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bury, as it is publicly known through himself that I came to England by
his invitation on a visit. —
Life seems to have been very gratifying to Pierce’s ego, yet in this same
letter signs of dispiritedness appear again. He is depressed because he does
not hear from the family in America: ‘I suppose I need not ask why none
of you write to us. It seems as if we ought not to look for it, but it would
be a great comfort to hear from you all now and then’ — the voice of an
affectionate and lonely man, longing for approval. He is also missing wife
and family. Through the earl’s kindness he has spent his time, he says, as
delightfully as it would be possible ‘anywhere away from dear Nelie and
the children. You may be sure I miss them dreadfully and sometimes cannot
help being quite low spirited without them.’
Nevertheless the visit to England seems not to have dulled his desire for
ordination. Rome had not yet defined its attitude to Anglican orders and
very possibly indeed he discussed their validity with George Spencer at this
time. And perhaps with others: the July issue of the Dublin Review, carrying
his account of his conversion, arrived when he was still at Alton. The
sympathetic words written by the editor Quin, then his guest at the Towers,
were a challenge to discussion among those present: ‘It is to be regretted
that Mr Connelly’s marriage state of necessity precludes him from entering
the sacred ministry of our church.’
Not long after this Pierce departed and early in September was on his
way back to Cornelia and the children.
CORNELIA IN ROME
Cornelia meantime had spent the four months much less excitingly. For the
summer Rome was emptied of all who could afford to escape its heat. She
was in the Palazzo Simonetti on the Corso in the heart of Rome, well placed
for the winter season and carnevale but not for the summer. The Shrewsburys
had departed for England and their daughter Gwendaline went out to
Frascati with her new baby and her husband, the Prince Marcantonio
Borghese. Tradition has it that Cornelia stayed with them at the Villa
Aldobrandini but certainly in May she was in Rome ‘busy from morning
till night’. She was not very well, the children both had whooping cough
and she told her sister that she went out ‘very seldom, excepting to Church’,
She dined out only occasionally, she lent two of Ady’s baby dresses. for a
friend to take a pattern, and copies of Shakespeare and Coleridge to another.
The church of St Ignatius was near and at the altar of the boy-saint Aloysius
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