Page 269 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1927

Abdulla in afternoon to talk about the marriage business of his daughter & the Shaikh's son. It has again been put off under
excuse of the girl being ill, the fact being that her mother is against the marriage. He wants the Dr to see her again & say
definitely if she is fit. Its quite useless & a waste of time. Dr R goes over & is received frigidly by the mother, who bosses
Abdulla, hardly allowed to look at the girl & finds her wearing sort of hot plasters on her chest which themselves are enough to
make her ill. Called at the Mission on my way back. Dr R very loath to go - & no wonder.

Wednesday 3rd August

Sh Abdulla called early. Went to see the Shaikh & then down to the Wakf Dept where I tried to show the Kadis how to keep
accounts. Being elderly & religious the Sunnis are extremely obstinate & opinionated. Horrified to find an awful old one eyed
Persian of about eighty settled in as clerk, discovered him to be a brother of one of the Kadis - the usual style - of course
perfectly incapable of doing accounts. He took 3 hours to copy out one document, holding it up at an angle close to his one
eye - also he seemed affected by St Vitus dance - an affliction but it makes him no more suitable to be a clerk. Afterwards
went round with the Shaikh to the Agency. The Shaikh passed the Budget. Tennis at Mespers. Boat arrived, late, too late for
mails.