Italian letters of a diplomat's wife, January-May 1880, February-April, 1904 . estants. He advanced afew steps, shook hands, and made us sit down, one oneach side of him. He was dressed, of course, entirely inwhite. He spoke only Italian—said he understoodFrench, but didnt speak it easily. He has a beautifulface—so earnest, with a fine upward look in his eyes; notat all the intellectual, ascetic appearance of Leo XIII., northe half-malicious, kindly smile of Pius IX., but a faceone would remember. I asked him if he was less tiredthan when he was first named Pope. He said, oh, yes,but that the
Italian letters of a diplomat's wife, January-May 1880, February-April, 1904 . estants. He advanced afew steps, shook hands, and made us sit down, one oneach side of him. He was dressed, of course, entirely inwhite. He spoke only Italian—said he understoodFrench, but didnt speak it easily. He has a beautifulface—so earnest, with a fine upward look in his eyes; notat all the intellectual, ascetic appearance of Leo XIII., northe half-malicious, kindly smile of Pius IX., but a faceone would remember. I asked him if he was less tiredthan when he was first named Pope. He said, oh, yes,but that the first days were very trying—the great heat,the change of habits and climate, and the change of food(so funny, one would think there neednt be any greatchange between Rome and Venice—less fish, perhaps).He talked a little—only a little—about France, and thedifficult times we were passing through; knew that I wasa Protestant and an old Roman ; asked how manyyears since I had been back; said : You wont find theold Rome you used to know; there are many, Pope Pius X. I904] OF A DIPLOMATS WIFE 251 He was much interested in all Bessie told him aboutAmerica and the Catholic religion in the States—wasrather amused when she suggested that another Americancardinal might perhaps be a good thing. He asked usif we knew Venice, and his face quite lighted up whenwe spoke of all the familiar scenes where he had spent somany happy years. He was much beloved in Venice,He gave me the impression of a man who was still feel-ing his way, but who, when he had found it, would gostraight on to what he considered his duty. But I mustsay that is not the general impression; most people thinkhe will be absolutely guided by his entourage, who willnever leave him any initiative. As we w^ere leaving I said I had something to ask. Dica, dica. La prego (Please speak), so I explainedthat I was a Protestant, my son also, but that he hadmarried a Catholic, and I would like his blessing f
Size: 1157px × 2159px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectitalydescriptionandt
