Palazzo Gritti. Thursday. Dearest Mother. Our lodgings are perfectly delightful. We are in a real palace with beautiful pointed windows looking over the Grand Canal - true our windows are not pointed but little tiny attic windows, but their balconies have a glorious view and though our rooms are only 7 ft high they are very large. I'm going to have a Parlatrice for an hour every day - it does bore me talking this language so badly. We dÇmÇnagÇd this morning and then strolled out. There was a great service going on in St Mark's for the people killed in Africa. The flags on the Piazza were all halfmast high, the church inside was draped in black and trophies of arms piled round the altar. It was very touching and impressive. We went into the Ducal Palace and saw acres of pictures - rather muddly seeing such a lot at once, not that there are really so many but they are so remarkably large. However I mean to go next time and look at what I like now that I know which they are. We have found a charming place to eat in; we lunched there today and are going back to dine. We payed several calls this afternoon - one on Miss Fletcher (I don't Bellieve you'll approve!) and what's more as she was away we were nearly shown in to the delinquent mother! However we found that Miss F. returns tomorrow and we left a card with our address. Then we called on a friend of Charlotte Roche's, a Miss Macy, she was also out and we left another card. Our gondolier couldn't find Mr Brown's palace - he offered to take us to see Miss Montalba, anche inglese, but we declined and have finally sent our letter to Mr Brown by post. We are going to see the Cavalleria tonight. Papa has cessÇ de vouloir plaire! He's as close cropped - as the hind quarters of L'Amor! I adore this place.
I have had 2 delightful letters from the babes here - please tell them to continue! I will also write to them. I think Moll must look very nice if she is as much like Alexander as her drawing shows. Congratulate her from me. Ever your affectionate daughter Gertrude