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2 July 1902 — 3 Savile Row | |
Wednesday. 2nd [July 1902]. We all breakfasted downstairs at 9—& the girls went off to walk to the Horse Guards to see the Indian Review. Lady Humphrey called for me in her carriage at 10 & drove me down to the Admiralty where we saw it from Lord Selborne’s private office & had an excellent view. The weather was fine after a wet night. The Queen came in semi state. The varied uniforms were bright & picturesque & the sight was a very pretty one. It lasted abt ¾ hour. Lady Cranborne & her children were with us & we walked back together after the Review. Mr Byard came to luncheon having just arrived from Paris very well—very amusing & in good spirits. We sat talking till 3.30 when Eda & I walked to Charles St Berkeley Square bidden by Mr Hamilton Aïdé to hear some music. Mrs Russell sang prettily & Signorina Dinorah sang effectively & was nice looking—a Mr Norton sang his own compositions & then a Mr Palmer sat down to the piano—a pale faced shady looking man an American– He half closed his eyes & sat & began one of his own compositions—very indifferent & played in rather a commonplace way– He proceeded pretty quietly for some time & then suddenly flung his hands with all his might on the piano with such a bang that I almost jumped out of my seat with surprise—& he continued to hammer out the chords of his theme till the instrument shook & jingled & evidently a string had given way. When he had finished this he flung his hands up & his head back in a kind of ecstasy, shook himself, opened his eyes again & left the piano. I made my escape with a sigh of relief—& my host on bidding me goodbye explained that the pianist is almost a genius! We walked home Eda & I & had tea. Pablo Casals came to tea– Afterwards Eda & I took a hansom & drove down to Little Holland House to see Mr & Mrs Watts– “Signor” came in in his working blouse & we sat together & had a talk while Mrs Watts showed Eda the studio. Watts said he was 86 & had no time to lose & therefore was often at work at 3.30 A.M. I congratulated him on his having had the Order of Merit conferred upon him—he said that he ought to be pleased & he had promised his wife not to say any thing against it but those things were not much in his line—still if such an order did exist, his feeling was that the name “Right Honble” should go with it—for if a man did his best in any line, whatever it was, it was a right honourable thing to do & that title would be appropriate. I said I thought that as that title now meant “Kings Councillor” it would never do for a literary man or an artist to run the risk of being called away to attend a council– Watts said it might be made Honorary– He spoke of the illness of the King & his admiration of his many good qualities—that there were two things that he had regretted in the Life of our dear last Queen—that in giving way for so long to her great grief at the death of her husband she forgot the interests of the country & had not kept up a court of clever & good people round her & that she had not given the Prince of Wales eno’ employment in the Govt of the country & so had encouraged him in idle ways– When I took leave of him he was very affectionate– Spoke of Henry & how he regretted he was not with us now & begged me to come again & see him. Yesterday I went at 2 oclock to the Church in Down St to see Lina Duff Gordon married to Mr Waterfield. She looked very handsome– I was sorry to find that her old aunt Miss Duff Gordon from whose house she was married took a panic 2 days before that she was not equal to having the reception at her house. As she is over 86 it is excusable but for the motherless girl it was a pity. After the ceremony I believe that the married pair went with their intimate friends to the bridegroom’s studio for tea. | |
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