A DAY AT HAMPTON COURT
"NO, Towser, you can't come with us; you know you will not be allowed to
go into the palace, and what should we do with you then," said Edith,
patting him on the head, as she closed the gate and left poor doggie
looking wistfully after them.
Edith had been looking forward to a visit to Hampton Court for some
time. Her mamma had promised that she could invite Eleanor and Clarence
Whitworth and that Miss Green would take them all to spend a Saturday
half-holiday, or rather a whole holiday, at this beautiful old palace,
which was on the river, not very far distant from Oldham Manor.
Several Saturdays had proved disappointingly rainy, but to-day was all
they could wish for, and after calling at the vicarage for Eleanor and
Clarence, they went down the little village street which led to the
river landing, where there was a sign, "Boats to let."
Miss Green intended to engage a waterman to row them up to the Court, as
it was a rather long and tiresome pull.
The Thames watermen are quite an institution, and are one of the oldest
of English guilds or societies. They are banded together for the mutual
protection of their business, which is to hire out boats--and to row
boats and the like. Each man wears a badge, and is very jealous of his
rights. A new man who wishes to join their band must go through a long
apprenticeship before he can become what is publicly known as a "Thames
Waterman."
"Good morning, John," said Miss Green, to a bluff, good-natured man who
lifted his cap to them. "Have you a good boat for us to-day? we want
you to take us up to the Court."
[Illustration: "IN A FEW MINUTES THEY HAD LANDED"]
"Yes, indeed, miss, one of the best of the lot." John was their
favourite waterman, who often rowed them when the distances were too
great for Miss Green.
It was a pretty row past the green lawns of handsome homes, and one or
two small river villages, where the principal business is the letting of
boats and of fishing-tackle.
John's sturdy strokes soon brought them in sight of the park belonging
to Hampton Court, surrounded by a high wall past which the river winds
for some distance. Soon they caught sight of the red brick towers of the
palace itself, and its beautiful gardens, and in a few minutes they had
landed near one of the small excursion steamers that ply between London
and Hampton Court, on which so many folk take a charming day's excursion
on the Thames.
There is also a little village at Hampton Court, as well as the palace,
but one never pays much attention to it, except when one begins to get
hungry, for it is mostly made up of little shops, that hang out signs on
which is the one word, "Teas," which means one can get there their
afternoon tea.
Our little party made straight for the big iron gates which lead into
the entrance court. On one side are barracks where soldiers live, and
before them rises the red brick lodge or gateway through which is the
main entrance to the palace itself.
I fancy one often thinks of a palace as a great, tall, imposing building
of many stories. Well, most palaces _do_ cover a great deal of ground,
but many of the English ones are not so very tall. This palace is only
two stories high, with a sort of attic at the top. Another strange thing
about these old-time palaces is that most of the rooms are very small
according to our modern ideas, except for a few long rooms, called
galleries.
"Let us go through the two courtyards into the gardens and sit on a
bench under one of those old yew-trees, and I will tell you children
something of the story of the palace; then you will enjoy seeing it much
more," said Miss Green, as she led them into the lovely gardens where
they could see the building to the best advantage. The children crowded
around her as she began:
"It was built several hundred years ago by the great Cardinal Wolsey who
was minister or councillor to King Henry VIII. Wolsey became a powerful
favourite of the king, who loaded him with royal gifts. He became
wealthy and proud, and built for himself many grand homes, until at last
he founded this Hampton Court, which was to be the most splendid of them
all. But the cardinal had become by this time such a power in the
kingdom, and was so arrogant and wealthy that the king was jealous of
him, fearing that the cardinal would become his rival.
"To counteract this, the cardinal presented his palace at Hampton Court
to the king, and so it became a royal palace. But this did not prevent
the cardinal's downfall.
"Until a hundred or more years ago this palace was a favourite home of
the Royal Family, but now it is only a show-place for holiday-makers."
"I don't see how the king could have treated the poor cardinal badly
after he gave him such a beautiful home," remarked Edith, as they
entered the palace.
"Ah, well! perhaps he deserved it," said Miss Green, as they went up the
grand stairway and through room after room filled with pictures, and
some of the furniture of those old days.
They could see the beds on which had slept many royal persons. Around
this furniture were drawn ropes so no one could touch it or sit upon the
chairs. The floors were highly waxed, and in every room was a guardian
or sort of policeman, who closely watched visitors to see that nothing
was disturbed.
"Well, they did have a great number of rooms," said Eleanor, after they
had walked through many bedchambers, anterooms, and reception-rooms.
"Yes," answered Miss Green, "they were necessary not only for the Royal
Family itself, but for the many people who were always attached to the
court.
"Here is the 'throne-room,'" she continued, "where the king or queen sat
in that gilt chair which stands on a dais or platform raised several
steps above the floor." Above the chair was a velvet canopy surmounted
by a gilt crown. Usually the arms of England (the "Lion and the
Unicorn") were embroidered in gold and coloured silks on the velvet
background behind the throne. Here the kings and queens held their
audiences, and saw those who wished to present some petition or ask some
royal favour.
