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6 February 1912 — Cairo | |
Tuesday. 6th [February 1912]. A very foggy morning when we went to breakfast at 8.30 but it cleared off by 10– Eda & I took a walk as far as Cook’s office to secure our tickets to leave Alexandria on 24th on the German Lloyd for Naples for one has to secure cabins some time before hand & we must begin to turn Northward & think of leaving this enchanting land. I am always more & more taken with the love of the East– We took a cab back to the Agency. At lunch there was also the Capt. of H.M.S. “Powerful” who has come to arrange about taking the Fife family back to England. A very quiet serious looking little man. At 4 Eda & I drove to the Palace of the Khedive’s mother the very next house to this. She was very cordial & pleasant. I took her a photograph, I had sent for, of Bellini’s picture of Mahomet II. I promised her this the first time I saw her & she was pleased with the attention. Soon after our arrival coffee was served in cups held by enamel & gold zarfs set with diamonds. Later on a tea table was brought in by 3 or 4 attendants & served by 2 young girls who were dressed in European fashion & looked like Englishwoman. The tea cups were encased in silver coverings—& was handed to each separately. Eda declares that she observed that the first cup was about to be presented to me but that Her Highness frowned & made signs whereupon the cup was conveyed to her & I had the next. Cakes were also handed which were quite European & very good. Miss Hughes sat opposite the Princess & helped to keep conversation going. Eda had got with her her aurophone in which the Princess being rather deaf herself took the greatest interest. She sent for a ear trumpet she has got herself & they compared them—but H.H. said she did not find either of these machines of much use. She said that she attributes her deafness to the worry she went through when her husband Ismail Pasha had to travel this country. That she had at that time a slight cerebral congestion after wh she found her hearing was impaired. The talk fell on food & I praised the Turkish cuisine whereupon she begged to be allowed to send me some Turkish dishes from her kitchen wh I of course accepted & it was five o’clock when they came to say that the Khedive’s sons had arrived to pay her a visit. This seemed to put her out rather but I was at the end of my tether & was not sorry to take a cordial leave of her. She is really a nice looking attractive woman– She sent compliments to Lord Kitchener & promised to send me some Turkish dishes & we curtsied out of the room & bid Miss Hughes good bye at the hall door. We drove on to see Pss Nazli Fazil who received me with open arms & called me darling. She is a very affectionate creature. At first she wandered about the house ordering up orange sherbets & giving various orders. I returned her some books she had lent us & presented her with a leather sofa cushion I have got for her from Venice. She was restless & began to send messages to Lord Kitchener wh were so complicated that I made her dictate them while I wrote them down. I gathered that a certain Kakke Bey had been appointed Govr of Mecca who was a mauvais sujet & most improper for the post. Presently the visit of a Turkish Pasha was announced & the same subject was started but Nazli got so excited & incoherent that nothing would stop her & she would not allow the Pasha to speak more than two words. I was bewildered. When she went into another room to fetch something I made out from the Pasha that he had been many years with Sultan Abdul Hamid & he was indignant at the ferocious reputation which has lately being given him. I told the P how much attached I am to him & regretted that I could do nothing to show my gratitude for all the kindness he showed me while I was at Constantinople. The P. expressed his gratitude & said he would tell his family of this. He said the Sultan was timid & suspicious but that he really is gentle & kindhearted. I said I knew this. When Nazli returned to the room the talk returned to the old groove. She said over & over that she would not have the appointment of Kakke Bey confirmed & that she was ready to give money to send telegrams &c. The Pasha said he was ready to speak to members of the Press & to get up demonstrations against it– I began to feel as tho’ I was becoming a conspirator & was in danger of police supervision & finding it was 6 o’clock I said I could not keep Lord Kitchener’s carriage out longer & took my leave followed by Eda who was totally bewildered & curious to know what the noise had been about as the cause of it had not reached her ears. Nazli presented me with a large piece of Yemen gold material & a box of Turkish delight which I brought here in triumph. Mr Graham with his bride (Hon. Sybil Broderick) dined here—a very pretty young woman with nice manners. Before going to bed I consigned Nazli’s message to Lord Kitchener who seemed to know all about it—as I thought he would. | |
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