Page:Wives of the prime ministers, 1844-1906.djvu/212

WIVES OF THE PRIME MINISTERS

versation very interesting. He had seen a letter vritten by the Duke of Wellington soon after entering the army, in which he expressed the hope that he should be taken out of the army, as there seemed to be no chance of any promotion!!

"Peel told me he required very little sleep, that he was a light sleeper at any time, and got but a small portion when his mind was occupied. He still regretted the political power which some had, the Duke of Wellington for instance."

Mrs. Gladstone in these years saw something of the Royal children, as their governess, Sarah, Lady Lyttelton,^[1] was the mother-in-law of her sister Mary. The following visits to the Palace are recorded in the Journal:

"July, 1842.—Went to see Lady Lyttelton and the Royal children. The Princess^[2] is a very interesting child, no longer answering to Mary's^[3] description, 'a sadly delicate thing.' She is the image of the Queen. I played on the pianoforte, which delighted her, she tried to dance, and when I stopped called for 'more.'

1. She was appointed to the office in 1842, and held it until 1851.
2. The Princess Royal, afterwards Empress Frederick of Germany.
3. Her sister, Lady Lyttelton.

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