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13 June 1887 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Monday. 13th June [1887]. Breakfast at 9 & at ½ Henry & I went off to Countess Valmarana’s funeral at the Gesuati on the Zattere. The church was all hung with black & white very tawdry & hideous. The women were all sent to one side & the men on the other, in the centre of the church was a great wooden catafalque with wreaths & wax torches. I got a seat next to Mme Mimaut the French consul’s wife. Abt 10.30 the procession arrived from the house close by with 2 bands of music—the pompieri carrying the coffin. There were about 200 gondoliers of Venetian families each carrying a lighted candle & they were arrayed down each side of the church & round the catafalque. There was a “nissa cantata” but the music was bad & the voices of the singers painful. The whole thing was entirely wanting in solemnity & most people talked & laughed & looked about as tho’ they were anywhere else. Some few ladies remained on their knees & looked at their books. Towards the end of the service there was a panic caused by 2 of the great torches in the top of the catafalque falling from their sockets—luckily they fell towards the centre & not out wards but for some minutes while a ladder was being fetched the woodwork was in danger of catching fire. Pss Dolgorouky who was next me & her niece were taken worse & wanted to dash out but I would not let them go until the panic had subsided. I & Henry came out before the rest & we got away abt 12 o’cl, walked to the Stabto & got their gondola to bring us home. All the gondolas & the funeral ones waited outside the Accademia & from there the procession started down the Grand Canal. We were home sometime before it passed our house. Lunch at 1.30. At 3 visit from Marquis & Marquise Gavotti. Henry took Ola & Nela to the Exhibition but came back disappointed as there was no music owing to the death of Favretto the painter out of respect for him. I remained in, read, wrote letters & worked. M. Dreyfus dined with us & afterwards Henry took him & the girls out to hear the serenade given in honor of the Q. of Greece who is here. | |
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