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1932

few flowers but there are not many now and then to the Agency where I got some more and took them all home and worked till time to dress
for dinner on the two bouquets for Dr Tiffany's wedding, for the bride and the "Dame D'honor" as they called it!! It was a quaint affair but
the wedding took a very short time. After that they had a dinner party and we left fairly early. She looked quite pretty and my bouquet w
really very nice indeed, white oleander, white jasmine and white carnations and white lillies, the local ones. I had long pieces of trailing
jassamine which looked very pretty. The table, at the Dames, could hardly have been uglier, it was simply hideous and the entertainment
was very dull.

Wednesday 29th May 1932 [1 June]

The Shaikh came to the office before breakfast, I had not seen him since the divers row, he seemed very bright and began by thanking me
for what I had done about it, then he talked about two more of these "dars", houses where the divers meet, which he ordered to be raised to
the ground. He seemed to think nothing about men having been killed and wounded, it is strange how little these people seem to think of
human life, as long as it is not one of any importance. Later we had a special case which was intended for the Siadi case but we took a lot of
others besides. In the afternoon I had Hakken, Russell and Prior to tennis and later on Steele and Ham came in and we played Bridge till
after nine oclock. Rather a hot evening, no wind.

Thursday [2 June]

In the morning I went up to the Fort and dealt with one of the Police who had been slack on guard, then came back to the office and
reprimanded five of the Shaikh's servants, according to his orders, because they had been found in a dar playing on an oud and dancing, all
of which the Shaikh particularly objects to. It was really very comic as I myself saw no harm in it, he was very angry about it though and
sent messages to me to punish them. Busy in the office all the morning, saw several people. Gardened in the afternoon and then went out to
dinner at the Oil Camp where I heard the good news that yesterday they got a flow of oil of 600 barrells a day, or it may be tins, I forget.
Tiff and her husband were there, rather a heavy party as so very mixed, Russell was very drunk. Got back at 12.30, very hot evening,
simply baking out at the camp though nice motoring home with the wind screen down. Prior very sick about the ...

Friday June 3rd. The King's Birthday

Had to get up much earlier than I usually do on a Friday to see about the guard of honour and the arrangements for the King's
Birthday show. The Shaikh came round to the office but I was outside the Agency so he joined me there and Abdulla, Sulman
and the others came along as usual. The Guard of Honour was entirely local Police, for the first time, and they really looked
quite smart though not as good of course as the Indians. The Shaikh seemed quite pleased to see them and had a long talk to
Haji Sulman about the Arab Police. On the way back from the Agency I told the Shaikh about the oil, he was very pleased,
though I told him that it did not mean anything definite yet. He came to the office and stayed some time. Later on I went to
pay the usual call on the Agency, a dull business and in the afternoon to a play at the Manama school which was attended by
the Shaikhs and Prior and a big crowd of local people. It was very well done and really extremly amusing indeed, I have not
laughed so much for a long time. The subject was very topical, about a man who went to a war and left his brother in charge of
his family and the brother stole all his property and ill treated the family. It was remarkably well acted and well done, part of it