Page:Englishwomaninan00elli.pdf/123

 "You regard the States precisely as I should expect from an Englishwoman. But, after all, what has Great Britain done in Turkey, after 'letting us down' over 'reparations'—perfidious Albion!"

"I may be dense," I returned (somewhat evasively, I admit), "but what exactly is the connection between Syria and M. Kemal Pasha?"

"Everything and nothing," was the characteristically enigmatic reply.

"I take that as courteous French for 'mind your business,' as charming a phrase as your Pourquoi-parceque."

He supposed that "I had been sent to Angora by the British Government," and I promised to send him notes on my conversation with "the authorities" at Smyrna.

"Naturally," the colonel persisted, "they would pretend they had nothing to do with your undertaking; but do they not pay your expenses?"

"I never heard of our Government having paid a woman; I never heard of their even consulting a woman—except Miss Bell—and, according to Colonel Laurence, her great charm is that everyone takes her for a man!"

The colonel laughed.

"I am absolutely independent; nor shall I send a word to the Press unless I want to do so The Government may exile me or send me to prison; so may the Turks. But I shall describe what I see as I see it; and if anyone can prove me in error, I will correct my statements and apologise.

"So few of us have the courage to write either articles or books in the spirit of true independence that truth demands. We writers should not be at the beck and call of newspaper editors. We ought not to respect their policy if it offend our conscience or the truth. They should follow our lead. Had we only had more esprit de corps this terribly false position of Great Britain in Anatolia to-day could never have come about.

"If the articles in which I have told the truth