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19 April 1906 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Thursday. 19th [April 1906]. When Baker brought my breakfast at 7 a.m. she told me that it had rained all night & that red sand had fallen with it—the gondoliers found it in the gondola. Then in the papers wh came also with my breakfast are telegrams reporting that a terrible earthquake has overthrown the City of San Francisco—that there are great fires broken out in consequence & that the water supply has failed– This terrific catastrophe happeng just after the Erruption of Vesuvius makes one think of the end of the world! It is too dreadful. I had a busy morning preparing hospital accounts. A visit from old Mr Curtis. At 3 Mme Hilmy Pasha née Kiamil Bey of Constantinople came to see me. She is a Turkish lady I had known well at Consple as quite a young very handsome woman. We fell into each other’s arms, delighted to see each other after 26 years. When I left her at Consple she was a young & pretty woman—now she still nice looking rather small fat & happy with her hair golden—nice big eyes & a pleasant manner. She talked to me a long time about her family. How her husband had died 11 years ago having become a morphine maniac. Her eldest girl had married Turkan Pasha. The 2nd had been engaged to Sela Jung & the Sultan had forbidden the marriage wh had been cooked up by Lord Dunmore while they were living in Egypt– This marriage having failed the girl was married to an Egyptian prince brother of Nazli Khanum & the marriage annulled. She then married a smaller personage & has now 4 children. The youngest she shed many tears over. She had married a Turk or Egyptian who for no reason divorced her then she married without their consent the Sultan’s sister’s son—having hid her real name– When the Sultan found out who she was he ordered their immediate divorce—as none of the Royal family are allowed to marry into a noble family. Mme Hilmy then took her to Paris. There at the hotel the girl saw a Russian Prince (Ourozow) & ended by running off to London with him & there marrying him before the register– All this she told me with many tears– She speaks perfect French & in a very lively manner. When she left I went to see Angela Reinelt & sat an hour with her– As it rained hard all day I came home from there. This morning when Baker brought my tea she told me there had been a mud rain in the night as the gondola had red mud in it. It is evidently the result of the eruption of Vesuvius. I dined at 8 in the middle of dinner suddenly remembered that I had promised to go to the Sailor’s Inst. to a concert so Baker & I rushed off there. There was a large attendance but not much musical talent. I accompanied some of the singing on the piano. Canon Ragg brought us home at 10.30. | |
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