The Journal of Countess Françoise Krasinska, Great Grandmother of Victor EmmanuelTańska-Hoffmanowa, Klementyna
History
The Journal of Countess Françoise Krasinska, Great Grandmother of Victor Emmanuel
Tańska-Hoffmanowa, Klementyna
Diary fiction; Franciszka Krasińska, Countess, consort of Charles, Duke of Courland, 1743-1796 -- Fiction
From the early morning, my honored Mother is busy, unlocking the
trunks, the drawers, and the cupboards,--taking out linen,
silks, furs, carpets, rugs, curtains, etc. She has many things
still remaining from her own trousseau, and many others bought
later, as during all these years she has been gathering all
kinds of beautiful things for our marriage outfits; really they
are well worth seeing. Sometimes she deigns to call me to assist
her, and it is quite touching to see her anxiety to do right by
each of us; she divides all these treasures in four portions,
and sometimes she even asks my honored Father and the chaplain
to give their opinion whether the shares are quite of equal
value.
A tailor and a furrier have come from Warsaw, and there is so
much to be done that they will not have finished for a month.
Fortunately, almost all the linen is ready, our sewing-girls
having worked upon it for these last two years, and now they
are marking it with blue cotton.
Basia wonders what she will do with all the new dresses they are
making for her; until now we had never more than four at the
same time, two dark woollen ones for every day, and two white
ones, one in cotton for Sundays, another in batiste for great
occasions. But my honored Mother says that what is good enough
for a young girl would not be proper for a married lady.
Basia has wound the tangled silk with such patience that,
although green, it has not in the least changed its color; even
Matenko acknowledges that she is fit to be married. She is now
knitting from that silk a purse for the Staroste by my honored
Mother's direction.
The equerry and the chamberlain are gone with the invitations.
On the 8th of January the investiture of the royal prince took
place at last. The night before, my uncle the Prince Lubomirski,
Woivode of Lublin, who is also the marshal to the royal prince,
gave a great ball; other festivals, dinners, and balls followed
for more than a week. The new duke made a speech in the Polish
language, which pleased immensely; he is now treated quite as a
crowned prince. In the "Courier" there is a full account of the
ceremonies. It is very interesting; I should like to copy it
here, but I have not the time.
January 25.
The Staroste arrived last night, and this morning Basia found on
her work-table two large silver baskets with oranges and
bonbons, which she distributed among us and our court ladies.
Our work is progressing rapidly and my _négligé_ is half done.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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