
 dows outlined in green and ruby, and 
 on, steadily moving with the human 
 Niagara- river, caught in its eddies and 
 not daring to halt or turn aside, on to 
 old St. Paul's. As long as I live I shall 
 never forget the appearance of this mar- 
 vellous building. All its base was sunk 
 in blackness. Round about, the church- 
 
The Jubilee. 73 
 
 yard was on fire with ropes and shields 
 ot* light, but it seemed as if they could 
 not throw themselves aoainst these e^rim 
 black walls; as if they could not light 
 up this huge structure, which seemed to 
 emit darkness. Yet, far above, looking 
 in the white light like a snow-cap, the 
 great dome shone luminously. Like a 
 vision, mystic, wonderful, suggesting 
 Martin's picture of the New Jerusalem, 
 this white dome, with the golden ball 
 and cross leaning far up into the black- 
 ness, topped all the meaner lights of 
 the Great Citv. It looked weird, un- 
 canny, not of this world. The surg- 
 ing crowd halted before this mys- 
 tery of palpable blackness, crowned 
 with virgin light, and then with a 
 cheer moved on. This illumination 
 of the dome came not from within, 
 but from seventy great search -lights, 
 which were placed at a dozen different 
 points on dark roofs. You could see 
 this white mass with its glittering cross 
 and ball from the farthest points of 
 London. It looked as though a solemn 
 snow-capped mountain rose from the 
 
74 The Jubilee. 
 
 very heart of the city. Sometimes the 
 white liofht chano^ed, and soft hues of 
 rose and green and faint purple chased 
 each other like clouds over the dome 
 and cross. If I could bring before you 
 the subtle artistic effect of this silver 
 ball rising, with Christ's radiant emblem 
 upon it, up out of the black trunk of 
 the vast building, as a Phoenix might 
 1 oC, while all around in a circle went 
 the running gas lights in loops, shields 
 and ropes of what looked like living 
 fire, and withal, the endless immense 
 stream of human beings that flowed 
 about the old pile, if I could give you 
 this as 1 saw it, I would be painting for 
 you a picture yow would never forget. 
 But it is useless. Poor language and a 
 poorer pencil fail to give more than a 
 skeleton sketch of this tender and mov- 
 ing picture. 
 
 We moved onward with the surge to- 
 wards the Mansion House. The grains 
 of sand upon the road glittered like pin- 
 points under the fierce light. Men and 
 women looked pallid. The heat was in- 
 tense, and clouds of dust moved continu- 
 
The Jubilee. 75 
 
 ally, stirred by the tramping feet. Now 
 and again great cheers broke, and " God 
 Save the Queen " rose in a mighty re- 
 frain from a million throats. Women 
 forgot to be tired. Even babies woke 
 up and were silent. The narrow streets 
 of the city — the aged, black, important 
 business houses ; sucli places as Lloyd's 
 and the Exchange, and certain portentous 
 life assurance and brokers' offices, all 
 went heart and soul into the fun. To see 
 them, their affairs laid aside, and out 
 like old boys, making a night of it, with 
 their old business heads crowned with 
 lighted laurels, and their Dom bey-like 
 countenances wreathed with lighted 
 smiles, was to see a great sight. They 
 winked attain when Solemn Time call- 
 ed gravely from some steeple far up in 
 the clouds, and if the old fellows were 
 capable of a filip, they would have 
 snapped their fingers in his weather- 
 beaten old face, and told him they didn't 
 give that for him ; so they didn't, or for 
 half a score of his fellows, all calling out 
 " Time " at the same moment. As for 
 the Mansion House, it was disgracefully 
 
76 The Jubilee, 
 
 frivolous, with its 5,000 variegated 
 lamps, and its big pillars, twined with 
 lighted ivy, and its twelve immense 
 Roman flambeaux flaring up into the 
 sky, and daring the sun, moon and stars 
 to come out and beat that if they could. 
 Which, of course, they couldn't. 
 
 Nothing, however, could be more girl- 
 ishly girly than the conduct of the Old 
 Lady of Threadneedle Street. To see 
 a venerable female, whom one has al- 
 ways respected, come out in a low-cut 
 gown and diamond necklace is a shock 
 to the feelings, but when it comes to an 
 old, old lady, whose stability, financial 
 standing, and undoubted respectability 
 have been the talk of the world, when 
 it comes to her coming out with all her 
 diamonds and rubies hung about her 
 old neck, and strange and startling fiery 
 horns standing up behind her old ears, 
 one's feelings become shocked almost 
 beyond expression. Here she is, how- 
 ever, footing it with the nimblest of the 
 old business gentlemen about her. All 
 across the front of this wonderful old 
 lady's bodice — if I may so term her 
 
The Jubilee. 77 
 
 stony bosom — there hang ropes of 
 white diamond-light, festooned with 
 rubies, which in turn are fastened with 
 bows of light. She pays her homage to 
 Victoria by the line in amber lights 
 taken from Tennyson's "Ode to the 
 Queen " : — 
 
 " She wrought her people lasting good." 
 
 Far up, in a white light, sits Britan- 
 nia among her horses, flanked by fair 
 cherubs bearing lighted shields, upon 
 which the figures 1837-1897 glow. 
 Along the parapet — or to follow up one's 
 fancy — in the Old Lady's hair, are four 
 " glory " stars, with crystal and amber 
 points, and at eich corner great naked 
 lights flare up, mocking the black 
 heavens. Thus looked the Bank of 
 England. 
 
 All around the large buildinirs blazed 
 with lights. Curious devices, mould- 
 ings, shields and hatchments were illu- 
 minated witli tiny gas jets, which, as 
 the winds swept them, presented the 
 curiously effective appearance of masses 
 of twinkling stars J^being shadowed by 
 
78 The Jubilee. 
 
 racing clouds, and then twinkling out 
 again with rarer brilliancy. The Royal 
 Exchange became a fairy-like building, 
 framed with gas stars. Amber lights 
 snaked about its columns, like big ser- 
 pents, and white crowns of light glittered 
 on front and sides oF the building. 
 Near-by, in one of those quaint little 
 courts or squares, of which there are so 
 many in the very heart of London, 
 dusty, little, railed-about places, forgot- 
 ten or overlooked by builders, there sat 
 a statue in a stone chair. The lights 
 beyond it showed the stone figure c^ 3arly. 
 It was in deepest, blackest shadow. The 
 contrast between this silent, impassive, 
 grim figure, stooping forward there as 
 though to peer in wonder at the extra- 
 ordinary frivolity of the steady old city, 
 with the moving river of humanity, that 
 surged and heaved about it ; with all 
 this clamour of cheering and wild sing- 
 ing; with all this resplendent and almost 
 too magnificent illumination — was as 
 sharp and biting a contrast as ever 
 presented itself. So vivid w^as it in 
 its suggestion of Death, of the passing 
 
The Jubilee. 79 
 
 away of all these people, these lights, 
 this laughter and song, while the old 
 houses, and the grim f gure would re- 
 main, that a sudden chill seized the 
 mind, and an immense reaction, born 
 of fatigue, excitement, and emotion, too 
 large for expression, took possession of 
 one as we turned down King William 
 Street towards the Monument. 
 
 It was quieter here, though always 
 the crowds moved up and down in or- 
 derly procession. King William was 
 set about with little oil-lamps, depend- 
 ing from the memorial and draped four- 
 corner masts. Far-off we saw the Monu- 
 ment — memorial of a great fire — yet 
 crowned with fire itself. From its top 
 long ropes of light hung, and curved 
 away in the darkness, doubtless to near 
 house-tops. The ancient column was 
 crowned with coloured lights, provided 
 with special wind-tops Close under 
 it four men, seated on barrels, were 
 singing, or chanting rather, in wailing 
 tones, loyal ditties. They were taking 
 their pleasure sadly. The odours of 
 Billingsgate rose heavily. All about 
 
80 The Jubilee. 
 
 the base of the Monument was plunged 
 in profound darkness. 
 
 * * * 
 
 The West-end presented a sight the 
 like of which, they say, was never be- 
 fore seen even in London. The people 
 stood in ecstasy before the brilliant 
 spectacle of St. James' Street under fire. 
 Althouixh the wreaths that crossed and 
 re-crossed it were not lighted by the 
 lamps that intermingled with them, it 
 having been declared dangerous, still 
 the houses on either side displayed such 
 splendid illuminations, that, if possible, 
 the street looked even more fairy-like 
 than it would had it all been set alight. 
 For, the myriad-coloured lamps on the 
 houses sent soft glimmerings through 
 the green roof. And the doves fastened 
 above by invisible wires seemed to brood 
 over those lines of fire, which were re- 
 flected on their white wings. People 
 grew silent after the first cheer of ad- 
 miration, the crowd only murmuring 
 as it pressvjd on under the swaying 
 garlands. It was difficult to imagine 
 oneself in Londou. Here was the Dev- 
 
The Jubilee. 81 
 
 onshire Club, with its enormous lighted 
 medallion, above which "Revered," "Be- 
 loved," shone out in blazin^^ letters. The 
 New University Club showed an illu- 
 minated crown, surrounded by large, 
 green Scotch thistles. Outside Boodle's 
 a crystal star flashed, and the Royal 
 Society's Club showed a charming de- 
 vice of primroses and violets, which 
 spell od " Vivat Regina," in yellow and 
 purple lamps upon a mossy background. 
 The great West-end shops were splen- 
 didly illuminated. Peter Robinson was 
 gay in ruby, blue, and white, and Jay, 
 and Dickins & Jones were brave in elec- 
 trical devices. Liberty's was one blaze 
 of pictorial panorama, and crowds col- 
 lected before Swears and Wells' to watch 
 the charming kaleidoscopic effects of a 
 crystal moving gas arrangement. The 
 Pantheon was one mass of red fire. 
 Misty crimson clouds enveloped it, and 
 looking aloft one beheld the very sky 
 aflame \^ith fiery light. The big 
 hotels shimmered with fairy lamps. 
 The Grand was outlined in crimson 
 lights, which ran around each storey, 
 
82 The Jubilee. 
 
 accentuating the darkness of the build- 
 ing, while making it a most impres- 
 sive sight. The red lights looked like 
 the eyes of demons glaring out upon 
 London, while the immense Roman 
 fambeaux that flared up in couples 
 at intervals along the roof resembled 
 great horns of light bending and 
 twisting with every mood of the wind. 
 Everj^ where you turned you met blind- 
 ing flashes of light. Looking back 
 from 3^our 'bus-top, the Strand seemed a 
 street on fire with jiale rose lamps, 
 which threw up rosy clouds that rested 
 on the roof-tops. Tlie Empire was one 
 mass of green, red and mauve lamps, the 
 latter giving an exquisite, opalesque deli- 
 cacy to the iunnense wheels and crowns 
 of amber and crimson. Through the 
 hanging baskets, filled with flowers, 
 tiny lamps slione like glow-worms. 
 Down by Westminster, one splendid 
 illumination showed a Royal Crown 
 resting on a crimson cushioii of light, 
 with all about it waving festoons and 
 drapings, and illuminated flags. The 
 eye, grown weary with this excess of 
 
The Jubilee. 83 
 
 sparkling light, turned with delight to 
 gaze a moment on the great gray pile of 
 quiet Westminster, with its one huge 
 tower-light above Big Ben. That 
 watchful eye of light brooded above 
 London and seemed to look down sus- 
 piciously at this incontinent display of 
 lower and lesser lights. Indeed, in a 
 fanciful moment, we thought we saw it 
 cock a jealous eye at the Royal Crown 
 that shimmered in half a score of 
 colours far below, but even as we looked, 
 Big Ben boomed twelve solemn strokes, 
 and out went the Lights o' London as if 
 by magic, and the old Son of Time 
 watched them from his tower until they 
 were all gone. Then, great, solitary, 
 watchful, he peered down upon the vast 
 city — a lonely light. 
 
