Page 446 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1929

morning. Went along to the J.C. They have a big diving case which I seem to have given most of the opinions about.
Lot of cases but many of the people absent. A very big case started between the two Siadis involving five or six lacs,
parties asking for all the accounts to be examined. Tennis at Mespers and a rubber of Bridge. Mrs S called Prior by his
surname. He came in here afterwards and discussed her, he is awfully comic about her and imitates her wonderfully
well. Just finished reading Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley, one of the Tauchnitz books, quite one of the
queerest, most improper and most amusing, in parts, book that I have read for a long time. I should like to read more
of his. The wind has gone down a lot leaving the weather pleasantly cool, cool enough to be comfortable sitting in the
drawing, with the lamps which make a lot of heat, and only the door open. The boat sailed in the evening. The Shaikh
complimented me very much on the success of my policy and in managing this Shia wakf business.

Thursday [6 June]
Court. One case between two Shaikhs over a scrap of ground worth about ten rupees took us a whole hour. Went to
the Fort before breakfast. Pleasant cool day and no wind. A German boat arrived. Went out with Ali bin Hussein in
the afternoon to see some ground and then with Prior to bathe in Idari. Some Arabs were bathing there. He came in on
the way back. Dull day. Put up some book shelves in the hall for all the books and magazines for which we have no
room in the drawing room. Looks quite alright though the shelves are very rough. They can be painted. Went with
Ali bin Hussein to see the new slaughter house which is a very pleasant place, more like a summer house at the end of a
little pier on the shore near the Wireless. Really much too nice a place for a slaughter house. A long anonymous letter
about the wakf business saying that if the Govt cant adopt the policy that it wishes too for fear of offending a certain
person, meaning the Kadi, nobody wishes to have anything to do with the wakfs and the leases are being returned. I
have a meeting tomorrow.

Friday June 7th 1929

Went out for a bit of a drive in the morning taking Siwa who gets so very little exercise now a days. Sandy out and not
very pleasant. Wrote letters in the afternoon and did a little picture then went to a meeting of the Shia Wakf
Department. It went off very well. I had a few words with Haji Sulman bin Selim, the fat old man of Sehla and
persuaded him to reconsider his resignation which he did and now promises to support us as much as he can. The
School is closing for Muharram so there will be no complaint on the part of the Master at taking up so much of his
room. They gave me copies of the two photos taken at the opening of the school. Really very good but the headmaster
had been left out of one, his head at least, and had cut himself out of the other photo and fixed himself into the one with
the English people in it apparently closely pressed to Mrs Barrett's shoulder. Such conceit. Went to the Agency after
the meeting and then to dinner with D.G. "pot luck" His dinners when prepared are bad but so called pot luck is even
worse, however having refused three times lately I couldnt refuse again. Quite a warm evening but I am still sleeping
indoors and find it comfortable. The three Sunni Kadis have written a letter saying that they are very tired from their
journeyings to the north and journeyings to the south and journeyings to the east and journeyings to the west, all this
being a hint that they want more pay. They are a trio of old stiffs.

Saturday [8 June]