worldly ways and byways-第21章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



crowned　heads　to　get　a　taste　of　the　fun；　that　beyond　drawing　their　

salaries；　these　good　people　have　absolutely　nothing　to　do；　except　

to　amuse　themselves；　it　is　no　wonder　that　this　happy　land　is　

crowded　with　royal　pleasure…seekers。



After　a　try　at　Florence　and　Aix；　〃the　Queen〃　has　been　faithful　to　

Cimiez；　a　charming　site　back　of　Nice。　　That　gay　city　is　always　EN　

FETE　the　day　she　arrives；　as　her　carriages　pass　surrounded　by　

French　cavalry；　one　can　catch　a　glimpse　of　her　big　face；　and　dowdy　

little　figure；　which　nevertheless　she　can　make　so　dignified　when　

occasion　requires。　　The　stay　here　is；　indeed；　a　holiday　for　this　

record…breaking　sovereign；　who　potters　about　her　private　grounds　of　

a　morning　in　a　donkey…chair；　sunning　herself　and　watching　her　

Battenberg　grandchildren　at　play。　　In　the　afternoon；　she　drives　a　

couple　of　hours　…　in　an　open　carriage　…　one　outrider　in　black　

livery　alone　distinguishing　her　turnout　from　the　others。



The　Prince　of　Wales　makes　his　headquarters　at　Cannes　where　he　has　

poor　luck　in　sailing　the　Brittania；　for　which　he　consoles　himself　

with　jolly　dinners　at　Monte　Carlo。　　You　can　see　him　almost　any　

evening　in　the　RESTAURANT　DE　PARIS；　surrounded　by　his　own　

particular　set；　…　the　Duchess　of　Devonshire　（who　started　a　

penniless　German　officer's　daughter；　and　became　twice　a　duchess）；　

Lady　de　Grey　and　Lady　Wolverton；　both　showing　near　six　feet　of　

slender　English　beauty；　at　their　side；　and　lovelier　than　either；　

the　Countess　of　Essex。　　The　husbands　of　these　〃Merry　Wives〃　are　

absent；　but　do　not　seem　to　be　missed；　as　the　ladies　sit　smoking　and　

laughing　over　their　coffee；　the　party　only　breaking　up　towards　

eleven　o'clock　to　try　its　luck　at　TRENTE　ET　QUARANTE；　until　a　

〃special〃　takes　them　back　to　Cannes。



He　is　getting　sadly　old　and　fat；　is　England's　heir；　the　likeness　to　

his　mamma　becoming　more　marked　each　year。　　His　voice；　too；　is　oddly　

like　hers；　deep　and　guttural；　more　adapted　to　the　paternal　German　

（which　all　this　family　speak　when　alone）　than　to　his　native　

English。　　Hair；　he　has　none；　except　a　little　fringe　across　the　back　

of　his　head；　just　above　a　fine　large　roll　of　fat　that　blushes　above　

his　shirt…collar。　　Too　bad　that　this　discovery　of　the　microbe　of　

baldness　comes　rather　late　for　him！　　He　has　a　pleasant　twinkle　in　

his　small　eyes；　and　an　entire　absence　of　POSE；　that　accounts　

largely　for　his　immense　and　enduring　popularity。



But　the　Hotel　Cap　Martin　shelters　quieter　crowned　heads。　　The　

Emperor　and　Empress　of　Austria；　who　tramp　about　the　hilly　roads；　

the　King　and　Queen　of　Saxony　and　the　fat　Arch…duchess　Stephanie。　　

Austria's　Empress　looks　sadly　changed　and　ill；　as　does　another　lady　

of　whom　one　can　occasionally　catch　a　glimpse；　walking　painfully　

with　a　crutch…stick　in　the　shadow　of　the　trees　near　her　villa。　　It　

is　hard　to　believe　that　this　white…haired；　bent　old　woman　was　once　

the　imperial　beauty　who　from　the　salons　of　the　Tuileries　dictated　

the　fashions　of　the　world！　　Few　have　paid　so　dearly　for　their　brief　

hour　of　splendor！



Cannes　with　its　excellent　harbor　is　the　centre　of　interest　during　

the　racing　season　when　the　Tsarewitsch　comes　on　his　yacht　Czaritza。　　

At　the　Battle　of　Flowers；　one　is　pretty　sure　to　see　the　Duke　of　

Cambridge；　his　Imperial　Highness；　the　Grand　Duke　Michael；　Prince　

Christian　of　Denmark；　H。R。H。　the　Duke　of　Nassau；　H。R。H。　the　

Archduke　Ferdinand　d'Este；　their　Serene　Highnesses　of　Mecklenburg…

Schwerin　and　the　Saxe…Coburg…Gothas；　also　H。R。H。　Marie　Valerie　and　

the　Schleswig…Holsteins；　pelting　each　other　and　the　public　with　

CONFETTI　and　flowers。　　Indeed；　half　the　A1MANACH　DE　GOTHA；　that　

continental　〃society　list；〃　seems　to　be　sunning　itself　here　and　

forgetting　its　cares；　on　bicycles　or　on　board　yachts。　　It　is　said　

that　the　Crown　Princess　of　Honolulu　（whoever　she　may　be）　honors　

Mentone　with　her　presence；　and　the　newly　deposed　Queen　〃Ranavalo〃　