 And, rambling far in the East end of 
 London, on the third night of the illumi- 
 nations, I came across a pitiful and 
 touching little attempt at lo^^alty, that 
 again presented one of those startling 
 and terrible contrasts you can only find 
 in London. In a dingy little court, far 
 
84 The Jubilee. 
 
 indeed out of the course of any royal 
 procession, one poor window displayed 
 a ^'ommon old oil-lamp, draped about 
 with red paper. Two penny dip-candles 
 spluttered on either side of it. From a 
 broken pane above, a penny Jack huncr 
 limply, and inside, pinned on the op- 
 posite wall, one could see a brave pic- 
 ture of the Queen, set about — by what 
 poor hands, God knows ! — with a wreath 
 of tawdry paper roses. The room 
 seemed empty, but a sewing machine 
 with some white work upon it, and a 
 pair of little crutches leaning against 
 the wall, under the Queen's picture, 
 brought a passionate sense of the pain 
 and grief of the poor. In all the great 
 City of London there was no more 
 touching expression of loyalty to Her 
 Majesty than this poor little illumina- 
 tion, than this picture tricked so 
 bravely with paper roses ; than these 
 child-crutches leaning over against the 
 words with which all England was 
 ringing — " God Bless the Queen." 
 
The Jubilee.' 85 
 
 V. 
 
 The Review of the Fleet 
 
 A gray and misty day as the "special" 
 to Portsmouth sped out of London. A 
 depressing yellowish fog buried high' 
 steeples and chimney pots in a summer 
 ** pea-soup." As the train, moving at 
 express speed, beat out towards the 
 country, one felt, viewing the fields and 
 hedges through a blue mist, that the 
 Review was going to be a failure, and 
 that Queen's Weather, so glorious up till 
 now, was about to desert Old England 
 at perhaps the most critical moment. 
 The poppy-fields, all ablaze with their 
 peculiar scarlet, exquisite as they look 
 when under the brilliant sunshine, were 
 even more beautiful seen dimly through 
 the shimmering mists. What is there 
 like the poppy-fields at home here — 
 those little scarlet lialf-acres hedged 
 about by tliick hedgerows, where birds 
 lurk and sing, and brooded over by that 
 
80 The Jubilee. 
 
 bit of wood on the hill, beyond whence 
 the old ivy-embraced trees lean down to 
 look at the 8carlet fields below ? One 
 longs to run loose among all that splen- 
 dour, and gather the poppies in great 
 sheaves. Why did they give these 
 glorious blooms to Death, I wonder ? 
 Yet, why not? Death, the comforter, 
 the longed-for by so many, may well 
 kiss us to eternal sleep : — 
 
 Lay thy poppies on iry lips, poppied 
 
 Death, 
 That I may sink to dreams of splendour. 
 
 Seven women in a railway carriage, 
 and during three mortal hours no one 
 speaking to the other ! As for the one 
 unhappy man who filled this compart- 
 ment for eight, he spent an anxious 
 time of it beliind liis Times. And one 
 was dying to talk, to exchange confi- 
 dences as to the weather, the beautiful 
 country places, the review — anything ! 
 How very — shall I say American, or 
 cosmopolitan ? — one has grown wlien 
 this wild desire to break through early 
 training, and dis[)lay emotion seizes one 
 
The Jubilee. 87 
 
 in respectable Britain ? But early train- 
 ing got the best of it, and we were 
 dumb. The fat old lady in the corner 
 passed the time in alternate sips at a 
 little sherry flask and nightmares, from 
 which she started with wild snorts that 
 paralyzed the man in the corner, and 
 made the other five women sit up very 
 straight, and sent the unfortunate other 
 woman into mild gigglings (instantly 
 repressed by Early Training). A.nd all 
 the while the sun was fighting with the 
 mists outside, and having reduced these 
 vapouring battalions from a state of 
 blueness to one of silvery whiteness, he 
 at last burst through them triumphantly, 
 and flooded all the beautiful world with 
 gracious light, and the poppy-fields 
 shone v/ith scarlet splendour, and the 
 roofs of old Abbey and Castle descended 
 from the cloud, and peered through the 
 thick woods, and the birds in the 
 hedges awoke and preened themselves, 
 and gave forth great notes, and all the 
 land shone under the radiance as only 
 old Britain can shine. The train sped 
 more softly 
 
88 The Jubilee. 
 
 Portsmouth at last, gay with bunting 
 and flags, and black with people ! 
 Nancy was out in her best hat and 
 feathers to do honour to her own Jack 
 Tar. Blessed old Portsmouth, about 
 whom those roaring sea-songs have been 
 sung, and which boasts everything nau- 
 tical from Cap'n Cuttles to one-eyed 
 steaks ! It was something to view the 
 old sea-town decked out in the glory of 
 JuVjilee week. Hadn't she put up her 
 prices, too ! She beat London at it, and 
 that's saying a good deal. Not a bed 
 to be had under three oruineas a nisfht, 
 and at the end, you could not get the 
 bed, because it was not. Garrets fetch- 
 ed live guineas, and on Saturday night 
 there was no getting supper in the 
 town. She had absolutely run short of 
 provisions. We were all right, how- 
 ever, for our tickets on the Dunera 
 provided for meat and drink. The 
 special ran down to the dock and un- 
 loaded. Such a crowd ! Women in 
 gay yachting frocks, looking "awfully 
 naval," in white flannels and peaked 
 caps. Women iu race costume, all fuss 
 
The Jubilee. 89 
 
 and feathers and chiffon; women in 
 natty cambric shirts and short skirts 
 and the latest in naval ties ; women in 
 wheeling costume ; women in reception 
 dress. Men got up nautically, walking 
 with a roll in very Jack Tar trousers ; 
 men in sporting attire, with spick little 
 gaiters, and great field-glasses strapped 
 over their shoulders ; men in frock coats 
 and toppers, and —the Colonial Boys in 
 uniform, beating the other chaps all to 
 nothing, and driving the women to con- 
 tempt for those very respectable civil- 
 ians. Our aim and end was to capture 
 a military man and keep him. And the 
 Canadians — glory be to them— rallied 
 round one splendidly, and it was a 
 pretty proud woman who strutted along 
 the decks with a certain Canadian sur- 
 geon-major, brave in red and black and 
 jingling spurs; and it was a pretty 
 proud woman who sat on the deck-rail 
 and gossiped with a couple of gallant 
 Canadian captains (the best looking 
 fellows there). She was a person to be 
 envied b}'' five stolid, fresh-faced English 
 girls, who sat near in a disconsolate 
 
90 The Jubilee. 
 
 group with only one old man — and he a 
 civilian — to talk to all day long. 
 
 Not that there was so much time for 
 talking, for everyone was looking at 
 the superb lines of battleships. It is 
 not every day one gets the chance of 
 lookinf^ at nine leao^ues of solid Sea 
 Power. The Dunera, a big, white-hulled 
 trooping ship, who carried the Admi- 
 ralty Party, the Colonials, Press -men and 
 women, and others, moved out on the 
 Solent, and anchored just behind the 
 Japanese Fugi. The troopship present- 
 ed a brilliant sight. Dark, lithe Lascars 
 moved about the decks, getting chairs 
 for the ladies, and directing you to the 
 saloons, where the Board of Admiralty 
 had provided a profuse luncheon, with 
 wines, etc., for their guests. The officers 
 of the different Colonial corps, in their 
 brilliant and diverse uniforms, gave a 
 gay appearance to the whole thing. 
 You were sitting at the same table with 
 people of all nations. Plere they w^ere 
 chatting away in French, there you 
 heard Chinese, further alonix came a 
 gabble from between Malays, Indians, 
 
The Jubilee. 91 
 
 or Houssas. It was astonishing to 
 see all these vari-colourecl officers, black, 
 brown, bronze, 7/ellow, white, each wear- 
 ing her Majesty's uniform ; each serving 
 under the one woman — Victoria the 
 Great and the Good. You get an idea 
 of the immensity and solidity of the 
 British Empire which you could get no- 
 where else but at these Jubilee festivities. 
 You saw all about vou here how much the 
 Colonies meant to Britain ; what they 
 would do for her ; how they loved her. 
 You would see presently outride there 
 what Britain on the seas could and would 
 do for her Colonies did the hand of an 
 enemy ever touch Colonial shores. 
 
 " Here's health to the Queen. The 
 Queen, gentlemen ! " The Canadians 
 rose to a man, glasses brimmed — " To 
 the Empress ! " corrected the Indians, 
 bowing courteously. This is the way at 
 all the toasts among the Queen's Colon- 
 ials. 
 
 The sun shone royally through the 
 transparent vapours, gradually dissolv- 
 ing them. The wooded heights of the 
 Isle of Wight stole into view, and the 
 
92 The Jubilee. 
 
 sea-mist crept farther and farther out. 
 The waves sparkled about the black 
 muzzles of the old sea-dogs, who rode 
 the waters sullenly, and they danced 
 away from the keels of the gay little 
 craft, brave in fluttering lines of flags, 
 that sailed along the lines of splendid 
 warships. The sight of the Fleet was 
 the most impressive and moving I have 
 ever seen. Never before did one get 
 the full meaning of " Britannia Rules 
 the Waves." The spectacle was so im- 
 posing, so terrible, so imperial, that it 
 passes all attempt at description. One 
 was looking at the real strength and 
 might of this splendid Empire, which 
 owns the very sea ! Here on her own 
 " preserves," old Britain was displaying 
 her might. Twenty-seven miles of bat- 
 tle-ships, all drawn from the Home Re- 
 serve ! Only one ship taken from a 
 foreign station ; the rest merely the 
 *' little contingent " we get out to show 
 our visitors from time to time. No 
 wonder the men said '' By Jove," under 
 their breath, as they climbed up the 
 companion way from luncheon, and looked 
 
The Jubilee. 93 
 
 abroad over tlie glittering Solent. There 
 was something terrifying in the aspect 
 of Britain. Something so haughty, so 
 imperial, so significant of power — and 
 yet here to-day, so significant of peace 
 — that it touched the deeper heartstrings, 
 and stirred those human chords of pride, 
 and love-of-fight, and all that there is 
 of pluck and courage and delight in the 
 soul of man. You felt that those big 
 war-dogs were out, muzzled and in- 
 ocuous, for a holiday ; that they were 
 playing with you, letting you see their 
 " points," and going to show you how 
 they could bark playfully in a minute or 
 two. There they were, the Powerful, 
 the Terrible, the Victorious, the Jupiter^ 
 the Mars, and the countless others. 
 Power and glory rides this day upon 
 the Solent. You will back the '' Queen's 
 Navee " against the whole w^oild. Let 
 them stand aloof ! Britain can afford a 
 splendid isolation ! 
 
