Transcription Transcription des fichiers de la notice - Lettre de Vernon Lee et Matilda Paget à Henry Paget - 15 Mai 1871 Lee, Vernon (Violet Paget) 1871-05-15 chargé d'édition/chercheur Holographical-Lee, Sophie Geoffroy, Université de La Réunion ; projet EMAN (Thalim, ENS-CNRS-Sorbonne nouvelle) PARIS
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1871-05-15 Document : Courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, Colby College Libraries, Waterville, Maine Vernon Lee Archive, Miller Library, Colby College, ME<br /> Au Teatro Valle, installée en face de la Princesse, du Prince Pallavicini et de son épouse, Violet a vu la comédie en vers "Nella lotta d'Amore vince che fugge", très bien jouée, avec Tessero Guidone et Zerri. Pièce suivie d'un compliment à la Princesse et d'un drame en 4 actes, , "Le Glacier du Mont Blanc", "the most ridiculously stupid piece imaginable". <br /> Dans la marge, Matilda écrit à son mari, Henry Ferguson Paget. Elle détaille son plan de voyage jusqu'à Salzbourg. Elle s'inquiète du départ d'Eugene "tomorrow morning at 10 or 11 a.m.", rappelé à Versailles par Lord Lyons en l'absence des autres employés de l'ambassade, restés à Paris. Elle a rendu visite à Mrs Foljambe et rencontré Mrs Ramsay (traductrice de Dante) et sa soeur. Anglais Au Teatro Valle, installée en face de la Princesse, du Prince Pallavicini et de son épouse, Violet a vu la comédie en vers "Nella lotta d'Amore vince che fugge", très bien jouée, avec Tessero Guidone et Zerri. Pièce suivie d'un compliment à la Princesse et d'un drame en 4 actes, , "Le Glacier du Mont Blanc", "the most ridiculously stupid piece imaginable". <br /> Dans la marge, Matilda écrit à son mari, Henry Ferguson Paget. Elle détaille son plan de voyage jusqu'à Salzbourg. Elle s'inquiète du départ d'Eugene "tomorrow morning at 10 or 11 a.m.", rappelé à Versailles par Lord Lyons en l'absence des autres employés de l'ambassade, restés à Paris. Elle a rendu visite à Mrs Foljambe et rencontré Mrs Ramsay (traductrice de Dante) et sa soeur.
Monday 15th May 1871--
 
8 Via S. Sebastianello Rome
My dearest Papa,
Saturday night we went to the Teatro Valle. It is a remarkably cheap theatre, we had an excellent box close to the stage and opposite to the Principessa's and paid only 12 francs for it! The theatre is very small and in the shape of a horseshoe, but neat and pretty, it is painted in white and gold and lights up much better than either of the two at Nice. The audience is remarkably quiet and well behaved. The Princess was in the box opposite to us, the Sindaco Prince Pallavicini and his wife (she looks like a groceress) were with her. The Princess is scarcely more than pretty a looked bored and sickly.
There The first piece was a short comedy entitled "Nella lotta d'Amore vince che fugge" -- that is "In the race of Love he wins who flees" -- in verse very amusing. The acting was splendid; the first actress Tessero Guidone (I think she is a niece of Ristori) acts beautifully, as also does the first actor Zerri. This piece was very amusing indeed. It was followed by a com complimentary poem

about the Princess' visits to the schools. It was pretty, but vapid as all complimentaty poems must be. The Princess sat it out with a truly stoical imperturbability. The poem had the greatest success, the actress who repeated it was called out thrice the second third time she brought the poet with her. After this came a drama in four acts called the Glacier of Mont Blanc, and the most ridiculously stupid piece imaginable. In the second act the hero, a chamois hunter of the name of Mauro, and who,judging from his dress, must be a fusion of a Roman model and a Swiss undertaker (he wears black thread gloves), is standing in the md mdst midst of a lot of flabby bl pale blue paper, which represents ice. He lets off a gun which of course frightens many persons, and then begins to beat his breast and bewail himself in this way-

"I want to travel. I dislike remaining in the same country. I have heard that Italy is a very nice place. I have been fancying to myself a myself a beautiful woman & I have found her. Her name is Melle Lucia. I adore but, her, but

I have a wife and children of whom I am very fond. What am [I] to do? I think that I am very miserable. How cold it is. But I am hot within, so between the external cold and the internal heat I don't know what my temperature is"- etc. etc. ad infinitum.

Then a young lady in a m Mack Macintosh trimmed with minever cornes up:

This is Melle Lucia. Mauro talks much to her, slapping his breast till he is so hot that he has to remove his sheepskin jacket- She remains on a crag, holding a tall stick like a pastoral staff and looking like a Bishop. The sun rises and she asks Mauro to call her father -He stoops to the ground and drones out -

"Sire Giorgio-Sire Giorgio! too- too- roo- too."

Sire Giorgio in a fur coat and yellow gaiters comes up with a guide & he & his daughter depart. Suddenly a scream is heard. Melle Lucia has fallen into down a precipice behind the coulisses. Sire Giorgio rushes onto the stage and expostulates with the guide for not saving his daughter.

The curtain falls. Whether Melle Lucia is eventually fished out of the chasm I cannot tell, for we had not the patience to sit out the 3d act.

Goodbye my dearest Papa

Your Baby

Wednesday April 17- between 5 & 6. Dearest Henry, got thy telegram yesterday & truth to say was quite delighted at its purport and I telegraphed thee & Eugène ran off to the teleg. office the moment he had swallowed his luncheon that I should finally decide on Salzbourg- & that I shall leave this about 28th- my departure may be some days later and to where shail telegraph thee from Verona.

Tomorrow moming at 10 or 11am Eugène leaves --he got a letter yesterday or

day before from Wodehouse saying that he & Sheffield are the only help Lord Lyons has at Versailles, the other men being in Paris and that they will be very glad to get his Eug.'s "valuable assistance" as soon as possible. This moming A note from A Geroorse proposing that Eug. join him this evening in going to Florence, but this Eug  by no means suited Eug. who always suffers so much from night travelling & has been yesterday was very unwell having xxxx cold (but I have doctored him very successfully) besides of course he prefers stopping with us as long to the last moment possible. Yesterday and today very stormy sirocco - day before yesterday we paid Mrs Foljambe a visit & found met Mrs Ramsay translator of Dante & her sister. They are stopping at the villa.

Thousand best loves dearest Henry

from Eugène & self