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21 October 1880 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Thursday. 21st [October 1880]. Wrote letters. Ella & Sir Wm came in the morng & stayed lunch. Mr & Miss Browning also lunched with us. The Poet was very talkative & amusing & his sister very nice– It turned out that he had been a great friend of an old Baron Kirkup at Florence whom Henry had well known too & they had each many curious tales to tell of the eccentric but clever old man who of latter years had been entirely dominated over by some very intriguing women who pretended to be spirit mediums. Henry said he had once found Kirkup on calling on him sitting in a room in wh on a black velvet pall on the ground lay the dead body of a girl called Regina who was employed to deceive the old man abt the spirits. She was handsome & she lay there in her white draperies & spread out hair—candles burnt round her—& the old man was alone in the house waiting for them to come & fetch her away for burial. He led Henry to a sofa & they sat talking when suddenly there were heard mysterious knocks & old Kirkup started up saying there are the spirits of her uncle speaking– Henry made haste to get away from the poor old man– The Brownings stayed till past 3– Dr Richter came—& they were all shown the pictures. Mr Brown came in for a few minutes– I saw him depart rowing in his sandalo with his faithful Tony. The Drakes, Mr Burton, Hy & I went out after all were gone to Trapolins to look at his modern silks in imitation of the old– Went on to Clerles to look for old stuffs but it got too dark so we walked round the Piazza & then went home to tea. Drakes dined with us. Henry took them home. I went to bed. | |
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