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4 September 1901 — Boston | |
Wednesday. 4th September [1901]. Breakfasted in our rooms. Mrs G. & Mrs B. took me to the station which was to take me to Prides a station near Manchester on Sea. I was some time in the car before the train went off at 10.45 when a nice looking middle aged man came up to me & said he was Mr Horatio Curtis. I had brought him a letter of introduction from his brother Mr Daniel Curtis of Venice & had sent it to him with a note to say I was going to Manchester & should be away all day so he had kindly come to the station on purpose to see me. He is most distinguished looking very soigné in his dress & handsome. He asked for news of his brother & kindly offered to be of use to me—but I told him I am leaving here tomorrow. We had about 10 minutes talk & then he had to leave so as not to be carried off with me. In abt 20 minutes I got to Prides & there Emilia met me. She had lost her husband in Feb. last & we had not seen each other since I lost mine in 1894 when she was last in England. We were both moved but said nothing. She took me in a Victoria lent her by the Duke d’Arcos the Spanish Minister who is at the Buffalo exhibition. We had a most lovely drive past the most beautiful houses with lovely gardens & flowers through beautiful woods & every now & then glimpses of the sea—a sort of fairy land—& in about ¾ hour reached Manchester where the Spanish Legation has its summer quarters. Emilia & her son Juan who is a secretary of Legation are in a charming little cottage kept by a Miss Brown. We sat & had a little talk till Juan came in looking well & burnt perfectly brown—it being now the fashion for the dandies here not to wear a hat. At 1.30 we went a few paces off to another cottage where Miss Brown’s boarders are fed– Each party having a separate table & waited upon by a nice mannered young woman. Emilia tells me they are all dressmakers who take this light work during the months there is no work for them in Boston & they thus get pleasant & wholesome change of air. After lunch we returned to the Riaños’ cottage & sat talking under the verandah. Gradually the other ladies gathered round us & I was duly presented to them all & we did the civil to each other. The talk happening to turn on water finding I showed them my power & they were much amused. At 3 o’cl the Riaños & I went off to the Manchester station and took the train to Boston. We got to the hotel by 4.15 & found Mrs Griscom & Mrs Bettle ready to go out & we walked over to the Museum. Juan Riaño knows it well & took us straight to the best things—such as the Velasquez & the Rembrandt & the finest Greek & Roman antiquities & the Japanese collection. As the Museum closed at 5 we had but a short time to see things. We returned to the hotel got some tea & ordered a carriage to drive to Brookline. Emilia was tired & would not go so Mrs Griscom, Mrs Bettle, Juan & I went. Brookline is a suburb above Boston & has some nice places– We went to call on Mrs Jack Gardner whom I had known at Venice when she hires the Curtis’ house. It was past 6 when we got there & enquired for Mrs Gardner. The servant said she was in her garden & told us the way to find her. We climbed to the top of the hill over a lovely lawn & there we found the lady reposing near her water garden. She was most curiously clad in a soft white clinging garment a sort of morning wrapper trimmed with lace– Open from the neck to the bosom, with short sleeves to the elbow. She wore a white hat caught up queerly on one side—& her only ornaments were 3 rows of immense pearls which were lightly fastened round her neck. On seeing strangers approach she came to meet us & exclaimed loudly on seeing me. She took us up to look at her water garden from which she said she had just been watching the sunset. Then most kindly she took us into the different flower gardens in which are arranged Italian statuary with green backgrounds & approached thro’ Italian pergolas. She showed us bits & fragments of Italian renaissance stone work which came from Italy & are now embedded in her garden walls & half hidden by masses of clematis & other creepers. The darkness soon fell on us & we made our way back to the house & there sat under the verandah while our carriage was sent for from the stables. Mrs Griscom most mischievously said she had heard often of Mrs Jack Gardner in reference to the controversy as to whether the picture possessed by Mrs Gardner or the one Mr Widener has is the original. Mrs Gardner was at first disconcerted and said she had never heard either of Widener or his Botticelli & in the same breath that she knew & had seen a fortnight ago Widener’s picture & was satisfied that it is a bad copy & not even a replica of the picture in her possession. Luckily the discussion was closed by the arrival of our [carriage] & we left Mrs Gardner’s beautiful gardens at abt 7—& drove back to Boston & by the time we reached the hotel there is was quite dark & the heavens were studded with stars. We gave the Riaños dinner after which they went off to catch a train wh would take them back to Manchester & we went to bed. | |
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