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18 July 1912 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Thursday. 18th [July 1912]. Worked & wrote letters & felt very hot & lazy. At 4 I went out in gondola to the Hotel d’Europe to see Mr & Mrs & Miss Merrick. Charming Americans who have been in Venice 12 years & are now leaving for good to return to America. The poor old lady is very dotty now—& the family are anxious to have her home– They came to Venice to look after a queer sister of hers who is now bedridden & imbecile & she will probably outlive Mrs Merrick. Mr M. has been church warden in our church for many years past & is a very good man & devoted to his wife. He is very tall & stout & has a long white beard. We shall miss them. At 7 I started in gondola for the Lido to dine with Pss Dolgorouky at the Excelsior. She had told me to bring Elsie Cassis with me so that they might become acquainted, so she met me there. Count Greppi was her only other guest. He is a wonderful old gentleman, very upright & alert & only a little deaf. He told me he was 93 & did not see why he should not reach 100. He said had been attaché in the Austrian service in 1842, & that he had dine with Marie Louise. He said he had known in Sweden a gentleman who told him that he was the youngest page in the service of the King of Sweden & he had taken to the king an anonymous letter warning him of a conspiracy to murder him. Gustavus refused to pay attention to the letter & went to his death. After dinner we sat out on the terrace overlooking the sea & there had coffee. Afterwards we went to see the skating rink where we found few skating—but I had presented to me Sigr Luigi the manager of the hotel whom I remember as manager of the Ghesireh Hotel at Cairo the first time I went to Egypt in 1895–6 with my niece Elaine. He is a courteous old gentleman & I invited him to come & see me. He regretted he had not seen Lord Kitchener when he was here & said he had known him when he was only a captain. A storm seemed to be getting up & I thought it prudent to set off on my return journey home in gondola at 10.30. There was much lightning & growling of thunder but no storm came our way & I got home dry. | |
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