Tuesday 7 March 1876

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Again we are late for the hunting rendezvous. We see Pietro pass by with a very large woman on his arm — the Duchess Sante, I believe.
I am rather sad at the Pincio; Plowden remarks on it and complains that Antonelli prevented him from speaking to me during the ride.
As we leave the Pincio, the carriage is suddenly stopped — it is Antonelli. We stay a few minutes and he asks to come this evening. We dine at Spillmann’s. How unfortunate — Visconti comes but does not stay long enough to meet the cardinalino, who does not arrive until ten o’clock.
As I could never believe that he had served in the military, he brings his photograph in uniform and his lieutenant’s record book. He related that once, in a rage, he rolled on the floor, smashed everything, and threw the furniture out of the window.
To rehabilitate Spillmann the elder — who served us so badly the other day and whom he recommended — Antonelli begs us to lunch tomorrow in the kiosk on the Pincio, where Spillmann the elder will wait on us.
By dint of talking nonsense together I have fallen in love with this scamp. One cannot call it love — but it is a fancy.
Walitsky is out hunting with Bruschetti. Antonelli gave his portrait to Maman, and once he has gone I carry it off to my room and I look at it and find him charming and love him and fall asleep thinking of him and see him in my imagination and find so many things to say to him.

Notes

Cardinalino: Italian, “little cardinal” — Marie’s nickname for Pietro Antonelli, nephew of Cardinal Giacomo Antonelli. ↩