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11 August 1885 — Meiringen | |
Tuesday. 11th August [1885]. We made every arrangement both here as at Lucerne for Alice & Louis Du Cane when they come up next week to join us. At 8 we started with our new friends who turned out to be a Mr Maxwell from Bormio & his sister & we rode up together. Lovely day & not too hot. We dismounted once to rest the horses & were offered milk & mountain strawberries on the way. Under a huge precipice we found a man raising the echos with his long Alpen horn. We all rode except Mr Maxwell who walked, & Annie acquitted herself bravely on horseback. We were met close to Rosenlaui by Lord Monkswell’s butler Hill who had been a servant of my mothers & married one of the family of Dean from Canford– We got there soon after 10. We found Lord & Lady Monkswell & their daughter married to an Italian Mme Galletti & her children, Lord Aberdare & 2 daughters, Mr & Mrs John Ball. Mrs Fanny Kemble was also at the hotel which nestled snugly & prettily under the wooded hill close to a fine waterfall & opposite the Rosenlaui glacier. Mrs Kemble was apparently very alarming & looked very stern when she chose. She has a fine presence—altho’ very short & stout, but has a nice complexion & silky white hair. She dresses in black with a pretty white cap rather like a miniature Normandy cap. When she speaks her manner is rather declamatory & serious but she has a latent twinkle & dry humour which at first are not easy to understand. We lunched at 1 & afterwards Lord Aberdare invited me to take a walk with him & his 2 girls & we gradually climbed up to the gorge where the chalet is not far from the glacier. He told me that when he was last here 37 years ago the glacier used to come down as far as where we stood. The day was lovely, the walk a beautiful one through glades of trees with waterfalls & streams in every direction, flowers were still to be found here & there & beautiful green grass. We dined at the table d’hôte at 7 & Lady Monkswell invited us to her sitting room in the evening. | |
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