“The bedchamber-_woman_ came into waiting before the Queen’s prayers, which was before her Majesty was dressed. The Queen often shifted in a morning; if her Majesty shifted at noon, the bedchamber-_lady_ being by, the bedchamber-_woman_ gave the shift to the _lady_ without any ceremony, and the _lady_ put it on. Sometimes, likewise, the bedchamber-_woman_ gave the fan to the _lady_ in the same manner; and this was all that the bedchamber-_lady_ did about the Queen at her dressing. “When the Queen washed her hands the page of the backstairs brought and set down upon a side-table the basin and ewer, then the bedchamber-_woman_ set it before the Queen, and knelt on the other side of the table over against the Queen, the bedchamber-_lady_ only looking on. The bedchamber-_woman_ poured the water out of the ewer upon the Queen’s hands. “The bedchamber-_woman_ pulled on the Queen’s gloves when she could not do it herself.[25] “The page of the backstairs was called in to put on the Queen’s shoes. “When the Queen dined in public the page reached the glass to the bedchamber-_woman_, and she to the _lady_ in waiting. “The bedchamber-_woman_ brought the chocolate, and gave it without kneeling. “In general, the bedchamber-_woman_ had no dependence on the _lady_ of the bedchamber.”[26] As Mrs. Howard was not a lady of the bedchamber but bedchamber-woman only, she found that the Queen had asked of her nothing more than etiquette required, and after a week of indecision she yielded the point, and knelt with the basin as commanded. Horace Walpole, who was fond of imputing base motives to others, says that the Queen delighted in subjecting her to such servile offices, though always apologising to her “good Howard”. But there is no evidence to show that the Queen was capable of such petty spite; she required nothing more than the duties the office involved, however menial they may seem now. The Queen, who bore no malice, soon forgave Mrs. Howard this little display of temper, for she told Lord Hervey: “About a week after, when upon maturer deliberation, she had done everything about the basin that I would have her, I told her I knew we should be good friends again; but could not help adding, in a little more serious voice, that I owned of all my servants I had least expected, as I had least deserved it, such treatment from her, when she knew I had held her up at a time when it was in my power, if I had pleased, any hour of the day to let her drop through my fingers--thus----.” [Illustration: HENRIETTA HOWARD (COUNTESS OF SUFFOLK).]