Venice
Thursday 30th July
My dear Papa,
Will you please hand over the enclosed note to Goodwin, <1> and ask him to answer it, as the woman having worked under him he knows more about her qualifications than we do, and it is useless that Mama should bother herself about such things. But please mind that he puts down the stamp to your account, & doesn’t spend 6d out of his own pocket! I hope you have reached S. Moritz prosperously; I have already written to you twice there. Your last letter, from Belaggio arrived duely <sic>. It seems you had experienced no coolness so far, but now the weather seems changed everywhere, so perhaps you may feel the difference rather too suddenly. On Tuesday evening we had a severe thunder storm, and a far worse one last night which lasted from 10 ½ to nearly 3 o’clock. For more than 2 hours we seemed to be literally enveloped in lightening <sic>, with an uninterrupted roar of thunder, resembling the rush of winds and waves more than anything else I ever heard. It was most remarkable; but luckily never became terribly loud, except two or three detached peals towards the end, which made all the windows rattle. The rain descended in torrents nearly the whole time, literally like a waterspout, mingled at one time with hailstones which must have been of great size as the noise they made was as if all the tiles were falling from the roofs. All the house was astir, and the men employed in clearing out the water from the lower story, as the cistern overflowed and converted the hall into a lake. This morning we perceived that the small bathing establishment, nearly opposite, in the Grand Canal, had disappeared, knocked over into the water, so that merely the top of the sheds remains visible. We have not yet heard of any serious disaster, but such a storm must have done great damage to the vines and other crops.
We have not yet settled any plans, except positively deciding against Recoaro, as the cookery and accomodation <sic> are reported to be both most indifferent. Mama <2> also said yesterday, of her own accord, that she really did not feel strong enough to move yet; & that as soon as she did feel able to do so she would let us know. So we shall not tease her any more on the subject, and when we do leave Venice propose to go at once to Milan, stopping on the road at Padua & Verona; remain perhaps a week at Milan, and then, if she appears all right, proceed to the Lake. We have received most pressing invitations from the Count & Countess Taverna to go & see them at their Villa; the Count particularly, regretting that you should be absent, as he is very proud of the his Garden. But as they live very near Torno, the distance from there to Cadenabbia & Belaggio will make it, I fear, difficult to meet very frequently. They are particularly pleasant people and very friendly, only it is a pity they delayed making acquaintance until within a few days of their departure, when they have been staying nearly a month in this hotel. They say that a good many English families reside on the Lake of Como, or are intermarried with Italians, and that the society is extremely gay. I suppose you will find Charles <3> established once more at Lacock on your return. Tilly’s <4> last report from London was a therm: still at 92, and through it all they were dining, visiting & going to the Opera daily! They must be gone home now.
Good bye dear Papa, love from all,
your affectionate daughter
Rosamond.
Send us an accurate & detailed account of S. Moritz. You do not seem to have found the Inn at Lecco so bad as it’s <sic> reputation;Notes:
1. George Goodwin (d. 1875), footman at Lacock Abbey.
2. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.
3. Charles Henry Talbot (1842–1916), antiquary & WHFT’s only son.
4. Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3rd daughter.