Friday Dec. 23rd '64
Castillia told me Wednesday eve-
-ning that the King's personal friends had
tried to persuade him not to go to the theatre
on New Year's night, as it was almost certain that
instead of the applause usual on that occasion
he would be hissed. The reply of the King was,
'let them hiss me, I shall take it as a proof
of their affection, since it shows that they
do not wish me to go to Florence. I shall go.'
Mr Castillia was delighted at the spirit shown
by him. Last evening, through a blunder on
the part of Alexander, who I believe never
blundered before, the Hardmans were refused
to be received, and we regretted it ten-fold
because they brought with them the famous
Dall'Ongaro. This is the second time we have
missed him, to our great disappointment.
Perelli came early this morning with a proposal
pour Miss Arbesser to meet the Gigliuccis
here some evening. I must manage it if I
can.
Tuesday 27
Saturday morning Edward made his
appearance to our great delight and we talked
without pause till visitors came in - the Hardmans
Collegnos etc-, and then all the evening till
I felt almost giddy with the excitement of so much
news from home. Sunday we spent much in
the same way. Mr Artoni joined us at our
Christmas dinner and in the evening we wel-
-comed Edward, celebrated the re-election of Pres.
Lincoln and the appearance of Sherman on the
Atlantic coast in a munificent bowl of egg punch.
The satisfaction in the kitchen department was
not less than in the drawing-room. A good
many visits on Monday, and a final settlement
that Perrelli is to play here before a few friends
Wednesday evening. A note from Miss Arbesser
last night diverted me not a little. She consulted
me Saturday as to the propriety of presenting
Perrelli to the Osten-Sachens, and I told her
distinctly that I could not give her any advice in
the matter, not knowing the Osten-Sachens, or her
relations to them well enough to form an opinion.
Now she writes that agreeable to my advice she has
asked the Osten-Sachens etc-etc-! I hardly know
whether to laugh or be vexed at this instance of turn
'turning cat in pan', but Miss A__ seems so honest that
I think the fault was in the head, not the heart.
Madame Solvyns was announced Tuesday morning,
sat down, and talked in a succession of jerks with
only a short pause between, for about a quarter of
an hour and then swept abruptly out of the
room in her usual way. It was a comfort however
to find that she could talk still - a fact of which
I have had no proof for many a month past -
Ida Rosazza, whose coming caused the
exit of Mme Solvyns, says that the excitement among
the Piedmontese about the King's going to the
theatre on New Years eve is very great - that if he
would only address them a few words to express his
regret at leaving them &c. every unkind feeling will
be instantly forgotten and he would be hailed by
applauding shouts. We shall see.
Thursday Dec 29th
Perrelli sent his piano about three
o'clock yesterday in spite of the rain
luckily
just after
Mme Pioda left me, as I should have been
sorry to have her seen what looked like prepara-
-tions for a party. When evening came we were
surprised to find that out of the twenty four
guests invited twenty one were present. The
absentees being Mrs Elliot who was too unwell
to come, Count Pasolini who, his wife assures us,
dared not be guilty of the rudeness of coming in the
evening without having been first presented in the
morning!, and young Giovanni Gigliucci who
was detained by official duties with his regiment.
This will be rather a warning to me not to trust
to the ordinary rule as to the proportion of regrets
to be expected. Everything went off to a charm.
The music was really wonderful - not merely
for the mechanical skill shown, but for the
genius and the taste. During the whole evening
there was not the slightest contre-temps of any kind ex-
-cept the mistake, (if it can be called a mistake) of
Alexander in announcing the artist as - Il signor
professore Perrelli. He did not like it and told
Mr Marsh so, in order I suppose that we should not
present him to others under that title. I knew
nothing of the circumstance till all were gone
but fortunately, I had not put in the offensive
professore in any case on presenting him. It
was sometime before I could make out what his
cause of complaint was, but on consideration I
think it must have been on the ground that it
implied that he was a paid performer paid for
the entertainment of the evening. His mauvaise
humeur however was speedily forgotten in
the way in which his music was received
and I think he left us as well satisfied as
the rest of our guests. - Glorious news
from Sherman and Thomas -
February 21st 1865,
Almost two months since my last date
rather restless two months too for ourselves as well as poor
Italy. We left Turin early in January for Florence being
satisfied that during these transition-weeks I, if not my husband,
might as well be there as here. We went by rail to Genoa
thence by vetturino to Spezia and a more delightful journey
could not well have been. Edward & Carrie were so charmed
with the country, the climate - in short every thing. The air, as
soon as we passed out from the last tunnel near Genoa
was as soft as May in N. E. & the roses were shining on
every hedge-top. At Nervi we stopped to enquire for
for [sic] Mme Rothan, who early as it was, came out to the
carriage herself to greet us, & looking as lovely as the
human angel that she is. How the oranges glowed in the
sunshine of the Jan. morning! At Spezia we passed
the second night from Genoa and the next morning took
the railway for Pisa. Here we spent a day for the sake of
the young people who had never been there, and to give our-
selves a chance to see Lady St Germains, the sister of Lady
Estcourt. We found her feeble in body and sad in spirit,
the wreck of a beautiful woman, whose lack of moral
energy has made her the prey of spongers & harpies
of all sorts. She was much affected when she spoke of her
friends in England, but there
were
jealous dependants in the room
observing every look, listening to every word, and she dared not
be more definite than to say that she had many troubles &
that if we were once settled in Florence she might venture
to ask our advice. Poor thing, it too late I fear to do any
for her - either to save
her
fortune or get her out of the hands of her
false friends. After our visit to Lady St Germain, we went
to see the Guido at I forget what palace close to our hotel.
It represents a Cupid vanquished, bound, deprived of his arrows
by a larger & more angelic Love who stoops to commit
them to the flames - a most divine picture.
By a chage change in the trains of which even
the hotels were not notified, we missed the convoglio for Flor.
and were detained another da night in Pisa. Early in the
morning of the 9th we were on our way to F. Alex__ made another
mistake, put into the wrong line and we lost Pistoia which we
wished E. to see. It rained hard however and it was of little
consequence which route we took.