queen victoria-第41章

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lost　her　independence。　And　yet　upon　somebody　she　longed　to　depend。　Her　days　were　heavy　with　the　long　process　of　domination。　As　she　drove　in　silence　over　the　moors　she　leaned　back　in　the　carriage；　oppressed　and　weary；　but　what　a　reliefJohn　Brown　was　behind　on　the　rumble；　and　his　strong　arm　would　be　there　for　her　to　lean　upon　when　she　got　out。

He　had；　too；　in　her　mind；　a　special　connection　with　Albert。　In　their　expeditions　the　Prince　had　always　trusted　him　more　than　anyone；　the　gruff；　kind；　hairy　Scotsman　was；　she　felt；　in　some　mysterious　way；　a　legacy　from　the　dead。　She　came　to　believe　at　lastor　so　it　appearedthat　the　spirit　of　Albert　was　nearer　when　Brown　was　near。　Often；　when　seeking　inspiration　over　some　complicated　question　of　political　or　domestic　import；　she　would　gaze　with　deep　concentration　at　her　late　husband's　bust。　But　it　was　also　noticed　that　sometimes　in　such　moments　of　doubt　and　hesitation　Her　Majesty's　looks　would　fix　themselves　upon　John　Brown。

Eventually；　the　〃simple　mountaineer〃　became　almost　a　state　personage。　The　influence　which　he　wielded　was　not　to　be　overlooked。　Lord　Beaconsfield　was　careful；　from　time　to　time；　to　send　courteous　messages　to　〃Mr。　Brown〃　in　his　letters　to　the　Queen；　and　the　French　Government　took　particular　pains　to　provide　for　his　comfort　during　the　visits　of　the　English　Sovereign　to　France。　It　was　only　natural　that　among　the　elder　members　of　the　royal　family　he　should　not　have　been　popular；　and　that　his　failingsfor　failings　he　had；　though　Victoria　would　never　notice　his　too　acute　appreciation　of　Scotch　whiskyshould　have　been　the　subject　of　acrimonious　comment　at　Court。　But　he　served　his　mistress　faithfully；　and　to　ignore　him　would　be　a　sign　of　disrespect　to　her　biographer。　For　the　Queen；　far　from　making　a　secret　of　her　affectionate　friendship；　took　care　to　publish　it　to　the　world。　By　her　orders　two　gold　medals　were　struck　in　his　honour；　on　his　death；　in　1883；　a　long　and　eulogistic　obituary　notice　of　him　appeared　in　the　Court　Circular；　and　a　Brown　memorial　broochof　gold；　with　the　late　gillie's　head　on　one　side　and　the　royal　monogram　on　the　otherwas　designed　by　Her　Majesty　for　presentation　to　her　Highland　servants　and　cottagers；　to　be　worn　by　them　on　the　anniversary　of　his　death；　with　a　mourning　scarf　and　pins。　In　the　second　series　of　extracts　from　the　Queen's　Highland　Journal；　published　in　1884；　her　〃devoted　personal　attendant　and　faithful　friend〃　appears　upon　almost　every　page；　and　is　in　effect　the　hero　of　the　book。　With　an　absence　of　reticence　remarkable　in　royal　persons；　Victoria　seemed　to　demand；　in　this　private　and　delicate　matter；　the　sympathy　of　the　whole　nation；　and　yetsuch　is　the　worldthere　were　those　who　actually　treated　the　relations　between　their　Sovereign　and　her　servant　as　a　theme　for　ribald　jests。

II

The　busy　years　hastened　away；　the　traces　of　Time's　unimaginable　touch　grew　manifest；　and　old　age；　approaching；　laid　a　gentle　hold　upon　Victoria。　The　grey　hair　whitened；　the　mature　features　mellowed；　the　short　firm　figure　amplified　and　moved　more　slowly；　supported　by　a　stick。　And；　simultaneously；　in　the　whole　tenour　of　the　Queen's　existence　an　extraordinary　transformation　came　to　pass。　The　nation's　attitude　towards　her；　critical　and　even　hostile　as　it　had　been　for　so　many　years；　altogether　changed；　while　there　was　a　corresponding　alteration　in　the　temper　ofVictoria's　own　mind。

Many　causes　led　to　this　result。　Among　them　were　the　repeated　strokes　of　personal　misfortune　which　befell　the　Queen　during　a　cruelly　short　space　of　years。　In　1878　the　Princess　Alice；　who　had　married　in　1862　the　Prince　Louis　of　HesseDarmstadt；　died　in　tragic　circumstances。　In　the　following　year　the　Prince　Imperial；　the　only　son　of　the　Empress　Eugenie；　to　whom　Victoria；　since　the　catastrophe　of　1870；　had　become　devotedly　attached；　was　killed　in　the　Zulu　War。　Two　years　later；　in　1881；　the　Queen　lost　Lord　Beaconsfield；　and；　in　1883；　John　Brown。　In　1884　the　Prince　Leopold；　Duke　of　Albany；　who　had　been　an　invalid　from　birth；　died　prematurely；　shortly　after　his　marriage。　Victoria's　cup　of　sorrows　was　indeed　overflowing；　and　the　public；　as　it　watched　the　widowed　mother　weeping　for　her　children　and　her　friends；　displayed　a　constantly　increasing　sympathy。

An　event　which　occurred　in　1882　revealed　and　accentuated　the　feelings　of　the　nation。　As　the　Queen；　at　Windsor；　was　walking　from　the　train　to　her　carriage；　a　youth　named　Roderick　Maclean　fired　a　pistol　at　her　from　a　distance　of　a　few　yards。　An　Eton　boy　struck　up　Maclean's　arm　with　an　umbrella　before　the　pistol　went　off；　no　damage　was　done；　and　the　culprit　was　at　once　arrested。　This　was　the　last　of　a　series　of　seven　attempts　upon　the　Queenattempts　which；　taking　place　at　sporadic　intervals　over　a　period　of　forty　years；　resembled　one　another　in　a　curious　manner。　All；　with　a　single　exception；　were　perpetrated　by　adolescents；　whose　motives　were　apparently　not　murderous；　since；　save　in　the　case　of　Maclean；　none　of　their　pistols　was　loaded。　These　unhappy　youths；　who；　after　buying　their　cheap　weapons；　stuffed　them　with　gunpowder　and　paper；　and　then　went　off；　with　the　certainty　of　immediate　detection；　to　click　them　in　the　face　of　royalty；　present　a　strange　problem　to　the　psychologist。　But；　though　in　each　case　their　actions　and　their　purposes　seemed　to　be　so　similar；　their　fates　were　remarkably　varied。　The　first　of　them；　Edward　Oxford；　who　fired　at　Victoria　within　a　few　months　of　her　marriage；　was　tried　for　high　treason；　declared　to　be　insane；　and　sent　to　an　asylum　for　life。　It　appears；　however；　that　this　sentence　did　not　commend　itself　to　Albert；　for　when；　two　years　later；　John　Francis　committed　the　same　of　fence；　and　was　tried　upon　the　same　charge；　the　Prince　propounced　that　there　was　no　insanity　in　the　matter。　〃The　wretched　creature；〃　he　told　his　father；　was　〃not　out　of　his　mind；　but　a　thorough　scamp。〃　〃I　hope；〃　he　added；　〃his　trial　will　be　conducted　with　the　greatest　strictness。〃　Apparently　it　was；　at　any　rate；　the　jury　shared　the　view　of　the　Prince；　the　plea　of　insanity　was；　set　aside；　and　Francis　was　found　guilty　of　high　treason　and　condemned　to　death；　but；　as　there　was　no　proof　of　an　intent　to　kill　or　even　to　wound；　this　sentence；　after　a　lengthened　deliberation　between　the　Home　Secretary　and　the　Judges；　was　commuted　for　one　of　transportation　for　life。　As　the　law　stood；　these　assaults；　futile　as　they　were；　could　only　be　treated　as　high　treason；　the　discrepancy　between　the　actual　deed　and　the　tremendous　penalties　involved　was　obviously　grotesque；　and　it　was；　besides；　clear　that　a　jury；　knowing　that　a　verdict　of　guilty　implied　a　sentence　of　death；　would　tend　to　the　alternative　course；　and　find　the　prisoner　not　guilty　but　insanea　conclusion　which；　on　the　face　of　it；　would　have　appeared　to　be　the　more　reasonable。　In　1842；　therefore；　an　Act　was　passed　making　any　attempt　to　hurt　the　Queen　a　misdemeanor；　punishable　by　transportation　for　seven　years；　or　imprisonment；　with　or　without　hard　labour；　for　a　term　not　exceeding　three　yearsthe　misdemeanant；　at　the　discretion　of　the　Court；　〃to　be　publicly　or　privately　whipped；　as　often；　and　in　such　manner　and　form；　as　the　Court　shall　direct；　not　exceeding　thrice。〃　The　four　subsequent　attempts　were　all　dealt　with　under　this　new　law；　William　Bean；　in　1842；　was　sentenced　to　eighteen　months'　imprisonment；　William　Hamilton；　in　1849；　was　transported　for　seven　years；　and；　in　1850；　the　same　sentence　was　passed　upon　Lieutenant　Robert　Pate；　who　struck　the　Queen　on　the　head　with　his　cane　in　Piccadilly。　Pate；　alone　among　these　delinquents；　was　of　mature　years；　he　had　held　a　commission　in　the　Army；　dressed　himself　as　a　dandy；　and　was；　the　Prince　declared；　〃manifestly　deranged。〃　In　1872　Arthur　O'Connor；　a　youth　of　seventeen；　fired　an　unloaded　pistol　at　the　Queen　outside　Buckingham　Palace；　he　was　immediately　seized　by　John　Brown；　and　sentenced　to　one　year's　imprisonment　and　twenty　strokes　of　the　birch　rod。　It　was　for　his　bravery　upon　this　occasion　that　Brown　was　presented　with　one　of　his　gold　medals。　In　all　these　cases　the　jury　had　refused　to　allow　the　plea　of　insanity；　but　Roderick　Maclean's　attempt　in　1882　had　a　different　issue。　On　this　occasion　the　pistol　was　found　to　have　been　loaded；　and　the　public　indignation；　emphasised　as　it　was　by　Victoria's　growing　popularity；　was　particularly　great。　Either　for　this　or　for　some　other　reason　the　procedure　of　the　last　forty　years　was　abandoned；　and　Maclean　was　tried　for　high　treason。　The　result　was　what　might　have　been　expected：　the　jury　brought　in　a　verdict　of　〃not　guilty；　but　insane〃；　and　the　prisoner　was　sent　to　an　asylum　during　Her　Majesty's　pleasure。　Their　verdict；　however；　produced　a　remarkable　consequence。　Victoria；　who　doubtless　carried　in　her　mind　some　memory　of　Albert's　disapproval　of　a　similar　verdict　in　the　case　of　Oxford；　was　very　much　annoyed。　What　did　the　jury　mean；　she　asked；　by　saying　that　Maclean　was　not　guilty？　It　was　perfectly　clear　that　he　was　guiltyshe　had　seen　him　fire　off　the　pistol　herself。　It　was　in　vain　that　Her　Majesty's　constitutional　advisers　reminded　her　of　the　principle　of　English　law　which　lays　down　that　no　man　can　be　found　guilty　of　a　crime　unless　he　be　proved　to　have　had　a　criminal　intention。　Victoria　was　quite　unconvinced。　〃If　that　is　the　law；〃　she　said；　〃the　law　must　be　altered：〃　and　altered　it　was。　In　1883　an　Act　was　passed　changing　the　form　of　the　verdict　in　cases　of　insanity；　and　the　confusing　anomaly　remains　upon　the　Statute　Book　to　this　day。

