queen victoria-第44章

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　dolls；　in　the　china　room　at　Windsor　a　special　table　held　the　mugs　of　her　childhood；　and　her　children's　mugs　as　well。　Mementoes　of　the　past　surrounded　her　in　serried　accumulations。　In　every　room　the　tables　were　powdered　thick　with　the　photographs　of　relatives；　their　portraits；　revealing　them　at　all　ages；　covered　the　walls；　their　figures；　in　solid　marble；　rose　up　from　pedestals；　or　gleamed　from　brackets　in　the　form　of　gold　and　silver　statuettes。　The　dead；　in　every　shapein　miniatures；　in　porcelain；　in　enormous　life…size　oil…paintingswere　perpetually　about　her。　John　Brown　stood　upon　her　writing…table　in　solid　gold。　Her　favourite　horses　and　dogs；　endowed　with　a　new　durability；　crowded　round　her　footsteps。　Sharp；　in　silver　gilt；　dominated　the　dinner　table；　Boy　and　Boz　lay　together　among　unfading　flowers；　in　bronze。　And　it　was　not　enough　that　each　particle　of　the　past　should　be　given　the　stability　of　metal　or　of　marble：　the　whole　collection；　in　its　arrangement；　no　less　than　its　entity；　should　be　immutably　fixed。　There　might　be　additions；　but　there　might　never　be　alterations。　No　chintz　might　change；　no　carpet；　no　curtain；　be　replaced　by　another；　or；　if　long　use　at　last　made　it　necessary；　the　stuffs　and　the　patterns　must　be　so　identically　reproduced　that　the　keenest　eye　might　not　detect　the　difference。　No　new　picture　could　be　hung　upon　the　walls　at　Windsor；　for　those　already　there　had　been　put　in　their　places　by　Albert；　whose　decisions　were　eternal。　So；　indeed；　were　Victoria's。　To　ensure　that　they　should　be　the　aid　of　the　camera　was　called　in。　Every　single　article　in　the　Queen's　possession　was　photographed　from　several　points　of　view。　These　photographs　were　submitted　to　Her　Majesty；　and　when；　after　careful　inspection；　she　had　approved　of　them；　they　were　placed　in　a　series　of　albums；　richly　bound。　Then；　opposite　each　photograph；　an　entry　was　made；　indicating　the　number　of　the　article；　the　number　of　the　room　in　which　it　was　kept；　its　exact　position　in　the　room　and　all　its　principal　characteristics。　The　fate　of　every　object　which　had　undergone　this　process　was　henceforth　irrevocably　sealed。　The　whole　multitude；　once　and　for　all；　took　up　its　steadfast　station。　And　Victoria；　with　a　gigantic　volume　or　two　of　the　endless　catalogue　always　beside　her；　to　look　through；　to　ponder　upon；　to　expatiate　over；　could　feel；　with　a　double　contentment；　that　the　transitoriness　of　this　world　had　been　arrested　by　the　amplitude　of　her　might。

Thus　the　collection；　ever　multiplying；　ever　encroaching　upon　new　fields　of　consciousness；　ever　rooting　itself　more　firmly　in　the　depths　of　instinct；　became　one　of　the　dominating　influences　of　that　strange　existence。　It　was　a　collection　not　merely　of　things　and　of　thoughts；　but　of　states　of　mind　and　ways　of　living　as　well。　The　celebration　of　anniversaries　grew　to　be　an　important　branch　of　itof　birthdays　and　marriage　days　and　death　days；　each　of　which　demanded　its　appropriate　feeling；　which；　in　its　turn；　must　be　itself　expressed　in　an　appropriate　outward　form。　And　the　form；　of　coursethe　ceremony　of　rejoicing　or　lamentationwas　stereotyped　with　the　rest：　it　was　part　of　the　collection。　On　a　certain　day；　for　instance；　flowers　must　be　strewn　on　John　Brown's　monument　at　Balmoral；　and　the　date　of　the　yearly　departure　for　Scotland　was　fixed　by　that　fact。　Inevitably　it　was　around　the　central　circumstance　of　deathdeath；　the　final　witness　to　human　mutabilitythat　these　commemorative　cravings　clustered　most　thickly。　Might　not　even　death　itself　be　humbled；　if　one　could　recall　enoughif　one　asserted；　with　a　sufficiently　passionate　and　reiterated　emphasis；　the　eternity　of　love？　Accordingly；　every　bed　in　which　Victoria　slept　had　attached　to　it；　at　the　back；　on　the　right…hand　side；　above　the　pillow；　a　photograph　of　the　head　and　shoulders　of　Albert　as　he　lay　dead；　surmounted　by　a　wreath　of　immortelles。　At　Balmoral；　where　memories　came　crowding　so　closely；　the　solid　signs　of　memory　appeared　in　surprising　profusion。　Obelisks；　pyramids；　tombs；　statues；　cairns；　and　seats　of　inscribed　granite；　proclaimed　Victoria's　dedication　to　the　dead。　There；　twice　a　year；　on　the　days　that　followed　her　arrival；　a　solemn　pilgrimage　of　inspection　and　meditation　was　performed。　There；　on　August　26Albert's　birthdayat　the　foot　of　the　bronze　statue　of　him　in　Highland　dress；　the　Queen；　her　family；　her　Court；　her　servants；　and　her　tenantry；　met　together　and　in　silence　drank　to　the　memory　of　the　dead。　In　England　the　tokens　of　remembrance　pullulated　hardly　less。　Not　a　day　passed　without　some　addition　to　the　multifold　assemblagea　gold　statuette　of　Ross；　the　pipera　life…sized　marble　group　of　Victoria　and　Albert；　in　medieval　costume；　inscribed　upon　the　base　with　the　words：　〃Allured　to　brighter　worlds　and　led　the　way…〃　a　granite　slab　in　the　shrubbery　at　Osborne；　informing　the　visitor　of　〃Waldmann：　the　very　favourite　little　dachshund　of　Queen　Victoria；　who　brought　him　from　Baden；　April　1872；　died；　July　11；　1881。〃

