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4 July 1880 — Aldermaston Court, Aldermaston, Berkshire | |
Sunday. 4th July 1880. Not feeling very well I did not go to church but sat with Henry & Mr Burton (Dir of National Gallery) under the shelter of the house basking in the sun & chatting. We talked of our plans for autumn & going to Switzerland & Henry told us how he had gone first while quite a lad with Brockenden & they had gone over several passes & up mountains before Alpine Clubs had been mounted & what he had done had been considered a wonderful feat then—now every other English girl had done a great deal more & thought nothing of it. He said that B. had introduced him to the Cavour family & that he had often stayed with Cavour’s father. He told us a story of how in later years he had gone to pay Cavour a visit in the country & at the station he found the fly or conveyance. The station master hearing he was going to visit Cavour told him that C’s fattore happened to be there & wd probably give him a lift. The fattore on being applied to made difficulties & seemed unwilling to take him– He was not sure Cavour wd be at home &c– Seeing Henry was determined to go to & had made up his mind to walk there he finally consented to convey him in his trap. After Henry had been a little while with Cavour the latter told him the fattore had taken him for Mazzini & had thought it his duty to try & prevent his going to see Cavour whom he knew wd not wish to see him. They kept up the joke for some time to Cavour’s great delight. Another time when Henry went to the Island of Burano near Venice he was surprised to find himself followed by a crowd who took him for Garibaldi! Henry & Mr Burton then went on to talk abt Crabbe Robinson & Henry said he had been very kind to him when he was a boy & had given him the run of his fine library & that his reading had given him the love & desire of adventure & travel, & that Henry’s family had looked upon C.R. as having been his ruin! He had been wonderfully kind to Henry & had him constantly to breakfast– After lunch I did not go out but sat at home & wrote & enjoyed the quiet. In the eveng everybody told ghost stories wh were stirred up by the fact that Mr Clare Ford’s daughter (he & she arrived this morng) had made a bet with Sir & Mrs Gregory & Arthur Burr that she would go after dark & pick some yew in the church yard wh she did after dinner this eveng. | |
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