 Long ago, what a gloriously artistic 
 sight a review of the Fleet must have 
 been ! When the Queen wore bob-curls 
 and crinoline, the world had hardly 
 
94 The Jubilee, 
 
 seen these immense naked-looking sea- 
 machines, with their smoke-stacks, their 
 low hulks of iron, their sharp stems, 
 their squat, heavy appearance. Long 
 ago you could not see the wooded hills 
 of Wight for the tall masts of the 
 sailing ships, from which the snowy 
 canvas bellied as they rode gacefully at 
 anchor on the glittering sea. But what 
 we lost in art we have made up for — 
 terribly — in machinery. Those iron Ti- 
 tans, which bruise the blue waves of the 
 Solent; those grim, black, yellow- 
 funnelled warriors lying so quiet- 
 ly here to-day, with their fighting 
 tops full of men, tlieir quick-firing 
 three-pounders, their 67-ton 13J inch 
 guns firing a 1,250 pound shell ; then- 
 ten 6-incli quick-firers, their electric 
 search-lights, which detect the torpedo- 
 boats of the enemy, what marvels they 
 are of the science, the discoveries, the 
 mechanical ingenuity, the activity of 
 the Victorian era ! The mind almost 
 becomes paralj^zed at this outcome of 
 man's brain, at this apotheosis of the 
 age of mechanics. 
 
The Jubilee. 96 
 
 Into a minute description of each of 
 tliese big ships, I am unable to go. To 
 do that, one should remain for at least 
 a week aboard each one, and even 
 then the task could not be properly ac- 
 complished. A little sorting out, how- 
 ever, may help you to some shadowy 
 idea of the splendour of this mighty 
 Queen's Review. The six finest ships 
 of all her Majesty's navy, and the 
 strongest squadron upon the world's 
 waters, are the Victorious, the Jupiter, 
 the Mars, the Prince George, Majestic, 
 and the Magnificent. The Jupiter, Mars, 
 and Victorious had their first active 
 commission at this Review. They are 
 the very latest youngsters turned out 
 by the shipyards. Each, says one in 
 authority, carries four 4G-ton wire 12- 
 inch guns, firing an 850-lb. shot with 
 cordite ammunition, which makes no 
 smoke ; twelve 6-inch quick firers, dis- 
 charging a 100-lb. shot, and : 8 smaller 
 guns. The 46-ton guns are placed, two 
 at each end of the ship, behind thick 
 armour. On the side the plating is 
 nine inches thick, and i; of Harveyized 
 
96 The Jubilee, 
 
 steel. There is a deck two and a half 
 to four inches thick of steel. The 
 ends of the ships are unarmoured. The 
 speed is between seventeen and a half 
 to eighteen and a quarter knots. There 
 are four torpedo tubes below water, 
 which make no show, but are, as you 
 are aware, a most formidable addition 
 to the armament. There is a fifth tor- 
 pedo tube astern above water. They 
 are all constructed to keep the sea in 
 any weather, and they sit the Solent 
 here to-day with the dead weight of 
 between 15,000 and 16,000 tons. The 
 twin guns aboard these ships " throw 
 a missile which easily penetrates three 
 solid feet of iron— penetrates a whole 
 yard of armour, as a knife goes 
 through butter. The power exerted by 
 the Prince George's guns in ten min- 
 utes of rapid-firing would be enough 
 to lift 390,000 tons ten feet in the air, 
 and the weight of the metal thrown 
 would be about 56 tons." One single 
 battleship of the typo of any of these 
 six could have " destroyed, with ease, 
 and without the loss to herself of one 
 
The Jubilee. 97 
 
 single life, the British, French, and 
 Spanish fleets that fought at Trafal- 
 gar." 
 
 Oh, shade of Nelson, think of that ! 
 
 The two fighting tops on each of 
 these vessels are armed with quick- 
 firing three-pounders to smash the 
 enemy's torpedo-boats, or pelt his decks 
 to smithereens, while two higher tops 
 work the electric search-liorhts. The 
 crew of each of these stern sisters num- 
 bers 757, including marines. Three 
 more of these terrible youngsters are 
 in process of completion, and before 
 Christmas Her Majesty can boast nine 
 war-dogs that could smash the coast 
 towns of the world. 
 
 As for the scores of others, how 
 formidable they are would be best 
 known to the nations if Britain went 
 to war. There is a class of slightly 
 smaller ships, of a greater speed than 
 those big fellows, magnificently arm- 
 ed, and splendid fighting chaps. Then 
 there are four Titanesses, which must 
 have a special word. These are the 
 Resolution, Repulse, Empress of India, 
 
98 The Jitbilee. 
 
 and the Royal Sovereign. Again 
 I go to the authorities for the de- 
 scription of these great ones. Each 
 carries four 67-ton 13 J-in. guns, firing 
 a 1,250 pound shell. The 67-tonners, 
 white and formidable, are placed in 
 pairs at each end of the ship, on pear- 
 shaped towers, plated with 17-inch 
 steel. To load them the breeches are 
 depressed. The guns are turned, loaded, 
 raised or lowered by hydraulic power. 
 The 67-ton gun fires a shot every two 
 minutes, and the 46-ton every minute 
 and a half. The ships have each 148 
 water-tight doors below. Their dis- 
 placement is 14,500 tons. These mar- 
 vellous ships, of fierce and terrible 
 beauty, almost appal the mere onlooker. 
 Some of the other ships have those 
 immense guns which are no longer 
 being built by the English navy, owing 
 to the cost of discharging them, and the 
 necessity for so often repairing them, 
 but it is worthy of mention that the 
 force developed in one shot from these 
 monsters suffices to lift a warship 
 weighing 12,000 tons six feet into the air. 
 
The Jubilee, 99 
 
 Suddenly — as we stood looking at 
 these terrible lines of battleships — 
 they gave tongue. Sixty guns roared 
 forth a cheer for the sixty years of 
 reign. The Dunera, on which we stood, 
 trembled from stem to stern. The 
 women, many of them, grew frightened. 
 A fierce joy broke in the hearts of 
 others. This was feeling life. This 
 flashing of great lights over the sea- 
 lanes between the lines, followed by the 
 dull and awful roar of the guns, let 
 loose one's wildest feeling of reckless- 
 ness and mad delight. The lonely 
 avenues of water resounded with dull 
 mutterings. The sea-dogs were barking. 
 It was like thunder among the Rockies. 
 Short, snappy, sharp explosions thun- 
 dered from the nearer ships, but afar, 
 the great Titans grumbled and muttered 
 and lifted their mighty voices until one 
 thought of the roaring of angry lions. 
 The hills were hidden. The sunlight 
 was obscured by vast clouds of smoke. 
 The warships sank behind the heavy, 
 white drifts. But from out the 
 clouds rolled their terrible voices, and 
 
100 The Jubilee. 
 
 througfh the mists we could faintly dis- 
 cern the Royal yacht ilying the Admi- 
 ralty Hag at her foremast head, the 
 Standard at the main, and the Union 
 Jack at the mizzen. Then came a si- 
 lence. The great sea-dogs stopped 
 growling. The tops were full of men, 
 and the decks were manned by honest 
 Jack tars, hand-in-hand. As the Prince 
 steamed by, each vessel's crew rang out 
 such a cheer as you only hear from 
 British sailors, the Marines presented 
 arms, and the ship's band beat out the 
 old anthem. The Prince, in admiral's 
 uniform, stood on the paddle-box of the 
 Royal yacht, with the Dukes of York 
 and Cambridge at his side, and near 
 him the Princess of Wales and Prin- 
 cess Victoria, his daughter, dressed in 
 white flannels and sailor hats. It was 
 all a splendid sight, one that brought a 
 lump to the throat of many a man, aye, 
 and a tear to his eye, too. 
 
 Again the fleet thundered. The 
 little Jap near us (by the way, the other 
 Japs and their Yalu battle taught us to 
 keep our torpedo-tubes under water). 
 
The Jubilee. 301 
 
 gave ton<]jue in snapping volleys, and 
 nearly cracked halt' the skulls on the 
 Dunera with his vehemence. Again 
 nature was vanquished, and the hills 
 were hidden, and Britain roared her 
 dominance over the seas, and the little 
 waves curled about her iron feet own- 
 ing her sovereignty. But already Nature 
 was preparing for vengeance. The sun 
 slipped from the heavens, and was not 
 missed, because of the flashing of gun- 
 lights that flamed above the edges of the 
 waters. The white smoke-cloud grew 
 gray, then purple, then black. ** Down ! " 
 cried great Nature to the snarling sea- 
 dogs. And they crouched. Then, in the 
 silence — the voice of Heaven spoke. 
 The gods gathered together their can- 
 nons, and the thunder of their artillery 
 crashed out from the clouds, and the 
 world was pierced w^ith flying lances of 
 light. As the crack of the boy's toy 
 gun w^ere the voices of the battleships 
 unto the voices of the gods. The sea 
 seemed to shrink and shiver, and the 
 sea-birds keened weirdly as they dipped 
 and fled over the face of the waters. 
 
102 The Jubilee. 
 
 Nature, ottended at the exploitation of 
 man's little power, palpitated with fury. 
 She sounded her heart-beats, and flung 
 fiery glances down at the great Titans, 
 who sat silent, with drooping flags and 
 lowered crests. It was a sublime moment. 
 The thunder bellowed from island to 
 island, and the hills afar caught up the 
 echoes, and muttered in whispers of 
 heaven's wrath. Then fell the blinding 
 tears of Mother Nature. They whipped 
 the sea, and battered our proud flag, and 
 left the decks of the great men-o'-war 
 naked of men. A glint of sunshine 
 flashed out like a small smile, then 
 another, and then the Woman Nature 
 swept the tear-mist from her face and 
 looked out bright and sunny over the 
 drenched earth. 
 
 " I've taught those gruff fellows down 
 there their places," quoth she. " I 
 have stopped their barkings." 
 
 But the sea-dogs smiled grimly as they 
 shook the wet from their manes of flags. 
 
