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30 December 1903 — Paris | |
Wednesday. 30th [December 1903]. Addie & I went to lunch at the British Embassy with Sir Edmond & Lady Monson & there met Ct & Sophy de Franqueville & the sposi Marcheses di Rudini who are now on their honeymoon trip. She is a daughter of Labouchere M.P. who married her mother not so very long ago. They brought her up a R.C. in a convent. She is quite young—with forward manners—pale olive complexion with black eyes & black fluffy hair. Her manners, as might be expected from her parentage are not attractive—she is more like a 2d rate American girl with even the accent & expressions. Her dress was simply appalling in its extravagant outré-ness & she talked loud & long. The husband, who has a very bad reputation amongst Italians was not much more attractive but has more the manners of a man of the world. The Monsons were very kind & pleasant but are evidently depressed at being on the eve of their departure & retirement from diplomacy. He is heavy & dull. She had evidently been pretty as a girl—is still petite but quiet & timid & hardly up to the part she has to play & had no hold of the situation or the management of her own drawing room. In fact one felt it rather awkward. The secretaries who lunched there were Mr O’Byrne (RC) who sat next to me, Mr Lord (Sir Clare’s son) & Mr Berkeley. On leaving the Embassy we drove with Sophy to my dressmaker where I fitted on a gown & then returned to the Ritz & had tea in the Restaurant. Addie & I dined in our salon at 7.15 & then went to the Renaissance Theatre to see a piece called l’Adversaire wh was well acted & had a good moral. Still it is an unpleasant piece, turning as all modern french plays do on adultery. In this play a good husband finds out his wife to have been unfaithful to him & at the end insists on a divorce refusing to accept her penitence or to forgive her. It is altogether unpleasant ending. | |
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