Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Victoria never even thought about the possibility of not achieving her goal, which fully reflects her optimistic personality.For her, this is not something out of reach.It was, of course, unfortunate that she had just fallen in love with that attractive young man, in no uncertain terms, and that he was about to leave her three thousand miles away.He could have gone to Aberdeen, or Brussels, or even Birmingham. Victoria thought that he had to go to Baghdad anyway, so he had to admit that it was bad luck.But, despite the difficulties, she intends to find a way to get to Baghdad.Victoria walked thoughtfully along Tottonham Court Avenue, considering how she might get to Baghdad.Baghdad, what are they doing in Baghdad?According to Edward, it is engaged in "cultural undertakings".Could she do some cultural work?Can I go to UNESCO?The organization often sends men here and there, everywhere, sometimes to the most desirable places.But, Victoria thought, such jobs were usually given to bright young women who had graduated from college and were already active in society.

Victoria was determined to do the things that should be done first. After making the final decision, she came to a travel agency and asked about some information.It appeared that there was no difficulty in getting to Baghdad.You can fly; you can take the long sea journey to Basra; you can take the train to Marseilles, then take a boat to Beirut, and then drive through the desert; you can also take the route to Egypt.The entire trip can be done by train if one is determined, however, obtaining a visa these days is difficult and uncertain.By the time you get your visa, it may have already expired.Baghdad is a pound zone, so money is not a problem, that is, there is no need to exchange currency, and from this point of view there is no difficulty.Generally speaking, as long as you have sixty to one hundred pounds in cash, you can go to Baghdad without difficulty.

After Doria had three pounds ten shillings (nine pence short), she had twelve shillings herself, and five pounds in the savings bank.Therefore, although the method of going to Baghdad at your own expense seems simple, it is impossible to realize. Victoria then asked if she could find a job, such as a flight attendant or waiter.But she thought, these are occupations that people desire, and there must be many people competing for them. Victoria visited the St. Gildrick offices again, and the efficient Miss Spencer, seated behind a desk, received her as one of those destined to frequent the place.

"Oh, Miss Jones, have you lost your job again? I wish the last time..." "It's hard to stay," Victoria said firmly. "I can't tell you exactly what I've been through." Miss Spencer's pale cheeks flushed with pleasure. "No..." she began, "I hope not. He didn't look like that at the time. But of course he was a bit rough. I hope..." "Nothing," Victoria said.She forced a weak and stubborn smile. "I can take care of myself." "Oh, of course, but it's an unpleasant business." "Yes," said Victoria, "it was unpleasant, but . . . " She smiled stubbornly again.

Miss Spencer looked at her notebook. "St. Leonard's Aid for Unwed Mothers needs a typist," said Miss Spencer, "of course they won't pay well..." "Is it possible," Victoria asked rashly, "to find employment in Baghdad?" "In Baghdad," asked Miss Spencer, startled. Victoria thought it might as well be a job in Kamchatka or in Antarctica. "I would love to go to Baghdad," Victoria said. "I really didn't think of it—you mean a job as a secretary?" "Anything is fine," Victoria said. "Being a nurse, being a cook, taking care of a mental patient, anything."

Miss Spencer shook her head. "I'm afraid you can't hope for much. There was a lady who came here yesterday with two little girls and offered to pay for a plane ticket to Australia." Victoria waved her hand, she was not interested in Australia at all. She stood up. "If you hear the news about going to Baghdad, let me know. Just pay me for the air ticket to Baghdad. Don't ask for more." Seeing the other party's very curious eyes, he explained, "I have... oh... relatives There. It is said that there are many well-paying jobs there. Of course, you have to get there first."

"Yes," Victoria repeated to herself as she walked out of St. Gildrick's office, "you have to get there first." Victoria added another annoyance.Whenever one's attention is suddenly drawn to a name or a question, only that name or question is considered.This is also human nature.So did Victoria, when everything seemed to rush in suddenly, forcing her attention to the name Baghdad. The evening paper she bought contained a report that the eminent archaeologist, Dr. Burnsford Jones, had begun excavations at the ancient city of Murik, a hundred and twenty miles from Baghdad.The billboard advertised a boat flight to Basra (and from there to Baghdad, Mosul, etc. by train).On the newspaper in the drawer where she kept her high socks, there were a few lines reporting on the situation of the students in Baghdad. She saw that "The Thief of Baghdad" was playing in a nearby theater.There is a first-class so-called high-end interest bookstore here, and every time she passes by, she always looks carefully at the window for a while.At this time, "Baghdad--Haroun al-Rashid--The New Biography" was displayed prominently in the window.

