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18 February 1879 — Constantinople | |
Tuesday. 18th February [1879]. Nelly came & spent the morng with me & we made cigarettes &c Mr Washington called. Directly after luncheon Henry & I, Mr Mallet & Sir Alfred drove off to Yildiz to visit the Sultan & have our audience to take leave of H.M. We had to wait a little while as we arrived just as the muezin was calling to prayers. Henry was rather fatigued & pale. After waiting abt ¼ hour we were sent for & Henry, Sir Alfred & I went in. The Sultan received us with much kindness & many expressions of regret at Henry’s illness & during the audience he more than once said he cd not get over the idea that Henry shd have been so ill since they had last met. After a great deal of business talk, H.M. took his watch from his pocket & said he knew that Henry wd never accept any present but that he could not refuse to take a little thing that he (the Sultan) had worn and hoped he would allow him to give him his own watch as a specimen of Turkish workmanship with his own seal A on one side H on the other. He then took from behind a cushion of the sofa a long envelope wh had these words written on it “Je vous prie, Madame, d’accepter ce petit objet comme un souvenir de mon estime et de mon amitié. A.H. Le 18 Février 1879.” I was burning with curiosity to open & see what was inside but I had to wait until Mr Mallet had been sent for & presented as Minister in Henry’s absence & when we got out to the waiting room– I found my present was a lovely diamond bracelet with 16 enormous diamonds in it. It was evidently old & had belonged to the crown for many years. Henry was horrified & said I ought not to accept it but there was nothing else to be done now. We got home abt 5. Lady Dickson, Hobart P. & Mrs Washington came to 5 T. This afternoon Jerry came to take a last farewell & to say he was getting on happily at school– This morng Aimée & Ida & took away Fritsie & Coco to keep for us during our absence. Quarantine at Marseilles so had to give up going & wait for the Antelope wh is expected from Malta. | |
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