ter Nina had gone: "What a beauty she is! She
will set the world on fire."

_May, 1883._

The visit of the newly married couple, Prince Tomaso, brother of the
Queen, and Princess Isabella of Bavaria, has been the occasion of many
festivities.

Yesterday there was a garden party in the Quirinal gardens. It was a
perfect day, and the beautiful toilets of the ladies made the lawn look
like a _parterre_ of living flowers. The grounds are so large that
there were several entertainments going on at the same time without
interfering with one another.

A band of gipsies in their brilliant dresses were singing in one place,
and in a _bosquet_ a troupe of Neapolitans were dancing the tarantella
in their white-stockinged feet. There were booths where you could have
your photograph taken and your fortune told. Everywhere you were given
souvenirs of some kind. One played at the _tombola_ and always got a
prize. Buffets, of course, at every turn. We went from one surprise to
another. The Prince of Naples was omnipresent and seemed to enjoy
himself immensely. Whoever arranged this _fete_ ought to have received
a decoration. Twilight and the obligation of having to dress for the
evening concert put a stop to this delightful afternoon. In the evening
there was a gala concert which was very entertaining. It commenced by a
piece written by the Baron Renzie and very well performed by amateurs,
and some mandolinists, who played several things more or less
acceptably, and then came a long and tedious symphony which was too
classical for the majority of the audience. The Queen and the Duchess
of Genoa seemed to enjoy it. I did, too, but the King looked bored to
death, and the bridegroom went fast to sleep. The Queen, who was
sitting next to him, gave him a vigorous pinch to wake him up. The
pinch had the intended effect, but the groan he gave was almost too
audible. In the interlude when ices were passed the Princess talked
with the wives of the diplomats who were brought up to her. The Queen,
still laughing at her brother's discomfiture, passed about among the
other guests.

_December, 1883._

We returned to Rome a week ago. It was said that their Majesties had
expressed the desire that as many diplomats as possible should be
present when the Crown Prince of Germany came for his visit to the
Quirinal.

During the stay of the Crown-Prince Frederic the crowds waited
patiently outside the Quirinal, hoping to catch a glimpse of him