ersons sat down at ninety miles of tables served by
eighty thousand voluntary waiters. The cost of the occasion was about
_L_30,000 and how the guests enjoyed their substantial meal of meat,
potatoes, bread, cheese, pudding, beer, lime-juice, chocolate,
cigarettes and tobacco can be better imagined than stated. There were
eight hundred separate feasts and eighteen thousand people entertaining
the guests while thirteen members of the Royal family devoted themselves
to representing the King and giving the pleasure of their presence to
the crowded and happy multitudes.

The day was beautiful, the arrangements, which had been so largely in
the hands of Sir Thomas Lipton, were excellent, and the assistance
abundant. The Coronation mugs gave tremendous pleasure and it would be a
problem in psychology to say why the mere sight of Royalty should give
the intense satisfaction which it unquestionably afforded the
crowds--especially the women. Decorations were everywhere and the Prince
and Princess of Wales drove in semi-state all through East London. The
final climax to the day was the physicians' announcement from the
Palace that the King was out of danger. Princess Christian, the Duke and
Duchess of Connaught, the Duke and Duchess of Fife, the Prince and
Princess Charles of Denmark, the Duchess of Albany, the Duke and Duchess
of Argyll did more than their duty in visiting the various points and
giving the feasters a glimpse of those who represented, even indirectly,
their Royal host. On the following day Lord Knollys wrote the Lord
Mayor, by command of the King, expressing the greatest satisfaction at
the success of the affair and at the energy, foresight and skill
displayed by those who had taken it in hand. "I am further commanded",
he wrote, "to repeat how sincerely His Majesty regretted his inability
to be present at any of his dinners and how deeply also he has been
touched by the loyal and kind feeling so universally displayed when the
bulletin of yesterday morning was read at the various dining-places."

On the following day and at various times and places in the succeeding
weeks the Queen entertained thousands of young servants at tea. Mayors
and other officials or prominent persons presided, and each guest, after
listening to a musical programme, was sent away happy with a box of
chocolate bearing Queen Alexandra's portrait in colours. A function of a
different character was the great state dinner given by the Prince a