Letters of a Diplomat's Wife, 1883-1900Waddington, Mary King
History
Letters of a Diplomat's Wife, 1883-1900
Waddington, Mary King
Europe -- Social life and customs
We dined at the famous Cafe du Parc. W. invited the Director and the
Consul to dine with us, and we had a pleasant little dinner, fairly
good. There was a good orchestra, who had evidently been told who we
were, for as soon as we arrived they played the "Marseillaise" very
well. It caused quite a sensation among the people who were dining, as
they evidently hadn't noticed particularly the quiet party which came
in--all of us of course in travelling dresses. The chef d'orchestre
asked our Director if we would like to hear some national airs--which
they played very well, and then I asked for the Polonaise from Glinka's
"La Vie pour le Czar," which they always played in Moscow whenever the
Imperial cortege arrived.
At 11 o'clock the Consul's steam launch came (the cafe is on the water),
and he took us all about the inner harbour, most curious and
interesting, and then outside. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and
we went sometimes so close up to one of the islands that we could have
spoken to anyone on the shore if there had been anybody to speak
to--sometimes we were in what seemed a great lake, with no perceptible
outlet. We cruised about until midnight, then went back to the hotel,
and walked down to the steamer. The light had changed--was rather like
dawn, but perfectly light. There were people and carriages, children,
badauds, loitering about the wharf. They told us a steamer had started
two or three hours earlier with tourists on board to see the midnight
sun.
We stayed on deck about half an hour to see the depart. The light was
getting much stronger--Richard read a letter quite easily, and at 1
o'clock, when I went down to the cabin, the sun was shining bright. I am
writing now on deck after breakfast. Young Moltke, a Dane, came on board
last night, and asked if he might have his meals with us. He too had
been at the Coronation, and found the standing all those hours very
tiring. The day is beautiful--the sea perfectly calm, and the long, lazy
hours on deck most resting.
This morning I was interviewed by two English girls--both young and
rather pretty, the fair English type. One was a governess going back to
her place, somewhere near Stockholm, in the country; the other was just
going out on a venture, had no engagement, knew no language but her own,
and had merely made the acquaintance of the other girl on the boat. I
suggested it was rather a risk coming so far without anything definite;
but she said she was sure she would find something, and she had a
little money. I asked her how old she was--17. "How could your parents
let you start off like that?" "Oh, there are so many of us, and I am
strong." They then asked me if I would tell them something about the
Coronation--so I talked to them a few minutes. They asked me if I saw
many Nihilists--as if they were a marked class--and did the Empress look
nervous.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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