and everything is in its place. These are qualities indispensable to people of great position, and it must be very gratifying to the public to know that Princess May possesses them. Method, too, is another of her qualities. With her there is no such thing as hurry; each duty has its own time apportioned to it, and these times are never allowed to overlap unless it be on the occasion of some public function or under the pressing necessity of a domestic call. One occupation, however, always commands the Princess's time, and that is amusing her brothers. No matter whether it be to play an accompaniment, to take a drive, go for a walk, or join in a game, Princess May is always ready to fall in with her brothers' plans, or take part in their conversation.

Not long ago I was staying in a country house with Princess May and was much struck with her wish to fall in with every plan of her hostess and her anxiety not to give any trouble. She was always one of the first down to breakfast, and never late for dinner. Of course these are small matters, but they go far to show how she carries her love of order and method into every-day life, and her constant consideration for others. In the evening her conversation would generally turn. upon some topic of the day, and the knowledge she displayed showed that she had carefully read her newspapers and was much interested in public affairs. She would frequently wander off with a daughter of the house to see some poor person in the neighbourhood. When others were idle Princess May was always busy. Time, which seemed to hang so heavily on the hands of many of the visitors, seemed to be all too short for her. She was never bored, but took an interest in everything. When others wanted to stay at home the Princess would always be ready to accompany the hostess to garden parties or functions in the neighbourhood. She did not, like so many guests, expect that everyone was to amuse her. On the contrary, she did her part of the entertaining, and in the evening would sing a song, play the piano, or join in a game.

Driving is a favourite occupation, and the surrounding districts are well acquainted with her little carriage, Richmond's gift to her when she came of age. She is a first-class whip, and although she does not hunt, understands more about horses than many so-called hunting women. Of dancing she is fairly fond, but the late hours and the long drive home after London balls have to a great extent shaken her taste for that amusement. Like her father, the Princess is fond of flowers. At White Lodge she looks after her own garden and

fernery. She understands more than a little about botany and knows all the flowers in her own garden. She often plays a game of bowls with her friends when they come over to pay a call. player, and quite keen to win.

She is a fair

No

In dress the taste of the Princess is essentially feminine. attempt is ever made to copy masculine ways, nor is such a fashion likely to receive any encouragement from her. Dainty and pretty things she delights in. She likes to have her clothes well made and properly fitted, but does not countenance any extravagance of fashion or design. Bonnets seem to please her more than hats. Like her Royal mother, the Princess takes the greatest care that her clothes are purchased from shops that pay fair wages and do not overwork their hands. While not discarding French silks and French artificial flowers, she will, if possible, purchase English silks and English artificial flowers. She inherits the late Duchess of Cambridge's taste for jewellery, and greatly values the jewels she has had presented to her from time to time. With her wedding gifts of this kind she is immensely pleased.

Her natural desire to learn has received careful fostering at the hands of Mdlle. Lricka. Soon after this lady came a course of reading was mapped out, which has been studiously adhered to for the last seven years, with the result that the Princess has an intimate knowledge of history, both post and present. French, German, and English are all alike to Princess May. She can converse fluently in either one or the other language. Novel-reading does not interest her very much that is to say, novels of a frivolous kind. But with the works of the great novelists she is, of course, acquainted. On her book-shelves you will find no uncut and dusty books, but neatly cut edges and well turned pages. Her favourite authors are Tennyson, Carlyle, Emerson, and George Eliot. She is very fond of well-bound books, and values highly all presentation copies. The works of Macaulay, Froude, Lamb, John Morley, Motley, Molière, Goethe, Dante, occupy prominent positions on her book-shelves. Her method is to read something every day, even if it be only a page, and then to discuss what she has read. With her companion-governess she talks French and German, and, according to arrangement, the discussion takes place in either one language or the other. Mdlle. Bricka is a very broad-minded woman, and thinks that as princesses are women, they should know as much as possible about what appertains to women. She does not believe that a book

should be put aside because it happens to be a little unconventional. With so sensible a guide and so sympathetic a mother it is not surprising that Princess May's reading has not altogether been confined to books for the "young person." It is possibly in some measure due to this more liberal course of reading that we find Princess May's knowledge of things as they are to be far greater than that of any other Princess of her age. This knowledge can scarcely fail to prove most after-life, seeing the position she may one day be She has a good memory and remembers most of what she reads. People's faces she seldom forgets, and if the opportunity offers is ever ready with a kindly smile of recognition.

valuable to her in called upon to fill.

