THE VOIVODIN JANET MACKELPIE'S NOTES.
_May_ 21, 1908.
As Rupert began to neglect his Journal when he was made a King, so, too,I find in myself a tendency to leave writing to other people. But onething I shall not be content to leave to others--little Rupert. The babyof Rupert and Teuta is much too precious a thing to be spoken of exceptwith love, quite independent of the fact that he will be, in naturalcourse, a King! So I have promised Teuta that whatever shall be put intothis record of the first King of the Sent Leger Dynasty relating to HisRoyal Highness the Crown Prince shall only appear in either her hand ormy own. And she has deputed the matter to me.
Our dear little Prince arrived punctually and in perfect condition. Theangels that carried him evidently took the greatest care of him, andbefore they left him they gave him dower of all their best. He is adear! Like both his father and his mother, and that says everything. Myown private opinion is that he is a born King! He does not know whatfear is, and he thinks more of everyone else than he does of his dearlittle self. And if those things do not show a truly royal nature, I donot know what does . . .
Teuta has read this. She held up a warning finger, and said:
"Aunt Janet dear, that is all true. He is a dear, and a King, and anangel! But we mustn't have too much about him just yet. This book is tobe about Rupert. So our little man can only be what we shall call acorollary." And so it is.
I should mention here that the book is Teuta's idea. Before littleRupert came she controlled herself wonderfully, doing only what wasthought best for her under the circumstances. As I could see that itwould be a help for her to have some quiet occupation which wouldinterest her without tiring her, I looked up (with his permission, ofcourse) all Rupert's old letters and diaries, and journals andreports--all that I had kept for him during his absences on hisadventures. At first I was a little afraid they might harm her, for attimes she got so excited over some things that I had to caution her.Here again came in her wonderful self-control. I think the most soothingargument I used with her was to point out that the dear boy had comethrough all the dangers safely, and was actually with us, stronger andnobler than ever.
After we had read over together the whole matter several times--for itwas practically new to me too, and I got nearly as excited as she was,though I have known him so much longer--we came to the conclusion thatthis particular volume would have to be of selected matter. There isenough of Rupert's work to make a lot of volumes and we have an ambitiousliterary project of some day publishing an _edition de luxe_ of his wholecollected works. It will be a rare showing amongst the works of Kings.But this is to be all about himself, so that in the future it may serveas a sort of backbone of his personal history.
By-and-by we came to a part when we had to ask him questions; and he wasso interested in Teuta's work--he is really bound up body and soul in hisbeautiful wife, and no wonder--that we had to take him into fullconfidence. He promised he would help us all he could by giving us theuse of his later journals, and such letters and papers as he had keptprivately. He said he would make one condition--I use his own words: "Asyou two dear women are to be my editors, you must promise to put ineverything exactly as I wrote it. It will not do to have any fake aboutthis. I do not wish anything foolish or egotistical toned down out ofaffection for me. It was all written in sincerity, and if I had faults,they must not be hidden. If it is to be history, it must be truehistory, even if it gives you and me or any of us away."
So we promised.
He also said that, as Sir Edward Bingham Trent, Bart.--as he is now--wassure to have some matter which we should like, he would write and ask himto send such to us. He also said that Mr. Ernest Roger Halbard Melton,of Humcroft, Salop (he always gives this name and address in full, whichis his way of showing contempt), would be sure to have some relevantmatter, and that he would have him written to on the subject. This hedid. The Chancellor wrote him in his most grandiloquent style. Mr. E.R. H. Melton, of H., S., replied by return post. His letter is adocument which speaks for itself:
HUMCROFT, SALOP, _May_ 30, 1908.
MY DEAR COUSIN KING RUPERT,
I am honoured by the request made on your behalf by the Lord High Chancellor of your kingdom that I should make a literary contribution to the volume which my cousin, Queen Teuta, is, with the help of your former governess, Miss MacKelpie, compiling. I am willing to do so, as you naturally wish to have in that work some contemporary record made by the Head of the House of Melton, with which you are connected, though only on the distaff side. It is a natural ambition enough, even on the part of a barbarian--or perhaps semi-barbarian--King, and far be it from me, as Head of the House, to deny you such a coveted privilege. Perhaps you may not know that I am now Head of the House; my father died three days ago. I offered my mother the use of the Dower House--to the incumbency of which, indeed, she is entitled by her marriage settlement. But she preferred to go to live at her seat, Carfax, in Kent. She went this morning after the funeral. In letting you have the use of my manuscript I make only one stipulation, but that I expect to be rigidly adhered to. It is that all that I have written be put in the book _in extenso_. I do not wish any record of mine to be garbled to suit other ends than those ostensible, or whatever may be to the honour of myself or my House to be burked. I dare say you have noticed, my dear Rupert, that the compilers of family histories often, through jealousy, alter matter that they are allowed to use so as to suit their own purpose or minister to their own vanity. I think it right to tell you that I have had a certified copy made by Petter and Galpin, the law stationers, so that I shall be able to verify whether my stipulation has been honourably observed. I am having the book, which is naturally valuable, carefully packed, and shall have it forwarded to Sir Edward Bingham Trent, Baronet (which he now is--Heaven save the mark!), the Attorney. Please see that he returns it to me, and in proper order. He is not to publish for himself anything in it about him. A man of that class is apt to advertise the fact of anyone of distinction taking any notice of him. I would bring out the MS. to you myself, and stay for a while with you for some sport, only your lot--subjects I suppose you call them!--are such bounders that a gentleman's life is hardly safe amongst them. I never met anyone who had so poor an appreciation of a joke as they have. By the way, how is Teuta? She is one of them. I heard all about the hatching business. I hope the kid is all right. This is only a word in your ear, so don't get cocky, old son. I am open to a godfathership. Think of that, Hedda! Of course, if the other godfather and the godmother are up to the mark; I don't want to have to boost up the whole lot! Savvy? Kiss Teuta and the kid for me. I must have the boy over here for a bit later on--when he is presentable, and has learned not to be a nuisance. It will be good for him to see something of a real first-class English country house like Humcroft. To a person only accustomed to rough ways and meagre living its luxury will make a memory which will serve in time as an example to be aimed at. I shall write again soon. Don't hesitate to ask any favour which I may be able to confer on you. So long!
Your affectionate cousin, ERNEST ROGER HALBARD MELTON.
_Extract from Letter from E. Bingham Trent to Queen Teuta of the BlueMountains_.
. . . So I thought the best way to serve that appalling cad would be to take him at his word, and put in his literary contribution in full. I have had made and attested a copy of his "Record," as he calls it, so as to save you trouble. But I send the book itself, because I am afraid that unless you see his words in his own writing, you will not believe that he or anyone else ever penned se
riously a document so incriminating. I am sure he must have forgotten what he had written, for even such a dull dog as he is could never have made public such a thing knowingly. . . Such a nature has its revenges on itself. In this case the officers of revenge are his _ipsissima verba_.