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17 October 1904 — Cettinje | |
Monday. 17th [October 1904]. I went to see the work in the Russian school at 10 o’cl & then returned to the hotel & found the Reigning Prince had sent a carriage to fetch me to the Palace. He also sent his grand master of the Ceremonies to fetch me. He is a fine looking young man & speaks French. The Princess had sent to say she wd see me at 11. It struck 11 as we drove up to the Palace & I alighted. On the top of the stairs I was met by the Prince who himself conducted me into the hall wh the Princess was standing in a door way. We exchanged curtsies & then shook hands & seated ourselves on a sofa with the Prince seated on a chair opposite– The conversation went on merrily. H.H. thanked me specially for having come to visit his country– We talked of Olga & of Mlle Kwekwitsch & he pitied her for her lonely position. I said Henry & I had both been very fond of Olga & that she often called me “Aunt.” The Prince said that his son P. Mirko had told him that I had said so yesterday & said he would be quite glad to call me Aunt himself! We spoke of the grave news from the Russo Japanese war—how yesterday news that the Japs had taken 80 guns had been telegraphed. The Prince took from his belt the telegrams he had just recd & read them aloud by wh it wd appear the defeat is not so crushing. H.H. was dressed in a splendid Montenegrin costume & wore orders at his breast & round his neck. His wife was also in costume– A dark blue velvet skirt with 3 rows of brown fir on it– Her bodice embroidered with gold—her black hair parted & braided with plaits round her head & a black lace veil hanging at the back of the head—a fine emerald & diamond brooch at the neck & a handsome diamond set belt at her waist. She is still a handsome woman—very dark with large eyes & a gentle manner. She spoke French very tolerably but not so fluently as the Prince & sometimes told him in Servian to tell me things in french. She asked after old Count Alvise Mocenigo & said she had had a telegram from him yesterday– The Prince laughed & said she was very fond of the Count & said in a roguish way “I only ask you Mme la Princesse, if I die before you not to marry the old Count”—to wh she answered rather seriously “That I promise you not to do.” They spoke of their respect & admiration for our late Queen & the Prince said he had been to London & was lost in admiration of it—he added, what would I give to have only a month to be able to get away & take a trip. I told him I was interested the more in his country as my husband had described it in his memoirs when he had been here 65 years ago—“that was 3 years before my birth” the Prince said & added that he would like to see the book. I told him Mr Kennedy wd have that part translated for him. At last, after nearly an hour’s chat, H.H. said they begged I would dine with them tomorrow & we rose & I took my leave. H.H. accompanied me down the stairs & stood bowing to me as I drove off with the High Chamberlain & I returned to the hotel to lunch with Mr Montalba. Directly after lunch Mlle came to pay me a visit & I took patterns of her girls’ work & promised to see if I could help her to get a sale for it in Italy. At four Mr Kennedy came to fetch me to go to pay a visit to Prince & Princess Mirko. The Prince sent a carriage to fetch us wh was very civil considering the little Palace he inhabits is only a hundred yards off just in front of his father’s Palace. When we got to the door we saw the old gentleman standing on the steps of his own Palace dressed in a mighty grey coat with scarlet revers. H.R.H. saluted us cordially. Prince Mirko met me at the door & armed me upstairs. His wife received me in her drawing room. She is a very pretty woman with large limpid eyes—a fair complexion aided by powder & darkish hair. The drawing room was small & furnished in the worst taste. The sofa & one or two others things were that slack kind of filigree wood work wh comes from Bombay & is perfectly hideous. The Princess who is the daughter of a Col. Constanbinovitch & not the least royal, has nice manners & takes great pains to be agreeable. She was dressed in dark blue with white lace falling from her boddice to conceal her interesting condition. She sat in a big chair in a corner of the room & motioned me to sit on a sofa at her left. The Prince & Mr Kennedy sat on the Bombay sofa at her left. The conversation was dragged along with difficulty, the weather, the war, Ragusa (where her parents live) &c. After abt ½ hour she gave the signal for departure & the Prince armed me down again. We ran back to my hotel & I changed my frock & we went for a walk towards the Reservoir. We met a wounded man being carried on a stretcher—probably from the mining now being done to complete the Reservoir. Just as we were toiling up to it a passing workman warned us to beware of the “mina” so we turned back & soon heard various detonations. This morning after my visit to the Reigning Prince Mr Kennedy took me to see the Hospital wh has abt 40 beds. Dr met us & showed it us. There are 2 men’s & one women’s wards– It is fairly well kept & in this country more could not be expected. The Dr told us the disease of each patient—mostly cataract, & hernia—he says there is little typhoid here the air being good & also the water, tho’ this summer they have had a water famine. I dined with the Kuhns in the evening, Mr Kennedy & Mr Montalba also. The Austrian Legation is a nice house & we had an excellent dinner. The Turkish Minister, the Russian Chargé & the Austrian Secy were there. Next me sat a common looking little man whose name I had not understood. He asked me abt my stay at Consple & Gladstone’s name came up. I said it was curious how his name was quite forgotten. He said it might be in England but not with his people & that even streets had been named after him. I said Oh yes it was he who invented “Bulgarian atrocities” which had never existed, & had been helped by McColl & Liddon—all equally bent on fabricating “Bulgarian atrocities”– The conversation then dropped & I found out afterwards that I had been talking to the Bulgarian Agent! I am not sorry to have let him see what I thought of his fictitious “atrocities” tho’ had I known who he was I should have been obliged to hold my tongue on the subject. In the eveng Bss Kuhn & the Secy (Lania) played duetts on 2 pianos—they were bad ones & not well timed but one could see that they are both good performers. There was “bridge” played in the smoking room so we remained quite late our hostess entertaining those who did not play bridge with her lively conversation. When we left the Turkish Minister offered to drive me back to the Hotel & I gladly accepted. It drizzled a little & we fear for the weather tomorrow. | |
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