irs and the _beard_" (pronounced like _heard_)
had been _watching_ me. _Shield_ meant _child! A child_ in Danish is
_et barn_, which sounds the same as _eight barn_. _Two children_ (in
Danish) are _to boern_, pronounced _toe burn. Bird_ he pronounced like
_beard_, because it was written so. A bird in Danish is _fugle_ (fool).

Do you wonder that I was somewhat bewildered?

_January, 1878._

Dear Mother,--After Christmas Johan and I went to Copenhagen, where I
was presented to the King and the Queen. I was first received by the
_Grande Maitresse_, Madame de Raben, and three _dames d'honneur_, who
were all pleasant but ceremonious. When the Queen entered the room and
I was presented to her she was most gracious and affable. She motioned
me to sit down beside her on the sofa. She said that she had heard much
about me. She spoke of my father-in-law, whom she _loved_, and Johan,
whom she _liked_ so much. She was most interested to hear about you and
the children. She had heard that Nina promised to be a beauty.

"If children would only grow up to their promises!" I said.

"Mine have," said the Queen; "they are all beautiful."

She showed me the photographs of the Princess of Wales and the
Grand-Duchess Dagmar of Russia. If they resemble their pictures they
must indeed be beautiful.

The _salon_ in which we sat was filled with drawings, pastels, and
photographs, and was so crowded with furniture that one could hardly
move about.

"I've been told," the Queen said, "that you have a splendid voice and
sing wonderfully. You must come some day and sing for me; I love
music." Then we talked music, the most delightful of subjects. The King
came in. He was also perfectly charming, and as kind as possible. He is
about sixty years old, but looks younger, having a wonderfully youthful
figure and a very handsome face. The King preferred to speak French,
but the Queen liked better to talk English, which she does to
perfection.

"Have you learned Danish yet?" the King asked me.

"Alas! your Majesty," I answered, "though I try very hard to learn, I
have not mastered it yet, and only dare to inflict it on my family."

"You will not find it difficult," he said. "You will learn it in time."

"I hope so, your Majesty--Time is a good teacher."

He told me an anecdote about Queen Desiree, of Sweden, wife of
Bernadotte, who on her arrival in Stockholm did not know one word of
Swedish.

She was taught certain phrases to use at he