The _Grande Maîtresse_ came in, and I thought it was the signal for me
to go--which apparently it was. There was a little pause; then the
Queen held out her hand and said, "I hope to see you again very soon."
The King shook hands kindly with me, and I reached the antechamber,
escorted by the ladies.
My next audience was with the Crown Princess. She is the daughter of
the late King of Sweden (Carl XV.) and niece of the present King Oscar,
whom I used to know in Paris. This audience was not so ceremonious as
the one I had had with the Queen. There was only one lady-in-waiting,
who received me in the _salon_ adjoining that of the Princess. She
accompanied me to the door, presented me, and withdrew, leaving us
together. In the beginning the conversation palled somewhat. I had been
warned that it was not etiquette for me to start any subject of
conversation, though I might enlarge on it once it had been broached.
The Crown Princess was so kind as to speak of something which she
thought would interest me, and the conventional half-hour passed
pleasantly and quickly.
I had other audiences. The Queen Dowager, the widow of King Christian
VIII., lives in one of the four palaces in the square of Amalienborg.
She is very stately, and received me with great etiquette. She was
dressed in a stiff black brocade dress, with a white lace head-dress
over her bandeaux; she wore short, white, tight kid gloves. She spoke
French, and was most kind, telling me a great deal about Denmark and
its history, which interested me very much.
As Mademoiselle de Rosen, her first _dame d'honneur_, re-entered the
room I made my courtesy, kissed the Queen's hand, and the audience was
over.
Johan accompanied me to the fourth audience, which for me was the most
difficult one. It was with the Princess Caroline, widow of Prince
Ferdinand, brother of King Christian VIII., who died when he was
heir-apparent to the throne. She spoke only Danish to us, so I sat and
gazed about, not understanding a word she said to Johan.
She wore flaxen braids wound above her ears, through which the cotton
showed like the petal of a flower. She had a lace cap on her head with
long lace ends, and these caught in everything she wore--her
eye-glasses, her neck-chain, her rings and bracelets, and she seemed to
do nothing but try to extricate herself while talking. This she did
steadily, in order (I suppose) to prevent any one else from talking.
She is so deaf that she cannot hear a word. She had once been burned,
and the effects of that, with the mark of former smallpox, makes her
face look far from handsome. But all these things have not prevented
her from reaching the ripe old age of eighty.
Johan supplied what little there was of conversation on our side. She
asked him, "How did you come to Denmark?" He, enchanted to be asked
something he could answer, replied that he had come on one of the big
German boats, and, to accentuate the fact that it was something _big_
he came in, he made a wide circular movement with his arms and became
quite eloquent, flattering himself that he was very interesting. The
Princess fixed a pair of earnest eyes on him, and said, in hushed
tones, "And what became of the child?"
We took our leave. In stooping to kiss her Royal Highness's hand her
cap caught in an ornament I had on my bonnet, and there we stood tied
together. Johan tried in vain to undo us, but was obliged to call in
the lady-in-waiting, who finally disentangled us.
DENMARK, _January, 1878_.
Dear Mother,--The Queen of Denmark is an adorable and lovely queen. I
am happy to call her _my_ Queen.
A few days after my audience we were invited to a dinner at
Amalienborg. We met in the _salon_, before their Majesties came in.
When they had made a little _cercle_ and said a word to every one,
dinner was announced. The King gave one arm to the Queen and the other
to the Princess Anne of Hesse--the Queen's sister-in-law. The King and
the Queen sat next to each other. There were about forty people at
table. Admiral Bille took me in; he talked English perfectly, and
was--like all naval officers!--very charming.
The Queen said to me: "I should so like to hear you sing. Will you come
to-morrow? I will send my carriage for you, and please don't forget to
bring some music."
As if I should forget! I was only too delighted.
The next morning the Queen sent her own coupé for me at eleven o'clock.
I felt very grand; all the people in the street bowed and courtesied,
thinking I was one of the royal family. I let down the glasses on both
sides of the coupé so that every one could have a chance to bow.
I was at once ushered into the Queen's _salon_ by an old red-liveried
majordomo who had many decorations on his breast. The Queen was alone
with the _Grande Maîtresse_, and after having talked a little she said,
"Now we'll have some music," and led the way into the ballroom, where
there were two pianos. The Queen sat on the sofa, wearing an expression
that was half pre-indulgent and half expectant. The _Grande Maîtresse_,
who was there, _not_ in her official character, but as a musician,
accompanied me when I sang "_Voi che sapete_." When I came to the
phrase, "_Non trovo pace notte ne di_," the Queen raised her hand to
her eyes, which were filled with tears, and after I had finished, said,
"Please sing another."
I spread out the music of "Biondina" in front of the eye-glasses of the
_Grande Maîtresse_, but the first bars convinced me that if I were to
sing _that_ song, _she_ was not to play it, and, against all etiquette,
I placed my hands over hers and gently pushed her off the seat, saying,
"May I?"