 " Wait till to-night," said they. 
 
 From amid the darkness, clear, pro- 
 
The Jubilee. 103 
 
 found, tlie men-o'-war, o'ltliiicJ in lif^hfc, 
 spranp; like enchanted ships hung in 
 mid-air. Fancy thirty miles of Crystal 
 Palace set-pieces in fire- works, and you 
 will have it. What one saw was merely 
 a delicate-lighted tracery of ships, the 
 water-line, bulwarks, bridges, fore and 
 aft masts, fighting tops and funnels all 
 wreathed in light, while the belly of the 
 ships was not perceivable. The Royal 
 yacht, undaunted by the storm of the 
 late afternoon, crept out into the night, 
 and between the lines ajjain. The 
 search-lights swept the waters, and 
 sometimes the body of some dark ship 
 afar leaped into light, a thing of silver 
 for the moment, then sank again into 
 the blackness. Again the guns thun- 
 dered, flinging their echoes to the hills, 
 and defying Nature. Through the 
 smoke the lights turned to a dull crim- 
 son. The effect was entrancing. One 
 thought of Turner, of the Toronto In- 
 dustrial — of Hades. Mephisto seemed 
 skipping among the tops. Illuminated 
 demons clung goblin like to the hulls, 
 masts, turrets. A golden fleet sate upon 
 
104 The Jubilee. 
 
 the waters as if Heaven had fallen. 
 Midnight and sudden darkness. Me- 
 phistoand the demons winked once, then 
 fell into Amenti. But, solitary, mighty, 
 in splendid isolation, one device hung 
 between heaven and earth for a while. 
 
 It was the sign of the Cross. 
 
The Jubilee. 105 
 
 VI. 
 
 The Royal Military Review 
 
 Waterloo station was a brilliant place 
 on the day of the Queen's Review. 
 Wonderfully gowned women in silk 
 dust cloaks, accompanied by " swells " 
 in frocks and toppers, literally rushed 
 about, looking for seats in the over- 
 crowded specials. As one old railway 
 porter said, *' I never see sich a sight o' 
 swells ! Markisses, hearls, princes, with 
 their peeresses, was a-mingiin' hup with 
 the lower classes, an' — you could 'ardly 
 tell one from t'other. Gawd bless me ! 
 but it seems as if we was all much alike 
 arter all." 
 
 Off at last for Farnboro', the nearest 
 station to LafFan's Plain, where the re- 
 view was to come off. A splendid, quick 
 run of an hour through one of the love- 
 liest parts of England, then we pulled 
 
106 The Jubilee. 
 
 into the station, which was smartly de- 
 corated with flags, triumphal arches, and 
 gay lines of bunting. 
 
 As guests of the War Office we were 
 splendidly received. 'Buses had been 
 sent down from London for the accom- 
 modation of visitors, and a long string of 
 ambulance waggons was in waiting to 
 convey us to the Plain, which is quite a 
 distance away. The day was glorious, a 
 clear blue sky, with a brilliant sun, whose 
 rays were tempered by that cooling 
 breeze which is rarelv absent from our 
 little sea-girt isles. Queen's weather 
 clear through all the Jubilee doings ! 
 Everyone was in good humour, and even 
 stolid Britons were moved to some show- 
 ing of mild excitement at the military 
 appearance of the place. Various " By 
 Joves ! " were whispered by extremely 
 overbred gentlemen, wdio permitted 
 themselves no showing of anything so 
 vulgar as emotion. Calm English girls 
 tilted their sailors to the proper angle, 
 and gave vent to their feelings so far as 
 to exclaim, " How interesting ! " when a 
 convoy of gloriously-jewelled Indian 
 
The Jubilee, 107 
 
 princes passed us on the road s^> a gal- 
 lop. People even said, " Dear, dear ! " 
 and " Quite charming ! " and " How cu- 
 rious ! " when something unusually 
 splendid appeared. You may imagine, 
 therefore, the brilliancy of the scene 
 when the Saxon was thus forced to ex- 
 pression ver it. As for me —being 
 merely a wild and untutored Celt — I 
 felt it all go to my head, and I fell ir^to 
 deep disgrace with a fascinating fellow 
 opposite because I cheered a glorious 
 little squad of Lancers, who went gaily 
 by, their pennons fairly dancing in 
 the breeze. He looked unutterable 
 things, absolutely turning in his high 
 collar (without moving his whole body) 
 to look at me. I was sincerely glad 
 when his monocle dropped out of his 
 eye and hurt the edge of his lordly nose. 
 Perhaps it was my gentle smile at this 
 occurrence that made him turn his back 
 upon me for the rest of the journey. 
 
 We were not going to climb to a 'bus- 
 top. We could do that in London any 
 day. But when, I ask you, would one 
 get another chance of climbing into an 
 
108 The Jubilee. 
 
 ambulance waggon, and being driven 
 along a royal route by a postilion in 
 top boots, and with an Army Service 
 Corps fellow hanging on behind ? The 
 red Geneva Cross for us every time, 
 so in with us and away at a trot down 
 the pleasant hedge-lined Farnboro' road, 
 where the children cheered us bravely, 
 and we felt for the moment Court I '^^r- 
 sonages, who ought to bow our ackno\ '- 
 ledgments in the best Jubilee style. We 
 had in our waggon, besides the man with 
 the monocle, and two very stiff and an- 
 gular ladies, a jolly, fat adjutant's wife, 
 with a tongue like Tennyson's Brook, 
 which, in spite of coming and going 
 men, was resolved to go on forever. 
 What a fuss she was in whenever the 
 road became blocked, and we waited a 
 moment ! She turned the addressed 
 side of her large envelope up. so that 
 we could see she was a service woman, 
 and then she pelted us with the Adju- 
 tant. She threw that distinguished 
 Personage at our heads, and he rolled 
 with all his little alphabet through that 
 ambulance waggon. He raked it with 
 
The Jubilee. 109 
 
 shell and shrapnel, and finally he burst 
 with an explosion, deep and terrific, 
 when one of tliose " horrid London 
 'buses" drov^e past us at a smart gallop. 
 " I'll write to the Adjutant ! Tnis is 
 disgraceful ! Ride on, postilion ! Take 
 a short cut across the Plain ! I'll have 
 all this looked after! I'll make the 
 Adjutant stir up this disgraceful War 
 Office ! I'll " — A glorious plunge of 
 the old waggon into a deep rut sent her 
 into the lap of the monocled young man, 
 utterly disarranging that estimable per- 
 son's high opinion of himself. Amid it 
 all, however, we reached the edges of 
 the Plain, and set off on another royal 
 progress down the cleared way kept 
 open for the guests of the War Office. 
 
 Like the Admiralty at the Naval Re- 
 view, the War Department did things 
 splendidly. There was a huge tea- 
 tent provided, where refreshments in 
 the shape of sandwiches, strawberries 
 and cream, tea, and other beverages 
 were to be had for the asking. Tents 
 provided as cloak-rooms for the ladies 
 were even there; in fact every con- 
 
110 The Jubilee. 
 
 venience, not to say luxury, imaginable. 
 Into the vast recesses of these tents 
 went the Adjutant's wife, and, afar- 
 off, we heard her calling for ice, and 
 telling a tableful that she would write 
 to "the Adjutant about this disgraceful 
 state of affairs." What a life of it that 
 poor man must have, and what a glori- 
 ous thing Thackeray would have made 
 out of the material provided by his good 
 lady! 
 
 The scent of pines is strong on the 
 air, as presently, after a delicious cup 
 of iced tea, you make your way to the 
 front of the immense stand that looks 
 like a mosaic of tender and vivid tones, 
 glorious as it is with gaily-dressed 
 women. Before you on that immense 
 Laifan's Plain are ranged eight brigades 
 of infantry, with behind them the cav- 
 alry drawn up, their helmets and lances 
 glittering in the sun — a brave array. A 
 background of wood, of a deep and ten- 
 der green, throws the brilliant red lines 
 into strong relief, framing this splendid 
 picture. To the north acres of white 
 tents stand out against the lavender- 
 
The Jubilee. Ill 
 
 hued mists that trail along the hori- 
 zon, and an immense war-balloon pois- 
 ed above the Held sways softly in the 
 wind. LafFan s Plain, large as it is — 
 a stretch of one mile in length — is too 
 small a place in which to hold a v^ery 
 large review. The Long Valley, where 
 the review was held in 1887, is much 
 larger and wider ; but it is an arid 
 place, where one cannot see the troops 
 when in movement, owing to the vast 
 clouds of dust. This lovely green plain, 
 dipping into a little valley between 
 Hants and the Surrey uplands, presents 
 one of the most beautiful landscapes in 
 the world. How this was enhanced hy 
 the brilliant variety of colours of the 
 different uniforms can be fairly 
 imagined. Here were the scarlet tunics 
 and white helmets of the linesmen ; the 
 dark blue of the rifle and artillerymen ; 
 the red tunics and bearskins of Guards- 
 man and Fusilier ; the bonnie High- 
 landers, gay and gallant ; the Cavalry, 
 in flashing cuirasses and gleaming hel- 
 mets, the Royal Horse, brave in yellow 
 braid, and among them all the dashing 
 
112 The Jubilee. 
 
 Colonials, in their many-hued uniforms ; 
 the sumptuously bejewelledlndians, and 
 the magnificent Household Guard and 
 staff officers. What a splendid picture ! 
 " General Bobs " on his swift white 
 Arab, Lord Wolseley, Sir Evelyn Wood, 
 Lord Methuen, and dozens of other 
 well-known men were riding about, 
 getting everything in order before the 
 coming of Her Majesty. The grand 
 stand was divided in two, and here the 
 flagstaff rose, showing the position the 
 Royal carriages would occupy. At the 
 first boom of the cannon, announcing 
 that Her Majesty had arrived at Farn- 
 borough station, every soldier — stand- 
 ing at ease, hitherto — instantly stood 
 to attention, and a fresh buzz arose 
 from the brilliant bees upon the long 
 stretch of stand. Officers rode up and 
 down the lines shouting orders. Row 
 upon rov/ of firearms shot up into the 
 air at word of command. The ring of 
 steel clattered along the lines. People 
 got into their places and adjusted their 
 glasses, and then " God Save the Queen " 
 clashed from the massed cavalry and 
 
The Jxihilee. 113 
 
 artillery bands, and the Queen's car- 
 riage, drawn by four grays, with pos- 
 tilions, and the two stalwart Highland 
 servants hanging on behind, and pre- 
 ceded and followed by the brilliant In- 
 dian escort, drove into the enclosure. 
 The Review began immediately ; the 
 Colonial forces, under the command of 
 Lord Roberts, assisted by Colonel Her- 
 bert, being assigned the post of honour 
 in the march past the Queen. The Cav- 
 alry came first, headed by that splendid 
 and compact body, the North-West 
 Mounted Police, who received a splendid 
 ovation. The Cape Mounted Riflemen, 
 another fine troop, followed, then came 
 the Cyprus Military Police, and after 
 them the Canadian Cavalry. The men 
 made a splendid showing, keeping their 
 horses well in line — a fine, stalwart con- 
 tingent. To fill in the details of the 
 brilliant display made by the Colonials 
 would take too long, and perhaps weary 
 you. They behaved well, and were a 
 credit to their several countries. It was 
 a pity that our Infantry had to march 
 
 past to a Cavalry tune, as it sent the fel- 
 8* 
 
114 ' The Jubilee. 
 
 lows Hshin^ for stoj) a trifle, bub I think 
 no one noticed this in the excitement and 
 bursts of cheerinef which attended the 
 marching of the boys. After they had 
 paraded, the Colonijil Cavahy took up a 
 position close behind Her Majesty, 
 whilst the Infantry occupied a line at 
 the foot of the grand stand, close to the 
 ropes, whence they could connnand a 
 view of the proceedings. Perhaps, of 
 all the Colonials, the smart little body 
 of Rhodesian Horse, headed by Colonel 
 Gifford, whose armless right sleeve was 
 pinned against his breast, received the 
 heartiest welcome. V'oUeys of cheering 
 greeted the little troop, and three sub- 
 cheers were given for •' Dr. Jim." In 
 spite of trials and sentences, and other 
 portentous proceedings, " Dr. Jim " 
 occupies a very warm corner in the 
 hearts of the English people, who right- 
 ly forgive everything to the man w^hose 
 motto is the sacred monosyllable 
 " PLUCK." 
 