At　Frogmore；　the　great　mausoleum；　perpetually　enriched；　was　visited　almost　daily　by　the　Queen　when　the　Court　was　at　Windsor。　But　there　was　another；　a　more　secret　and　a　hardly　less　holy　shrine。　The　suite　of　rooms　which　Albert　had　occupied　in　the　Castle　was　kept　for　ever　shut　away　from　the　eyes　of　any　save　the　most　privileged。　Within　those　precincts　everything　remained　as　it　had　been　at　the　Prince's　death；　but　the　mysterious　preoccupation　of　Victoria　had　commanded　that　her　husband's　clothing　should　be　laid　afresh；　each　evening；　upon　the　bed；　and　that；　each　evening；　the　water　should　be　set　ready　in　the　basin；　as　if　he　were　still　alive；　and　this　incredible　rite　was　performed　with　scrupulous　regularity　for　nearly　forty　years。

Such　was　the　inner　worship；　and　still　the　flesh　obeyed　the　spirit；　still　the　daily　hours　of　labour　proclaimed　Victoria's　consecration　to　duty　and　to　the　ideal　of　the　dead。　Yet；　with　the　years；　the　sense　of　self…sacrifice　faded；　the　natural　energies　of　that　ardent　being　discharged　themselves　with　satisfaction　into　the　channel　of　public　work；　the　love　of　business　which；　from　her　girlhood；　had　been　strong　within　her；　reasserted　itself　in　all　its　vigour；　and；　in　her　old　age；　to　have　been　cut　off　from　her　papers　and　her　boxes　would　have　been；　not　a　relief；　but　an　agony　to　Victoria。　Thus；　though　toiling　Ministers　might　sigh　and　suffer；　the　whole　process　of　government　continued；　till　the　very　end；　to　pass　before　her。　Nor　was　that　all；　ancient　precedent　had　made　the　validity　of　an　enormous　number　of　official　transactions　dependent　upon　the　application　of　the　royal　sign…manual；　and　a　great　proportion　of　the　Queen's　working　hours　was　spent　in　this　mechanical　task。　Nor　did　she　show　any　desire　to　diminish　it。　On　the　contrary；　she　voluntarily　resumed　the　duty　of　signing　commissions　in　the　army；　from　which　she　had　been　set　free　by　Act　of　Parliament；　and　from　which；　during　the　years　of　middle　life；　she　had　abstained。　In　no　case　would　she　countenance　the　proposal　that　she　should　use　a　stamp。　But；　at　last；　when　the　increasing　pressure　of　business　made　the　delays　of　the　antiquated　system　intolerable；　she　consented　that；　for　certain　classes　of　documents；　her　oral　sanction　should　be　sufficient。　Each　paper　was　read　aloud　to　her；　and　she　said　at　the　end　〃Approved。〃　Often；　for　hours　at　a　time；　she　would　sit；　with　Albert's　bust　in　front　of　her；　while　the　word　〃Approved〃　issued　at　intervals　from　her　lips。　The　word　came　forth　with　a　majestic　sonority；　for　her　voice　nowhow　changed　from　the　silvery　treble　of　her　girlhoodwas　a　contralto；　full　and　strong。

