ey are not
allowed to speak amongst themselves--what a relief my visit must
have been to them!--and they neither eat meat, nor butter, nor
eggs--nothing but milk, vegetables and rice. They look healthy, and
there were several young rather pretty ones amongst them. One, the
best-looking of them all, Sister Marie Josepha, took me affectionately
by the hand and said, "I hope the air agrees with you here and that
you feel better?" and then she added, "Come again--will you, before
you leave this country again?" She told me that she was born in
Ireland and had a German grandfather. She seemed to be the favourite
amongst them all, for when I bought of their works and asked them to
make up my bill, they called Marie Josepha to summon it up, and she
said to me, "Do not stay for that; we will send you your things with
the bill." Two hours after my visit to them I received my things, with
a wreath of flowers besides as their gift to me; on the paper attached
to it was written, "To the Queen-Dowager, from the Reverend Mother and
her Community."

This old Reverend Mother, the Abbess, was very infirm, and could not
get up from her chair, but she spoke very politely and ladylike to me
in French. She has been forty years in her present _situation_,
and comes from Bretagne. The chaplain of the Convent is also an old
Frenchman, and there are several other French nuns amongst them--one
who had been condemned to be guillotined in the Revolution, and was
set at liberty just at the moment the execution was to have taken
place. I should like to know whether these good nuns resumed again at
once their silence when I left them, or whether they were permitted to
talk over the events of that day.... Your most affectionately devoted
Aunt,

ADELAIDE.

[Footnote 98: Afterwards King George V. of Hanover. He married
Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, 18th February 1843.]

[Footnote 99: Princess Augusta of Cambridge. _See_ p. 434.
(Ch. XI, Footnote 93)]

[Pageheading: LORD MELBOURNE'S ILLNESS]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

_1st November 1842._

... Many thanks for your most kind and amiable letter of the 28th,
which I received yesterday. The prospect of the possibility of dearest
Louise's spending some time with us _quite enchants_ us, and I hope
and trust that you will carry your plan into execution. Our plans,
which we only settled last night, are as follows:--the scarlet fever
is on the decrease