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21 January 1899 — Rome | |
Saturday. 21st [January 1899]. Went out in the morning for a short walk. Changed my books at Wilson’s library. Lunch at 1, at 2.30 Donna Laura called for me & took me for a drive & we afterwards went to the Palazzo Farnese to visit Mme Barrère whose “day” it was. The apartment occupied by the French Ambassador is very splendid & the rooms are hung with some priceless tapestries taken from the guardrobe at Paris & there are also some very fine Sevre vases– Barrère himself made his appearance & gave Da Laura his arm & showed her over the apartment & I followed. A small boudoir has beautiful decorations & ceiling– The next formed a curious contrast the Barrères having filled it up with an Egyptian tent ceiling & all– Barrère is a youngish man—he is grandson of the Barrère of infamous celebrity. He is very common looking & has a rather cruel expression—but one would have thought he might be a shop assistant of the Louvre. Mme B. is a Parote—has polite manners & received nicely. She is small & not very young. She spoke of Constantinople & said it was 20 years since she had been there. Da Laura went to her house & sent me on to the hotel at 5. I dined with Lady Vivian a little party given to celebrate Lord Vivian’s coming of age. Sir P. & Lady Currie, M. & Mme de Westenberg, Mr & Mrs H. Loftus, Reschid Bey & Mr Theo Russell were the others who dined. Mr Loftus took me in to dinner & Sir Philip sat on my left. Sir P. proposed Lord Vivian’s health a one sentence. Directly after he seemed to be aware that Lady Currie was finding fault with the way in wh he did it & he called across to her “You are laughing at my oratory.” She answered “Oh so it was not a speech”—& he “That’s what you always say.” The manner they said it was hard & unfriendly—& Sir P. was so preoccupied for a moment or two after that he could not speak at all. Lady C. in the evening seemed engrossed in conversation with M. de Westenberg & when Sir Philip wanted to leave & go home he hovered about her in vain– Later on he returned & drew her attention & she rose & said dryly “I suppose Philip it is time to go”—& they went off– Evidently cela ne marche pas– Later in the evening M. de Westenberg had a long talk with me & he said most kind things of Henry & of his admiration of “his genius” & added cétait un diamant à plusieurs facettes”—then he went on to talk of religion & his ideas were interesting & very simple. He said he disliked all priests in wh I entirely agreed with him & he said think of it Jesus Christ taught us to say “Our Father”—nothing more & that he hoped he himself should die as his own mother had done with those words on her lips. | |
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