“_February 16th._--There is great indignation amongst us Catholics at Edward VII. having been called upon to take the oath at the opening of Parliament which savours so much of the darkest days of ‘No Popery’ bigotry. I think it might have been modified by this time, and the lies about ‘idolatry’ and the ‘worship’ of the Virgin Mary eliminated. Could not the King have had strength of mind enough to refuse to insult his Catholic subjects? I know he must have deeply disliked to pronounce those words.
“_August 6th._--Again the flags to-day are at half-mast, and so is the royal standard, and this time, on the men-of-war, it is the German flag! The Empress Frederick died yesterday.” I never mentioned at the time of our visit to the Connaughts at Bagshot, when we were first at Aldershot, a touching incident concerning her. Sir William sat next to her at dinner, and, _à propos_ of a really fine still-life picture painted by her, which hung over the dining-room door in the hall, he asked her whether she still kept up her painting. “No,” she said, “I have cried myself blind!” What with one Empress crying as though her heart would break in speaking to him that time at Camden Place and this Empress telling him she had cried herself blind----! The illness and death of the Kaiser Frederick must have been a period of great anguish.
During this summer I was very busy with my picture of the “10th Bengal Lancers at Tent Pegging,” a subject requiring much sunshine study, which I have already mentioned.
In September, Lord Roberts--“the miniature Field Marshal,” as I call him in the Diary--came down on inspection, and great were the doings in his honour. “How will this little figure stand in history? Will’s well-planned defence against a night attack from the sea came off very well this dark still night, though the navy were nearly an hour late. There was too much waiting, but when, at last, the enemy torpedo boats and destroyers appeared, the whole Sound was bordered with such a zone of fire that, had it been real war, not a rivet of the invader’s flotilla would have been left in possession of its hold. ‘Bobs’ must have been gratified at to-night’s display, which he reviewed from Stonehouse.