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3 October 1881 — Mogliano | |
Monday. 3rd October [1881]. We breakfast at 12—but before breakfast Henry & I took a long walk with Pino & Mme Marcello to see their farm houses & their oxen. We paid Niccola’s bird catching arbour a visit & he was there & walked home with us. After breakfast sat & worked a bit & then went up to Andriana’s room & sat gossipping. She told me a good deal abt her life how she had been married at 17 & knew nothing of the world—that her husband was 27 years older than herself. The first thing she asked him when they were engaged was to let her have her professor to live with them! He promised this but the poor man died of love for her 3 months after her marriage. She talked a great deal abt the bad ways of Italians how even her own brothers in law used to make love to her. We then went out & Henry, Theresa, Pino & I played lawn tennis for some time—Pino & I being victorious. At 5 Mme Villari & her daughter arrived from Venice to pay a visit & stop to dinner. Mme V. is an English woman—very nice. The daughter is by a first husband—also an Italian. Signor Villari is a writer & has written the lives of Savonarola & is now writing that of Machiavelli. We dined at 7—& afterwards there was whist & the Puccis came & Mme Villaris daughter sang, if one can call singing the horrible noise she made & with which she seemed more than satisfied abt 10 we took leave & with Mme Villari & her daughter drove to Mestre to return by the 11.15 train to Venice. We had some time to wait at Mestre the train as usual being late. Got home abt 12. Had some tea & went to bed. In our absence Giov. had put down the carpets in the 2nd floor. | |
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