 And now on come the home regulars, 
 led by three batteries of Roj^al Horse 
 Artillery. A great and stirring sight 
 
I'he Jubilee. 115 
 
 as they go by in coluiim of battel ies, 
 the six guns of each, muzzle to muz- 
 zle, and breech to breech. The rattle 
 of the gun-carriages over the sward, 
 followed by the subdued thunder of the 
 squadron of cavalry, with the troop- 
 ers riding knee to knee, was exhilarat- 
 ing in a high degree. On with them, 
 endless lines of men and horses. 
 Blues, 6th Dragoon Guards, 1st Dra- 
 goons, 12th Lancers, 3rd, 10th and 15th 
 Hussars, behind them, six batteries of 
 Field Artillery, guns well aligned, and 
 horses full of fun and business — an in- 
 spiring sight. The Royal Engineers 
 followed, with their pontoons and tele- 
 graph sections, and strong field corps. 
 Great was the cheering when the Maxim 
 guns, in light carriage, galloped behind 
 regiments of troopers. Like a great 
 cloud the masses of men and horse 
 drifted by, and now Tommy Atkins — 
 the veritable Tommy himself — swept on- 
 ward. Footguards, Guardsmen, heads 
 well up, and rifles at shoulder with free 
 swinging arms, moved by in perfect 
 rhythmical lines, while a roar of applause 
 
no The Jubilee. 
 
 shook the stand. The Grenadiers were 
 played past to their own air, " The 
 British Orenr.diers," and the splendid 
 fellows got a great reception. The whole 
 plain was alive with moving men, 
 marching to the sound of martial music. 
 The drummers whirled their sticks, and 
 rapped out the time in glorious form. 
 The drum-majors outdid one another in 
 splendid whirligigs, every man knew 
 himself on parade before the Queen, and 
 did his duty in Britain's honour. The 
 Borderers played to the tune of " John 
 Peel," and the gallant Gordons kept time 
 to " Hielan' Laddie," the people cheering 
 vociferously as they went by, marching 
 to the wild skirl of the pipes. Next 
 came the Fusileers, stout and excellent 
 troops, and last the Army Service and 
 Medical Staff Corps took the field, each 
 body driving lines of eight waggons 
 abreast, wheel to wheel, as it were one 
 waggon. Pack mules, laden with brooms 
 and shovels, and pioneer corps, their 
 axes on their shoulders, passed onward. 
 The Commissariat waggons lumbered by 
 presently, and one felt that the whole 
 
The Jubilee. 117 
 
 army was represented. The baggage 
 waggons, and all the necessary depart- 
 ments of Hritish fighting forces — here 
 they all were. Presently we saw the 
 troops at the double form up in lines of 
 quarter column by brigade, and these 
 brigade fronts marclied back again past 
 the Queen. These ponderous columns, 
 these enormous masses of moving men 
 thundered by. The field shimmered 
 with a silvery cloud of steel, beneath 
 which the scarlet bank of men looked 
 almost terrible. The several bands 
 marched before the men, playing su- 
 perbly. Then, the infantry having 
 passed, came the most exciting event of 
 the Review. 
 
 The Cavalry and Artillery urned 
 with a roar as if some storm were 
 about to break over the plain, and 
 thundered past at a wild gallop, the 
 lances flashing, the pennons flying, the 
 horses' manes and tails spread in the 
 wind, racing madly forward in a splen- 
 did charge. The gun-carriages leaped 
 over the grass. The Kipling-jingle rang 
 out sharply as the splendid squadrons 
 sped by, shaking the very ground. 
 
118 The Jubilee. 
 
 Every heart beat its fullest, and many 
 a tear fell unheeded over the faces of 
 man and woman. At last emotion was 
 let loose ; at last the bridging of early 
 training, of repression, of stolidity, was 
 swept away, and the great tide of sen- 
 timent which rolls deep through every 
 human heart leaped above the barriers, 
 and a volley of cheering broke from the 
 people. It was splendid ; it was mag- 
 nificent. It touched the edges of the 
 sublime. 
 
 And now the infantry, having been 
 reinforced in quarter column, faced the 
 Queen. The massed bands played the 
 national song. The Duke of Connaught 
 called for three cheers. Thirty thousand 
 men answered with a roar. Helmets and 
 busbies \vent up on musket and bay- 
 onet, and the Plain rang again and again 
 with joyous clamour. The Queen drove 
 slowly along the lines close by the stand. 
 Never had she — this little old Royal 
 Woman — seemed so great. Before her 
 rode the princely Indian Cavalry. Be- 
 side her were her sons and kinsmen. 
 And all round her stood her loyal sol- 
 diers and subjects. Opposite to her sat 
 
The Jubilee, 119 
 
 Beatrice of Battenberoj and Princess 
 Christian. Her Majesty wore black and 
 wliite, and the tiniest of white sunshades. 
 Her face was full of happiness and pride. 
 She bowed again and again, smiling at 
 her people. There was none of the sad- 
 ness I noticed -at the Jubilee procession 
 visible in her face to-day. As her car- 
 riage moved slowly onwards the horse 
 of one of the Indian Princes, frightened 
 at the bands, the cheering, the clamour, 
 reared, broke away from the ranks, 
 pranced wildly up in the air, and flung 
 his splendidly accoutred rider flat on 
 his face before his Sovereign. For a sec- 
 ond the man did not move. Then peo- 
 ple gathered him up, scattered turban, 
 gold lace, and all, and escorted him ofl' 
 somewhere, while his horse careered 
 over the field in high glee at his ex- 
 ploit. Whether the fallen man was 
 Maharaj, Eajput or Punjabis, no one 
 seemed to be able to tell, neither did 
 the papers say what became of him. 
 The sight of all that splendour — down 
 on the grass — brought sharply to mind 
 at this brilliant moment the weakness 
 and pettiness of poor humanity, no 
 
120 The Jubilee. 
 
 matter how splendidly .it is garbed, or 
 what high station it adorns. Every- 
 where and always, when one is viewing 
 the great people of the world and feel- 
 ing the bigness of things, some little 
 occurrence takes place to show us our 
 weakness, our e^hemeralness, our mere 
 tawdriness. A bucking broncho can 
 send the most magnificent among men 
 to bite the dust. A thunderstorm rattl- 
 ing from the heavens can knock out the 
 guns of the finest navy in the world in 
 three cracks. We are but flies buzzing 
 in the hollow drum of the world. 
 
 The Review was over. The crowds 
 poured out again, and fought for seats 
 in the ambulance waggons. Boom went 
 the sullen guns, proclaiming the Queen's 
 departure for Windsor. The throng 
 streamed back from the Plain, afoot, on 
 horseback, on wheels, 'bus-tops, drag, 
 landau, and coster's cart. We reached 
 the station some time after nine o'clock 
 and got to town about ten. Then came 
 a wild rush for dinner ; a wilder scram- 
 bling into one's gown and things, and a 
 dash across tow^n to a London crush. 
 Heavens ! what a whirl it is ! 
 
The Jubilee. 121 
 
 VII. 
 
 State Night at Covent 
 Garden. 
 
 On the night following Jubilee Day, 
 the Court visited Covent Garden The- 
 atre. The sight was one to be remem- 
 bered for a lifetime, because it was not 
 alone a great and beautiful sight, but it 
 was assuredly an event of history. Full 
 Court nights at the opera are not of com- 
 mon occurrence ; and a Court night when 
 not alone the Royalty of England, but 
 the Princes.. Highnesses, and Diplomats 
 of Foreign Courts are present, and that 
 on the occasion of the Queen's Jubilee, 
 is an event of the most brilliant kind — 
 one not to be forgotten while memory 
 lasts. 
 
 Roses, roses. Everywhere England's 
 flower. Literally, from floor to box-top, 
 nothing but wreaths and bowsers of 
 
122 The Jubilee. 
 
 roses, whence shone out the fairest faces 
 in the world, whence glimmered all that 
 there is of costly gems, diadems, gorge- 
 ous uniforms. The wealth of all the 
 world seemed gathered here. Here were 
 pomp, power, glory. The perfume of this 
 rose-embowered theatre amid which the 
 veiy heart of this great Empire seemed 
 to beat, the assemblage of Colonial Pre- 
 miers, sailors, soldiers, statesmen, all who 
 are distinguished in the arts or sciences ; 
 this wonderful gathering together of 
 beauty, wealth, power, literature, and 
 art, impressed one again and again with 
 the greatness of Britain. Here the com- 
 ponent parts of the most illustrious 
 State in all the world met, as it were, 
 to gaze on each other under fitting cir- 
 cumstances, and to give to spectators 
 some idea of the splendour and weight 
 of the British Empire. 
 
