I am afraid you did not hear of our meeting with a lady who had once nearly taken a house in Yorkshire "_in a remote part, near West Riding_"--which she certainly took for a town. [Illustration: THE MARCHIONESS CONYNGHAM _From a miniature by P. Singry (about 1825-30) in the Wallace Collection._] In June that year the arrival of the Queen brought public excitement to a climax. On the day when she was to land, greatly to the relief of the authorities who dreaded a riot, there was an unusually heavy storm. The Heavens themselves seemed in league against the unhappy woman. It poured on her first arrival in England, it poured on her return from her long exile, it was destined to pour during her last sad exit from the scene of so many humiliations. John Stanhope, who had last seen Caroline as she wrathfully turned her back upon his friend, Mr Maxwell, at Naples, was anxious to witness her reception in England as Queen. On June 6th his diary records:-- It rained heavily, and between the wet and the unexpected arrival of the Queen, London was in a state of indescribable confusion. Lord ---- had been sent down to negociate with her. He was commissioned to offer her £50,000 a year on condition of her remaining abroad and not bearing the title of Queen. These conditions she rejected, and abandoning herself entirely to the advice of Alderman Wood, did not attempt to keep the negociation open, but embarked on board the Leopold packet with Lady Anne Hamilton, Alderman Wood and her suite. Sir Neil Campbell drove me a little way on the Kent Road, the whole was lined with people, but we soon got tired of waiting--to receive the Queen in the midst of the violent storm and returned home. The Queen arrived between six and seven. A mob was immediately assembled round Alderman Wood's house, in which she has taken up her abode, and forced people to pull off their hats as they passed the house. The Queen made her appearance on the Balcony. The Ministers brought a green bag down to the House containing the charges against the Queen. _Mrs Spencer-Stanhope._ _August 8th, 1820._ The Review on Saturday went off most brilliantly--The Duke of Wellington told the King to show himself, which he did, and was received with the greatest applause. The first day the Troops wanted to have cheered him, but were not allowed. He and the Queen did not meet, tho' she hovered about. She has now a smart coach and Royal liveries. The public trial of Caroline, which lasted from August 19th to November 10th, entirely absorbed the public attention. The early partisanship of the Stanhopes for the unfortunate lady had waned since the conviction had become unavoidable that her manners were less "royal" than they had at first imagined. On October 13th Mrs Stanhope writes:--