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13 March 1902 — Rome | |
Thursday. 13th [March 1902]. Spent the morning with Sophy & directly after lunch I went to Corso Vitt: Emanuele to call on Ct de Basterot who is now too infirm to pay any visits. Unfortunately a 2nd person came in directly after me—a cousin—an Italian officer & he outstayed me. De Basterot is a wonderful man in courage as his sufferings have been great from his spine & he kept about as long as he was able to move with 2 sticks. Now he is in a wheel chair. I walked back to the hotel calling en passant on Mme Ristori who however was not in—went back to Sophy who had a friend with her so I went in search of Ersilia Canevaro but she has not arrived from Venice. I went to dine with the Brazzà & met Css Vera Brazza (a Russian) & her husband “Pippo”—Signor Molmenti (the author), Ct San Giuliano, Dr Prochet (Caldese) & a Signor Luzzatti. There was an animated discussion on religion at dinner wh seemed to me a bad moment for such a thing. It began by Molmenti having been accused of revising the Lords Prayer. He declared that he had only translated it into Italian for the use of the schools at Venice. San Giuliano took the Anti Christian view. Prochet a good Protestant, tried to confute him & was the only one who took the matter seriously so much so that Luzzatti asked in an aside if he were a minister. I had a talk with Css Vera after dinner while Css Cora discussed politics & female emancipation with various men who dropped it. The contrast between the 2 sisters in law was striking. Css Cora sat all of a heap on a low divan her elbows & bare arms resting on her knees talking loud & gesticulating in bad Italian. She is very plain & had the kind of American white nigger type– Css Vera sat in a dignified manner talking quietly to her neighbour & evidently suffering from the unconventional ways of her sister in law. It was an amusing scene but I was not sorry to escape from it before 11 & came home to bed. | |
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