Page 714 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

1932

ground down below the Ain. A dinner party at Holmes, all the English people and two of the oilies. Played Bridge. Holmes
has a new cook, not really very good. Mrs Steele kissed Holmes and then she and Prior lay on the bed in his room which
looked rather queer, I think the oilies were rather surprised. Ham asked me to dinner on Sunday to meet the Steeles. Really
hot day, everyone looking very damp, Mrs D.G. said she is thinking perhaps of leaving before June - Inshallah. Mrs D.G., or
rather D.G. makes a great point of being the one to leave a party first. They left but nobody else did, played "coffee pots", it
became extremly queer.

Friday [22 April]
Went to Gezireh after an early breakfast, for Friday. Hot day but a breeze, really hot. Took Seyed Ahmed and Hamood and
some food. Had a very nice day there, walked all over the island looking at wakf gardens which are in very good order, then
settled in near the spring where they slung a sail over some trees and made a very comfortable shelter. Talked to the people
there and got a few bits of history from them. I looked at the Nebi Saleh mosque opposite Ain al Hakim, interesting, there is a
tomb in it all covered over with coloured silks and a lot of flags and sort of pictures, quite a nice building. Bathed, rather hot
but a change. Got back at about sunset, Holmes was at Essex Point, after a late tea I went to the Agency, played Bridge, Mrs
Steele danced, Tiff had been asked to stay on but had left in a rage owing to some remark made by Prior, he took the women to
the garden and gave them carnations asking each what colour, said to Tiff which would you like, she said all sorts, someone
said a white one would be so suitable, Prior said surely not for purity, at which Tiff looked very queer and went away. I expect
Haenggi will call on him in the morning. They all said how she is giving herself airs. My carnations are out, I have three in
bloom. Ghulum is beginning to get married, Hamood rather sulky about it and so says the lady's family are very "middle class"
and live in a barasti. His own live in a house. A shamaal blew up in the evening so a little cooler, everyone at the Agency in
whites. Got very bored by Seyed Ahmed, though he was bankrupt some years ago he never stops talking about how rich he
used to be and what a fine man his father was. The Shias have a system of being able to contract temporary marriages, up to
any number, and they are quite regular, the children inherit though the wife does not, I heard a lot about it

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Saturday 23rd April 1932

Court. Went across to the Agency during the morning to talk about oil. Skinner came to see Prior so I left and went back later
on, in the afternoon. Holmes has put in for an extension of the Prospecting Licence for two years from the time that it expires,
that is in about seven months. I suppose he meant to all the time though he did not say so before. Two years is the maximum
time he can get as an extension, and he has to show reason for needing it. The Shaikh came in later from Rumaitha where he is
out hunting, I had sent for him about the oil business as Holmes goes tomorrow, and we explained it all to him, I doubt if he
understood much of it all, it is bad enough in English to understand. He was very decided on one point and that was that two
years was too long a time and he was inclined to allow one year only, but as he did not really grasp the whole thing his
decision is rather absurd, however as he decided that himself we will take it as his opinion. He had no objection to altering the
clause. Later on I went along to see Holmes and say good-bye to him, he was, naturally, desperately anxious to know what had
happened at the conference but I did not tell him. In the evening I had Terry to dinner, he stayed till midnight and only moved