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4 May 1904 — Rome | |
Wednesday. 4th May [1904]. Eda came to sit with me & I did not move out in the morning not feeling very well. I took some quinine wh set me up. The Queen had the Portuguese Minister & his wife & 2 daughters (Vasconcellos) to lunch. I had known him at Madrid in former years. One daughter was a Css Tomè married some years. The other unmarried. After lunch the Q. asked the latter if she would recite some Dante to her wh she was very quietly & simply said she would do. We were soon amazed by her talent. She recited the stanzas abt Tea di Rinini & her father was soon in tears. She also imitated Sarah Bernhardt’s way of acting. It was marvellous. It appears the girl is almost consumptive & her brother is now at Davos for the same reason– She is the idol of the house & her great talent for poetry might make her celebrated were it not for her bad health. After the Vasconcellos left I went with the Brandolins & sat with them in their villino for a while & then at 4 the Queen took us out to Monte Mario that she might show me the Marconi telegraph station. I drove with the Queen & Signor d’Onofrio her gentleman in waiting. As we got up to Monte Mario a storm threatened. But it was lovely up there. We got out at the top of the hill & walked into the fort– A few high masts—was all that was to be seen outside– Inside a small room were various instruments the use of wh was explained to us by one of the head officials. Of course one could understand very little but I was delighted to be able to see how simple the apparatus was for such a marvellous effect. They put a band round one’s head wh fitted to the ears & we were told that a little crackling noise wh one heard was the effect of the lightening in a storm off the Maddalena– The view looking over the campagna at our feet was entrancing with black clouds heaped all about & traces of distant rain. We reached the Palace without any rain falling. We had only time to dress for dinner on our return. Senator Blaserna came to the Queen in the evening & Countess Somaglia a most lively old lady who was full of a charity sale wh she is getting up in Rome & for wh the Queen gave her a splendid Sevres vase. Blaserna I had known when he came to Venice with Mme Minghetti. | |
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