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24 June 1902 — 3 Savile Row | |
Tuesday. 24th [June 1902]. This has been a terrible day—the Coronation postponed, the King in danger of his life & a dangerous operation performed on him for a kind of appendicitis! I went out in the morning to call on Mr Dent about the Venice Hospital Art Sale—& saw & heard nothing particular. There were crowds about the streets & decorations being completed on all sides. At lunch time Nela arrived to stay with me & said “Do you believe the dreadful news?” & explained that she had been told that the Coronation was postponed. The butler rushed out for a newspaper—& there sure eno’, it was & the operation had already been done. We were dumbfounded & I was ready to cry– Consternation was depicted on the faces of all whom one saw– Crowds rushed to Buckingham Palace to see the bulletins & to write their names enquiring for the King. The books were kept at the door used for the entrée of Ambassadors & the place was like a party—people crowding in to write & sheets of foolscap soon were filled in & renewed. Everybody was asking their friends & acquaintances what they knew & what they thought. Crowds were stationed round the Palace waiting for news– St James’ St was thronged with sight seers & every one was talking of the disaster as Nela & I went there & back. At 6 Kate & Eda Alderson arrived from Peterboro’ the former to stay with me for the Coronation week—& hardly believing the news wh they had heard just as they were starting to come. After giving them some tea I took Kate out walking to see the decorations in the streets wh were nearly completed & in some places carpenters were still at work on them– The Italians had already begun to remove their already draggled paper wreaths fm St James’ H. We walked on to Cav. Sqr to see Blanche & leaving Kate there I ran on to Wimpole St to see Sir Hy Thompson & to hear what he thought of the case. He was at his dinner but he came out to see me & explained that an abscess in the abdomen had found that it had been opened & emptied & was a very dangerous operation for a man of the King’s age & temperament & that he feared the worst, adding characteristically. The King would never diet himself even tho’ I talked much to him & gave him a copy of my book on Food & feeding beautifully bound, but wh of course he never read! I returned in a low state to Cav. Sqr to fetch Kate & we walked home to dinner. Eda went to stay with Lady Humphrey, Mary A. is staying with the Oranmores, & Kate sleeps in my bed. | |
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