The soft tendrils of her mind had for the first time begun to stretch out towards unchildish things.

In this King Leopold encouraged her.

After his return to Brussels, he had resumed his correspondance in a more serious strain; he discussed the details of foreign politics; he laid down the duties of kingship; he pointed out the iniquitous foolishness of the newspaper press.

On the latter subject, indeed, he wrote with some asperity.

"If all the editors," he said, "of the papers in the countries where the liberty of the press exists were to be assembled, we should have a crew to which you would NOT confide a dog that you would value, still less your honour and reputation." On the functions of a monarch, his views were unexceptionable.