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most stunning little model you ever saw. 
I should say she was about 17 or 18 years, with dark olive complection [[complexion]] and the blackest eyes and hair. She comes every day at nine and poses until 1.30 Today I painted from her at out of doors so you can see it is not so cold here as it is at home. I am also painting a head of her in doors. She poses beautifully and has the most stunning profile. We have great sport trying to make her understand as she speaks only italian. This aft. I made a sketch of Othello's palace, the palace where he smothers Desdemona. It is a charming old place with lots of ginger bread work on the front. It is on the Grand canal only a few doors above the hotel. We also went to see an old court yard which is much painted and found there german artist immortalising it. One had an earthan [[earthen]] jar in his lap to keep warm.

These Italians are a jolly race: they are either fooling or fighting all the time. You will see them standing in St. Marc's sq. by the hour feeding pigeons. They seem as simple hearted as a child. All of them are picturesque except the higher classes. They look and dress like any other people. One sees the greatest variety of costume in the streets here and no one stares at the others. Most all the men of the gondolier class wear a large cloak which they put on as a woman would a shawl and then throw the end over the left shoulder.

To see one of these fellows with cloak and big hat coming down a dark alley you would think that some stage villain had escaped from some cheap theatre. Almost the first night we were here, we were out to