Lord Malmesbury tried to mend matters as best he could, and stammered out a lame apology: "His royal highness was a good deal affected and flurried at this first meeting; but would be better by dinner-time." Of course the princess was not to be deceived by such an excuse, and embarrassed her companion by indulging in no end of uncomplimentary remarks. Relief came to him in the shape of a summons to wait upon the king at once. Strange as it may appear, his majesty immediately began to discuss the war and foreign politics; and then, having satisfied himself on these points, suddenly seemed to remember the purpose of Lord Malmesbury's mission to the continent. He had only one question to ask about his son's wife: "Is she good-humored?" "I have never seen her otherwise, even when severely tried," was the reply. "I glad of it," said the king, significantly; for he well knew what need she would have of that quality. Lady Jersey acted as a spy while waiting on the princess, and had managed to worm a secret out of her during the short time they were at Greenwich together, which she lost no time in communicating to the prince. This was a love affair with a young German, and the knowledge of it made the prince exceedingly angry. That evening at dinner, the princess behaved absurdly. She was "flippant, rattling, affecting raillery and wit," that proved her a very coarse, vulgar person. The bridegroom was thoroughly disgusted and everybody else astonished; for there was none of the {221}shyness or reserve that would seem natural and becoming to a young woman in such a position. When opportunity offered, the prince asked Harris what he thought of the princess's manners, and took him to task for bringing her to England at all. Lord Malmesbury then informed the prince of the injunctions he had received from the Duke of Brunswick, at the same time assuring him that he had observed only slight defects of character, that he hoped might be amended, and adding, that no discretion had been left to him in the matter, as he had merely been ordered to ask for the hand of the Princess Caroline in marriage, and nothing more, and that he would not have presumed to give any opinion of his own upon the lady, unless requested to do so; and even in that case it would only have been in strict confidence to the king himself. The prince sighed, but he was not consoled, and his disgust for his bride was fast turning to hatred.