Her Catholic Majesty 



kept on the roof till she littered, and furnished roast-pig for 

 a month. 



When we came to all the little pigs, it reminded us we 

 were hungry, and we returned to our restaurant^ inquiring, 

 as we passed the palace gates, what time the Queen was 

 likely to come out ; but they said it was uncertain. So we 

 dined, and returned to the gardens, and loitered about 

 among the flowers and statues, till the gay manta of sunset 

 was weaving in the western sky, and it was almost time to 

 think of returning to Madrid. 



Just as we were moving away, there was a trampling of 

 horses in the distance, and the royal cortege of trundling 

 carriages and trotting guards came by. We saw her 

 Catholic Majesty very tolerably as she passed. But our 

 acquaintance was not to be so transitory. The whole line 

 wheeled round in a semicircle, and drew up before a house 

 in the great plaxa^ next the garden. 



An old lady and a bald-headed gentleman came out on the 

 balcony over the colonnade. These were the Queen Mother 

 and Sefior Munoz. We drew near to see and hear 

 what passed, and stood, with our hats off, under the 

 colonnade, within three or four yards of the Queen's 

 panel, while she talked over our heads to her relatives on 

 the balcony. 



She spoke in a clear, pleasant, natural voice, so that every 

 word could be heard both by those above and below. The 

 matter was entirely domestic : inquiring about Christina's 

 children, who had the measles (which, by the way, accounted 

 for this sort of visit, by the fear of the little Princess of 

 Asturias catching them) ; she related how her own baby had 

 been, and took it from the gaily-dressed Asturian nurse, and 

 held it up to be looked at. 



As far as I remember, the presumptive heiress of all the 



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