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6 April 1884 — 3 Savile Row | |
Sunday. 6th April [1884]. Kate & Blanche came to 3 Savile Row & I went with them to church at St Margaret’s Westr. We also met Maria & her boy Louis. As we were a little late Miss Laughton could not give us any places but I got a seat in the pew behind & the others found chairs. We had a sermon from Canon Farrar & after church we 4 sisters & Louis walked across St James’s Park. Kate went to lunch at Hamilton House– Blanche went home to Queen Anne St & Maria & Louis lunched with Henry & me. Directly after lunch Henry, Maria & I walked up to Langham House to see Mamma and we felt very nervous as to how we should find her notwithstanding that those who had seen her had told us she was curiously calm– This we found her & she at once set off telling us all about her & Mr Schreiber’s journey to the Capes & back & every detail of his death. They had been back at Lisbon for 6 weeks & found the winter an unusually cold one. Mamma knew he was slowly dying & said she had known he could not live when first he was taken ill 11 months ago. She said he was down at the table d’hôte on Friday 28th of March & was not worse than usual. He went up to his room & she remained behind talking to some one. When she went up she found him lying asleep on the bed & she sat down & wrote. At 10 she woke him & made him go to bed & did the same herself. In a short time he woke her complaining of a bad pain in his stomach & she got up & sent for a Dr an Englishman who came & remained all night with her. He also got her a hospital man nurse. Morphia was injected to sooth the pain wh it soon did. The next day Saty at 1 he asked to have his hair brushed—& asked for hair lotion to be put on. The maid who brushed his hair did not like to do this as the drops were standing on his forehead. He said that he wd wait for the Dr to ask if it wd give him cold– He told Mamma he cd not rouse himself & asked where he was; she answered “with yr own wife”—to wh he said then God bless her & never spoke again. When she had told us all this she cried but she said “then I had to do everything & to be like a stone. They said the custom was to dress the bodies so I said—do what is the custom & I helped to put him in the coffin”—& as there were no watchers she kept the key of the door & went in & out at night. She said people in the hotel wanted the body moved at once & said they wd not sleep there but the landlord moved them to another passage– The next day Sunday at 4 there was a funeral which Mamma attended & on Tuesday she set off for Madrid. At Madrid she sent for Mme Riaño on some business & the first thing she did was to ask after Mr Schreiber—& was startled by the reply that he was buried on Sunday. She stayed 24 hours at Madrid & thence came straight thro’ to London having been met in Paris by Dacre Du Cane. All this took a long time telling & it was 5 when Ivor came in so we went away to Queen Anne St & had tea with Blanche. Henry went home to dress & returned there & we dined there & Charlie & Connie also dined there. | |
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