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16 December 1900 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Sunday. 16th [December 1900]. I went to morning service & walked afterwards first accompanied Mrs Eden to her home—then met Mrs Hulton & went with her as far as Rialto & so on home. Fanny Browning whom I had seen coming out of church came here soon after I had got in to tell me she had just heard that her husband had just arrived in Venice & she wanted to know what I should do whether I should let him come to this house, if so she wd not come– I tried to calm her & show her the unreasonableness of her attitude—she cried & screamed & talked & finally calmed down & I got her to stay to lunch with us & she went away in peace. I went out in gondola to see Countess Canevaro who with the Admiral has just returned from London where he went to notify to the Queen his King’s accession to the Italian crown– I saw them both and he told me that he had found the Queen very much aged and shrunken—wearing black spectacles—but very kind & sympathetic at his brother’s death at Dax– He had been with her & Princess Beatrice quite alone—Lord Lansdowne having retired after the presentation. He observed that H.M. looked at him over her spectacles. She asked him how it was that he was an Italian Admiral & his brother Peruvian Minister & he explained how all his family had been born in Peru & some had taken that nationality. I was leaving the Canevaro’s door & there was another gondola just before me in wh was Pen Browning. He said he wished to see me so he transferred himself into my gondola & came home with me. There he remained for a couple of hours talking abt his differences with Fanny & told me how she is bringing a lawsuit against him to recover all the money she has put into the Rezzonico Palace. I told him, I was under the impression that she merely wants a recognition of that money & the power to leave it away on her death. He said that was not in the suit– I asked him to allow me to come between them & settle it amicably & he said he would see me again tomorrow. As soon as he was gone I dressed & went off on foot to see Fanny who was at dinner– I begged her to let me try to get it settled & to tell me her terms– After much screaming & crying I got it written down in a few words & I hurried home to dinner & got in just at 8– | |
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