Vacation

His Majesty King George and her Majesty Queen Mary went to the Alhambra Theatre in Leicester Square, a couple of stone's throws from Buckingham Palace. En route the King caught a cold, later the cold turned to influenza, still later the influenza turned to bronchitis. The King went to bed.

To the royal bedside went Sir F. S. Hewett, K. C. V. O., M.D., Surgeon Apothecary to His Majesty and Surgeon Apothecary to the Household; Sir Milsom Rees, K. C. V. O., F. R. C. S., Laryngologist to the Household; Lord Dawson of Penn G. C. V. O., K. C. M. G., C. B., M. D., F. R. C. P., Physician-in-ordinary. With one voice they declared that His Majesty's immediate condition was not dangerous and that his general condition was satisfactory.

For several days, the King grew better and better in every way. He remained abed, but attended to pressing affairs of State. The Queen appeared not in the least perturbed. The Prince of Wales only once visited his royal father and stayed to luncheon with his royal mother. The people were consequently not alarmed.

Suddenly, there was a touch of con cern in public sentiment. The Apothecary, the Laryngologist and the Physician issued a bulletin:

The King passed a fair day. There is still a rise of temperature in the evening, but the slow progress continues.

At its onset, the influenza which attacked His Majesty was somewhat severe, the bronchitis extending to the base of the lungs—a form of malady which is apt to be tedious and resistant.

In order to secure complete restoration of health and fitness, we advise, when the stage of convalescence has been reached, that his Majesty shall proceed to the South of Europe and cruise in his yacht for a few weeks.

HEWETT.

REES.

DAWSON.

Those who know the King can imagine the disgust with which he received the doctors' recommendation. Some time ago, it was suggested that he should winter in the south of France to escape the bitter, damp, cold English Winter, but His Majesty declared: "My place is at home." He hates to desert what Poet Kipling recently called the "H. M. S. Britain," especially at a time when Parliament is in session and there are many questions to occupy his mind; for, although the King is normally a figurehead, an expression of national unity, actually he wields considerable power in an advisory capacity, without, however, crossing the initiative of the Government. In other words, the King's direct powers are small; but the sum of his indirect power, exercised in a large number of ways, is so tremendous that it is impossible to estimate it. So great leaders as Gladstone, Asquith, Lloyd George, and so eminent a contemporary constitutional authority as Marriott have all made and upheld this point.

Despite the King's antipathy to taking a voyage at this time, it is almost certain that he will bow to his doctor's orders, which are sure to have the sentimental backing of a majority of the people. Accompanied by the Queen, he will probably leave on the royal yacht Victoria and Albert early this month for a Mediterranean cruise and may possibly spend some of the time with his uncle, the Duke of Connaught,* at the latter's villa near Nice.