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3 January 1912 — En route to Cairo | |
Wednesday. 3rd [January 1912]. At 4 a.m. after a troubled sleep woke to find the engines stopped & that we were at Port Said. A letter was handed to me from Sir George Arthur in wh he said he had been asked by Lord Kitchener to escort us to Cairo & he supposed we would not care to go by 8 a.m. train but by 1 o’cl train & advising us to go to the hotel where he was. So after 6.30 breakfast we prepared to go ashore—& walked to the Eastern Exchange Hotel & there sat in a melancholy mood in the coffee room till Sir George appeared & we made each other’s acquaintance. Shortly after this a pretty young woman came in with a melancholy looking man & introduced him as Mr Blech the British Consul Genl & herself as his wife. She very kindly begged us to go to their house & rest & lunch till it was time to go to the station—wh with Sir George’s consent we arranged to do & walked with the Blechs to their house—a new one & not very homey. We sat & talked & dragged out the time till was 12 when we partook of an excellent lunch. Mrs B. is a bright lovely pretty woman—a great contrast to her rather melancholy looking husband. She told me she was a Miss Ogilvy niece of one old Constantinople friend Mrs Arthur Hanson wh made a trait d’union for conversation. Then after a railway journey of 4 hours we found ourselves in Cairo Station & were greeted by Capt. FitzGerald, Lord Kitchener’s intimate secretary but nominally attached to Genl Maxwell here—& in a few minutes after 5 were at the door of the British Agency where Lord Kitchener met & greeted us & led us into a small sitting room where there was a warm fire burning & a good cup of tea. After refreshing us with this he led us upstairs to an apartment wh consists of a sitting room full of vases of sweet roses, leading into a large bedroom—having a dressing room & bath room. I was glad to rest here till dinner at 8.15. Ld Kitchener & Capt. F.G. dined out & Eda, Sir George & I were entertained by the titular private secy Lord Stewart brother of Lord Bute a very courteous quiet young man not very lively. We were glad to go early to bed as our day had been a long one. | |
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