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LADY CAETANI DI TEANO vation of more sedentary tastes. Her embroidery following the lines of the old Florentine needlewomen, is a thing of beauty and is far above and beyond what is generally called art needlework. She also devotes a great deal of time to her painting, and her studies of beautiful gardens, both in Italy and England, are praised. There is still time, however, in the Princess's life for a great deal of reading and the direction of her literary studies has the great advantage of her husband's assistance for Prince Leone Teano is a student as well as an agreeable and sympathetic companion. Indeed, their marriage, six years ago, has proved an ideally happy one and it is pretty to think that it is a repetition of the equally happy fate which attended the last marriage between these two great families. More than four hundred years ago Donna Agnese Colonna married Onorato Caetani, a brilliant and successful soldier of those warlike days, but the necessities of his calling often took him away from his home. The story is still told of how Donna Agnese Caetani, looking out from her high perched caste of Sermoneta, saw her husband returning, joyful and victorious from the fight of Lepanto under the leadership of his kinsman, the Marc Antonio Colonna of that day. She rushed half way down the hill to greet him and on the spot where they met he built a little chapel, where in the fulness of time they were both buried, and which still exists. This happy state of things, however, did not outlive that generation, and no other alliance had ever taken place between the two great rival houses until six years ago. Ever since the days of "Diva Vittoria," Michael Angelo's friend, there has always been a Vittoria among the ladies of the Colonna family, and report says, and with more truth than usual, that the noble character of Corona in Marion Crawford's novel of "Saracinesca" is drawn from a Donna Vittoria Colonna. Little is known in England of the devoted friend of the great painter, who was as good as she was beautiful, and that in days when goodness was rarer than beauty. But in Italy her charming poems are still read and appreciated. There are a couple of pages of reference to her in Mr. Crawford's "Ave Roma Immortalis," but he is chiefly concerned to prove that their relations were purely platonic, for they did not meet until she was a widow of 60 and Michael Angelo was 64. However that may be, the story goes in the Colonna family that on his own deathbed the painter declared that his one regret was not having had the courage to kiss her lips as she lay dying some years before, but "had only kissed her dear hands." But, however, to return to present days and present pursuits, the chief contention of the balloonist, especially of the woman balloonist, seems to be that so far from being a dangerous proceeding aerial voyaging is absolutely safe and enjoyable. In France ballooning is more popular than it has yet become in England, and over six hundred people, including many women, have made ascents in balloons belonging to the Aero Club of France without meeting with serious accidents of any kind. Still, some of the fair voyagers in space confess to exciting adventures and those of Princess Teano may well take rank among the narrowest escapes. The Princess declares that ballooning in fine weather is as safe and a great deal pleasanter than sailing on the sea in a small boat, and without the risk of sickness, for all passengers, as they may be called, seem to agree that the sensation of sick-[[?]] [[?]]cision with which the descent was made within reachable distance of a farmhouse, and out of the kitchen chimney of which smoke could be seen. Nor was this hospitable beginning at all belied by the delicious and excellent early breakfast which the "delighted farmer and his wife" soon set before the aeronauts, who indeed found themselves in the position of the early bird. Balloons and their occupants are still rare enough to be regarded as curiosities, and all hands seem on this occasion to have lent willing aid first to feed the heaven dropped visitants, and next to pack up and cart the balloon to the nearest station, so all went well and they got back quite on time to their respective homes. Many of the little details which the Princess insists on may well be commended to the attention of the feminine beginner, and she is especially invited to remember, when nearing her mother earth once more, to hang on to the ropes, raising herself slightly from the [[?]] of the car, and to tuck up her toes so that when the first inevitable bump comes it is considerably lessened. Nor is she to be surprised if the effect of this first bump is to send the balloon up in the air again, for she will soon learn that even the best regulated balloon takes at least two such bumps before it settles, generally on its third attempt, comfortably down. On no account is any one to jump our of the balloon directly it touches the ground, for that would send it soaring into space again, but the Princess confesses that this temptation is both great and common to the beginner. So far Princess Teano's ascents have been chiefly made from London and she particularly notices that the effect of the great city as seen from above is that of a huge map extending beyond one's range of vision. But she was quite unprepared for the amount of trees and water contained within its borders. Ponds and lakes, seemed dotted all about, and the squares formed continual green patches almost more prominent than the houses. There has been, however, one alarming experience in the Princess's aerial trips which caused great anxiety to her friends at the time. It was at the end of last September and the day after the famous balloon trials or races, which started from Paris that the Princess, another [[?lady?]], Lord Royston and Jacques the famous professional aeronaut, ascended late in the afternoon with a hurricane brewing. The balloon soon disappeared, as darkness was coming on, and these alarming conditions, which appeared in the press telegrams of the next day, followed by the utter absence of further news for many hours, caused anxiety. What happened was this: The inky darkness and deluges of rain, as well as tremendous speed with which they drove along - eighty miles an hour - soon swallowed up the landmarks and bearings, and for four hours they sailed on the wings of the [[?wind?]] without having the least idea in what [[?direction?]] they were being borne. As may [[?]] imagined, the two men of the [[?]] a sharp lookout and presently [[?]] Royston's yachting experiences [[?]] to call out that a light which [[?]] glimmered beneath them must be [[?]]. They were [[?]] 150 feet above the ground and [[?without?]] [[?a?]] [[?moment's?]] hesitation Jacques [[?]] line and so caused the [[?]] at once, taking the [[?]] and even violent descent to [[?]] [[?the?]] risk of being carried out [[?]] was both violent and [[?]] it was