told the Queen in a letter which preceded it, that she only desired to be seen and be heard by her Majesty. There was no necessity, she said, for the Queen to answer. The Queen, in fact, had answered so many of her tormentor's letters in the negative, that the Duchess, not foreseeing what would be the consequence of this general preclusion of response in her Majesty's favour, was resolved to prevent farther epistolary acknowledgment by following up her last letter in person. She says, in the foolish "Account" which she gave to the world of her " Conduct," and which had the reverse effect of what she intended (which is the usual case with violent relators of their own story):

"I followed this letter to Kensington, and by that means prevented the Queen's writing again to me, as she was preparing to do.

The page who went in to acquaint the Queen that I was come to wait upon her, stayed longer than usual; long enough, it is to be supposed, to give time to deliberate whether the favour of admission should be granted, and to settle the measure of behaviour if I were admitted. But, at last, he came out and told me I might go in."

Poor Anne even now endeavoured to stop the coming torrent of words, by recommending the Duchess to put what she had to say in writing; but as this was the very thing over which the latter thought she had triumphed, she must have heard the proposal with contemptuous delight; and she proceeded accordingly to pour forth her complaints. The Queen, after intimating that lies no doubt were told on all sides, came to the beautiful resource which had unwillingly been furnished

her, and said she would give the Duchess "no answer." The Duchess, astounded to

find herself caught in her own trap, and taken at her word, declared, of course, that the phrase was not intended to imply what it did; but the Queen, she says, repeated it again and again," without ever receding."

The Duchess protested that her only design was to clear herself. The Queen repeated over and over again, "You desired no answer, and shall have none.'

The Duchess fell into "great disorder," and into floods of tears; but still the only return was: "You desired no answer, and you shall have none.'

"I then begged to know, if her Majesty would tell me some other time ?"

"You desired no answer, and you shall

have none."

"I then appealed to her Majesty again, if she did not herself know, &c. And whether she did not know me to be of a temper incapable of, &c., &c.”

"You desired no answer, and you shall

"This usage," concludes the Duchess, was so severe, and these words, so often repeated, were so shocking, &c., that I could not conquer myself, but said the most disrespectful thing I ever spoke to the Queen in my life; and that was, that I was confident her Majesty would suffer for such an instance of inhumanity."

The Queen answered, "that will be to myself."

"And thus ended," says the Duchess, "this remarkable conversation, the last I ever had with her Majesty."

Exit the loud tongue of the Duchess of Marlborough; Abigail Hill, now Mrs. Masham, has a good rejoicing chat with her mistress; and for the rest of Queen Anne's reign, Kensington Palace would seem to have been as dull and as quiet as the more advanced years of her Majesty could desire. Whigs and Tories, it is true, contended in it for possession of her favour; and the conflict is supposed to have embittered her last moments, which here took place; yet, at all events, there was no Duchess of Marlborough, and no noise.

And the outside was as dull as the in. Anne enlarged the Gardens, but she did not improve the style of gardening. Addison, in a paper of the "Spectator," written during the last year but one of her reign, catching at the least glimpse of a variation, speaks