Baghdad Dec 17 Dearest Father. This is going to be a very scrappy letter for I have to go out to tea and then to dine at 7 at the Military School - the one Herbert inspected so successfully. I hear the cadets are to act a play which was to have lasted two hours and has mercifully been cut down to one! The Queen and all the family - not King Husain! - arrived yesterday. I haven't seen any of them yet but I dutifully telephoned to the palace this morning to ask after them. Was für eine Familie wird es sein! I think the King is fearfully bored at their coming, but as he is away for another week yet, the evil moment is still to come. Badi'ah Afnan (Saiyid Husain's wife) went with me on Monday to see another school where women's classes were going on. It was far too muddy to do anything else and I had to go sometime. After which we called on the widow of Mustafa Pasha Bajlan, the old party to whom you gave the pencil, do you remember? She has rheumatism and has come down from Khanaqin to be treated. She was very sorry for herself but I don't think there's much the matter. Her husband (for she has married again, the nephew of the first one) brought me down an immense stack of game including two wild geese, one of which (and very good it was) J.M. [Wilson] and I eat for dinner yesterday. We hadn't had a talk for some time so last night we had a regular revel, archaeology, and 'Iraq politics and irrigation combined. I'm poking up Ja'far Pasha to get busy with the moderate party he's talking of starting. I think the psychological moment to come out with it is just when the King has completed a brilliant tour in the north. But I feel that to ask sudden action of Ja'far is asking too much. We're very sorry that Weygand has been replaced by Sarrail in Syria. It's a shabby political trick that they have played on Weygand and we hear that he is dreadfully hurt. We shall never have anyone so delightful to deal with and the last person one would have wished for is Sarrail. I am afraid it is going to be difficult. There has been no more rain and I do hope it will hold off till we have had our Xmas party. But I shall catch another mail before we leave for Hillah [Hillah, Al]. Your very affectionate daughter Gertrude I don't think I answered your and Mother's letters of Dec 2. The photograph of Norah is delicious. Poor Maurice with lumbago! I hope he is better. Dec 18. [18 December 1924] I've had a letter from Ken this morning. He says the reception at Mosul [Mawsil, Al] has been very good indeed and he thinks that some excellent speeches from the King have made a great impression.