 The Royal box was distinguished 
 from the others on the grand tier by 
 its decoration of splendid orchids. You 
 saw a Royal salon of amber and white, 
 whose pillars were wreathed with fern 
 fronds that trembled as if frightened 
 
The Jubilee. 123 
 
 at all this radiance. The walls of this 
 salon were of j^ellovv satin, vefled in 
 fine lace, and relieved by tall mirrors 
 and great palms banked with gorgeous 
 blooms. Draperies of yellow drooped 
 from the great crown built above the 
 box. This crown was of yellow orchids, 
 with a centre of deep blood-red roses. 
 An openwork curtain of roses woven 
 with delicate greenery hid the front of 
 all the circles, and drooped above the 
 boxes, making a fairy- like frame for 
 the Royal women, peeresses, and ladies, 
 who presented a splendid picture. The 
 house was full long before the Ro^^al 
 party appeared, and when the orchestra 
 broke into " God Save the Queen," and 
 that mao'iiificent assemblag^e rose to do 
 honour to her Majestj^ , the appearance 
 of the theatre was something superb. In 
 the hair of the w^omen the diamonds 
 trembled and glittered, and vague and 
 delicious perfumes arose and mingled 
 with the scent of the roses. A lustrous 
 sheen glimmered over box and stall, and 
 one might easily imagine oneself in some 
 enchanting fairyland, where all was 
 
124 The Jubilee. 
 
 laughter and happiness, and gleam of 
 jewels and blaze of beauty. It was 
 difficult to imagine that outside there in 
 the night — and very close to all this — 
 there was misery and pain and squalor, 
 and all the sorrows ot* the very poor and 
 forlorn. The inequality of things forced 
 itself heavily upon one. 
 • At a little before nine o'clock the 
 Royal party entered their golden box, 
 now one flood of sparkling electric light. 
 The Prince, in his Field Marshal's uni- 
 form, with the broad, blue Garter across 
 his ample breast, led the way with the 
 Grand Duchess of Hesse on his arm. 
 Amid her beautiful hair a great cluster 
 of diamonds wavered and glittered. The 
 Princess, looking like a slender young 
 girl, was ir white, a shimmery white 
 gown, embroidered all over with silver 
 points, brilliants and pearls. Her high 
 crown of diamonds sparkled and shone 
 again as the electric lights caught it, 
 and under it her calm face, with those 
 sad deep eyes, looked very fair and 
 fragile. The Archduke Francis Ferdi- 
 nand of Austria escorted the Princess. 
 
The Jubilee. 125 
 
 Princess Christian was also in white, 
 her bodice crossed by the red ribbon of 
 some order, and a very high diamond 
 coronet on her head. Princess May 
 wore pink, with a superb showing of 
 jewels. Her tiara was set far back on 
 her head in the latest fashion. The 
 Duchess of Fife's crown was high and 
 pointed. Princess Charles of Denmark 
 wore a satin gown of some pale tint, 
 with a pretty little tiara of diamonds, 
 while Princess Victoria, sitting very far 
 back, was in pale green, with a great 
 star of jewels in her hair. The diadem 
 worn by the Crown Princess of Naples 
 differed from all the others. It was a 
 YQry high, broad band, with tiny points 
 at the top, one solid mass of blazing 
 diamonds. Her dress of rose petal satin 
 glimmered and shone with jewels. The 
 Grand Duchess Serge of Russia wore the 
 largest emerald in the world. As for 
 the appearance of the grand tier and 
 other circles, it was as if a river of 
 jewels encompassed the house. 
 
 Suddenly, while all this splendid 
 house was glittering with gems, with 
 
126 The Jubilee. 
 
 the l)laz(3 of .sc?irlofc and gold lace, 
 darkness fell over the place, and through 
 the dusk the diamonds took a more 
 delicate tone, and shimmered softly. 
 The Royal box alone remained in a 
 glory of liglit. Imagine, then, the effect 
 of that gold-lined loge, where these 
 Royal women, ablaze with jewels and 
 orders, and accompanied by Princes in 
 gorgeous uniforms, sat. It was like a 
 great jewel star, set in the midst of a 
 dusky cloud, through which lesser stars 
 glimmered. In the silence, one could 
 almost feel the place throbbing sensu- 
 ously. Life was at its fullest heart- 
 beats. All that was wanting was the 
 music, and when Seidl took his place, 
 and the second act of Tannhauser, with 
 Eames, Van Dyck, Plancon, Bonnard, 
 and Gillibert began, every artistic appe- 
 tite was gratified. All that there was 
 to do then was to close the eyes on all 
 this brilliancy for a moment, and 
 ascend to V/agnerian heavens. 
 
 After Waofner came Gounod. The 
 third act of Romeo and Juliet, with 
 Melba, Bauermeister, the Brothers de 
 
The Jubilee. 127 
 
 lleszko and IMancoii, and then the 
 fourth act of the old " Huguenots " was 
 interpreted by Miss Macintyre, Messrs. 
 Plancon, Renaud and Alverez. M. Re" 
 naud made his first appearance in Eno-- 
 land on this eventful ni^jht, and san^; 
 superbly. The Australian prima-donna 
 was als) in excellent voice, and we all 
 know what that means in Madame Melba. 
 No murmur of applause, however, beyond 
 a mere hum, greeted any of these great 
 singers. Court etiquette forbids any 
 such demonstration. Evervthins^ was 
 received in stately silence. That such 
 a brilliant spectacle should fade and 
 melt away was the one note of 
 reofret and dissatisfaction. One 
 could wish it to last forever. This 
 vision of roses ; this dream of regal 
 splendour ; these beautiful faces, under 
 the flashing diadems ; these stalwart 
 men in uniform; these magnificent In- 
 dian potentates with rare jewels gleam- 
 ing in their turbans, an* , above all, this 
 divine music filtering down to earth, as 
 it were, from the very heart of Heaven 
 — that all this must melt away and 
 
128 The Jubilee. 
 
 break up, was a matter of almost poig- 
 nant regret for the moment. As rapid- 
 ly as the shadows pass in a dream, the 
 hous3 emptied. We lingered a moment 
 to look round after all this brilliancy 
 had vanished. The garlanded circles 
 still sent forth ex(|uisite odours ; the 
 music still seemed to throb through the 
 place, but the soul of it all had gone ! 
 The roses dropped their petals softly, 
 and the orchids, withering under that 
 glare of light, fell, parched and dying. 
 Then the lights went out, and darkness 
 fell upon this house, that but a few 
 seconds ago w^as alight with England's 
 pride and beauty, and w^ealth. 
 
 « « «- 
 
 Outside, the people lined the ways to 
 see Royalty pass. Policemen cleared 
 the road, sometimes pressing the crowds 
 back with some roughness. Here was 
 poor gin-soddened Jenny, with her hat 
 knocked one side over her frowsy head. 
 Here was the city clerk in his shabby 
 coat, the buttonhole of which a penny 
 rose brightened. Here was the flotsam 
 and jetsam of a great city ; the chamber- 
 
The Jubilee. 129 
 
 maid and her " young gentleman," the 
 Covent Garden carrier, looking jaded 
 after the day's work, the big " coalie " 
 from round the corner, the little semp- 
 stress with her bundle of sewing under 
 her arm, the ubiquitous Cockney, the 
 would-be masher, the Devon farmer up 
 to London to see the show. Poor 
 Humanity ! Poor working people ! Poor 
 submerged ! Down the cleared ways 
 rattled the Life Guards, their cuirasses 
 shining in the lamp-li;^ht, their white 
 plumes tossing like foam about the 
 glistening helmets. Then the Royal 
 carriages, the hammercloths of scarlet 
 and gold, and bewigged coachmen and 
 footmen. And then — the cheers of the 
 people 1 Jenny, with iier cracked 
 " Hurrah ! " tumbling about the pave- 
 ment, and being butted into by police- 
 men. The city clerk, with his hoarse 
 shout of greeting; the chambermaid, 
 shrilling in high treble. The coal- 
 heaver, bawling from those big lungs of 
 his vigorous yells of loyalty, and out- 
 cheered by the farmer, who waves his 
 
 hat wildly, and thumps the big bobby's 
 9* 
 
180 The Jubilee. 
 
 back in his exuberance — eacli and all 
 declaring, in his own way, his love and 
 allegiance to the great ones of the world. 
 Ah ! vox populi ! of what are you not 
 made u]) ? I wonder if you are indeed 
 as they tell us — the voice of the gods I 
 Then must the gods be devoid of any 
 sense of humour. 
 
The Jubilee. 181 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Colonials Decorated by 
 the Prince of Wales 
 
 Upon t]ie invitation, most kindly and 
 cordially tendered to me by Sir Wilfrid 
 and Lady Laurier, I accompanied the 
 Canadian Premier and his wife to Buck- 
 ingliam Palace on the morning of July 
 3, to see the commemoration medals 
 presented to the Colonial troops by his 
 Roj^al Highness the Prince of Wales. 
 We drove down early in one of the 
 Royal carriages (vehicles which have 
 been at the command of the Colonial 
 Premiers since their arrival) on a 
 pleasant, warm morning, and alight- 
 ing at the Palace walked through 
 lot . rooms and long corridors — lonely 
 and .nagnificent places — till we reach- 
 ed the great lawn beyond, with its 
 rich background of old trees, half- 
 veiled in a tender bluish mist. Out on 
 
132 The Jubilee. 
 
 this expanse of soft green sward stood 
 a splendid soldier-like phalanx of 
 Colonials, waiting to receive the last 
 of the many great favours lavished 
 on them by Royalty and by Britons- 
 The day before they had been warmly 
 received by the Queen in her beautiful 
 Berkshire home, and to-day they were 
 — every man of them — to receive a 
 medal from the hands of the Queen's 
 eldest son, and to pass in review be- 
 fore the beautiful and beloved Princess 
 of Wales. 
 
 The scene was heart-stirring. One 
 lost sight of the grandeur of it in the 
 more subtle emotions that were moving 
 through all one's being. These various- 
 ly-attired and curious-looking forces 
 represented so much. A striking sig- 
 nificance was attached to these men, who 
 formed three sides of a hollow square on 
 the great lawn, men of all colours — 
 black, brown, white — men from all the 
 edges of the world, standing here to- 
 gether — brothers in this pregnant mo- 
 ment, serving under the one flag and the 
 one Queen. The might and greatness 
 
The Jubilee. ]83 
 
 of the Britisli Empire was demonstrated 
 in a singularly touching and impressive 
 manner by this handful of men — if I 
 may call them so — who stood about in 
 strange uniforms, distinguished — every 
 man of them — by that martial bearing 
 and military precision which distin- 
 guishes the Queen's soldiers wherever 
 they are found. Splendidly have the 
 Colonials borne themselves throughout 
 the trying and fatiguing duties connect- 
 ed with all these festivities. They were 
 here to-day to receive a special reward 
 from Royal hands, and there was some 
 sadness in the thought that for the last 
 time the men from Canada, Borneo, Ja- 
 maica, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Cyprus, 
 New Zealand, Australia, and all the rest 
 of the world's rim would meet together. 
 The day, though pleasant, was gray. 
 Its soft dimness somehow harmonized 
 with one's feelings. No glint of sun 
 caught the arms of the soldiery, nor 
 lighted up their many-hued uniforms, 
 yet the scene was animated and full of 
 colour. The Premiers and their parties 
 were allowed to remain on the lawn im- 
 
134 The Jubilee. 
 
 mediately behind the Royal party — 
 other ladies and their escorts were ac- 
 commodated with seats on the long bal- 
 cony of the Palace. Having come down 
 with the Canadian Premier, it was my 
 privilege to stand almost directly behind 
 the Princess of Wales and the Duke of 
 Cambridge, hence I am able, in the in- 
 terests of the great journal I have the 
 honour to represent, to give a full and 
 correct report of the proceedings. 
 
