for opening the matter to her royal mistress. She drew up a solemn "memorial," which she long hesitated to present. At last the plunge was made. There is something highly characteristic, dramatic even, in the rage and fury of the old Schwellenberg, who though glad to be rid of an enemy, resented comically enough this outrage to all court traditions and feeling. She expostulated as though the step led to destruction, as though life itself removed from the palace walls became an evil.

But the resignation dragged on. The queen, who delighted in the progress of the Hastings trial, and liked Miss Burney's lively descriptions of it, now wanted her to attend regularly and report to her. The young lady declined on the plea that her health being known as the cause of her retirement, people would remark her appearance at a place of entertainment; "reports might be spread." The good queen accepted this odd excuse. Nay, when she sent her to bed on a ball night, and had someone else to sit up for her, Miss Burney rather ungraciously told her Majesty that this favour made her the more feel the necessity of her retreat, as it proved that her place ought to be supplied by one who could better perform her office. "She was not much pleased with this speech."

Mrs. Schwellenberg, as I have said, was aghast at the news; she thought it led to destruction, and offered to save her from the awful consequences. She took the paper to the queen, who, though much astonished, goodnaturedly proposed that Fanny should go to the country for six weeks to get better. In time the queen asked

after her health: "Are you not a little better-not a little-not a little bit?" But Fanny was resolved.

Nothing could be more affectionately gracious than the behaviour of the queen and royal family to their departing servant. There could not be anything very acceptable in the step Miss Burney was taking. Reasonable as it was, it seemed a slight; for the posts about the court were so eagerly sought and devotion to the family so much a matter of duty, it seemed that to enter into their service was to become theirs until death. Yet here was this clever young lady departing from the court under a sense of grievance and disgust, and conveying plainly that the service was unendurable.

The generous liberality of the queen was displayed in an extraordinary way. The young lady, who took on herself all the airs of a sacrificed heroine, even ventured to suggest arrangements for her successor, Mademoiselle Jacobi, whom she scarcely knew; urging that a young relation should be treated, not as a servant, but as her companion. This the good-natured queen listened to "with humane complacency." She treated her munificently; promised her two hundred a year from her own purse. She had her handkerchief to her eyes during the whole time of the farewell. The king came into the room to say good-bye, but seeing she was affected and kept her face turned away from him, with much delicacy quitted the room.

They all were now going. I took, for the last time, the cloak of the Queen, and, putting it over her

shoulders, slightly ventured to press them, earnestly saying, though in a low voice, 'God Almighty bless your Majesty!' She turned round, and, putting her hand upon my ungloved arm, pressed it with the greatest kindness, and said, 'May you be happy!'

"She left me overwhelmed with tender gratitude. The three eldest Princesses were in the next room : they ran in to me the moment the Queen went onward. Princess Augusta and Princess Elizabeth each took a hand, and the Princess Royal put hers over them. I could speak to none of them; but they repeated, 'I wish you happy! -I wish you health!' again and again, with the sweetest eagerness. They then set off for Kew. Here, therefore, end my Court Annals; after having lived in the service of Her Majesty five years within ten daysfrom July 17th, 1786, to July 7th, 1791." Such was Fanny Burney's leave-taking. It seems likely that in her later troubles and difficulties she must have often regretted the foolish and precipitate step she had taken.

After a long interval, and when Fanny had made her improvident marriage with a penniless French emigrant, M. d'Arblay, the queen did not lose sight of her, but even treated her with the greatest kindness and. consideration. She received her, and even aliowed her on occasions to attend her.

"The Queen was in her White Closet, working at a round table, with the four remaining Princesses, Augusta, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia. She received me most sweetly, and with a look of far better spirits than upon

my last admission. She permitted me, in the most gracious manner, to inquire about the Princess Royal, now Duchess of Wurtemberg.

"The Princesses Mary and Amelia had a little opening between them; and when the Queen was conversing with some lady who was teaching the Princess Sophia some work, they began a whispering conversation with me about my little boy. How tall is he?-how old is he?-is he fat or thin ?-is he like you or M. d'Arblay? &c., &c.-with sweet vivacity of interest,-the lovely Princess Amelia finishing her listening to my every answer with a 'dear little thing!' that made me long to embrace her as I have done in her childhood. She is now full as tall as Princess Royal, and as much formed; she looks seventeen, though only fourteen, but has an innocence, an Hebe blush, an air of modest candour, and a gentleness so caressingly inviting, of voice and eye, that I have seldom seen a more capitvating young creature. The Queen, catching the domestic theme, presently made inquiries herself, as to M. d'Arblay and the child, asking, with respect to the latter, 'Is he here?' as if she meant in the palace. I told her I had come so unexpectedly myself upon my father's difficulties, that I had not this time brought my little shadow. I believed, however, I should fetch him, as if I lengthened my stay, M. d'Arblay would come also. To be sure!' she said, as if feeling the trio's full objections to separating."

mv

CHAPTER XII.

ALLIANCES AND FAMILY TROUBLES.

By March, 1791, a sort of reconciliation had been brought about between the prince and his royal mother. "A gentleman," wrote Walpole, humorously, "who lives at the end of St. James's Park has been sent for by a lady who has a large house at the West-end, and they have kissed and are friends, which he notified by my toasting her health in a bumper at a club the other day." In spite of an occasional coldness, this queen, in the interest of herself and her family, seemed henceforward to strive to keep on good terms with her eldest son: a prudent course, as it was likely she would soon have no other protector to look to.

On November 23rd in this year their Majesties' second son, the Duke of York, was married to the eldest daughter of the King of Prussia, at the queen's desire. This was the most important of all the alliances that were made by the royal family. during the period of some sixty or seventy years that was to follow : until the era of that even more auspicious marriage of the Princess Royal of our time with the eldest son of the