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10 June 1887 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Friday. 10th June [1887]. Wrote before breakfast. Desideri gave the girls a lesson & I painted at the same time till 12 when I wrote letters, amongst others one to the Bishop telling him all about the mad parson who talks of getting £12,000 to buy a palace here. After lunch had a visit from Mrs Ker & then from Ersilia & Maria. At luncheon Luigi told us that he had heard that old Countess Agapia Valmarana had died suddenly last night of apoplexy. Ersilia came to me with red eyes & very low having been to see the old lady laid out. We were having tea when Idita Hurtado came in & the talk was of nothing but the poor old lady. It appears she was dressed to go to the Countess de Bardi’s last night when she was taken ill—put on the bed & died at once. All her family were round her as they were all dressed ready waiting to go out with her. Countess Valmarana was the last of the old Venetian society of which Countess Clary & Css Papadopoli were others. They received almost constantly & were most amiable [to] not only Venetians but foreigners. They could not live alone & kept up the old Venetian habit of sitting up till 3 & 4 of a morning. Every body will miss the Countess; she was good natured & hospitable to all alike. To me she was very kind & when I gave a ball this year she most kindly helped me in every way. When Ersilia left I went & sat with Mme Hurtado in her gondola as she could not come up. Mr Woods the artist came to call & he paid his visit in his gondola by the side of us. Henry & Sir Francis Alston came back for us at 5 & so I bid Mme Hurtado good bye & changed my dress & then went out for a row with Sir Francis & the 2 girls. We went to leave dinner invitations for 21st to celebrate the Jubilee & to leave cards at the Valmaranas & to Vianelli’s to order copies of our photos & then returned to dinner. Mr Brown & his mother dined with us & after a very hot day a thunderstorm came up & it looked so threatening that we sent home the Browns early in our gondola– Henry & I played patience till bed time. The storm was severe & it very much cooled the air. | |
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