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26 October 1890 — Villa Pisani, Vescovana | |
Sunday. 26th October [1890]. Went to church at 11 with the Countess. Lunched at 11. At 1 drove with the Countess to Monselice where we paid a visit to Css Venier. Henry, Ruth & I went to see old Marcello palace to see a very curious old chimney piece one of the first made in Italy. It is circular & has gothic niches all the way to the ceiling on either side. The building is evidently part of the old fortifications & most picturesque. A splendid view over the plain– It was decorated with frescoes but the Austrians had used the place for a barracks & spoilt them & they were whitewashed. Css Venier is the mother of Css Serego—a nice old lady of the old style– Her house clean, neat & bare—only a summer residence. She paints flowers beautifully. We got home to tea. Long talk with the countess upon the high motives for doing things. She told me to read Coriolanus over again—it so well rendered the right feeling that to respect oneself was better than the respect of others—& without that feeling one could not live– In comparing the career of my husband & that of Lord Dufferin she said she was sure Henry in his right pride was the happier man—not that there was anything against the former—but he was more a man of the world & had found its approval. Home at 5.15. Tried over some Venetian songs & were much taken with the Gondoliers song of Sasso. Read aloud to Henry before dinner. D. Antonio read aloud Romeo & Juliet of Shakespeare & his pronunciation was most amusing. The Countess proposed to keep Ruth for the winter but Henry thinks it is better she should return home with her grandmother. | |
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