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Maria Francisca d'Assis on 13 October 1917

Maria Francisca d'Assis

Aristocrat16-year-old daughter of the Count of Nova Goa
13 OctFirst-handLetter22 km awayCrowd scene
English

On Friday we went to Thomar, and from the windows of the Misses Mousinho7 we saw [2] carriages go by full of people, very quiet and thoughtful; one could see they were in the grip of a serious feeling. Many people on foot and on donkeys were following the same road. Some must have come from the hills, from very far away; the men had hats like Father's, in the Alentejo style but bigger, and cudgels curled over at the top like those of the shepherds of old. We saw nothing more.

Português (original)

Na sexta feira fomos a Thomar e das janelas das senhoras Mousinhos7 vimos [2] passar carros cheios de gente muito calada e pensativa, vendo-se que ia dominada por um sentimento serio. Muitas pessoas a pé e em burros seguiam pelo mesmo caminho. Algumas deviam ser das serras, de muito longe; os homens tinham chapeus como o do Pai, à alemtejana, mas maiores, e cacetes revirados em cima como os dos antigos pastores. Não vimos mais nada.

Editor's notes (1)

7 They were two sisters, Dona Júlia and Dona Beatriz. They lived in Várzea Pequena, Tomar, in an old house on the corner of the road leading to Ourém, from which all the traffic on the road can easily be watched. They had another sister, Dona Matilde, married to General Leão, who lived in Levada, Tomar. An uncle of these ladies, José Isidro, had still lived in the Convent of Christ and worn the habit.

7 Eram duas irmãs, D. Júlia e D. Beatriz. Viviam na Várzea Pequena, Tomar, numa casa antiga, que faz esquina para a estrada que segue para Ourém e donde facilmente se pode assistir a todo o movimento da estrada. Tinham mais uma irmã, D. Matilde, casada com o General Leão, que vivia na Levada, Tomar. Um tio destas senhoras, José Isidro, ainda viveu no Convento de Cristo e usou hábito.

DCF III-1, Doc. 83 · letter · 15 Oct 1917 (2 days later)View scans (2)Link

Read it in context: the full document (DCF III-1, Doc. 83) ·all passages by Maria Francisca d'Assis