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19 February 1882 — 3 Savile Row | |
Sunday. 19th February [1882]. I did not feel at all well & I remained in bed till after luncheon– Got up & sat & read in Henry’s study. At 4 we went up. He went to Lady Reay & Sir Wm Drake & I in a hansom to Blanche’s. She was out. I went on to Susan Hambro also out—on to Mama’s who was in. I sat a little while & then took a hansom & went to 20 Albemarle St to call on Lady Cowley & sat with her for an hour & she gave me tea– She was very amusing & told me lots of gossip. She asked me how I liked P. & Pss Reuss at Consple. I told her we did not find the P. very agreeable. She said she remembered him first years ago when he was officer in an Uhlan regiment quartered at Frankfurt—then afterwards as secy of Embassy at Paris where he had been very much in love with the Empress & she with him—that altho perfectly correct in her conduct she delighted in causing a belle passion & the Reuss used to be asked to Compeigne—to charades—dinners—theatricals very constantly—not as German secy but as Henry VII P. of Reuss. At last Goltz the Ambassador got angry at seeing his subordinate made so much of & wrote a despatch to his Govt to say that this state of things could not go on & either he or his secy must leave Paris. Thereupon P. Reuss was removed much to the displeasure of the Empress who for some time gave Goltz the cold shoulder & avoided him as much as possible. Goltz being a clever man hit on the expedient of pretending to be himself desperately in love with the Empress– he used to stand watching her in corners of the room till it was remarked upon & he got the idea conveyed to the Empress. Of course she thawed and they became great friends. Lady Cowley told me she yesterday recd a visit from the old Dss of Cleveland who is now 90. She is a little dried up old lady—& when Lady C. told her she thought her looking remarkably well she said “I am well & I have a complexion & always was pink & white.” I walked home at 6 o’cl. Mr L. Burton came to call & stayed a long time. Henry came in abt 6.30 & Mr Burton consulted him about buying the Strozzi picture for the Nat. Gallery wh he believes he can get for £2500 & whether if Spence got it for him he should offer him 10% or 15%. Henry advised him to get the picture & to offer Spence 10 per cent or 12. We dined alone & played cribbage in the evening. | |
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