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20 February 1883 — 3 Savile Row | |
Tuesday. 20th February [1883]. Edward Ponsonby came in for a few minutes in the morning to say Blanche wanted Ola to lunch with her. At 12 Sir William Gregory came & Mr F. Burton & we went to Bethnal Green to see the Bute collection of pictures. I took Sir Wm with me in our brougham & Henry & Mr B. were in the other brougham. Sir Wm talked much abt our prospects of going to Rome & said he had heard that Gladstone made a point of it as he now felt that it was owing to him that Henry was left without a pension & he insisted on his having Rome. At Bethnal Green we saw the pictures belonging to Lord Bute. He has chiefly Dutch pictures & some bad Italian ones. Also a beautiful Reynolds of old Lady Bute with a green purse in her hand & her dog with her, a Gainsboro & a portrait of Washington by West. There were other drawings & watercolours but by different people—some pretty sketches by Penry Williams—& a whole collection of Italian pictures with fine names, Titian Luini &c lent by a Mr Kenneth Muir Mackenzie. The frames were very pretty & mostly old ones. I drove Mr Burton back home. Sir Wm & Henry went to the club together to get some lunch. I got home 3.30 & waited to feed at tea time. The rain continued till night time. We left Ola at home & went to dine with Lady Lindsay of Balcarres. Met Lady Harrington, Mrs Moncrieff (née M. Gaetano), Mr Hamilton Aidé, Mr Sturgis, Sir Wm Gregory, Lady Lindsays is a most uncomfortable poky little house—& one could not help contrasting it with the magnificent house in wh one had seen her hitherto—but she is only there pro-tem until she has settled on a permanent house. She was very pleasant & did all she could to entertain well & was not distraite & listless as she used to be in her former circes. She said she could not yet play the violin nor read as it upset her too much—but she hoped to take to it after a time. She made Mrs Moncrieff sing to us. She is a very handsome woman & was a professional. She has a lovely voice & sang her own compositions but spoils her singing by not pronouncing her words. Hamilton Aidé sang also one of his own songs “Brown eyes & blue eyes” & it was rather trying to ones gravity. Lady Lindsay played the piano very well indeed & we had a very pleasant evening. | |
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