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Ses dae phe arg osé. Ca poeeran en es tea Macle i aie an os Te: an begins i a ee ht given by a city from whie were seemed little escape, an the contrast between the shoek- ing poverty of 85 per cent. of the populstisn and the ‘J ostentatious wealth of the amall ruling class minority outraged his liberal principles. . The work of a British diplo- ‘mat was complicated by the dith- culties raised daily by an in- efficient. Egyptian Government seeking in the still unresolved “ Palestine war” a means. of dis- tracling attention from _ its own extraordinary shortcomings and deflecting to the British a public unpopularity which should have been its own, British polley at that period was the traditional one of-—doing nothing, of sitting back and see- ing what would happen, of “non- interference” tainted by the fact that our diplomatic influence and ‘the presence of our troops in. the Canal Zone constituted at least @ passive interference. THE MACLEANS’ HOUSE IN CAIRO. A shadow over the gay life , found Melinda on top of the | Remote | wprld. She still adored Cail, ! Maclean objected | strongly ec . ‘he H and had, probably for the first ERIS palicy, eet Stark Tila Ww harmonious Bape Ree ay, wife time in per married life, emerged Could not escape from ie, pre- * that we had made two extremely from her protective shell, Whnah ote previous status there | pleasant new friends. Our fare-y. Maclean, after about six months pad given ous, we should | Well to them had been “See you’ in Egypt, was doing exception . accept our responsibilities and . soon in Caira.” ; ally well at the Embassy, and he jiry to persuade the rulers of too appeared at this time to be enjoying his new post. Soon after this meeting my save the country from Commu- | wife joined mein Gaire and some ism: ~ oo at friends of ours at the Embassy *; And, except to stress ity dan- lent us their house, which was a gers, that was all I ever heard few doors away from that him say about Communism. Nor, occupied by the Macleans, ' in the ¢ourse of those Treque enings logether, did I ay Dislike We met the Macleans fre. wently at the endless round of airo parties; and on the rare evenings when neither of us had ' Soon alter ‘this Maclean and { . Melinda went off te Cairo and I returned Beirut, and. it was not. until. “the! following March that 1 arrived ip-Calre. Egypt to institute the reforms | whieh alone, in his opinion, could Neighbours The next day IT received a message from Melinda, weleom- ing me to Cairo ghd inviting me . to cocktails that @vening. The acleang were liging in a large, delightful house @ Gezireh, fur-. ; Hished and kept ub by the Office rained, ;of Works. A staff of four excel. an engagement we would dine . thair.with one lanky leg crossed lent Berberine servants and an together and play family bridge. “: aver the other and the free foot English governess for the chil- Was at this stage of their life | constantly jerking up and down, ; dren helped to make life smotitie teat we got to know them well , commenting with cynical humour running and pleasant 2... lend our liking for them increased, }on the stupidity we obtuseness ' It soon emerged that Maclean 'of most. of his fellows. pas developing a deep Gislike fom a a Egypt 8 ee ay srpetatlalikcea the "intense ‘social 3 vs Mile and: the feellng of imprison-% iow him to drink teo much, cture of him at that time woul , snow a tall, fair, 1 ; lessly-dressed man. of thirty-six, t slightly remote, a ‘Hittle , restrained, sitting low in an arm- toe arrogant, ° “ems w Aa it, but his frie rather care- [ too 4 ae STEP tee 4 ° Mocking: His relations with Melinda ‘@ Peared eitirely amicable, iq slightly condescending, slightly mocking, for she clearly took no interest in and had no knowledge of the political and social prob. th we discussed int the between hands of © Patan t intervals bridge, Melinda was on the whole gay and unconcerned by bis mockery, How far she had come, this little American gir] who only two or three years before in her native Washington had to be cajoled inte receiving two or three Huestis. was shown aboot this time when she entertained the Duke of Edinburgh. He was on a visit to Cairo and was slaying for some gays at the British Embassy Melinda was asked at short notice to organise a “ YOUN. - beople’s party” fer him. it took place at the Macleans’ house in Gezireh, with Melinda as hostess, elve members of Cairo's “younger set” were invited to dine with the Duke and other Euests came in afterwards, They, played sligntiy juvenile games-— such . as “murder “and the party was a great SuUCtERS, At the end of the summer 1 left Cairo again. en I gat back the following February 1 beard rather odq stories about Maclean, Hig antipathy to his life in Egypt was intreasing to such an. extent, it was said, that he had begun to drink too much, ‘There had ao far been no ecandai and, at any rate officially, the Embassy tenew nothing about nds were alarmed, - ' H °. Seenes °- It would be ridieulous. to call} him an habjtual- drunkard. I ;héver gaw him anything but]. \sober. “But from time to time ' during hig life he had keen known , lo, seek refuge from brobleins ‘that were too much for him in ‘4 Spel} of reckless drinking. His drinking had begun early. Thiomeis.a letter to bine tpn is Se toe