of　Madagascar　is　EN　ROUTE　to　join　in　the　fun。



This　crowd　of　royalty　reminds　me　of　a　story　the　old　sea…dogs　who　

gather　about　the　〃Admirals'　corner〃　of　the　Metropolitan　Club　in　

Washington；　love　to　tell　you。　　An　American　cockswain；　dazzled　by　a　

doubly　royal　visit；　with　attending　suites；　on　board　the　old　

〃Constitution；〃　came　up　to　his　commanding　officer　and　touching　his　

cap；　said：



〃Beg　pardon；　Admiral；　but　one　of　them　kings　has　tumbled　down　the　

gangway　and　broke　his　leg。〃



It　has　become　a　much　more　amusing　thing　to　wear　a　crown　than　it　

was。　　Times　have　changed　indeed　since　Marie　Laczinska　lived　the　

fifty　lonely　years　of　her　wedded　life　and　bore　her　many　children；　

in　one　bed…room　at　Versailles　…　a　monotony　only　broken　by　visits　to　

Fontainebleau　or　Marly。　　Shakespeare's　line　no　longer　fits　the　

case。



Beyond　securing　rich　matches　for　their　children；　and　keeping　a　

sharp　lookout　that　the　Radicals　at　home　do　not　unduly　cut　down　

their　civil　lists；　these　great　ones　have　little　but　their　

amusements　to　occupy　them。　　Do　they　ever　reflect；　as　they　rush　

about　visiting　each　other　and　squabbling　over　precedence　when　they　

meet；　that　some　fine　morning　the　tax…payers　may　wake　up；　and　ask　

each　other　why　they　are　being　crushed　under　such　heavy　loads；　that　

eight　hundred　or　more　quite　useless　people　may　pass　their　lives　in　

foreign　watering…places；　away　from　their　homes　and　their　duties？　　

It　will　be　a　bad　day　for　them　when　the　long…suffering　subjects　say　

to　them；　〃Since　we　get　on　so　exceedingly　well　during　your　many　

visits　abroad；　we　think　we　will　try　how　it　will　work　without　you　at　

all！〃



The　Prince　of　little　Monaco　seems　to　be　about　the　only　one　up　to　

the　situation；　for　he　at　least　stays　at　home；　and　in　connection　

with　two　other　gentlemen　runs　an　exceedingly　good　hotel　and　several　

restaurants　on　his　estates；　doing　all　he　can　to　attract　money　into　

the　place；　while　making　the　strictest　laws　to　prevent　his　subjects　

gambling　at　the　famous　tables。　　Now　if　other　royalties　instead　of　

amusing　themselves　all　the　year　round　would　go　in　for　something　

practical　like　this；　they　might　become　useful　members　of　the　

community。　　This　idea　of　Monaco's　Prince　strikes　one　as　most　

timely；　and　as　opening　a　career　for　other　indigent　crowned　heads。　　

Hotels　are　getting　so　good　and　so　numerous；　that　without　some　

especial　〃attraction〃　a　new　one　can　hardly　succeed；　but　a　

〃Hohenzollern　House〃　well　situated　in　Berlin；　with　William　II。　to　

receive　the　tourists　at　the　door；　and　his　fat　wife　at　the　desk；　

would　be　sure　to　prosper。　　It　certainly　would　be　pleasanter　for　him　

to　spend　money　so　honestly　earned　than　the　millions　wrested　from　

half…starving　peasants　which　form　his　present　income。　　Besides　

there　is　almost　as　much　gold　lace　on　a　hotel　employee's　livery　as　

on　a　court　costume！



The　numerous　crowned　heads　one　meets　wandering　about；　can　hardly　

lull　themselves　over　their　〃games〃　with　the　flattering　unction　that　

they　are　of　use；　for；　have　they　not　France　before　them　（which　they　

find　so　much　to　their　taste）　stronger；　richer；　more　respected　than　

ever　since　she　shook　herself　free　of　such　incumbrances？　　Not　to　

mention　our　own　democratic　country；　which　has　managed　to　hold　its　

own；　in　spite　of　their　many　gleeful　predictions　to　the　contrary。









CHAPTER　18　…　A　Rock　Ahead





HAVING　had　occasion　several　times　during　this　past　season；　to　pass　

by　the　larger　stores　in　the　vicinity　of　Twenty…third　Street；　I　have　

been　struck　more　than　ever；　by　the　endless　flow　of　womankind　that　

beats　against　the　doors　of　those　establishments。　　If　they　were　

temples　where　a　beneficent　deity　was　distributing　health；　learning；　

and　all　the　good　things　of　existence；　the　rush　could　hardly　have　

been　greater。　　It　saddened　me　to　realize　that　each　of　the　eager　

women　I　saw　was；　on　the　contrary；　dispensing　something　of　her　

strength　and　brain；　as　well　as　the　wearily　earned　stipend　of　the　

men　of　her　family　（if　not　her　own）；　for　what　could　be　of　l