OUR ROVAL NEIGHBORS AT SANDRINGHAM.

was the greater, that of the driver of the sand-
cart, or that of the Princess’ attendants when she
alighted at her own door from this novel equipage!

Only a few months ago the Princess, before leav-
ing Sandringham, went to take a farewell gift. of
photographs to one of the people on the estate.
A new maid-servant opened the door to her.

“Ts Mr. So-and-So at home?” asked the Princess,

“No, Miss,” said the girl, “ but he won’t be long;
will you come in and wait a bit?”

_ “Tell him,” said the laughing Princess, as she
handed over the packet, “that the Princess of
Wales brought these for his acceptance.”

The Princess herself repeated this story to the
gentleman of the house, who quickly responded :

“No stranger would ever take your Royal High-
ness to be the mother of those fine young men,”
referring to the Princes.

But to return to Sandringham. We wandered
down by the lake, and went into a beautiful little
cave which the water enters and forms a deep, still,
dark pool, such a contrast to the sunlit lake out-
. Side, over the surface of which some lovely swans
and water fowl were gliding. We walked on the
broad long terrace, and saw Prince Eddy (who is
now at Sandringham with a tutor, studying), play-
ing at tennis in the court with the Vicar and his
wife, and some friends. Then we went through the
stables, and saw the tiny pony that was made such
a pet of by the royal children that it used to follow
them up and down stairs. We were shown also, a
little old-fashioned pony-chaise, never used now,
which the Prince of Wales first drove out in as a tiny
boy. Next we went to the kennels to see the dogs;
fine fellows they are, with big loving eyes, and
nice smooth foreheads. Then on to the bears; there
are two, named Charlie and Polly. They went
through their little performance obediently, climb-
ing a pole and catching the biscuits we threw to
them, sometimes with their mouths, sometimes with
their paws. Next came the monkeys,

By this time we began to feel that we had done
our duty right loyally; so Uncle Raymond went
back to the “model farm” where he had left the
pony. He was put into the shafts by a dear old
farm laborer who told Uncle Raymond how he
often went round the farm with the Prince, and that
they were frequently alone together for hours, and
the Prince always talking freely. He said he went
part of the way to India with the Prince on board

113

the Serapis, to take some cattle to the King of
Greece ; he spoke of the kindness to King George,
and of how he used often tocome and talk to him,
When he left, the king gave him a portrait of him.
self and of all his family. He was sent to Den
mark once, too, to take some cattle from the Prince
to his kingly father-in-law, and met with plenty of
kindness.

Of course, we who constantly live in the neigh-
borhood of Sandringham hear, and speak, and
think much of our royal neighbors. We see them
apart from the trappings of royalty, we meet them
riding and driving about the pleasant country lanes
and we hear of them fulfilling —as they delight to
—the homely duties of Squire and Squiress. The
Prince is a model landlord, and the Princess in
her home is a bright example of what a woman
should be as mistress, wife, and mother. Only the
other day I heard of her entering one of the cot-
tages where lay a poor man who had met with an
accident, laden with salves and old linen. She ex-
amined his wound, and then dressed and bandaged
it with her own hands so skilfully that the parish
doctor thought another medical man had been
called in to attend his patient, and refused to con-
tinue to treat him himself. Whereupon the Princess,
with a sly laugh doubtless, for she has a very keen
sense of humor, sent another doctor to the sufferer,

To the old cottagers the Prince has always
seemed more like a country Squire than England’s
future king; they do not realize his position apart
from Sandringham. His pleasant bonhomie, his
generosity, his kind-heartedness have endeared him
to them. As the plain but familiar equipage goes
by, the labourer looks up from his toil in the fields
to murmur “The Prince, God bless him!”

A favorite resort of the royal pair in the early
days of their married life was a little sea-side vil-
lage about nine miles distant from Sandringham,
which has since given its name to a popular sum-
mer resort close by. Here is a wide sea-beach,
with level stretches of brown-ribbed sand, low sand-
hills, and cliffs whereon a lighthouse stands. One
of the keepers of that Light was a garrulous old
man with whom it was pleasant to linger for a chat,
as one rested on the bench under the white wall
which skirted the Lighthouse garden, on some
bright sunshiny morning, with the grand panorama
of sea and sky, and the low line of the distant
Lincolnshire coast, spread out before one, Just in