About Me

My photo
Washington, United States
loves: you win if you guessed "pets" and "museums". Also books, art history, travel, British punk, Korean kimchi, bindis, martinis, and other things TBD. I will always make it very clear if a post is sponsored in any way. Drop me a line at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com !

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

more of the life of tiber

I really enjoyed some of the other mentions the Countess Granville makes of her new dog Tiber, and thought you might too.
* * *
(Florence, April 1848)
. . .Rhodes (member of the household) detested Tiber, who howled and squeaked all the way, and whenever he did was violently shaken in his basket by the Colossus. When they reached Meurice's Hotel, no Tiber. Then came mental agitation of the severest sort. I thought I should have died of it, but Monsieur Meurice, a most excellent man, kindly soothed me by sending off a messenger to Beauvais, and back flowed the Tiber to his uneasy bed, having preferred the inn at (Beauvais), where he was found comfortably settled. . .

(Florence, May 1848)
. . .I took a most beautiful walk with G. Stewart at Spezia, where there is the berceau of the small rose festoons and draperies—do you remember it ?—and white round-headed acacias. We came close to the sea, and, to our utter astonishment and envy, in walked Tiber, perfectly happy, the greatest love, not liking the waves, but not deterred, patting and trying to put them down with his little satin paws.

(Arqui, 1843)
. . .But que voulez-vous? Tiber is so gentil, so full of natural grace and attraction, that he monopolises our affection, and will not learn anything. He delights in Arqui, leaps over the high grass like a kangaroo, and rushes into the Bormida Eiver twenty times a day, but he will not go out of his depth, and Georgy and I are going to buy a duck to teach him to swim. He is at this moment romping on the terrace with Granville.

-- from Letters of Harriet, Countess Granville, pps. 359-363 passim.

No comments: