A sense of absolute understanding, as well as of sympathy
and respect, was also the dominant feature of the reception of the King and Queen. It was clear that the shouting thou- sands realized that it was much more than a pageant in which they were taking part. The King, as on all public occasions, showed himself the straightforward and sincere man he is. But also there was not wanting a high sense of dignity and of personal distinction in every way appropriate to the scene. No monarch ever bore himself with a more natural friendli- ness. The stately and yet graceful carriage of the Queen was noted by all who saw her. It is no easy task for a woman to acknowledge the acclamations of such vast throngs without showing weariness or else a stilted courtliness. The Queen, in spite of conditions so exhausting as those of Thursday, like the King, played her great part to perfection. She was never frigid, yet always dignified ; a Queen, but never a Queen who borrowed her manner from the stage.
