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1927

Hakken, who is a fanatical teetotler, looked very angry indeed, after all she is a doctor not a missionary, she evidently plays
Bridge too - altogether quite a reasonable person, unlike the rest of them.

Wednesday [6 April]

The Shaikh came in the morning & I went with him up to the Palace, he was slightly less fed up with it, sat on all the chairs &
kept on pulling in & out the awful folding bed sofa - I doubt its lasting long, also the grandfather clock. His boys played trains
with the beds, a month will see the furniture all smashed up. Then motored down the town to pay calls, first on the old
Kadi, Shaikh Quasim. He is very old and blind but a fine old fellow with a silken white beard. He was very nice & most
flattering, stayed about an hour with him, he expressed his entire disapproval at the diving Court & says the state of the
divers is deplorable. Then to the house of Abda Ali, the chief Bahraini, a great big house rather nice inside with a square
courtyard surrounded by a sort of cloister, I had given him no notice of my coming so found some confusion & him
directing servants who were sweeping & laying down carpets in one of the rooms, a small one nearly occupied by a huge
carved Indian bed & three big brass bound chests. A lot of women & children about, one pretty little girl, aged 3, with
painted eyes & purple silk clothes embroidered in gold, was the child of the favourite wife, so the head servant told us, &
knowing this always ill treats the other children, takes their clothes & ornaments & toys. Abdel Ali sent a message to the