 The cavalry and field artillery in 
 squadron column, and the garrison artil- 
 lery and engineers in line formation were 
 on the west side of the lawn, while on 
 the north were the infantry in line. In 
 the middle of the west side the band of 
 the Grenadier Guards took up position. 
 
 In front of the Palace a mighty elm 
 throws out soft shadows over the grass. 
 Here it was that Royalty gathered, and 
 around and behind stood the Colonial 
 Premiers and their parties. Every 
 moment the centre square presented a 
 brilliant appearance. Lord Wolseley, in 
 Field Marshal's uniform, wearing the 
 Order of St. Patrick ; Lord Roberts, with 
 
The Jubilee. 135 
 
 his keen, somewhat worn, but decidedly 
 " fighting " face, also in Field Marshal's 
 dress, wearing the Order of the Star 
 of T dia ; Mr. Chamberlain, in the dress 
 of K Privy Councillor, and a host of 
 other brilliant gentlemen, moved about 
 the field. And now — very quietly — 
 without any fuss or trumpet-blowing, 
 came the Royal party. The Prince, 
 in the uniform of colonel of the Grena- 
 dier Guards, with the riband and star 
 of the Garter across his portly breast, 
 looked exceedingly well and handsome. 
 In spite of his increasing stoutness, and 
 the assaults of time, the Prince is a man 
 of extreme dignity and splendid bearing. 
 The Duke of Cambridge does not come 
 off so well as regards appearance, but, 
 in his Field Marshal's attire, and with 
 his display of interest in everything 
 that was taking place, he appeared to 
 be a most affable and friendly gentle- 
 man. The Duke of Connaught — most 
 beloved — after His Royal Highness of 
 Wales — of all the Princes, looked almost 
 like a boy. His blue eye was full of 
 fun, and he kept the Princess of Wales 
 
136 The Jubilee. 
 
 amused and interested by explanations 
 of the different corps as they passed in 
 single file. 
 
 The Princess of Wales looked singu- 
 larly youthful and beautiful. She is a 
 marvellously graceful woman. Her 
 deep, dark-blue e^^e is full of kindliness 
 and sympathy. She was dressed in a 
 trained gown of silvery gray poplin. 
 Over the bodice was a cuirass of creamy 
 point lace, panels of which were on 
 either side of her skirt. Her toque was 
 a tiny affair of violet -coloured flowers, 
 among which a diamond crescent 
 gleamed. She wore canary kid gloves, 
 and carried a plain brown silk parasol. 
 I noticed that her veil did not cover 
 her whole face, but stopped a little be- 
 low her mouth. It was, in fact, one of 
 those " mask " veils that were fashion- 
 able years ago. The Princess does not 
 follow the fashions as other women do. 
 She has always kept to the same styles ; 
 to those little coronal bonnets, that hair 
 massed above the forehead, those plain, 
 exquisitely-fitting gowns. Her figure 
 is as lithe, slender and graceful as that 
 
The Jubilee. 137 
 
 of a young girl. Her voice is singularly 
 soft and sweet Her whole presence is 
 bright, dignified, gracious and extreme- 
 ly simple. Her daughter, Princess Vic- 
 toria, was dressed in blue and white 
 glace silk, and she wore a black hat in 
 which one pink rose was pinned. She 
 grows every day more and more like 
 the Queen, to whom she bears a most 
 striking resemblance. The Duchess of 
 York looked extremely fresh and pretty 
 in a charming costume of heliotrope 
 silk. Everj^one admired Prince Charles 
 of Denmark in his quiet naval uniform, 
 which contrasted admirably with the 
 more brilliant dresses of his royal kins- 
 men. He is a tall, slender, very hand- 
 some young man, of most distinguished 
 bearing. He would be a good-looking 
 man even were he not a prince. As it 
 is, he received more admiring glances 
 from the ladies than any man present, 
 and seemed to be enjoying himself very 
 much, chatting gaily to Princess Vic- 
 toria. 
 
 But the Prince of Wales has begun 
 his inspection of the troops. With Lord 
 
138 The Jubilee, 
 
 m 
 
 Roberts by his side, and Lord Wolseley, 
 the Dukes of Connaught, York and 
 Cambridge, and Mr. Chamberlain fol- 
 lowing, he made a tour of the three 
 sides of the square, carefully inspecting 
 the bearing and appearance of the men, 
 and often stopping to ask something of 
 *' General Bobs." When the inspection 
 was over, and the Prince and party had 
 returned to the shelter of the big elm, 
 he spoke for a moment to Mr. Chamber- 
 lain. The Colonial Minister immediate- 
 ly afterwards turned to the Premiers 
 and their ladies, and invited them to 
 come forward and be presented to the 
 Princess of Wales. The Princess 
 received them with the utmost cordial- 
 ity, chatting for a moment to each one. 
 It was odd to see the funny little bows 
 some of the Colonial ladies made when 
 the Princess offered her hand. You 
 could not call these sudden little dip- 
 pings, curtseys, they reminded one more 
 of the bobbing up and down of your 
 Irish peasant when she is calling you 
 " Your Honour." Lady Laurier, how- 
 ever, was an exception. She bowed 
 
The Jubilee. 139 
 
 with the quiet and inimitable grace of a 
 French lady. 
 
 Colonel Herbert gives the order to 
 the men to advance in single file from 
 the right, and now, headed by wonder- 
 ful, compact little ** General Bobs," 
 come the soldiers from the worlds 
 edges, fine, stalwart, promising fellows, 
 marchino: alonoj towards the Prince and 
 glory. Each officer and man stopped 
 opposite his Royal Highness, saluted, 
 received his medal, saluted again, and 
 passed on. The officers received silver 
 medals, the men, bronze. On the face 
 of these commemoration trophies is the 
 Queen's head, the reverse side being 
 inscribed : " In commemoration of the 
 sixtieth year of the reign of Queen 
 Victoria, June 20, 1897." A wreath of 
 la-urels surmounted by a crown sur- 
 rounds this writing. To each medal is 
 attached a ribbon of light and dark 
 blue. The men saluted differently 
 Some raised the hand to the cap in 
 ordinary military salute ; others struck 
 their right breasts twice ; others again 
 saluted with their weapons. 
 
110 The Jubilee, 
 
 The Princess of Wales took a lively 
 interest in every troop, and seemed 
 especially taken with the wiry little 
 Dyaks, the head-hunters of North 
 Borneo, who marched past with full 
 scalp-sticks, trying to look fiercely 
 alert, but beaming, every yellow little 
 man of them, with pride and delight in 
 this great moment of their lives. Great 
 interest was also taken by their Royal 
 Highnesses in the splendid little troops 
 of Rhodesian Horse, and when Captain 
 GifFord received his medal with his left 
 hand — his empty right sleeve being 
 pinned across his gallant breast — there 
 was not a trooper present who did not 
 envy him that armless sleeve, while 
 every woman cheered, deep silent heart 
 cheers, away down in her soul. 
 
 It took more than an hour and a 
 half to decorate all the fellows, and 
 when it was over the men fell back 
 into position. The Prince of Wales, 
 stepping a couple of paces forward, 
 doffed his hat, and called in a clear 
 voice for " Three cheers for the Queen- 
 Empress," leading the van himself with 
 a great " Hurrah ! " 
 
The Jubilee. 141 
 
 You should have heard the men ! 
 That comparatively little Colonial force 
 beat the Navy and Army tot^ether at 
 it. A roar of joyous greeting came 
 from the soldiers who guard the Em- 
 pire in far and foreign lands. " One 
 cheer more, ' cried that prince of good 
 fellows, his Royal Highness of Wales ! 
 And his cocked hat waved again as the 
 mighty cheer arose and sang among the 
 elms. It was one of many almost su- 
 preme moments. The grandeur, exclu- 
 siveness, distance that belongs to Roy- 
 alty was bridged over, Prince and people 
 touched hearts. It was our Queen's son, 
 the first Englishman of the land, the 
 gentleman, the soldier, the comrade — 
 leading his men in a Royal cheer for his 
 Royal Mother — and it was great. 
 
 As the men formed and marched 
 past, bands playing, and colours fly- 
 ing, to Chelsea Barracks, there to begin 
 the melancholy process of dispersal, for 
 the Canadians were to ship that night 
 from Liverpool, the Duke of Cambridge, 
 turning to some grand and gold-laced 
 personage, said, " That was a pretty 
 
142 The Jubilee, 
 
 sight— a very pretty sight — and — " this 
 with the greatest emphasis, " it means 
 everything." 
 
 It does. It means that Britain trusts 
 and depends on her Colonies in a far 
 greater degree than before these impor- 
 tant festivities tlie Colonies were aware 
 of. It means that the spirit of love 
 and kindliness th .t has always existed 
 between the Mother Country and her 
 Colonies has grown to gigantic propor- 
 tions during the last month ; that new 
 and strong links have been forged in 
 that splendid chain that reaches from 
 England to the very rim of the world. 
 And it means — for Canada I hope — that 
 she will be represented in the Imperial 
 Parliament at home before long — fore- 
 most and greatest of the Colonies that 
 she is. 
 
 The Prince of Wales, chatting with 
 Sir Wilfrid Laurier, expressed his sat- 
 isfaction, and indeed delight, at the 
 display made by the Colonial troops, 
 and also expressed a keen regret that 
 " the Canadians had to leave so soon." 
 Standing directly in front of his Royal 
 
The Jubilee. 143 
 
 Highness, one had an opportunity of 
 making one's obeisance in return to a 
 very friendly salute. I don't think it 
 will be accorded snobbish if one con- 
 fesses to being very joyful over this 
 little incident. Such events do not 
 occur often in one's life, and it was a 
 great thing to catch a friendly gleam in 
 the blue eye of the First Gentleman of 
 Europe. Sir Wilfrid Laurier was the 
 most honoured of all the Premiers, the 
 Royal party holding long and friendly 
 converse with him, the Duke of Con- 
 naught especially singling him out for 
 merry conversation. Altogether Sir 
 Wilfrid and his lady have been the 
 Colonial lions of the season, and no 
 more fitting or graceful representative 
 could the Dominion have at the pre- 
 sent time than this intellectual French- 
 Canadian, with his perfect manner, his 
 marvellous tact, his great kindliness and 
 courtesy to every one of his countrymen 
 — no matter to what " party " he be- 
 longed — who had occasion to approach 
 him in London. 
 
