STILL THE SAME.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1354, 3 February 1912, Page 10

STILL THE SAME.

It JS 110 great wonder that such a Radical as the Infanta Eulalia seems to be should rebel against. the restrictions of Court life in tho Peninsula an<l shouiil bo so ready to say farewell to it, says ail Lnglish writer. i I pro is a tvpical story of the Lisbon Court in the' last; generation, which is probably no less typical of tho Spanish Court to-day. It is published in Mr. D. Auvergne's recent book on tlie Coburgs Ferdinand of Saxe Coburg, King Consort of Portugal, when his wife, Queen Maria da Gloria, died and his son succeeded to the throne, married a second wile. She was a GermanAmerican singer who was created Countess von Kdla in tho peerago of SaxeOothn.. Tlie Queen, Maria Pia, promptly turned her back on the wife of hor husband's father. However, the King's father could not be excluded from Court functions, and wherever ho went ho took his wife with him.

On the occasion of some festival tho Countess found herself waiting in an ante-chamber of the Palace with a crowd of diplomatists, functionaries, and courtiers. When the doors were thrown open no one offered an arm to King Ferdinand's wife. Seeing this, the Spanish Ambassador politely off ((red his escort, and lod the. lady into the hall, livery seat was occupied; according to instructions issued overnight. Tho Portuguese stuck fast to their chairs and grinned. Tho Ambassador motioned to his wife, who at onee surrendered her scat to the Countess; whereupon, to make the insult still mora marked, a number of courtiers sprang to' their feet and offered their places, to. tho Ambassador's wife.