ds, and listened to their merry laughing voices as
they emulated each other to come in winner!

[Illustration: H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES.

_From a Photo. by W. & D. Downey._]

When at Sandringham, State and its duties, society and its requirements,
are relegated to the dim past and shadowy future; and our Prince is a
country gentleman, deep in agriculture and the welfare of his tenantry;
and his wife and children pass their time in visiting the schools, the
poor, and the sick, working in their dairy, or at their sketching, art
and useful needle-work, etc.

Fortunately, the estate is above seven miles from King's Lynn, its
nearest town, so that the family are not subjected to the prying gaze of
the curious. They have not, however, the inconvenience of this long
drive from the railway station, as there is one at Wolferton, a little
village of about forty houses, on the estate, and between two and three
miles from the "House."

In 1883 the Prince added a suite of waiting-rooms to the building
already there: the addition consisting of a large entrance-hall,
approached by a covered carriage way, with rooms on either side for the
Prince and Princess. These rooms are handsomely and tastefully
furnished, and are used not only as waiting-rooms, but occasionally for
luncheon, when the Prince and his guests are shooting in the vicinity of
Wolferton. The station lies in a charming valley, and emerging from its
grounds, you have before you a picturesque drive along a well gravelled
road, bordered with velvety turf, and backed with fir, laurel, pine and
gorse.

Rabbits in hundreds are popping hither and thither, pheasants are flying
over your head, squirrels are scampering up and down trees, there are
sounds of many feathery songsters in the branches: while if you pause
awhile, you may catch the distant murmur of the sea--certainly you can
feel its breezes; and you seem to get the beauty of the Highlands, the
grandeur of the sea, and the very pick of English scenery, all in one
extensive panorama. The view from the heights is beyond description: an
uninterrupted outlook over the North Sea, and a general survey of such
wide range, that on clear days the steeple or tower of Boston church
(familiarly known as "Boston Stump") can be plainly seen.

Proceeding on your way, you pass the park boundary wall, the residence
of the comptroller, the rectory, the little church of St. Mary
Magdalene, with its flag waving in the breeze deno