144 The JuHlee. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Duchess of Devon- 
 shire's Fancy Ball 
 
 There was an opportunity for just a 
 peep at them, the g^orgeous personages 
 who personated dead and gone person- 
 ages at Devonshire House the other 
 night. " Where is Mrs. Bradley-Martin 
 and Iier Murry Antinette Crown now ? " 
 one asked oneself when viewing this 
 most brilliant assemblage. Outside in 
 the street the " masses " had a faint idea 
 of the gorgeousness that was going on 
 wuthin, for the ducal mansion was 
 ablaze with light, and an illuminated 
 crown, flanked with V. H.'s, glimmered 
 and quivered over the portals. Inside 
 the decorations put the Arabian Nights 
 Entertainment people into the shade. 
 Kiralfy is nothing but a mere sign- 
 
TJie Jubilee. 145 
 
 painter. The otlier Duchess' eaterfcaiii- 
 ments tliis season seemed but shabby 
 little affairs. This, of course, in view of 
 the Devonshire splendoura. No one 
 was to come in attire later than 1820. 
 That was the edi ;t. Then parties were 
 to represent Courts. That was another 
 edict. Finally, for the last month or 
 two, chatelaines and their friends spent 
 most of their time in the family picture- 
 galleries, studying musty old ancestors, 
 with the result that every second person 
 looked as if he or she had stepped down 
 from certain ancient and heavy frames, 
 and were taking a hand in Jubilee fes- 
 tivities. It was a line occasion in which 
 to exploit one's forbears. Those who 
 hadn't any — and what a lot of lath and 
 plaster peers haven't ? — dipped into his- 
 tory and romance, and emerged crested, 
 ancestored and mottoed, in attire war- 
 like, splendid and historical. 
 
 In my glimpse at these wonders I 
 
 saw : A great white marble stairway 
 
 with gilt handrail, and baluster of clear 
 
 crystal caught across with silver bands, 
 10* 
 
146 The Jubilee. 
 
 and half-smothered in towering palms. 
 State rooms, which were simply masses 
 of growing flowers, which exhaled a 
 divine perfume. Tables, above which 
 electric-lighted palm-fronds drooped, 
 making the brilliant plate and glass ser- 
 vice wink again. Gardens, a dream of 
 fairyland, with Venetian lanterns looming 
 softly through branches, and flower- 
 beds outlined with little coloured lamps, 
 and gravel walks set with fairy lights. 
 All these I saw and wondered at. But 
 when the great procession of the 
 Courts entered these vast ducal cham- 
 bers and gardens, the mind fell back 
 into the lands of history and romance, 
 and all that one had ever read or 
 heard of leaped into life. Here was 
 Marguerite of Valois (people said she 
 was the Princess of Wales, but she 
 was Marguerite to me), in a dress of 
 white, richly wrought with silver — a 
 calm and stately lady with a crown 
 of diamonds on her head, and about 
 her brows loose-falling gems that rested 
 there like luminous tears. Ker page, 
 
The Jahilee. 147 
 
 in white and gold, crimson-capped and 
 caped, carried the great white train, and 
 all about stood the ladies of her suite, 
 attired in garments of much splendour 
 and many hues. Marguerite of Valois 
 passing presently to her throne upon 
 the dais, seated herself thereon, and 
 prepared to view the Royal procession 
 of Courts which were about to pass. 
 
 First came stately Elizabeth, with 
 her retinue of fair dames and doughty 
 knights. The Queen was attired in a 
 hooped skirt of white and gold bro- 
 cade, with a bodice of white tissue 
 and stomacher blazing with jewels. 
 Her great ruff of stiffened lace, 
 wrought with gold, stood out about 
 her throat, below which long chains 
 of pearl crossed her bosom. Her head 
 blazed with diamonds, chains of gold, 
 and ropes of pearl, and four Yeomen 
 of the Guard, in scarlet, gold, and 
 black, held a canopy over the head 
 of her Majesty. Sir Walter Raleigh 
 walked beside the Queen, his purple 
 mantle ready for emergencies, and all 
 
148 The Jubilee. 
 
 about her moved her great knights and 
 gentlemen, Sir Philip Sydney, Sir Fran- 
 cis Drake, My Lord of Burleigh, and 
 the daring Earl of Essex. Proudly did 
 Elizabeth (whom latter-day society calls 
 Lady Tweedmouth) salute Marguerite 
 of Valois. Then with her brilliant 
 suite she passed. 
 
 In the train of her cruel cousin walked 
 Mary of Scotland, splendidly garbed in 
 her velvet of turquoise-hue, w^rought 
 richly with pearls and silver. Her cap 
 of silken muslin sat upon her beautiful 
 little head with all the dignity of a 
 crown. Behind her came Mary Hamil- 
 ton, in a cape of white velvet, and cap 
 of silver and pearls, and Mary Seaton, 
 all in white, embossed with gold, walked 
 modestly in the rear. 
 
 Room for Marie Therese of Austria ! 
 Blow a blast, Herald ! and permit 
 this majestic court of fifty followers to 
 pass before the dais. 
 
 In satin, sewn with many a seed pearl, 
 and thread of gold, in stomacher of dia- 
 monds, and flowing mantle of stiff white 
 
The Jubilee. 149 
 
 brocade chained with pearls and with a 
 cross of diamonds blazing above her 
 brows, walked the haughty Austrian, 
 attended by five Arch -Dukes, and five 
 Arch-Duchesses. No less lovely a woman 
 impersonated Her Imperial Majesty, 
 than her Grace of Londonderry. On 
 swept this glittering train, then the 
 heralds, pausing a moment, s^t the sil- 
 ver trumpets to their lips, and ushered 
 in Catharine of Russia and all her Court. 
 The magnificent barbarian was robed in 
 white, upon which was wrought in 
 raised gold a great pomegranate up- 
 springing from a crown, the fruit 
 wrought in solid rubies. The train of 
 yellow velvet bore embroidered upon it, 
 double-headed eagles, black and terrible, 
 with jewelled beaks and eyes, and it 
 was lined and bordered with ermine. 
 Viscountess RainsclifFe is the modern 
 name of Empress Catharine. Behind 
 her swept a vast train of ladies and 
 courtiers in lichen-green doublets, and 
 cloth-of-Liilver trains — a dream of splen- 
 dour and colour. Passing, they made 
 
150 The Jahilee. 
 
 way for Queen Guinevere and the 
 Kniorlits of the Round Table. Guinevere, 
 in a wondrous robe of silvery white, all 
 wrought with gold, and with a gold 
 scarf across her bosom, and a gold cap 
 upon her head, walked a stately meas- 
 ure past the dais with Enid, in white 
 velvet and silver, upon her right hand, 
 and Elaine, the Lily Maid of Astolat, in 
 a modest gown of filmy cloud-like crepe 
 upon her left. King Arthur, in a tunic 
 of white brocade, superbly worked 
 wifch gold, with shirt of mail, and great 
 Excalibur, sheathed by his side, moved 
 slowly by with Launcelot, the brave 
 and false, on his right hand. Sad 
 Launcelot, in mail, armour and helmet, 
 and Knight's mantle of blue velvet, car- 
 ried not the shield nor colours of sweet 
 Elaine — nor yet of any dame — but 
 proudly making obeisance to Marguerite 
 Valois, he passed upon his way. As in 
 a dream, all these wondrous Courts 
 swept by, and drifted away among the 
 glittering stream of personages, who 
 moved towards the enchanted gardens 
 
The Jubilee. 151 
 
 that lay outside the palace. Two splen- 
 did Furies, in flame-coloured, ^old-shot 
 gauze, and carrying electric torches, 
 gravely saluted Horace Walpole (the 
 Earl of Rosebery) in his doublet, and 
 lonff vest of saofe-green velvet and deli- 
 cate silver silk hose, and then flashed 
 by to nod at a Roundhead, in brown jer- 
 kin and cavalier boots — no less a person 
 than the Right Honorable H. H. Asquith. 
 The Queen of Sheba, in gold and purple 
 gauze, her bodice encrusted with tur- 
 quoises and diamonds, her girdle fringed 
 with jewels, a bird of Paradise nodding 
 a-top her superb crown, paused a mo- 
 ment to salute a Louis Seize courtier in 
 a marvellous suit of rose-coloured velvet, 
 whom we w^ould have never recognized 
 as the Right Honorable Joseph Cham- 
 berlain were he not betrayed by an 
 orchid. Anne of Cleves (Lady Roths- 
 child) in a stiff skirt, with padded hips, 
 and cap of brocade, and blazing bejew- 
 elled stomacher, had something import- 
 ant to say to a very proper gentleman 
 in leather jerkin and scarlet breeches 
 
152 The Jubilee. 
 
 who had just stepped out of a Van Dyck 
 picture ; while Sir Thomas Moore, in 
 his long brown velvet robe, trimmed 
 with black fur, gaily accosted Semi- 
 ramide, who was garbed in a marvel- 
 lous dress of silver cloth embossed with 
 jewels. 
 
 Zenobia (the Duchess of Devonshire), 
 the giver of this great feast, stood at 
 the top of the white ma ble stairway. 
 Her dress of tissue of silver, wrought 
 with jewels, shimmered and gleamed like 
 a fairy garment. Upon her head was 
 set a bandeau of gold, round which hung 
 chains of pearls, turquoises and dia- 
 monds. An over-dress of gold, sewn 
 with flashing gems, gleamed superbly. 
 She seemed one vast and glittering 
 radiancy from which points of light 
 emanated. 
 
 On and on, procession after procession, 
 passed this dream of fair women and 
 gallant men. The exquisite rooms, the 
 softly-lighted gardens, throbbed with 
 music. The little electric lamps, set 
 among the flowers, paled before the eyes 
 
The Jubilee. 153 
 
 of light that flashed from the jewelled 
 stomacher, or fringe, or girdle. The 
 very stars in the soft, dark vault above 
 grew dim, and sifted behind little veils 
 of cloud. One expected to wake sud- 
 denly from an " Arabian Nights " dream, 
 and find it all a vagary of night and 
 sleep. Stepping out into the gas-lit 
 streets presently, coming at once into 
 the roar of London with her eternal 
 string of moving hansoms and carriages, 
 her horror of painted women, her misery 
 of pinched faces ; the whole sorrow and 
 agony of life fell heavily about one, and, 
 half in a dream still, yet awaking to 
 the sterner realties, one waited behind a 
 knot of people, who for some reason 
 were stopping the way. 
 
 " Move on ! " said the policeman, tap- 
 ping me smartly with his baton. " Move 
 on there ! " 
 
 I was awake. The wonderful dream 
 had passed. I knew it could never 
 have been real life. One had dipped 
 into the lands of history and romance, 
 that was all. That splendid world be- 
 
154 The Jubilee, 
 
 hind the walls of Devonshire House 
 could not exist side by side with this ! 
 
 " Move on ! " called the policeman 
 again, more testily. " Move on, there, 
 I say" — And like little Jo in Tom- 
 All-Alones, I moved on with the crowd.