Balmoral, May 22, 1879

We arrived at Balmoral at a quarter-past three. At a quarter to six walked with Beatrice to look at the Cross which I have now put up to my darling Alice. It is in Aberdeenshire granite, twelve feet three inches high. It is beautiful. The inscription is :—

TO THE DEAR MEMORY OF
ALICE, GRAND DUCHESS OF HESSE,
Princess of Great Britain and Ireland
Born April 25, 1843, Died Dec. 14, 1878,
THIS IS ERECTED BY HER SORROWING MOTHER QUEEN VICTORIA.
”Her name shall live, though now she is no more."

We then walked on to Donald Stewart’s, where we went in ; thence down to Grant’s. In both places they were quite overcome to see us after darling Alice’s loss, and poor Grant began sobbing and could not come into the room where we were. [Grant died November 17, 1878, in his 70th year, at Robrec, close to Balmoral, where he had lived since 1875, when he was pensioned, and where we went very often to see him. I visited iiim almost daily during the last days of his life, and was present at the funeral service at his house (November 21). He is buried in the churchyard at Braemar.] The arrival at Balmoral to-day was most sad. Everything came before me—the dreadful anxiety about little Ernie, [Alice’s son, who, with four of his sisters and his father, was lying ill of diphtheria in November.] the sorrow about dear little May, [Hear Alice’s youngest child, who died of diphtheria November 16, 187S. We received the news while we were at Balmoral.] and the anxiety about the others. And, to crown all, the thought of darling Alice gone, and, after her, dear little Waldie. [Prince Waldemar, the Crown Princess of Germany’s third and youngest son, who died of diphtheria on March 27 of this year.]