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10 June 1905 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Saturday. 10th [June 1905]. I went to the Palazzo Reale to lunch at 12.30 with the Queen Mother Margherita. I was received affectionately by Marchesa Villamarina—Count Guiccioli & Ct Aldofredda were in attendance & Princess St Elia who arrived only today for her waiting. H.M. has grown thinner & looked well. She took my arm to lead me to lunch & we all talked very freely. The dining room was the left hand corner looking from S. Marks Church into the Piazza – H.M. spoke of her journey to Wiesbaden to meet the Kaiser & to hear Bn Chelius’ new opera– She enjoyed her motor car expedition & said there was nothing like it & it was delightful to move much & often. I told her that I had heard that she had inocculated the Kaiser with the malady of the motor spirit. She said she thought it was true—& that the Empress was not so pleased as she dislikes motor cars– She asked after “Basta basta” my grey parrot who startled her last year with those words when she was at my house. After lunch we sat in a small drawing room the walls of wh were lined with white satin with a pink stripe & was handsomely decorated with white & gold. H.M. spoke of Ghosts & telepathy & said that she believed in them & that she duly read the publications of the English psychical society & thought that there were many forces in nature which are unknown to us & that would some day be explained—such as the power of water finding wh I myself had—& that when such things as Marconi had discovered & the telephone existed it was a proof as we wd not have believed in them some years back. I told her that I had read late curious things about the cultivation of plants by an Englishman called Burbank & would try & get her the account of it to read. She expressed her delight at the late naval victory of the Japanese & said she cd express her detestation of the Russians. We talked of the visit of the King of Spain now taking place in England & she asked whether it was true he was engaged to the daur of the D. of Connaught. I said I hoped not that we should very much dislike it in England neither wd it please the Spaniards. She wd have to turn R.C. & that wd give great offense in England as she wd be the 1st Princess who had done so since the Reformation. Abt 3 o’clock H.M. rose & took leave of us. I went to see Bss Reinelt at the Hotel Victoria as I had put in a word in her favor to Marchesa Villamarina for she wants to be presented to H.M.– At 5 I went off to our Church to attend a meeting called by Mr Harston to consider a new constitution wh the Bishop of Gibraltar proposes to make for our church. The meeting, however, was soon broken up as it was said not to be conclusive. Ola & Sister Rome was there so walked home with me & dined with me & afterwards I took them out in gondola & took them home to the hospital & went home to bed after a long & tiring day. | |
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