The Queen and Prince Albert arrived at Coburg on September 25, and the Princess Royal delighted in visiting with her father the scenes of his boyhood. She went with the guns to a drive of wild boars, and almost every day there was an expedition to some interesting place in all the relief of _incognito_. One day Prince Albert had a narrow escape. He was alone in an open carriage when the horses ran away. With great presence of mind, he jumped out, and happily got off with nothing worse than a few cuts and bruises. Gustav Freytag, the distinguished German novelist and dramatist, was received, and the Queen records that there was much conversation with him after dinner. As we shall see later, Freytag was admitted to the confidence of the Princess Royal and her husband, and he repaid their kindness in strange fashion. It was on this visit that the Queen saw her eldest grandchild for the first time. Writing on September 25, she says: "Our darling grandchild was brought. Such a little love! He came walking in at Mrs. Hobbs's [his nurse's] hand, in a little white dress with black bows, and was so good. He is a fine, fat child, with a beautiful white soft skin, very fine shoulders and limbs, and a very dear face, like Vicky and Fritz, and also Louise of Baden. He has Fritz's eyes and Vicky's mouth, and very fair curly hair. We felt so happy to see him at last!" This was the beginning of an enduring friendship between grandmother and grandson, and no one with any historical imagination can help recalling the last scene of that friendship, when this fine little boy, grown to be a mighty Emperor, hastened to share the grief of the English people at the death-bed of their great Queen. The Queen was evidently much attracted by the already characteristic energy of the little Prince, for there are references to him all through her records of this visit: "Dear little William came to me as he does every morning. He is such a darling, so intelligent." "Dear little Wilhelm as usual with me before dinner--a darling child." "The dear little boy is so intelligent and pretty, so good and affectionate." "Had a last visit from dear Stockmar. Towards the end of his stay, dear little William came in and played about the room." "The darling little boy with us for nearly an hour, running about so dearly and merrily." "At Cologne our darling little William was brought into our carriage to bid good-bye. I felt the parting deeply." Prince Albert wrote to the Duchess of Kent: "Your great-grandson is a very pretty, clever child--a compound of both parents, just as it should be."