Could anyone help me with this sentence in Virginia Woolf's diary?
1. What does it mean by "couldn't take her hot water" here?
2. And, does "ringed jersey" here mean having a different colour on the collar and cuffs?
Thank you very much!

The diary entry goes like this:

Vita [Sackville-west] was here for Sunday, gliding down the village in her large new blue Austin car, which she manages consummately. She was dressed in ringed yellow jersey, and large hat, and had a dressing case all full of silver and nightgowns wrapped in tissue. Nelly [Woolf's housekeeper] said ‘If only she weren’t an honourable!’ and couldn’t take her hot water. But I like her being honourable, and she is it; a perfect lady, with all the dash and courage of the aristocracy,
and less of its childishness than I expected.

Question

Could anyone help me with this sentence in Virginia Woolf's diary?
1. What does it mean by "couldn't take her hot water" here? 
2. And, does "ringed jersey" here mean having a different colour on the collar and cuffs?
Thank you very much!

The diary entry goes like this:

Vita [Sackville-west] was here for Sunday, gliding down the village in her large new blue Austin car, which she manages consummately. She was dressed in ringed yellow jersey, and large hat, and had a dressing case all full of silver and nightgowns wrapped in tissue. Nelly [Woolf's housekeeper] said ‘If only she weren’t an honourable!’ and couldn’t take her hot water. But I like her being honourable, and she is it; a perfect lady, with all the dash and courage of the aristocracy,
and less of its childishness than I expected.

Answer

"Jersey" is both upper body clothing and a fabric.  "Ringed jersey" probably means jersey fabric spun in some specific way.

I had to look up "take her hot water" with AI.  It is a nineteenth century English expression.  Nobody uses it in the U.S. today.  It meant to tolerate a difficult situation. Similar expressions used today are "take her medicine" or "face the music".

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