Morning journal and courier., 1886-07-08
these wallss There are two dining halls, one

these walls? There are two dining halls, on
for winter, the other for summer. Nea
| these two rooms is magnificent conservato
| ry, while in the center of the castle is spa
| cious reception room, with furniture of ex
| quisite taste, upholstered with deep-blu
brocade embroidered in gold. The room ii
adorned with pictures, Oriental draperie'
| and rugs of great value, as well as many
| jewels of price-all being presents which the
! diva has received. The beautiful tankard OF
en- laurel crown ornamented with diamond
| stars, both of which superb gifts were given
her by her enthusiastic admirers in Sar
Francisco, are there, testimonies of their at
lection and good will.
Among the Jewels is a casket of silver OF
| artistic workmanship, gift from her fellow
students of the Vienna opera troupe, while
| birds of pure gold with eyes Of rubies, a
small piano inlaid with precious stones and
the choicest fans, albums, pictures and artis-
tic works of every sort and of great value
form part of the collection of the lady OF
the castle.
The boudoir of the diva looks like dain-
ty little box with its .rose-colored and blue
furnishings. Here stands upright piano
of satin wood, while OH the walls hang pho
tographs and pictures, all gifts from friends.
Nor are there wanting portraits of all the
crowned heads of Europe, well as of the
most renowned artists and musicians. Au-
the high consideration in which Patti is held
There are also water colors painted by the
diva herself, which testify that were she not
the queen of song she might have distin-
guished herself in the realm of painting.
There are also two large rooms containing
billiard tables, and it is here that Nicolini
spends his evenings. While the ladies and
gentlemen amuse themselves with the game
they listen to as harmonious music as one
could desire, for orchestra of hundred
musicians could not render more exactly ev-
cry sort of music than does the grand orches-
trion made in Geneva at the express order of
the diva at the cost of one thousand italian
lire, to say nothing of one hundred cylin-
ders, each costing FIVE hundred lire.
Slightly elevated, but yet making part
of the billiard room, is the card room con-
tanning another grand piano. Here playing
for money is forbidden, according to the ex-
press desire of Nine. Patti, who, however,
Signor Nicolini has a skillful and excellent
master.
The bedroom of Patti is tapestried in blue
ish gray embellished with gold and the fur
niture of inlaid rosewood is, in common
with nearly all the furniture of the castle,
surmounted by her monogram and the coro-
net of a marquis, while her dressing room is
perfect bijou.
Signor Nieolini's apartment is we'll fur
nished and the walls are hung with pictures
of game and fish. The great wardrobes are
full of every possible gear invented for hunt
ing and fishing, for these two pursuits with
billiards are Signor Nicolini's pastime. The
grounds and lakes belonging to the castle
not sumcing him, he has leased seven
square miles of land and five miles of the
river in order to have alone the right to
hunt and fish there. The very day of my
departure Signor Nico1ini caught before my
eyes a salmon weighing twenty nine pounds.
The morning hours are generally spent by
Nine. Patti in answering letters, reading,
embroidery, painting and music, but of this
last we will say nothing. The guests all
unite at the noon repast and one can say that
the day has now begun, since the great star
(the PATTI Eliminates it with her presence.
This is also the time when the mail arrives
and there is always some news to talk over
from that world on the other side of the
mountains-the world which seems no longer
to have any connection with the guests of
Crag- y-Nos.
Afterward some go for drive, others to
fish or to the little neighboring village, re-
turning at $50, in time to prepare for the
Z o'clock dinner, full dress being the rule;
and now the guests descend to the boudoir,
where Patti punctually arrives, elegantly
dressed and adorned with costly jewels.
After dinner the guests go to the reception
room, and afterward to the billiard room,
where they are entertained with music, con-
versatlon, billiards and more than all by the
grace and intelligence of the diva. Mid
night is the hour for retiring, to be followed
by another day almost identical with the
preceding. There are about forty domestics
employed constantly in the castle, and the
service is entirely English in its rigor and re-
spectfu1 attention.
The few and scattered villages in the
are poor and the villagers very
ignorant. Patti is known to them by no
other title than the Lady of the Castle"
She has bestowed her charities often on
the people for miles around that they have
special veneration for her. Although very
few among them have heard what fortune
she has gained by her gift of song, they
nevertheless give no credence to it.