IV

The　final　years　were　years　of　apotheosis。　In　the　dazzled　imagination　of　her　subjects　Victoria　soared　aloft　towards　the　regions　of　divinity　through　a　nimbus　of　purest　glory。　Criticism　fell　dumb；　deficiencies　which；　twenty　years　earlier；　would　have　been　universally　admitted；　were　now　as　universally　ignored。　That　the　nation's　idol　was　a　very　incomplete　representative　of　the　nation　was　a　circumstance　that　was　hardly　noticed；　and　yet　it　was　conspicuously　true。　For　the　vast　changes　which；　out　of　the　England　of　1837；　had　produced　the　England　of　1897；　seemed　scarcely　to　have　touched　the　Queen。　The　immense　industrial　development　of　the　period；　the　significance　of　which　had　been　so　thoroughly　understood　by　Albert；　meant　little　indeed　to　Victoria。　The　amazing　scientific　movement；　which　Albert　had　appreciated　no　less；　left　Victoria　perfectly　cold。　Her　conception　of　the　universe；　and　of　man's　place　in　it；　and　of　the　stupendous　problems　of　nature　and　philosophy　remained；　throughout　her　life；　entirely　unchanged。　Her　religion　was　the　religion　which　she　had　learnt　from　the　Baroness　Lehzen　and　the　Duchess　of　Kent。　Here；　too；　it　might　have　been　supposed　that　Albert's　views　might　have　influenced　her。　For　Albert；　in　matters　of　religion；　was　advanced。　Disbelieving　altogether　in　evil　spirits；　he　had　had　his　doubts　about　the　miracle　of　the　Gaderene　Swine。　Stockmar；　even；　had　thrown　out；　in　a　remarkable　memorandum　on　the　education　of　the　Prince　of　Wales；　the　suggestion　that　while　the　child　〃must　unquestionably　be　brought　up　in　the　creed　of　the　Church　of　England；〃　it　might　nevertheless　be　in　accordance　with　the　spirit　of　the　times　to　exclude　from　his　religious　training　the　inculcation　of　a　belief　in　〃the　supernatural　doctrines　of　Christianity。〃　This；　however；　would　have　been　going　too　far；　and　all　the　royal　children　were　brought　up　in　complete　orthodoxy。　Anything　else　would　have　grieved　Victoria；　though　her　own　conceptions　of　the　orthodox　were　not　very　precise。　But　her　nature；　in　which　imagination　and　subtlety　held　so　small　a　place；　made　her　instinctively　recoil　from　the　intricate　ecstasies　of　High　Anglicanism；　and　she　seemed　to　feel　most　at　home　in　the　simple　faith　of　the　Presbyterian　Church　of　Scotland。　This　was　what　might　have　been　expected；　for　Lehzen　was　the　daughter　of　a　Lutheran　pastor；　and　the　Lutherans　and　the　Presbyterians　have　much　in　common。　For　many　years　Dr。　Norman　Macleod；　an　innocent　Scotch　minister；　was　her　principal　spiritual　adviser；　and；　when　he　was　taken　from　her；　she　drew　much　comfort　from　quiet　chats　about　life　and　death　with　the　cottagers　at　Balmoral。　Her　piety；　absolutely　genuine；　found　what　it　wanted　in　the　sober　exhortations　of　old　John　Grant　and　the　devout　saws　of　Mrs。　P。　Farquharson。　They　possessed　the　qualities；　which；　as　a　child　of　fourteen；　she　had　so　sincerely　admired　in　the　Bishop　of　Chester's　〃Exposition　of　the　Gospel　of　St。　Matthew；〃　they　were　〃just　plain　and　comprehensible　and　full　of　truth　and　good　feeling。〃　The　Queen；　who　gave　her　name　to　the　Age　of　Mill　and　of　Darwin；　never　got　any　further　than　that。

From　the　social　movements　of　her　time　Victoria　was　equally　remote。　Towards　the　smallest　no　less　than　towards　the　greatest　changes　she　remained　inflexible。　During　her　youth　and　middle　age　smoking　had　been　forbidden　in　polite　society；　and　so　long　as　she　lived　she　would　not　withdraw　her　anathema　against　it。　Kings　might　protest；　bishops　and　ambassadors；　invited　to　Windsor；　might　be　reduced；　in　the　privacy　of　their　bedrooms；　to　lie　full…length　upon　the　floor　and　smoke　up　the　chimneythe　interdict　continued！　It　might　have　been　supposed　that　a　female　sovereign　would　have　lent　her　countenance　to　one　of　the　most　vital　of　all　the　reforms　to　which　her　epoch　gave　birththe　emancipation　of　womenbut；　on　the　contrary；　the　mere　mention　o