MARY CARPENTER. 125 



and lovely woman," and that "she always had felt 

 a warm sympathy with her beautiful domestic 

 character." When the Prince of Wales was married 

 she was quite joyful, and followed all the details of 

 preparation with most devoted interest, and she said 

 to a friend, " What a love that family has given to 

 our country ! what a heart ! " Once she had the 

 honour of an interview with the Queen, and was pre- 

 sented by her Majesty with her " Leaves from our 

 Journal in the Highlands," on the fly-leaf of which 

 was written, " Mary Carpenter, from Victoria R." 

 Miss Carpenter was delighted with this, and also much 

 encouraged by the Queen taking an interest in her 

 work. In relating the story of her visit to Windsor 

 afterwards, she said : " People have asked me if I 

 did not feel nervous. I was not in the least so. I 

 was not going for myself, but for the women of India." 

 During this interview the Queen took a Scotch pebble 

 bracelet from her own arm and clasped it on that of 

 Mary Carpenter. This bracelet she valued most 

 highly. 



It would have been a sad thing if the old age of a 

 woman like Mary Carpenter had not been happy and 

 peaceful. But it was eminently so. For a little 

 while after her return from her third journey to India 

 she felt very lonely. Her sister Anna, who had been 

 her companion and support through all her work, 

 was dead ; her friends were afraid to visit her, became 

 they had learnt to think she was always busy, and 



