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24 October 1885 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Saturday. 24th October [1885]. Up at 7 as usual & Henry & I had tea in my room– Then I wrote till breakfast time. Painted & finished the second arms for the Brandolins. Visit from Mr Malcolm & settled with him what is to be packed for England. Mr Horatio Forbes Brown came to bid us goodbye. Packed– Lunched at 1.30. Sir Wm G., Sir F. Burton & I went out in gondola at 3.30. Went to try to find Dr Menzies about the way to send off Mlle Louvard. He was at Mrs Prinsep’s & we went there & he came down to the gondola & told me what I wanted. We then went to Countess Evelina Pisani’s to tea & to see her pictures—she having come in to town for a few days. We met the Marquis & Marchioness Guiccioli & her mother (a Russian) & had a pleasant hour there—& drank tea out of the famous tea set given by the King of Prussia to the Ct Pisani of that time. When the Guicciolis had left Sir Wm asked if the Marquis had ever been in diplomacy & on learning that he had he regretted not having renewed acquaintance with him & told us how he had first made his acquaintance. He said he was travelling to Ravenna by a night train with a friend (Dennison I think) & was reading Lord Byron’s letters to Css Guiccioli & he turned to Dennison & said, I suppose Byron really was devoted to this woman & was faithful to her as he really seems to have been truly devoted to her– Dennison not taking much interest in the matter grunted out assent when a gentleman very young the only other occupant of the carriage said in perfect English, “Excuse me Sir that is not so, at the time that Byron was writing these violent protestations to Css G. he was engaged in an intrigue with a carpenters wife at a little distance near the Forest of Ravenna.” Sir Wm answered “Well Sir I suppose you speak with authority but I can hardly believe this to be so.” I speak with authority, the gentleman replied, as I am a Guiccioli. Sir Wm begged his pardon & said it was a lesson never to speak his mind openly in a public vehicle. The Count said he did not mind it the least—it was true that the lady in question was his grandmother but by a second marriage & they were rather proud than otherwise of her connection with Byron & as a proof that he bore no ill will he offered to be his cicerone in seeing Ravenna. Once since that they had met at Florence 15 years ago & now had not recognised each other. On that we took leave & went home. I went to pay Mlle Louvard a last visit & to tell her how to get to Cannes. Countess Pisani dined with us & we had a very pleasant evening, she & Sir Wm comparing the Italian & Irish peasantry capping each other’s storys. The Css made out that her peasants were liars & thieves—Sir Wm that the Irish were liars but not thieves & both that they were very ferocious but the Irish most so. They sat talking till nearly 12. | |
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