Foreword

by Giles Reilly, MD

The events chronicled in this narrative¹ took place some four years ago. Circumstances haverendered it necessary, in my opinion, that a straightforward² account of them should be given to thepublic. There have been the wildest and most ridiculous rumours³ suggesting that importantevidence was suppressed and other nonsense of that kind. Those misconstructions have appearedmore especially in the American Press.

For obvious reasons it was desirable that the account should not come from the pen of one ofthe expedition staff, who might reasonably be supposed to be prejudiced.

I therefore suggested to Miss?Amy Leatheran that she should undertake the task. She isobviously the person to do it. She had a professional character of the highest, she is not biased⁴ byhaving any previous connection with the University of Pittstown Expedition to Iraq and she wasan observant and intellectual eyewitness⁵.

It was not very easy to persuade Miss?Leatheran to undertake this task—in fact, persuadingher was one of the hardest jobs of my professional career—and even after it was completed shedisplayed a curious reluctance⁶ to let me see the manuscript. I discovered that this was partly due tosome critical remarks she had made concerning my daughter Sheila. I soon disposed of that,assuring her that as children criticize their parents freely in print nowadays, parents are only toodelighted when their offspring come in for their share of abuse! Her other objection was extrememodesty about her literary style. She hoped I would “put the grammar right and all that.” I have,on the contrary, refused to alter so much as a single word. Miss?Leatheran’s style in my opinion isvigorous, individual and entirely⁷ apposite. If she calls Hercule Poirot “Poirot” in one paragraphand “Mr.?Poirot” in the next, such a variation is both interesting and suggestive. At one momentshe is, so to speak, “remembering her manners” (and hospital nurses are great sticklers⁸ foretiquette) and at the next her interest in what she is telling is that of a pure human being—cap andcuffs forgotten!

The only thing I have done is to take the liberty of writing a first chapter—aided by a letterkindly supplied by one of Miss?Leatheran’s friends. It is intended to be in the nature of afrontispiece—that is, it gives a rough sketch⁹ of the narrator.

 

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