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12 March 1906 — En route to Venice | |
Monday. 12th [March 1906]. It was said that there was an old French lady on board over 80 years of age—without a maid & having a courier with her who neglected & ill treated her & locked her up in her cabin to prevent her wandering into other people’s cabins—as she was mad. I told the stewardess of my cabin that I would gladly pay the poor old thing a visit & talk her own language to her– I found that complaints had been made to the captain of our ship of the cruelty of the courier—so when I went to the old lady’s cabin just before lunch I found the man sitting with her. I stayed but a short time as he wd persist in sitting there & told me the old lady was childish & ill & made her show me how one of her legs was swollen. He is an englishman but speaks French fluently. I made an excuse that I must got lunch as it was 1 o’cl but I returned directly after while the stewardess said the courier “was at the bar” drinking & I sat a long time with old Mme du Boe. I found her anything but mad—& very interesting. She said that for 20 years she had travelled in the East, in Armenia, Asia Minor &c under the care of a Major Domo who had served her faithfully & having a genius for organisation used to arrange her caravans most perfectly. This valuable man died of lungs 2 years ago & she had never ceased to mourn his loss. The new man was good but could not be the same– She told me she had built herself a fine “hotel” at Paris & spoke in raptures of her grandchildren. She wears a wig but is not bad looking for her age & wore a white dressing gown. The poor old lady was pleased to be able to talk french & begged me to come & see her again. The Captain had the stewardess said, given the cruel courier “a proper court martial” so we hope he will now be more careful. In the evening there was a fancy dress ball of the feeblest description– Lady Anne Murray & I agreed that it made one quite melancholy to see people making such fools of themselves—so we found a quiet corner on deck where we sat talking in the beautiful moonlight & she told me all about the death of her beloved son in the S. African war & how she & her husband had never been happy till they had been to the place of his death & of all the kindness they had experienced from people in the country. I told her that thro’ all their sorrow they might feel proud at the sacrifice they had made for our country. We are having so far a perfectly smooth voyage. | |
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