, and mean to talk _a fond_ to him
to-morrow. My wish is to see you both happy and thoroughly united
and of one mind, and I trust that both of you will ever find in me a
faithful, honest, and attached friend.

As it is eleven o'clock at night, I offer you my respects, and remain,
ever, my dearest Victoria, your devoted Uncle,

LEOPOLD R.

Your poor Aunt fainted this morning; she is much given to this, but it
was rather too long to-day.

[Pageheading: AMIABILITY OF THE PRINCE]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

BRUSSELS, _4th February 1840._

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--I have now treated all the questions you wished
me to touch upon with Albert, and I was much pleased with his amiable
disposition. At a certain distance explanations by letter are next to
impossible, and each party in the end thinks the other unreasonable.
When he arrived he was rather exasperated about various things, and
pretty full of grievances. But our conversations have dissipated these
clouds, and now there will only remain the new parliamentary
events and consequences, which change a good deal of what one could
reasonably have foreseen or arranged. You will best treat these
questions now verbally. Albert is quick, not obstinate, in
conversation, and open to conviction if good arguments are brought
forward. When he thinks himself right he only wishes to have it
_proved_ that he _misunderstands_ the case, to give it up without
ill-humour. He is not inclined to be sulky, but I think that he may be
rendered a little melancholy if he thinks himself unfairly or unjustly
treated, but being together and remaining together, there _never_
can arise, I hope, any occasion for any disagreement even on trifling
subjects.... Ever, my dearest Victoria, your devoted Uncle,

LEOPOLD R.

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

BRUSSELS, _8th February 1840._

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--This letter will arrive when I trust you will
be most happily occupied; I don't mean therefore to trespass on your
time.

May Heaven render you as happy as I always wished you to be, and as I
always tried hard to see you. There is every prospect of it, and I
am sure you will be mistress in that respect of your own _avenir_.
_Perfect confidence_ will best ensure and consolidate this happiness.
Our rule in poor Charlotte's time was never to permit _one single day_
to pass over _ein Missverstaendniss_, however trifling it might be.[8]
I must do Char