CHAPTER XXIV

The Princess in a merry mood--How Prince Ferdinand deluged the tablecloth--A curtain lecture for Princess Marie?--The royal children--Elizabeth a beauty--Mignonne (Marie) “a beautiful little snow-maiden,” yet piquant and merry--Ileana of the china-blue eyes has a great idea of her own importance--Prince Carol, a fine fellow, learns politeness--He and Elizabeth eat raw carrots in the Minister’s garden--A war game with Pat Kennedy, when neither would be a Boer--Pretty Prince Nicolas, “a little terror”--Nicolas as a sailor--His watch on deck and his sea-strut--An adventure at Piræus--A sailor valet--Nicolas’s first communion and his struggle with the bread--The royal governesses--A little story about the Queen of Holland.

Princess Marie must often have been amused at the German habits of the people by whom she was surrounded. Although King Carol was so firm in not allowing her to be accompanied by even one English lady-in-waiting, that did not prevent him from surrounding himself with Germans. To a large extent the etiquette of the Court was German, and unrefined German practices were frequently observable at table.

As many people are aware, they had a horrid habit in the highest circles in the Fatherland of rinsing the mouth at table after eating, and then ejecting the water into a finger-glass. On the occasion of a big dinner-party, a few weeks after the marriage, Princess Marie was in a gay mood. Seeing her husband perform the customary mouth ablution, and prompted by a spirit of mischief, she raised her finger and poked it into his distended cheek. Tableau! The water spurted across the table, and there was something like consternation for a moment or two. For my own part, I was rejoiced when the scene was described to me by a friend who was present. It showed that the poor little lonely Princess had not lost her spirit. Prince Ferdinand had sense enough not to appear angry, whatever he may have felt, but the King was inexpressibly shocked.

The present King and Queen have now five children, two sons and three daughters, all of them handsome, as might be expected with such handsome parents.

Princess Elizabeth, the eldest girl, now the wife of the Crown Prince of Greece, is a great beauty, with perfect features and lovely fair hair.

Princess Marie (the second girl), or Mignonne, as she is affectionately called, was a beautiful little snow-maiden. She is quite healthy, I believe, but one cannot help being struck with the perfect whiteness of her skin; her hand lies in yours like a snowflake. Her nose is of the _retroussé_ type, and, together with a merry pair of grey eyes, gives a piquant expression to her face.

The youngest girl, Ileana, is also fair, with china-blue eyes. Even as a very young child she had a great idea of her own importance, and if the person to whom she was presented did not please her she could not be induced to be pleasant. At the garden parties at Sinaia it was most amusing to watch her parading about among the guests with quite a consequential air, and she was not much more than a baby then.

Prince Carol, the eldest son, recently married to Princess Hélène of Greece, is a fine fellow, though I dare say he is much changed since the days when it was his greatest delight to get with his sister Elizabeth into the garden of M. Costinescu, Minister of Finance, and eat raw carrots! Well, I dare say they did them no harm, as no complaint has ever been made of their digestions.

At that time Prince Carol’s playmate was little Pat Kennedy, the youngest son of Sir John Kennedy, the English Minister. Usually they agreed very well together, but one day (it was during the Boer War) King Carol happened to pass through the apartment where the children were playing. To his surprise a heated discussion was taking place. On inquiring the cause of the dispute, he found that they wished to play soldiers, but neither of them would consent to be a Boer!

The King soon settled the point; he ruled that as Pat was English, he must act the English soldier, while Prince Carol, greatly to his disgust, was obliged to take the part of a Boer. He exclaimed, “I don’t care. I have an English mother anyhow.”

Prince Nicolas, the second son, named after the Czar of Russia, is a nice boy. When tiny he was almost too pretty for a boy. He was, however, a real little terror.

At the afternoon teas at the palace he was occasionally present with his brother and sisters. He would offer cake with such insistence that one was obliged to take some whether one wished it or not. I remember an acquaintance of mine being asked to recite at one of the Princess’s “At homes.” All the time she was reciting she was intently watched by Prince Nicolas. Immediately she had finished, the little imp placed himself in front of her and faithfully imitated every one of her gestures, to the great amusement of the assembled company, but rather to the confusion of my friend.

Prince Nicolas was thought to be rather delicate, and was frequently ordered to take sea voyages, much to his delight, as he was very fond of the sea. On one of those voyages, a few years ago, a small adventure befell him. Princess Mignonne and he, accompanied by a confidential maid, embarked on a Roumanian steamer bound for Greece. Some friends of mine, M. and Mme. Nacescu and their daughter, who were also on board, gave me an interesting account of how Prince Nicolas comported himself. A thorough little sailor, he could be seen strutting the deck whatever the weather, generally with a huge chunk of bread sticking out of his pocket, at which he nibbled from time to time. Whilst the ship was lying at the Piræus, the port of Athens, the Greek military authorities took it into their heads that a soldier who had deserted was concealed on board.

There was a great hubbub, as both Greeks and Roumanians are always quick with their tongues. During the search that was made of the steamer, and the heated altercations which accompanied it, the royal children were kept closely to their cabin. The deserter was not found, so the Greeks were perforce obliged to withdraw. On the children regaining their freedom, little Prince Nicolas was heard to exclaim, “When we get back to Roumania and send a lot of our men here, then these Greeks will see something!”

He took a great fancy to one of the sailors on board, and, as he would not be separated from him, the sailor was obliged to attend him on his return home as a sort of valet.

I met them in the woods at Sinaia one day, and it was most amusing to watch their proceedings. Princess Mignonne, Nicolas, and the maid were in front, the sailor some paces behind. The last-named was carrying something for the Prince--a knife, I believe; and he must assuredly have wished himself back on his ship to have a little peace. Nicolas would give him the knife to carry, then after a few steps he would turn and take it from him. This play was kept up till the children were out of sight, and I dare say it was continued much longer.

One Sunday all the royal children were at the monastery in Sinaia for service. It is the custom in the Greek Church for all children, whatever their age, to take the communion. Bread only is partaken of; the forehead is touched by the priest with a little brush dipped in oil; the communicant kisses the priest’s hand, and the ceremony is ended.

Prince Carol, as the eldest, went up first to partake, the others following according to age. Little Nicolas, the youngest, was of course last, and, being in a panic lest he should be left there alone, he seized in his haste such a large piece of bread, that as they were filing out of church he could still be seen surreptitiously stuffing his finger into his mouth in an effort to facilitate its passage.

And now Nicolas is a big boy at Eton. I wonder if he retains his nautical tastes.

When the royal children were of an age to begin lessons, the first governess they had was an Irish lady, Miss F----, of whom the little ones were very fond. Princess Marie, at a later period, went to Germany on a visit to her mother, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and upon her return she found that Miss W----, an Englishwoman and a former governess of the Queen of Holland, had been installed as governess to the children. It was said that she had been appointed by King Carol. Princess Marie certainly took umbrage at the arrangement, and said that she herself was the proper person to decide who should be the governess of her children. She never rested till Miss W---- was relieved of her charge.

I may be forgiven for relating here a little anecdote of Miss W----’s experiences at the Court of Holland. It appears that on one occasion the present Queen had incurred the displeasure of her governess, and as a punishment she was told to draw the map of Europe. This she did, but not restricting herself to the actual features of the map, she drew it to suit her own ideas, and probably with a spice of revenge governing them. When the map was finished Holland appeared in it a vast country, whilst England was the merest speck in the ocean.

The next governess to be engaged for the royal children of Roumania was Miss M----, who educated the children of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, and gained a great deal of credit through the social success of those charming sisters.