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27 October 1880 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Wednesday. 27th [October 1880]. Painted all day. Mr & Miss Browning dined with us & he was very pleasant as usual & talked a great deal. He had known Mr & Mrs Payne who lived so long at Rome. He told a story of Mrs Payne who was a niece of Miss Burney’s. How when she was in Vienna in her youth having a great admiration for Beethoven’s music wh was then hardly known she climbed the stairs of the house in wh he lived in an upper floor & asked to see the composer. He received her & she proceeded to say that she had ventured to call having a great wish to see a man who had written such fine things. Great was B.’s astonishment at being known at such a distance as England & his delight proportionate. He asked her if she had an album as most young ladies had. On her saying she had he then sat down & wrote her a small original piece & they parted with mutual compliments– When Mrs Payne got down stairs & had gone a little way down the street she heard a voice calling her & looking back she beheld the great master in his morning negligé running after her saying he thought it would rain & he offered her his umbrella– The Brownings took leave of us early as they have to finish their packing & leave for Ferrara tomorrow. | |
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