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5 November 1903 — Stupinigi Palace, Turin | |
Thursday. 5th [November 1903]. Had my tea lazily in bed at 8 & got up afterwards. Wrote many letters which took me till breakfast time when the Marchesa fetched me & took me to the Queen’s apartment. I found the Bishop of there with his secy. The Bishop is a Franciscan monk & a very intelligent man. Found also Marchesa Olga Guiccioli & her husband Sandrino Prefect of Turin & his younger brother & his Perote wife– He is an Italian delegate for the [illegible word] at Constantinople– I sat between the two brothers at breakfast. The Bishop had the Queen’s right, & the Prefect her left. After lunch the Bishop explained to H.M. an invention he has just completed for signals to prevent the danger of railway accidents. We all stood round the billiard table while he lectured on the subject. In theory it sounds very clever & he is anxious to have it tried & was anxious that the Queen should recommend it to the Minister of War this winter at Rome. He is a youngish man with black hair & beard & bright black eyes & a great talker. After he had finished expounding the Queen led him to a sofa & we all sat round in circle for half an hour when she dismissed him. It was curious to hear the discussion of the Bishop after his departure. The Q. kept saying “Aviva le mans motto pullte” showing that Bishops in this country are not distinguished for cleanliness. As soon as the B. was gone H.M. led us out into the gardens to show a lot of young puppies that have been bred here– There were a lot of poodles & daxhunds. She gave away these puppies to friends. The 2 Marchese Guiccioli each carried off one—& H.M. offered me also one. I had never kept a pet dog but I felt I could not refuse a white ball of a puppy a little poodle—so I accepted one whom the Queen named “Biondino.” I am afraid I shall not care to keep it but it will always do for the protection of the hospital. When the puppy show was over H.M. took us a little way round the garden to show it to me & also the facade of the Palace wh is certainly quaint. it has a Dome in the centre & 2 wings wh form an angular half circle. It was past 3 by this & we retired to our rooms to rest & dress for a motor ride at 4. We went 6 inside the car & were an exceedingly tight fit. I sat between Col. Greppi & the Queen & opposite me Dss Strongoli between mother & daughter Villamarina. Count Zen sat by the chauffeur. We started off & went a pretty good pace. Tho’ I had a large veil & furs on it was soon found that I was not well eno’ protected & the Queen herself had her own Shetland shawl over my hat & ears. We went to a lovely valley to a picturesque village called Frani where there was the remains of a strong castle & high perched up is still a large convent. This place is on the Susa road. I had, after I had got a little accustomed to the whirl & rush a good deal of talk with the Q. in English. She spoke of Mathew Arnold (& his family) who had educated her brother at Eaton, with much affection & she spoke of our late Ambassadors at Rome, of how strange Lady Currie was & she said that when someone was condoling with Lady C. at having her brother at the Transvaal war she answered “& is it not dreadful all the horses that are killed” as tho’ comparing the lives of men & horses. She said that of all our Ambassadresses Lady Vivian had been her favorite. She spoke also today of the American Ambassador now at Rome Mr Mayes whom she said she liked but whose wife she could not approve of in any way. She said she is a new type of American woman ill bred & fast. H.M. asked me if I had read Isabella d’Este & whether I knew Mrs Adio. I told her I did know her & was not reading the book wh though interesting I did not think very well written the style being confused. It got dark before we got home about 6 & tea was served in the large drawing room. We dined at 8 & in the evening H.M. set to work to make Venetian bead necklaces in the art of wh I had to instruct her & she made a blue & gold one after some difficulty. I also made one before bed time & gave instructions to Strongoli who began a twist. | |
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