He set about the task with becoming precautions. He continued in his letters his admirable advice. Within a few days of her accession, he recommended the young Queen to lay emphasis, on every possible occasion, upon her English birth; to praise the English nation; 'the Established Church I also recommend strongly; you cannot, without _pledging_ yourself to anything _particular, say too much on the subject_.' And then 'before you {74} decide on anything important I should be glad if you would consult me; this would also have the advantage of giving you time'; nothing was more injurious than to be hurried into wrong decisions unawares. His niece replied at once with all the accustomed warmth of her affection; but she wrote hurriedly--and, perhaps, a trifle vaguely too. '_Your_ advice is always of the _greatest importance_ to me,' she said.[41] Had he, possibly, gone too far? He could not be certain; perhaps Victoria _had_ been hurried. In any case, he would be careful; he would draw back--_pour mieux sauter_, he added to himself with a smile. In his next letters he made no reference to his suggestion of consultations with himself; he merely pointed out the wisdom, in general, of refusing to decide upon important questions off-hand. So far, his advice was taken; and it was noticed that the Queen, when applications were made to her, rarely gave an immediate answer. Even with Lord Melbourne, it was the same; when he asked for her opinion upon any subject, she would reply that she would think it over, and tell him her conclusions next day.[42] King Leopold's counsels continued. The Princess de Lieven, he said, was a dangerous woman; there was reason to think that she would make attempts to pry into what did not concern her; let Victoria beware. 'A rule which I cannot sufficiently recommend is _never to permit_ people to speak on subjects concerning yourself or your affairs, without you having yourself desired them to do so.' Should such a thing occur, 'change the conversation, and make the individual feel that he has made a mistake.' This piece of advice was also taken; for it fell out as the King had predicted. Madame de {75} Lieven sought an audience, and appeared to be verging towards confidential topics; whereupon the Queen, becoming slightly embarrassed, talked of nothing but commonplaces. The individual felt that she had made a mistake.[43]