But　it　was　not　only　through　the　feelingscommiserating　or　indignantof　personal　sympathy　that　the　Queen　and　her　people　were　being　drawn　more　nearly　together；　they　were　beginning；　at　last；　to　come　to　a　close　and　permanent　agreement　upon　the　conduct　of　public　affairs。　Mr。　Gladstone's　second　administration　（1880…85）　was　a　succession　of　failures；　ending　in　disaster　and　disgrace；　liberalism　fell　into　discredit　with　the　country；　and　Victoria　perceived　with　joy　that　her　distrust　of　her　Ministers　was　shared　by　an　ever…increasing　number　of　her　subjects。　During　the　crisis　in　the　Sudan；　the　popular　temper　was　her　own。　She　had　been　among　the　first　to　urge　the　necessity　of　an　expedition　to　Khartoum；　and；　when　the　news　came　of　the　catastrophic　death　of　General　Gordon；　her　voice　led　the　chorus　of　denunciation　which　raved　against　the　Government。　In　her　rage；　she　despatched　a　fulminating　telegram　to　Mr。　Gladstone；　not　in　the　usual　cypher；　but　open；　and　her　letter　of　condolence　to　Miss　Gordon；　in　which　she　attacked　her　Ministers　for　breach　of　faith；　was　widely　published。　It　was　rumoured　that　she　had　sent　for　Lord　Hartington；　the　Secretary　of　State　for　War；　and　vehemently　upbraided　him。　〃She　rated　me；〃　he　was　reported　to　have　told　a　friend；　〃as　if　I'd　been　a　footman。〃　〃Why　didn't　she　send　for　the　butler？〃　asked　his　friend。　〃Oh；〃　was　the　reply；　〃the　butler　generally　manages　to　keep　out　of　the　way　on　such　occasions。〃

But　the　day　came　when　it　was　impossible　to　keep　out　of　the　way　any　longer。　Mr。　Gladstone　was　defeated；　and　resigned。　Victoria；　at　a　final　interview；　received　him　with　her　usual　amenity；　but；　besides　the　formalities　demanded　by　the　occasion；　the　only　remark　which　she　made　to　him　of　a　personal　nature　was　to　the　effect　that　she　supposed　Mr。　Gladstone　would　now　require　some　rest。　He　remembered　with　regret　how；　at　a　similar　audience　in　1874；　sh