"This is one of the most splendid old-time 'banqueting-halls' in our
country," said Miss Green, as they came into the great chamber with a
high roof of great carved wood beams and windows of coloured glass.
Around the walls were great stag heads, and over the entrance door was a
gallery where the musicians played while guests ate dinner at the long
tables. The guests sat on wooden benches or stools, while the persons of
high rank occupied chairs at a table at the end of the hall, which was
placed on a raised platform which separated them from those of inferior
rank.
"Can't we see the big grape-vine now?" said Edith, as they left the
palace itself.
Miss Green led the way through the rose-garden, and past Queen Mary's
Bower, a shady and favourite walk of one of the queens, so shut in by
trees that it looked like a green tunnel. "There is the vine-house,"
exclaimed Clarence, as they came to a long, low, glass house which
covered the huge vine, nearly two hundred years old, the largest single
vine in the world. The trunk looked like that of a small tree, and its
branches, hanging thick with bunches of grapes, covered the glass roof.
At various times its home had to be added to, and still the vine has to
be constantly pruned to keep it within bounds.
"I should like to eat some of those grapes when they are ripe," said
Eleanor, looking up at the clusters over her head.
"You would have to be one of the Royal Family to do that," Miss Green
smilingly said. "They are all kept for the king's own use."
"Well, are you young people ready for dinner?" asked the governess,
looking at her watch as they left the vine-house. "It is nearly one
o'clock, so we had better have our dinner, and then we can spend the
afternoon in the gardens and park."
"Afterward we can go through the Maze, Eleanor," cried Edith, as,
holding each other by the hand, the little girls skipped through the
garden paths.
"Yes, but dinner first, by all means," said Clarence, "and let us go to
one of the places on the river, please, Miss Green, where we can watch
the boats."
On the gallery of one of the inns that overlook the river they found a
round table that would just accommodate their party. Here they could
enjoy a fine view of the palace and the river, and a substantial meal at
the same time.
"Now for the 'Maze,'" cried the young people, when they entered the
gardens again. The "Maze" is an elaborate labyrinth, whose pattern is
laid out in high-clipped hedges of box-trees. One can lose themselves
for some time amid its tangle of paths before it is possible to reach
the centre, and come back again to the starting-place.
"By paying a penny I can watch your efforts," said Miss Green, as she
paid her penny to the guardian, and mounted a little platform which
overlooks the tangle of paths. "I think I shall enjoy this more than
rushing around through the hot sun," she said, smiling down on her
charges.
Finding the right path through the Maze is one of the favourite
amusements of the children when they visit Hampton Court, and our three
young friends were soon rushing around laughing in the wildest
excitement.
It took nearly an hour's fun before they were able to reach the centre
and get out again, Clarence being rather crestfallen that the girls had
beaten him out.
"Oh, we _are_ warm," said Edith, as they ran up to Miss Green, panting
and fanning their faces with their hats.
"Indeed you are. Come, and we will rest and cool off in the park. The
chestnut-trees look lovely with their spikes of white flowers."
Under the great trees, groups of children were playing about, or having
picnic lunches, or amusing themselves with the deer, which live in the
park, and are so used to visitors that they are very tame, and will even
eat out of one's hand.
"I should like to come here next Sunday; it will be 'Chestnut Sunday'"
said Clarence, as they threw themselves on the soft grass.
"Oh," said Edith, "that is always one of the first Sundays in May."
"Yes," continued Clarence, "the first Sunday after the chestnut-trees
come in full blossom."
Thousands of people come here from London and the surrounding country on
that day, that they may drive through this long avenue that leads
directly through the park to the palace and admire the display of
blossoms on the great trees that line the avenue on both sides.
Clarence grew enthusiastic. "It's a jolly sight, I can tell you, to see
vehicles of all kinds, from bicycles and coster's carts to big
four-in-hand coaches and automobiles. There is such a jam on the avenue
that they can only creep along; it's like a big picnic."
"Is it not nearly tea-time? We are so thirsty, Miss Green," said
Eleanor, as the sun began to drop behind the trees. The little girls had
amused themselves by making endless daisy chains, and decorating their
hats with the "may" as they call the hawthorn-bloom, while Miss Green
read to them from a story-book.
"Yes, we must not be too late in getting home; we will stop at one of
the little tea-shops near the boat-landing."
It was a neat little cottage which they selected, covered with vines,
with a small flower-garden in front. The pleasant-faced hostess soon
brought in a big tea-tray covered with a dainty cloth on which was a big
pot of tea, cut bread and butter, and delicious strawberries, such as
only grow in England. "Nearly as big as my fist," declared Clarence, but
this was perhaps putting it rather strongly, though each one made a big
mouthful as the young folk ate them, dipping them first into sugar.
They sang songs as they rowed home, and the tunes were taken up by other
boats full of young people out for the Saturday half-holiday.
"We have had such a lovely time; thank you so much, Miss Green," said
the young Whitworths as they parted at their gate.
"It _has_ been a nice day, and we will have some others, too, when
Adelaide comes, won't we?" said Edith.