It seemed to her that the whole world suddenly became interested in Baghdad.And until about one forty-five that afternoon, she had never actually heard of Baghdad, and certainly never thought of it. The prospect of going to Baghdad was slim, but Victoria had no intention of giving up.Her mind has a rich imagination and she always looks at things very optimistically.She believes that if you're going to do something, there's always a way to get there. That night she listed the following possible routes to Baghdad: Try your luck at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Advertise? Try it at the Iraqi legation?

Can the Date Palm Company do it? Ask the shipping company? What about the British Council? Does Selfridges have a solution? Can the Citizens Advice Bureau help? She had to admit that none of the above avenues looked very promising.She added below: In any case, a hundred pounds must be obtained. Victoria had overslept from the intense concentration of her thoughts the night before, and from the satisfaction that she would no longer have to arrive at the office on time at nine o'clock in the morning. At five past ten she awoke, jumped out of bed at once, and began to dress.Just as she was brushing her messy black hair to the last stroke, the phone rang.

Victoria reached for the receiver. It was Miss Spencer calling, and her voice sounded very excited. "I'm so glad to have found you, dear. It's the most amazing coincidence." "What?" Victoria called. "As I said just now, it's a wonderful coincidence. Mrs. Hamilton Clipper is going to Baghdad in three days. She has a broken arm and needs to be attended to on the way, so I'll call you right away. Of course. , I don't know if she went to the other offices to ask—" "I'll be right there," said Victoria. "Where is she?"

