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25 December 1888 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Tuesday. 25th December [1888]. Christmas Day. Great opening of stockings & fun over the presents we all received. Breakfast at 9. At 10 the Princess of Montenegro called for me & we went together to our church as she wanted to see our service– We sang a Carol before the service—& all went very well– Did Tallis Responses—& 2 Christmas Hymns—a good congregation—& all pleased. I came home & dressed a little tree to take to Mrs Browning– Lunch at 1. Left the 3 girls at home to dress the house with evergreens. At 2 Henry & I went out. I dropped him at the Iron bridge to take his walk & picked up Mr Jameson at S. Vio & he & I went to the Hotel d’Angleterre to Mrs Browning & he administered the Holy Communion to us. She was up & better in her dressing gown– I gave her the Christmas Tree and wished her a Merry Christmas & came home. Passing the Piazzetta I spied Henry walking & stopped & took him into the gondola– We went to call on Mrs Bronson & there met Pen Browning. Went to Mr Eden who was out– Called at S. Vio & took some more evergreens for decorations—left a note for Mr Brown & came home. Had tea in Ola’s room where I found the 3 girls resting on my return home– Wrote the menus, arranged the dinner table—& then dressed for dinner, Mrs Bronson (Edith prevented by headache), Mr Eden, Lady Galway, Mr & Mrs DuGué, Mrs Brown & Mr Brown, Mr Malcolm, Mr Marzials, Mr Sillence & Mr Woods. In the plum pudding there were 2 silver rings, a thimble & a franc. Ola got the ring & Mrs Bronson the thimble– Nela was very anxious also to have a ring so she & Mr Eden took the rest of the pudding & dug until they got it! At 9.30 the rest of the invités began to arrive viz all the rest of the English. Menzies, Hammonds, Stefanis, &c & also the Montenegros, Dolgoroukys, Andrians, Cafaros &c & then we had the tableaux. Nela opened this in a picture called “The love letters after Romney” & looked charming. Then Ola as “Portia” in red & black. After came Dora in a Gainsboro hat—the Princess Olga Montenegro as a Turkish coffee bearer. Then followed Dora as “Galatea”, Mr Marzials as “Venetian Senator”—& then looking shy in modern costume—Mrs Hulton as the Spanish fortune teller—Mr Fisher as a Vandyke—Mme Acton as Beatrice Cenci—Nela as a Venetian wooden spoon vendor—& lastly Henry & I in our modern costume in one picture. There was a pause for refreshments in the middle of the entertainment. Mr Woods & Mr Jameson both posed in the frame—when called for as scene shifters– The party broke up at 1.30 & we went to bed tired out. | |
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