ROYALTY AND LABOUR 



surprise, I suggested, with a smile that was as 

 " childlike and bland " as that worn by the 

 Heathen Chinee, that no doubt if she approached 

 the Chief Constable of the County he might be 

 able to help her, so far as keeping the line of 

 route outside the show yard was concerned ; and 

 I believe that the difficulty was solved in this 

 way. Had it been anybody but a Marchioness 

 I should have concluded that, in the argot of the 

 smoking-room, she was " pulling my leg " when 

 she proposed such an enlargement of my sphere 

 of duties, but, of course, this, as an explanation, 

 is unthinkable in her ladyship's case. It probably 

 was only an astute method of ascertaining to 

 what extent I was prepared to accept responsibility, 

 and, if so, it entirely fulfilled its purpose. 



The present King, in the show yards he has 

 visited, has earned the same character for kindly 

 thoughtfulness as his illustrious father so long 

 enjoyed, and the broad-mindedness of his con- 

 sideration has been shown by actions within my 

 own knowledge. In 1907, when Prince of Wales, 

 he was president of the Bath and West Society, 

 and a few days before he paid his official visit 

 to the show, which was held at Newport (Mon.), 

 I received a request from him that at least one 

 Parliamentary representative of Labour should 

 be included among the, necessarily, select few 

 for the apartment was small who would have 

 seats at his Royal Highness's private luncheon 

 table. Further, having ascertained that most 

 of the Labour representatives of South Wales 

 proposed to be present at the show when he 

 attended it, he at once expressed a hope that they 



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