Private

Livy darling, I must not attempt a Scenery letter, it would seduce me into spinning out too long; & I must reserve my strength for the duties of these stirring times. I’ve had rattling good luck, as to blunders rs. Turue, the valet didn’t ask for my shoes yesterday afternoon (had to remind him myself)—all was explained, in the evening when I observed that I was the old only male creature in the drawing room who hadn’t patent leathers on. Yes, that omission was a blunder, but I had score a great success to make up for it: to-wit, although I had a burning desire to speak to her royal highness about those unleucky shoes, I resisted it & didn’t do it. And I had another lucky accident. Sitting at her right at dinner, I fell to delivering pretty free but appreciative & adm[ir]ing comments upon an oil portrait on the wall, & it so happened that God had allowed her to have painted it. As I hadn’t suspected that, wasn’t it a lucky stroke? I was saying I supposed it was a portraidt, but that maybe it wasn’t, because there was a grace & ease in the attitude & a deep & gracious something in the expression that suggested that it must be a composition. She called that a fine compliment; & when I asked “to the portra picture, or to the artist?” she said to the artist, which was herself. God was very good to me in this instance. But I was less fortunate by & by; earlier; for when I had finished writing you, yesterday evening, I went down into the long corridor, & she was just entering a door. It was dim; I could not be sure it was she, but I thought I had better speak, for I was nearly sure; so I drew back respectfully, & said inquiringly, “Your royal highness?” Now you see, I should have been all right if I hadn’t hadn’t the letter in my hand; but that, & my inquiring inflection, made her think I had been looking around the house for her, to ask how I was to mail my letter. So she said she would show me; & she led the way down the corridor, & I was very sorry it proved so far. But I couldn’t know it would be so far. It would have been further, but an officer a soldier happened to cross our path & she gave the letter to him. So I was I all right, again; & I remained right, at least untillⒶemendation we had got back to where we had started from. Then, just as I was talking my leave & she had her hand on the door knob, I had the ill luck to intimate that I hadn’t been able to find the smoking room. So she took me back over the same ground, & found the smoking room, & it was only about towo rooms beyond where we had met the soldier. I believe I could have found it myself; for it was a perfectly straight line. She ordered a fire made; & then crossed the room & closed a door that was letting in some cold—but really she had done that before I could divine her purpose, so it was not possible for me to be quick enough to do it for her. O dear, it was a great pity that I should make all this trouble; & yet I was glad, in a way, too, because it showed what a human right heart a queen’s daughter can have, in spite of the chanctes she has to get it spoilled. She sent me some magazines, presently—which was (upon my word & honor I never hinted to her that I wanted magazines,—do not it was her own idea—do not blame me for th at least the things I do not do—& I had a ten minute smoke before going to dress. I was all right, after that; I did not make another blunder between that & dinner, I think.