the italian prince and princesses, though they live in very beautiful palaces, are simply brought up, and are not encouraged to have extravagant toys. formerly, and even now sometimes, it has been the custom of foreign ambassadors to the italian court, and even other sovereigns, to send gorgeous toys, and magnificent great dolls as big as the princesses themselves, to these children. queen elena, fearing to have them grow accustomed to toys so much richer and better than other children, had taught them to surrender these things to poor children by sending them to hospital wards. now the playthings of the royal children are just ordinary toys like those that most children have and enjoy.
the queen endeavours to make her children forget that they are of royal blood, or in any way different from other children. in this particular she is very different from the tsaritsa, who never allows her children or her court to forget that her son will one day be an autocrat and tsar of all the russias, that her daughters are grand duchesses, and must, therefore, be kowtowed to by every prince and granddame of the court.{257}
while i was in rome, queen elena related the following anecdote of her own children, which illustrates her simplicity of attitude toward the italian prince and princesses.
the young prince humbert was recently put through an examination by his two older sisters, who wished to have an experience of their brother’s knowledge about colours.
yolanda, pointing with her hand to the cloth of a piece of the furniture, asked: “what colour is this?”
“it is red,” humbert readily answered, without mistake.
“and that other piece of furniture, what colour is it?”
for the second time the young prince gave a right answer.
“it is green,” he said.
but mafalda wanted to take part, too, in what they intended to be the first examination of the future king of italy.
“what colour are your small shoes?”
here the matter became rather complicated. as far as it was a question of usual colours, little humbert had found no difficulty in answering, but now, looking at his small shoes, he found that they had to him an unknown colour. but he was not discouraged, especially as he perceived on his sister’s lips a light smile, which could not be interpreted as of approval. it was clear that his wily sisters were teasing him.{258}
“well, what colour are they?”
vanquished? not he. “my shoes are marron glacé,” he replied.
yolanda and mafalda laughed gaily at that answer, and little humbert, considering himself scorned by them, began to weep, and ran to his mother for help.
queen elena endeavoured to explain to the little examiners that the prince’s answer was right, as the little shoes had really a beautiful chestnut colour bright and brilliant.
humbert is not fond of being quizzed by his sisters, and he is rather inclined to be resentful. indeed, this little crown prince is a born soldier of a fighting disposition, and many a nursery quarrel does the queen have to settle. he is ever ready to defend with great boldness his small soldiers, his guns and his swords and other favourite toys, which mafalda and yolanda attempt sometimes to take from him. humbert has one amusing weakness. he is fond of the two black eyes and beautiful little face of one of his sisters’ dolls. sometimes he wants to take possession of this doll. unhappily, his sisters are not always disposed to let him have it.
ordinarily humbert is glad to assume rather a martial air, and to dress in military uniforms. but the uniform that he likes best is a smart one of a cuirassier regiment with boots, cuirasse and helmet. the little fellow distinctly prefers the company of boys of his own age, and he enjoys the little{259} friends that he is allowed to have, and who are the children of the ladies at court.
one of these little friends, a boy of five years who showed himself enthusiastic over his princely friend, was asked if he loved him much.
“yes, i love him very much, because he never complains when they take something belonging to him, and he never cheats,” he replied.
“and yolanda and mafalda, and the little giovanna?”
“yolanda and mafalda, i like them also, but they always laugh at us men!”
yolanda, who is especially beloved by all those who live closely to her, has always been a lively young girl with a frank and gay smile. being the eldest sister, she endeavours to look in some manner the wisest and most serious, and she is at the same time the most charitable and kindly. in fact, it is known to everyone, that many times she answers the letters that the little girls of the people address to her continually, by sending to them as a gift some of her own toys, of which she willingly deprives herself.
there is in her a lovely soul, which appears in a thousand ways and especially in the unlimited affection to her parents.
an old friend of the queen’s once asked her to show her an ancient photograph very dear to her, representing queen elena having yolanda on her lap, when she was only two or three months old.
the queen afterwards sent for yolanda, and{260} showed her the photograph. the little princess, seeing her mother in the portrait, asked with suspicious anxiety who was the child she was keeping in her lap.
“she is a dear baby, of whom i am very fond,” said the queen.
yolanda’s face turned very serious, and after she looked again at the photograph, she could not abstain from showing a certain contempt.
“don’t you see how ugly she is, mamma? throw it away.”
“you are wrong,” the queen answered, “you are this baby. it is really you when you were very little.”
then yolanda smiled gladly, and changing at once her opinion, she said, with plenty of content: “oh, yes, she is very handsome. you may keep it.”
yolanda is in fact so affectionate to her mother that she hates in her heart all those duties which keep the queen away from her. she, as also mafalda and humbert, like much better the beautiful days spent wholly near their parents, among the green hills of racconigi, sant’ anna di valdiere, and san rossore.
victor emmanuel, leaving all cares of state in the full liberty of his acts, thinks only to play with his children from whom he never is widely separated, and who are really his all-absorbing joy. even in rome, the king, his duties accomplished, spends the rest of each day in the intimacy of his family.
