X INTRODUCTION. 



reluctance, allow it to fall in with the re- 

 gular routine of their housekeeping avoca- 

 tions. 



The most illustrious lady in the land — 

 The Queen — sets this example. Those 

 residents of Windsor who are in the habit 

 of taking an early morning walk, to enjoy 

 "the cool, the fragrant, and the silent hour," 

 in the splendid demesne, proudly crowned 

 by its ancient castle, must have often seen 

 two persons in plain attire, tripping lightly 

 across that pleasant meadow called " Datchet 

 Mead," in order to visit a farm at the ex- 

 tremity of the Home-park. These persons are 

 Her Majesty and Prince Albert, pursuing 

 their way to the dairy and poultry -yard, 

 and in their progress sporting with their in- 

 fants, who are either mounted upon their 

 piebald ponies or driving their well-trained 

 goats in a phaeton. It is impossible to witness 

 the unaffected enjoyment of the royal couple 



