11.07.2015 Views

I was born at No - The MAN & Other Families

I was born at No - The MAN & Other Families

I was born at No - The MAN & Other Families

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

48fell on the floor. <strong>The</strong> strange thing <strong>was</strong> th<strong>at</strong> though all these missiles flew near me noneof them actually struck me. After a few moments there <strong>was</strong> a silence again, during whichI took the opportunity to see if I could find any wires or anything to account for thisstrange manifest<strong>at</strong>ion, but could find nothing.I had to go thence to the Bank to deposit money and told my experiences to the Manager(Touch), who laughed and asked me wh<strong>at</strong> I had had for tiffin. However on his way homehe looked in to investig<strong>at</strong>e and on entering the room <strong>was</strong> greeted by a heavy glassinkstand which whizzed past his head and caused him to be<strong>at</strong> a hasty retre<strong>at</strong>. This cre<strong>at</strong>edquite a sens<strong>at</strong>ion in Rangoon <strong>at</strong> the time.<strong>The</strong> owner of the building called in Hpoongees (priests) to exorcise the "devil" butapparently without avail, for another family who rented the apartment some time l<strong>at</strong>erhad to clear out for the same reason. Anyhow it seemed to me such a remarkableoccurrence th<strong>at</strong> I wrote an account of it which I sent to the “World Wide Magazine” <strong>at</strong>the height of its popularity. It <strong>was</strong> returned with a polite note saying they could not printit as it would not be believed. At the same it may be noted, they were publishing the"Adventures of Louis de Rougement", who subsequently turned out to be an impostorand a fake 7 .Garnet, who had been ailing for some time, went for a trip to England. At about the sametime Graham became very ill with fever. It <strong>was</strong> a very unhealthy season and there weremany de<strong>at</strong>hs from enteric among the European community. Both Bea and I had bouts offever and we decided to take a trip home the following year. We sailed about May. Wehad a lot of very nice passengers and enjoyed the sea-voyage as usual. At Ismailia,Auntie and General Harris, who had been wintering in Cairo, came on board andtravelled the rest of the way with us to London.My mother and Mary met us <strong>at</strong> Tilbury Docks. I think they were living in lodgings inLondon <strong>at</strong> th<strong>at</strong> time. Denison, who had obtained a commission in the Perak Sikhs, andWilfred, who had joined the Borneo Company in Bangkok, had gone abroad and Aggie<strong>was</strong> living with Cornelia Quarles in Holland.We spent some time in London with Auntie Harris and Aunt Torie and then went on toWalton-on-Thames where the Man family were living and my Mother and Mary tooklodgings in the vicinity, so we saw them nearly every day. I saw the "Derby" run for thefirst and only time. I drove over to Epsom with Mr. Man. It <strong>was</strong> won by a horse called"Jeddah" <strong>at</strong> odds of 100 to 1. I also <strong>at</strong>tended the Burma dinner and met many old Burmafriends. Lord Dufferin <strong>was</strong> the Chairman on this occasion.After a stay <strong>at</strong> Walton, we took a house <strong>at</strong> a pretty little place called "Ditching" <strong>at</strong> the footof the Sussex Downs. My Mother and Mary shared the house with us and we had asguests May and K<strong>at</strong>ie Man. Flo McMaster, a cousin of Bea's, <strong>was</strong> living there <strong>at</strong> the timewith her daughter Queenie. While there we made a trip to Brighton, where Graham <strong>was</strong>very happy riding in a go<strong>at</strong> carriage.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!