Page 594 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

Parke came round in the morning having dealt with several of the people in the case. Dame was very angry
about it as he considered the enquiry unnecessary. I typed a lot of it out for him and he stayed to lunch. I
suggested a lot of other questions to be put to the people. Dame is being very silly about it, in one place he
admitted that he suspected poison and when asked if it was not usual for a doctor when suspicious of death
from poison to examine the matter further he said, "not in Bahrain". The case is complicated as we cannot
trace where she could have got hold of the poison. Motored in the afternoon and dined at the Bank, a very
pleasant dinner, bridge afterwards till about midnight, too late for me.

Friday [19 September]

Bridge at the Bank. We had been there so late the night before that we hardly expected people to go there.
Barden has the best ices in the place, he always has two rounds of them every morning. Parke was at the
office examining the native witnesses. The doctor was at the Bank. Took the dogs out hunting in the evening
but didnt get anything or see anything. Its getting much cooler now and we need blankets on the roof.

Saturday 20th September

Shaikh Abdulla called and stayed a long time though I had a court. Talked about education affairs and about
the resignation of one of the Kadis and various other matters. He is very amusing and intelligent and does
enjoy a good gossip. Motored to the boring at Aali in the afternoon. Parke and the Jordans came to dinner,
they got on quite well though they all dislike eachother.

Sunday 21st [September]

Mohamed Yatim called in the morning, and then I had a meeting of the Wakf Dept which lasted till after one
oclock. The members are all country men but they work very well and do the job, their methods are crude,
when people disagree they shout and push them about till they make them agree really by force. Mrs Ashraf
called in the afternoon, she is the wife of the chief Indian store keeper, a Mohamedan lady they are rather
tiresome people and have a very ill mannered young man relation in the shop who Marjorie dislikes and has
mentioned to various people as being ill mannered, I think this got back to them and so the lady called to
make peace, she didnt mention it of course. Motored along the Rafaa road and called in at the Fort on the
way back. As usual talked of nothing but the Mrs Todd case. Parke is now really enjoying it and inclined to
be suspicious of anybody in any way connected with the affair. The mail left.

Monday [22 September]

Can remember nothing that I did. Court in the morning. We are having some of the rooms in the house
repainted, the same colours as before but just freshened up, it looks very nice. Our gray and orange dining
room is a great success, it is rather an unusual colour scheme and a great success.