Page 591 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

there. Took Dr Todd and his wife out for a drive in the car afterwards. The weather is getting much cooler,
the nights on the roof are getting quite cool. Very damp last night. James still got fever.

Wednesday [10 September]

Yusuf Fakroo and Zayani called in the morning having been to see the old Kadi Shaikh Jasim against whom a
case is being made based on drafts signed by him with his official seal, he repudiated them and said that the
seal was often out of his possession for hours at a time. Its a serious matter as his seal is on many of the
most important state papers though he has been blind for many years. They had not been able to make any
compromise but had been "beaten with words" by the old man who has a very strong tongue. Shaikh
Abdulla was also present. Discussed various matters with him. Hakken came in about the case and went on
in a very wild way, he had attended the Shera court and had had a row with the three kadis and told them
what he thought of them. Ayesha came to call, afterwards Pack who we took out for a drive in the car and
then went in to his house. I am glad he is here, he is a very nice fellow and very interesting. These Jews are
so very well up in such things as art literature etc.

Thursday 11th September 1930

Office in the morning before breakfast, just after breakfast as I was going down to the office the doctor
arrived to see James. He had a good deal of fever last night. After he had seen him the doctor talked to me
about some strychnine poison which he was making up into packets to send to the Municipality for killing
dogs with. He discussed how much was enough to kill a man and a dog and said he would send it over when
he got back. Then I went down to the office. Soon after a large envelope arrived marked "100 doses dog
Poison". I sent it on without opening it to the Municipality. Quite a short time afterwards Dr Dame came to
the office and told me that Mrs Todd, the doctor's wife, had died, very suddenly. He was very distressed. I
asked him for particulars about it and he said she had had sort of convulsions and died at once. I at once
suspected that she had taken poison and told him about the strychnine. He did not actually say that he
thought she had killed herself but he implied that he thought it probable, he had asked her at once what she
had taken which looked as if he thought that. He asked me to let people know and to make arrangements
for the funeral at once. I telephoned to Guzdar, the Indian who is acting as Political Agent and then
telephoned for Parke and told him about it and then went across to Todd's. Guzdar was with him taking
down telegrams. He was in a great state talking wildly and going on like a madman. I couldnt help feeling
though that it was rather theatrical as in the middle of some wild remark, about not wanting to live, he would
look at one of the telegrams and say "Surrey is spelt with an E" or some such correction. Marjorie had been
there as they had sent for her when Mrs Todd was taken ill and she had gone over when she returned from
the bazaar where she had been that morning. I was at the house for several hours. All the English men came
round and a lot of Indians and Goanese. Todd went on in the same way all the time so we arranged that one
of the Telegraph men should stay with him. They are R.C. but we arranged that Hakken, the Mission parson
should read the service. He took me in and showed me the poor woman which was really rather a queer
thing to do. The funeral was in the afternoon, all arranged by me, there were a lot of people, about twenty
cars, a few Arabs, all the Goanese and all the white people. Parke suggested to Dame that there should be a
post mortem but he didnt take the suggestion. Everyone felt, but didnt say, that it was a case of suicide as it
had happened on the same time and the same day of the month that their boy was drowned on the way up