descended to ask why
I didn't have myself presented, Mademoiselle d'Este exclaimed, "Oh,
my dear, those people are so curious!" meaning the Queen and Prince
Albert, towards whom she had a great feeling of sore dislike; but
whether she meant by "curious" inquisitive or singular--_queer_--I
didn't ask her, being rather astonished at this "singular" mode of
speaking of our liege lady and her illustrious consort.

Poor Mademoiselle d'Este's feeling of bitterness against the Queen
arose, I have since been told, from various small slights which her
sensitive pride conceived she had received from her. Mademoiselle
d'Este's determination to assert her right to be considered a royal
personage had, perhaps, met with some other rebuffs from the Queen,
besides the one which she herself told me of with great irritation.

On the occasion of Queen Adelaide's Drawing-rooms, she had always
permitted Mademoiselle d'Este to make her entrance by the same
approach, and at the same time, with other members of the royal
family. After the accession of Queen Victoria, Mademoiselle d'Este
claimed the same privilege, which, however, was not granted her. She
told me this with many passionate, indignant comments, and
apparently desirous that I should be impressed by the superior charm
and graciousness of Queen Adelaide, whom she called "her Queen," and
of whom she spoke with the most affectionate regard and respect, she
said, "You must come with me and see _my_ Queen," and accordingly
she solicited permission to present me to the Queen Dowager, which
was granted, and I went with her one morning to pay my respects to
that great and good lady, and was to have done so a second time, but
was prevented by our departure from town.

I drove with Mademoiselle d'Este to Marlborough House in the
morning, and we were ushered through several apartments into a
small-sized sitting-room, where we were left. After a few moments a
lady entered, to whom Mademoiselle d'Este presented me. The Queen
Dowager was then apparently between fifty and sixty years old; a
thin, middle-sized woman, with gray hair and a long face, discolored
by the traces of some eruption. She looked in ill health, and was
certainly very plain, but her manner and the expression of her face
were very gentle and gracious, and her voice, with its German
ac