200 WAYFARING NOTIONS 



Other homicidal lunatics ; but, for all one might 

 see, the Prince would take his ease at Newmarket 

 without bodyguard, and like any other member 

 of the Jockey Club, or, for that matter, the least 

 inconsiderable item of the congregation. His 

 safety was no doubt studiously guarded, but the 

 way in which he went about showed plentiful 

 faith in precaution being unnecessary, if advis- 

 able. Scarcely in any other European country 

 might a parallel spectacle be presented to that 

 of the Prince of Wales riding on the Heath, with 

 only one attendant, and perhaps no one else in 

 sight, or strolling solitary in the High Street, 

 ''all by himself," "single-handed," yet with any 

 amount of traffic going on near. Many have 

 quoted this quite ordinary occurrence as one for 

 Prince and people alike to be proud of because 

 of the confidence shown — and merited ; and, to 

 be sure, so it was, for its being possible spoke 

 volumes. Moreover, the British Public came out 

 strongly indeed, thanks to their common-sense, 

 grasping the situation to a nicety, and doing 

 exactly the right thing at the right time. For 

 this same the intelligent foreigner might have 

 blamed instead of admiring them, drawing con- 

 clusions wrong as wrong could be. To pass such 

 a personage without appearing to notice his 

 presence and make no formal recognition by 

 way of hat-raising seemed gross breach of good 

 manners, to say the least of it. Quite a mistake. 

 A hundred, or for that matter a thousand, might 

 do this altogether with good intent perfectly 

 fitting the occasion. Only kindly regard was 

 shown in what was open to be read by the 

 uninitated as disrespect, but was really in accord- 

 ance with an unwritten canon of Court etiquette. 



