urt ladies
at that hour, after Her Majesty had finished dining. Her Majesty also
ordered that champagne or any other wine which Miss Carl preferred,
should be served, as she said she knew it was the custom for all foreign
ladies to take wine with their meals. Where she got hold of this
idea, nobody knew. I was sure that Her Majesty had been misinformed by
somebody, but it would have been bad policy to have tried to tell her
different at the moment. She disliked very much to be told that she was
wrong in any of these things, and it could only be done by waiting and
casually introducing the subject at some other time.

After Miss Carl had gone to rest during the afternoon, Her Majesty
sent for me and asked the usual question, viz.: What had Miss Carl been
saying? etc., etc. She seemed particularly anxious to know what Miss
Carl thought of her, and when I told her that Miss Carl had said that
she was very beautiful and quite young looking, she said: "Oh! well,
of course Miss Carl would say that to you." However, on my assuring her
that Miss Carl had given this opinion without being asked for it,
she showed very plainly that she was not at all displeased with the
compliment.

Suddenly Her Majesty said: "I have been thinking that if Miss Carl can
paint the screen and the throne, surely she ought to be able to paint
my clothes and jewels, without it being necessary for me to pose all the
time." I told her that would be quite impossible, as nobody could hold
the things for Miss Carl to get the proper effect. To my surprise she
answered: "Well, that is easily gotten over. You wear them in my place."
I hardly knew what to say, but thought I would get out of the
difficulty by telling her that perhaps Miss Carl would not like such an
arrangement. Her Majesty, however, could see no possible objection
on Miss Carl's part, as she herself could pose when the time came for
painting her face. So I put the matter as nicely as possible to Miss
Carl, and it was finally arranged that I should dress in Her Majesty's
robes and jewels whenever Her Majesty felt too tired to do the posing
herself. In this manner the portrait of the Empress Dowager was painted,
and with the exception of just a few hours to enable Miss Carl to
get Her Majesty's facial expression, I had to sit for two hours each
morning, and for another two hours each afternoon until the portrait was
finished.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN--THE EMPEROR'S BIRTHDAY

MY father's four mon