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4 May 1910 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Wednesday. 4th [May 1910]. Breakfasted downstairs with the Vivians at 8—after wh they went out shopping at 10.15. I went to the station to see the Queen off as she was leaving at 11 by special train. I first walked on the platform & to see the long special train prepared & saw the royal servants running to & fro to find their places & collect their hand luggage. I heard that the train was so long as H.M. had a following of 54 persons. I then returned to the steps at the entry of the station where I found the Duke degli Abruzzi also waiting to receive the Queen besides our Consul. The Duke shook hands with me & remarked that it was a pity the Queen was staying here such a short time & I said I knew she would have liked to remain if only to visit the antiquity shops for she was fond of buying old things & I asked him whether he had the same mania. “No, I have not, he said, I leave that to my brother. I lead too wandering a life & have no house to furnish.” I told him I sympathized with him in his love of travelling & had been to India. Have you been in Cashmere he said. I told him I had been to the Kyber Pass & looked down into what seemed a promised land with longing to go down to it—but I was not allowed even to go a few steps from the fort as it was not safe—at that moment the launch arrived with the Queen, the P. & Pss Andrew of Greece & Pss Victoria & the Duke went to hand the Queen out of it. The Queen came up to me kissed me & said she was so sorry not to have gone out with me in gondola last night but “it was not my fault” she said. She shook hands with Sigr Zaccato our Consul & then taking the Dukes arm proceeded to the train. I followed with Pss Victoria & Pss Andrew & had just time to ask Pss Victoria why they were not remaining here longer “We must get home, we do not like to leave Papa alone any longer at this moment of crisis–” In a few moments the party were in the train & it was gone. The Queen stood at the window bowing. I sat for a while on the platform waiting for the Vivians to arrive as they were leaving Venice by the 11.45 train de luxe. The Whitakers were also there to see Miss Sartorius start. The Vivians were very sorry to leave after staying with me three weeks. Alexandra is a dear little girl—nice looking happy & contented. From the station I went home & had a talk with Ola who had arrived after midnight last night leaving her sister Daisy getting better but not having even seen her. After lunch we went out in gondola together but came home to 5 o’cl tea to receive Mrs Earle & her young lady friend who are staying with Lady Helen Vincent. Mrs E. is very pleasant & reminds one much of her sister Lady Lytton. I asked after her & she said she is much cut up at the ways of her daughter Lady Constance who after being for 40 years devoted to her mother has thrown every thing to the wind for the question of women’s votes and has become a violent suffragette & had been arrested 3 times. Mrs Earle is a very clever gardener & had written books on the subject. We talked of the political crisis & she said “I have always remained a liberal.” Then if you have remained a liberal of former times you must be almost a conservative now, I said—as my husband would have been. Afterwards when I told her I had seen the Q’s special train & thought it must be a great expense—she said “hardly necessary it seems to me.” I said, I think our nation can afford the luxury of keeping a King & if we have one we ought to do the thing well—& a President is no cheaper. To which she assented. | |
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