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9 November 1906 — Milan | |
Friday. 9th [November 1906]. Angela & I went to the Brera at 10 & Comte Malagazza the Director came to show us round. I had not been to the Gallery for many years & it has all been rearranged by Sr Conrado Ricci of late & is now very interesting. I saw also there the bust of our dear friend Morelli wh is not unlike him altho’ wanting in refinement. Angela R. soon got tired of the pictures & went back to the hotel alone. I went round the gallery with the Director & when I saw Angela again found that she had been bored with the old pictures & piquée because she thought the Director had not taken eno’ notice of her. However when she had got warm & comfortable in her own rooms she recovered speedily. But I also found that she was under the impression that Princess Stephanie had said unkind things to me about her & I had some difficulty in removing that idea from her head. She is also dreadfully disillusionée as to the character of Venetian society & now realizes how they made up to her for what they can get out of her. She is particularly put out at the behaviour of Css Annine Morosini in general & had heard many things against her lately—& wishes to let it be known that she is no longer her friend. After lunch we went to the Exhibition & then to tea at Covas & after dinner to a theatre wh is a kind of music hall to hear a Venetian Company. We were so far off from the stage that one could not hear very well but Benini acted excellently. Fritz the nephew & Css Zacco his companion accompanied us but we came home alone & then poor Angela opened her heart to me & cried bitterly. I hardly knew how to comfort her. She is very rich & her money brings her little happiness. Her children are no joy to her– The favorite son is paralysed & the daughters are false & indifferent– She has no resources in herself—does not read & her only occupation is looking after her money & society. The generous habit she has of giving people she hardly knows valuable presents does not lend to giving her real friends & she is often disappointed– I calmed her as well as I could & felt very unhappy about her. She says she will now go very little to Venice so I begged her to come later on to London which she says she will do. This long talk kept me up very late & I went late to bed. | |
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