A NOBLEMAN arrived at Windsor at a late hour one Saturday night. On being introduced, he said, “I have brought down for your Majesty’s inspection some documents of great importance; but, as I shall be obliged to trouble you to examine them in detail, I will not encroach on the time of your Majesty tonight, but will request your attention tomorrow morning.” “Tomorrow morning,” repeated the Queen; “tomorrow is Sunday, my lord.” “True, your Majesty, but business of the state will not admit of delay.” “I am aware of that,” replied the Queen, “and, as your lordship could not have arrived earlier at the palace tonight, I will. if those papers are of such pressing importance, attend to their contents after church tomorrow morning.” So to church went the Queen and the Court, and to church went the noble lord; when, much to his surprise, the discourse was on the duties and obligations of the Christian Sabbath. “How did your lordship like the sermon?” asked the Queen. “Very much, indeed, your Majesty,” replied the nobleman. “Well, then,” retorted Her Majesty, “I will not conceal from you that, last night, I sent the clergyman the text from which he preached. I hope we shall all be improved by the sermon.” The Sunday passed without a single word being said relative to the State papers, and at night, when her Majesty was about to withdraw— “Tomorrow morning, my lord, at any hour you please,” said the Queen, turning to the nobleman— “as early as seven, my lord, if you like, we will look into the papers.” The nobleman said that he could not think of intruding on her Majesty at so early an hour: he thought nine o’clock would be quite soon enough. “No, no, my lord,” said the Queen: “as the papers are of importance, I wish them to have very early attention. However, if you wish it to be nine, be it so.” And at nine the next morning, the Queen was seated ready to receive the nobleman and his papers.
Another fact has been brought to light which tells us what manner of woman our good Queen was. A secretary of the London City Mission visited a small cottage at Windsor, with an old-world garden of sweet-smelling flowers in front, and upon taking a seat upon a Windsor chair, which had been dusted for him, was told, ‘That is the Queen’s chair.’ He was then told that one of the Royal Princesses had stopped her carriage to look at the flowers, and, upon hearing from the daughter that her mother was ill, went in to see her. The next day another Royal carriage drove up, and the Queen herself stepped out. ‘Of course,’ the daughter told the secretary, ‘we were greatly flurried, but the Queen said, “Don’t be put about. I come, not as a Queen, but as a Christian lady. Have you got a Bible?” She was given one, and she sat down on that chair and said, “I heard from my daughter of your long and sad illness, and I came to comfort you.” She took mother’s poor wasted hand in hers and said, “Put your trust in Jesus, and you will soon be in a land where there is no pain. You are a widow, so am I; we shall soon meet our beloved ones.” She then read the 14th chapter of the Gospel according to John (“let not your heart be troubled,” &c.), and knelt down on the floor and prayed for my mother. That wasn’t the only visit, for always since the Queen came to Windsor Castle she came to see mother once or twice a week, and always read the Word of God and always prayed.’