shown when separated from the
Marchioness of Santa Cruz:--

"'Since you are leaving me,' she said, 'I must make you a present.' And
away she ran to take down the portrait of her very 'dear friend'
Espartero, which precious relic she handed over to her outgoing _Aya_,
saying 'Keep this portrait, senora; it will be better in your possession
than mine!'"

Taken to a bull-fight, her youthful majesty of Spain was delighted beyond
measure, enjoying the sufferings of maddened bulls and gored horses with
as much zest as could have been shown by her illustrious and respectable
father. Unfortunately, _auto-da-fes_ are out of date, or they might serve
to vary her pastimes. As it is, she is obliged to fill up her leisure by
the consumption of confectionery, of which she has a constant and abundant
supply on hand. "This pastry-cook museum, which extends over every
apartment of the palace, contains some most interesting specimens--the
_tortas_, or tarts, of Moron, the most celebrated in Spain; the _panes
pintados_, or painted buns, of Salamanca; the _Paschal ojalores_, or
Carnival and Easter dainties; the hard _turrones_ of Alicant, composed of
almonds, nut-kernels, filberts, and roasted chestnuts, intermixed with
honey and sugar; _dulces_ of cocoa-nut frosted with sugar; roasted
almonds; _avellanas_, a peculiarly nice sort of filbert, whole and in
powder; _alfajor_, or spiced bread; the delicious cheese called _jijona_;
pomegranate jelly; _blando de huevos_, or sweetened yolks of eggs," &c.
&c. &c. When in a good humour, she makes presents of these delicacies to
the persons about her; and the degree of favour in which her courtiers
stand, is to be estimated by the amount of cakes and sugar-sticks bestowed
upon them. No place is secure from the invasion of these sweets; even in
the council-chamber, while dispatching business with the ministers, she
is surrounded by them, "and the confection of decrees, and discussion of
dainties, proceed _pari passu_."

The abundance of the comfits and the badness of the counsellors by which
the poor child is environed, menace grievous injury both to mind and body,
heart and stomach. A puppet in the hands of factions, living from her
earliest childhood in an atmosphere of intrigue and falsehood,--the usual
atmosphere of Spanish courts and camarillas, how was she to escape the
contagion? Her education seems also to have been grievously neglected.
When Arguelles was her governor, she was indocile an