I confess I deserved the daggers she looked at me, but the Queen only
laughed and said, "You are quite right; you must play _that_ for
yourself."
The Queen seemed to be delighted, and after some more music I returned
to the hotel in the same regal manner I had come.
COPENHAGEN, _February, 1878_.
Dear Mother,--Some days have passed between this and my last letter,
but I have been very busy. I have tried to do some sight-seeing--there
are many interesting and enchanting things to see here. Then I have had
a great many visits to pay, and I go often to sing with the Queen.
Yesterday I lunched at the palace. The Queen had said to me before:
"When you come to me, come straight to my room. Don't bother about
going first to the _dames d'honneur_. The servant has orders."
So yesterday, when I arrived, the old decorated servant who sits in the
antechamber simply opened the door of the Queen's private apartments,
where I found her and the Princess Thyra alone.
The Queen said, "You will stay to luncheon, will you not?" I hesitated,
as we had invited some friends to lunch with us, but that was evidently
no obstacle. She said: "Never mind that. I will send word to your
husband that I have kept you." Of course I stayed. We had a great deal
of music. I sang "Beware" for the first time. The Queen said, "Oh, the
King must hear that," and rang the bell, sending the servant to beg
Prince Valdemar to come in.
On his appearing, the Queen said, "Valdemar, you must tell papa that he
must come." Prince Valdemar soon returned, saying, "Papa has lumbago,
and says he cannot come." The Queen shook her head, evidently not
believing in the lumbago, and said, "Lumbago or not, papa _must_ come,
even if we have to _bring_ him."
The King came without being "brought," and I sang "Beware" for him, and
then "_Ma mère était bohémienne_," the Queen accompanying me in both.
"Now," said the Queen, "please sing that song which you play for
yourself--the one with such a dash." She meant "Biondina."
"Please, madame," said the King, when I had finished, "sing 'Beware'
again."
Then we went down a little side-staircase for luncheon. The dining-room
is quite small and looks out upon the square. The table could not have
seated more than twelve people. Besides the King and Queen, there were
Prince Hans and Prince Wilhelm (brothers of the King), Prince Valdemar,
Princess Thyra, and myself. There were no ladies or gentlemen in
waiting, except the King's adjutant.
On a side-table were the warm meats, vegetables, and several cold
dishes. No servants were allowed in the room. It is the only meal when
the family are quite alone together; the serving was all done by the
royalties themselves. I felt quite shy when the King proposed to shell
my shrimps for me! "Oh, your Majesty," I said, "I can do that myself!"
"No," said he, "I am sure you cannot. At any rate, not as it ought to
be done."
He was quite right. I never could have done it so dexterously as he
did. He took the shells off and put the shrimps on some bread--they
looked like little pink worms. I did not dare to get up and serve
myself at the side-table, and rather than be waited on by royalty I
preferred eating little and going away hungry.
The King was very gay. He asked me how I was getting on with my Danish.
I told him some of my mistakes, at which they all laughed.
COPENHAGEN, _February, 1878_.
Dear Mother,--After our music and luncheon the other day at the palace
the Queen asked me if I would like to drive with her to see Bernstorff
Castle, where they spend their summers. I accepted the invitation with
delight. To drive with her was bliss indeed.
Bernstorff is about an hour's drive from Copenhagen. When the open
landau appeared in the _porte-cochère_ the Queen got in; I sat on her
left and the lady of honor sat opposite. The Danish royal livery is a
bright red covered with braid. The coachman's coat has many red capes,
one on top of the other, looking like huge pen-wipers. J. had told me
it was not etiquette for any one driving with the Queen to bow. We
happened to pass J. walking with a friend of his, and it seemed odd
that I was obliged to cut him dead.
When people see the Queen's carriage coming they stop their own, and
the ladies get out on the sidewalk and make deep courtesies. Gentlemen
bow very low and stand holding their hats in their hands until the
royal carriage has passed.
The castle of Bernstorff is neither large nor imposing, but looks
home-like and comfortable. The Queen showed me all over it--her private
rooms, and even upstairs where her _atelier_ is; she paints
charmingly--as well as she plays the piano.
She pointed out on the window-panes of a room over the principal _salon_
different things that her daughters had written with their diamond
rings on the glass: "Farewell, my beautiful clouds!--Alexandra." "Till
the next time.--Dagmar." "_A bientôt_--Willie" (the young King of
Greece).[1]
[1] King George of Greece who was assassinated in 1913.
She told me that Bernstorff was the first home she and the King had
lived in after their marriage, when he was Prince, and they love it so
much that they prefer it to the larger castles. They go to Fredensborg
in the autumn. The Grand-Duchess Dagmar and the Princess of Wales, when
they come to Bernstorff in the summer, sleep in the room which they
shared as children.