Although proud, her pride is of the kind that belongs to exalted station and is suitable to stately bearing. When performing any public duty she is every inch a queen; when attending to her domestic concerns she is simple Princess May, and gives her orders just like any other lady who busies herself about her own housekeeping. The servants at White Lodge are devoted to their young mistress, and if ever anything goes wrong it is Princess May to whom the dependant comes and pours out her troubles. No servant is a stranger to the Princess. One and all claim her as a friend, and each is content to accept her judgment in any dispute. At accounts Princess May is quite at home, and the smallest details of housekeeping are well known to her.

The Princess is devoted to her family and is the greatest assistance to her mother. The entire direction of the household devolves upon her, and her marvellous energy enables her to get through an enormous amount of work. With her own hands she ties up and addresses the numerous articles deposited at White Lodge by the members of the Needlework Guild, a task-seeing that the number of things sent in often reaches many thousands-of no mean kind. With her father she is a great pet, and anything that Princess May wants she is sure to get. She is not extravagant, but generous. Anything she can spare is devoted to the objects nearest her heart. She is always thinking of others and how she can best assist her less fortunate sisters. No woman has sunk too low to receive the sympathy excuse for the degradaof the Princess, who always sees some A great many people appear to tion and some hope of reformation. On the think that it is only the very poor she takes an interest in. contrary, she is as much interested in the poor gentlewoman or broken

down gentleman as in the social outcast or orphan waif. idleness and vice she has no sympathy.

But with

The man who won't work or the woman who won't reform she leaves to other hands. Her time and money are given to the deserving poor.

The Princess's love of children is great. A suffering child at once commands her sympathy. Out of her income she always sets apart a sum to give away to poor children. Her aim and object when dealing with the poor is to make their lives pass as pleasantly as possible. She carries her sympathy into deeds. Every Christmas, New Year, and birthday card is carefully preserved by the Princess, who arranges them in scrap-books for the poor children in homes and hospitals. No cotillion favour is ever thrown away; each toy and ribbon is put away in a drawer to be used, when the time comes, for her "Sea-shell Mission.' Similar odds and ends are collected by her friends, so that often the parcels contain sufficient presents to give something to each child in an institution. Many a sad little heart is made glad and many a young life brightened by the Princess's Mission. She takes a great personal interest in this work of love, and delights to hear either from the matrons or the nurses, and sometimes from the children themselves. Every effort is made to make happy the individual, and if one present is not suitable another is quickly substituted; the change in each case being made by the Princess herself. When the time comes for the wife of Prince George to assume the position which her marriage must one day give her, many a grey-haired subject will be able to say that if they have never seen the face of their Queen, at any rate they were well acquainted with her gracious acts when she was simple Princess May. Thus early in life has the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Teck won the hearts of the people over whom one day she may be called upon to rule. A crippled boy in a village near White Lodge was dying of consumption. Over and over again Princess May would either drive or walk over to see the little sufferer, and sitting down by the bedside in the cottage, would talk and read to him. Often she carried with her delicacies to keep up his wasting frame. Her last visit to the boy was one day on her way to church, when she knew the end was near. Gently giving him a kiss, she wished him good-bye with tears in her eyes. I could tell of many actions of a similar kind, but this one will suffice to show her tender-heartedness and sympathetic

nature.

Princess May is a regular attendant at church and a constant

communicant.

She is extremely tolerant in her views. All she asks is that whatever religion a person professes he shall act up to it and not make it a sham. She reads her Bible every day, and no matter how many duties she has to perform or how many things have to be got through, the chapter is always read. For choice the Princess prefers a cathedral service-high ritual has no particular attraction for her, and what is known as Low Church does not impress her. She loves the music of the organ and the singing of a well-trained choir.

Always a great favourite with the Queen, she has lately seen much of Her Majesty, whom she resembles in many ways. All the Queen's gifts are carefully kept by the Princess in her own boudoir. The Princess of Wales is regarded by the young bride as second only to her own mother. She is devoted to her future mother-in-law. The Princess of Wales in her turn is extremely fond and proud of Princess May, or of Princess Victoria Mary, as it is the wish of the Royal Family that she should now be called. But as it was as Princess May that she gained the heart of the nation, it will take a long time to bring about the change.