"The Savoy Hotel." "What's her weird name? Tripp?" "Clip, my dear, it's like a paper clip, but there is. I can't figure out why she is, but she's an American," Miss Spencer ended her speech, as if all had been said. "Mrs. Clip lives in the Savoy, doesn't she?" "Mr. Hamilton Clipp and his wife. It was actually Mr. Clipp calling." "You're an angel," said Victoria. "Goodbye." She hastily dusted off her clothes, wishing they were of a less inferior material, and combed her hair so that it looked less disheveled and more befitting of an angel of the sick, an experienced traveler. .Then she produced the letter of reference written by Mr. Greenholtz and shook her head as she looked at it. "I must write another one, much better than yours," said Victoria. Victoria got off the No. 9 bus in Green Park and walked into the Ritz Hotel.In the car, a woman was reading a newspaper, and she took a quick glance over the woman's shoulder, which helped her a lot.She went into her writing room and wrote a few lines of her own generosity in the name of Mrs. Cynthia Bradbury (Mrs. Cynthia Bradbury had just left England for East Africa, it was reported . . . ) "Excellent care of the sick," wrote Victoria, "competent in every way . . . " She left the Ritz Hotel, walked across the street, and walked along Albermiller Street for a while to the Balderton Hotel.It was famous for being frequented by high priests and old-fashioned rich women from the country. She neatly wrote the lowercase Greek letter "E" in a slightly neater hand, and wrote another letter of introduction in the name of Bishop Lange. After making these preparations, Victoria boarded a No. 9 bus and went straight to the Savoy Hotel. She told the receptionist that she wanted to see Hamilton.Mrs. Clipp, and introducing her name, said she was from St. Gildrick's office.The man was about to move the phone to him when he stopped suddenly, looked across and said: "That's Mr. Hamilton Clipper." Mr. Hamilton Clipper was an American of very tall stature, with thinning gray hair, a good-natured appearance, and a slow-talking man. Victoria told her her name and said she had been introduced by the St. Gildry office. "Why, Miss Jones, please meet Mrs. Clip upstairs. She's still in the room. I reckon she's talking to a young lady, and maybe she's gone by now." Victoria's heart trembled suddenly, and she felt chills all over her body. Is it really out of reach? They took the elevator up four floors. As they were walking down the thickly carpeted corridor, a young woman came towards them from a room at the end.Victoria had the illusion that she herself was coming from the opposite side.It seemed to her that it was possible that the dress that Tuan had made for the young woman was precisely what she liked to wear herself. "And it just fits me, I'm as tall as she is, and I wish I could take it off her," thought Victoria, with the savagery of a primitive woman. The young woman walked past them.She wore a little velvet hat over her light blond hair, covering half of her face.But Mr. Hamilton Clipp turned to look after her with astonishment. "Oh," he said to himself, "who would have thought it was her? Anna Schiele." He further explained: "Excuse me, Miss Jones. I was surprised to recognize this young lady. I met her in New York a week ago. She was the secretary of one of our large international banks. . . " As he spoke, he stopped in front of a door in the corridor.The key was in the lock, he turned it, opened the door, and stood aside to let Victoria go in first. Mrs. Hamilton Clipper, who was sitting in a high-backed chair by the window, rose when they entered.She was short, bird-like, with sharp eyesight and a plaster cast on her right arm. Her husband introduced Victoria. "Well, that's unfortunate," cried Mrs. Clipp breathlessly. "We've got a very full travel schedule and we're visiting London right now. The whole plan is arranged and tickets are booked. Miss Jones." , I was planning to go to Iraq to visit my married daughter. I haven’t seen her for almost two years. But before I started, I fell down. When I was going down the stone steps of Westminster Abbey, I just fell right there. They rushed me to the hospital and the arm is immobilized now, and the whole process doesn't look too painful. That's it, I've got nothing to do now, how the hell am I going to travel Well, I don't know. But George, he's too busy to be away for another three weeks. He suggested that I take a nurse with me. Anyhow, once I get there, I'll be there with me. No need for a nurse. Seti can do anything that needs to be done on the road, but that means paying for her trip back, so I thought I'd give the office a call and see if I could get someone to go with me Go, and I'll just pay for the trip to Iraq." "I'm not actually a full-fledged nurse," Victoria said, trying to appear to be one... "But I have a lot of experience in nursing." She produced her first letter of reference . "I worked with Mrs. Cynthia Bradbury for over a year. And if you had any letters to write, or any secretarial work to do, I was secretary to my uncle for a few months," Victoria said. Modestly said, "My uncle is Bishop Lange." "Your uncle is a bishop. Oh, that's interesting." It seemed to Victoria that the Hamilton-Cripp couple had clearly been impressed by this remark. (Since I have spent so much trouble, of course I should impress them.) Mrs. Hamilton Clipper handed her husband the two certificates. "Things are so good," she said respectfully, "This is the arrangement of God's will, and God's prayer to me has manifested." That's the way it is, thought Victoria. "Are you intending to find some employment there, or to seek relations?" asked Mrs. Hamilton Clipper. Victoria hastily forged a letter of proof, not expecting to tell the reason for her trip to Baghdad.She was unprepared for this and immediately had to make up an excuse.The paragraph she saw in the newspaper yesterday appeared in her mind. "I'm going to see my uncle, Dr Burnsford Jones," she explained. "Really? Is that the archaeologist?" "Yes." At this moment, a thought flashed through Victoria's mind: whether she had given herself too much attention to her famous uncle. "I love his work, but, of course, I don't have special qualifications, so I can't talk about paying for my travels. They're not very well funded. But if I can pay my own way, It’s okay to be with them and do some work for them.” "It must have been very interesting work," said Mr Hamilton-Cripp, "and, of course, Mesopotamia is an important aspect of archaeological research." "I reckon," said Victoria, turning to Mrs. Clip, "that my bishop's uncle is in Scotland at the moment. But I can give you the number of his secretary. She's in London now. Her number is Bimlico 87693 — is an extension at Fulham House. She's been there since half-past eleven (Victoria stole a peek at the clock on the mantelpiece), if you want to ring her up and find out about me If so, it can be after half past eleven." "Well, I believe—" Mrs. Clip had just opened her mouth when her husband interrupted her. "You know, time is pressing. The plane leaves the day after tomorrow. Do you have a passport, Miss Jones?" . "Yes," Victoria felt very lucky, fortunately, she took a short trip to France last year and her passport had not expired. "I brought my passport just in case I need it," she added. "Ah, that's what I call you a man of affairs," said Mr. Clipper appreciatively, and if there were any other candidate in the running, that man would obviously be out by now.Victoria had a useful letter of reference, she had two uncles, and she carried her passport with her, all of which made her successful in being selected. "You need a visa," said Mr. Clipper, holding up his passport. "I'm going to a friend of mine in the American Express, Mr. Burkin, who will arrange everything. You'd better come back in the afternoon. Sign the necessary documents." Victoria agreed. The door closed behind her, and she heard Mrs. Hamilton Clipper say to her husband: "What a candid girl. We are so lucky." Victoria felt guilty and blushed. She hurried back to her room, and sat there, staring at the telephone, imitating the courteous and pleasant voice of the bishop's clerk, in case Mrs. Collip should call and find out how she was doing.But Mrs. Collip was evidently moved by Victoria's frankness, and she did not intend to dwell on these details.All in all, this agreement is nothing more than letting her be a traveling companion for a few days. All kinds of certificates were filled out and signed in time, and the necessary visas were also obtained.Moreover, the Clipps asked Victoria to spend the last night at the Savoy Hotel, in order to facilitate Mrs Clipp's departure for the Airline Building and Heathrow at seven o'clock the next morning.

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