and had only one wish in
life, and that was for acid drops. Poor soul, she wasn't well, and I
mean to make her the best imitation I can and send them to her. They
make their houses wonderfully comfortable; _but_ the difficulty of
getting things! Another woman had written home for her child's frock in
August, and got it by post on February 15th. Cases of things coming by
boat or train take far longer, or never arrive at all.

I shall be working with the Russian hospital here till our next move.
There are 25 beds and 120 patients. Of course we are only waiting to
push on further. The political situation is most interesting, but I must
not write about it, of course. It is rather wonderful to have seen the
war from so many quarters.

The long wait for the cars was quite maddening, but I believe it did me
good. I was just about "through." Now I am in a bachelor's little house,
full of terrier dogs and tobacco smoke; and when I am not at the
hospital I darn socks and play bridge.

Now that really is all my news, I think. Empire is not made for nothing,
and one sees some plucky lives in these out-of-the-way parts. I did not
take a fancy to my host at one house where we stayed, and something made
me think his wife was bullied and not very happy. A husband would have
to be quite all right to compensate for exile, mud, and solitude. Always
my feeling is that we want far more people--especially educated people,
of course--to run the world; yet we continue to shoot down our best and
noblest, and when shall we ever see their like again?

Always, my dear,
Your loving
S. MACNAUGHTAN.

I hope to get over to Tehran on my "transport service," and there I may
find a mail. Some people called ----, living near Glasgow, had nine
sons, eight of whom have been killed in the war. The ninth is delicate,
and is doing Red Cross work.

* * * * *

_26 February._--On Tuesday a Jew doctor took my motor-car by fraud, so
there had to be an enquiry, and I don't feel happy about it yet. With
Russians _anything_ may happen. I have begun to suffer from my chillsome
time getting here, and also my mouth and chin are very bad; so I have
had to lie doggo, and see an ancient Persian doctor, who prescribed and
talked of the mission-field at the same time.

[Page Heading: MISSIONARIES AND RELIGION]

I am struck by one thing, which is so naively expressed out here that it
is very humorous, and that is the firm and formidab