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Information for Reflection: “The Carnarvon Case’”

BARTHOLO, READS A PARCHMENT. Whereas upon true and faithful Report, made unto us—

COUNT KNOCKS IT OUT OF HIS HAND. What need have I for all this Gibberish?

Beaumarchais. The Barber of Seville.

ROSINA. Yes, aloud I say it, my Hand, my Heart shall be for him who frees me from this detested prison, where my Person and my Fortune are detain’d against all Laws both human and divine.

Ibid.

BARTHOLO [To the Count]: It is Francinette in the Song; but to render it more agreeable and suitable to my present Circumstances, I chang’d it for Rosinetta’s. [laughs] Ha! Ha! Ha! – An’t I right – Isn’t it the Tune?

Ibid.

After breakfast, Gregson decided to delve into the case file regarding the demise of Lord Carnarvon: apparently, for now everyone around knew more about this matter than the brand-new investigator. He returned to his quarters, retrieved a substantial folder from his bag and commenced a meticulous examination of the papers, keeping in mind that the major would not include anything in the file without a reason. Many of the materials were not the documents in the traditional sense, but rather excerpts from documents and the authenticity of those had to be taken for faith. Certain names and dates have been omitted and replaced with ellipses.

Numerous newspaper articles detailing the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the subsequent demise of Lord Carnarvon. Gregson had previously read some of these articles, but now he was struck by the variety and diversity of interpretations. Most of them focused on the mysterious insect from the Pharaoh’s tomb and hinted at mystical elements. Nonsense! However, there were also versions suggesting a wound by a dirty, infected razor. Where the English lord might get a dirty infected razor?

Here are copies of the official telegrams. An excerpt from the medical report written by Lord Carnarvon’s personal physician, Frank McClanahan. According to it, the cause of death was pneumonia. At first glance, the cause of death appears to be quite natural… Was the practical and materialistic Mademoiselle Saad right? The image of the mocking Arabian girl suddenly appeared in his mind, and Gregson had to force it away.

So, what else is there? The personal opinion of a certain physician regarding the discrepancy between the symptoms and the nature of the disease and the diagnosis. The common cold, which typically leads to pneumonia, is not possible in the dry and warm Egyptian climate. And most importantly, the sudden outbreak of a high fever, followed by an equally sudden improvement in condition, and then a sudden recurrence of the fever. This pattern has persisted for twelve days. These symptoms are very different from those of either typical pneumonia or blood poisoning. This led to the suspicion of an unknown infection, possibly contracted in an ancient tomb. Of course, this is only a hypothesis – about the tomb, but the peculiar course of the illness is, perhaps, a fact! This has to be sorted out!

And here is the Politics that caused Saed-midjar to be so alarmed! A cablegram containing information about the appeal of Mr. Howard Carter to the Office of the High Commissioner Lord Allenby with a request to provide additional security measures for His Lordship Lord Carnarvon during his stay in Egypt due to anonymous threats to His Lordship’s life from nationalist and religious fanatics. Justification: His Lordship’s acute conflict with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. A note from the Office of the High Commissioner said: “no follow-up required”. Negligence or…?

Here is a report from a secret informant: immediately after Lord Carnarvon’s death, the original letter from Carter in the office of the High Commissioner was withdrawn from the case and presumably destroyed. Sabotage? Highly unlikely! Most likely someone just wanted to cover his butt retroactively.

And what is this? An excerpt from the report of another unknown informant: “In a private confidential conversation with me, Henry Herbert Carnarvon accused his mother, Lady Almina Carnarvon, of indecent behavior and attempts to assassinate his father, Lord Carnarvon.” Oh my God, is everyone being watched like that? Or just a cream of society? But perhaps it is worth taking a closer look at the family of the deceased. If the death was homicidal, then the search for the murderer should be based on the principle of qui prodest, and all members of the count’s family might gain from the death of the count. Although the will is supposed to be revealed only after the funeral, no surprises are expected. The main beneficiaries of the property are the widow Lady Almina Carnarvon and the son Henry Herbert. The daughter Evelyn also should receive her share of the property after officially coming of age in just a few months. Moreover, Henry immediately receives the title of the Sixth Earl of Carnarvon. Maybe someone wanted to speed up the receipt of an inheritance or a title?

And what exactly is the property? How big is the jackpot?

Gregson plunged into the study of the prudently prepared reports on the Carnarvon family affairs and suddenly recalled how at breakfast Mademoiselle Saad asked if he liked The Barber of Seville? Suddenly it seemed to him that the Carnarvon’s family history would have something subtly in common with the characters of the play should the plot had turned a little differently.

Firstly, the count married the money at the time. That is, he was forced. Lady Almina married the title and not a love. So, she was forced too. Suppose that the precaution would not have been in vain and Figaro would not have arrived in time and Dr. Bartolo would have successfully realized his intention to marry the money of his ward Rosina. What would have happened next? Rosina is quiet and compliant, but she was always able to insist on her own decisions. The doctor could very well accidentally get poisoned with arsenic from his own first-aid kit and the inconsolable young widow would have rightfully regained her fortune and significantly increased it.

In the silence of the cabin, the steamship’s running engines were tapping softly:

 
“Rosina Almina, Almina Rosina,
Almina Rosina, Rosina Almina.”
 

Gregson shook off the intrusive phrase with difficulty.

The Carnarvons did not consider each other attractive partners. Consequently, there could not be a particularly warm relationship between them. Most likely, on the contrary, dislike has been maturing for a long time. A motive for murder? You never know!

Secondly, let’s assume that our hypothetical married Bartolo and Rosina have a heir. Then, in all likelihood, Count Almaviva would have become his real father anyway, and the story would have partially turned back on the common track. And again, an obvious analogy manifested itself: for a long time it was believed that the son of the Earl of Carnarvon was extramarital child of Lady Almina. After the marriage, the Countess should have immediately presented the family with an heir, but she could not. Who is to blame for this? In all likelihood, it was the Count himself, suffering from the consequences of shameful diseases caught in the brothels around the world. However, two and a half years after the wedding, Almina became pregnant safely. The real culprit of this joyful event in society was Victor Duleep Singh, a friend of the earl since his days at Eton. He often visited the count’s estate and brightened up the Countess’s loneliness there. The flirting of the son of the last Rajah of Lahore and the beloved adopted son of Queen Victoria with the young Countess of Carnarvon was quickly noticed and the high society enjoyed airing dirty linen of the Carnarvon family. When the son of the current Earl Henry Carnarvon was born, the opinion of society was split on the subject of the real father of the boy: the Count or the Rajah? The Count “covered up the sin” of his wife and officially recognized the son as his own. It is possible, however, that the son really was from him, but within the family the scars from such public scandals never heal and maintain mutual hostility between the spouses. Is it a motive? Yes, it is!

Now the sound of the ship’s engines was repeating:

 
“Rosina Almina, Almina Almaviva,
Rosina Almina, Almina Almaviva.”
 

Damn it, such a stupid sticky thing! However, perhaps the restless Figaro himself could become a father of the heir…

Finally, thirdly, who started this vaudeville? Who and why organized the strange alliance of the Carnarvons marriage? Who is that behind-the-scenes Figaro arranging the plot intrigue? It is easy to guess that in the case of the Carnarvons, the Rothschild family was behind the scenes. This marriage was the result of more than half a century of very tender and reverent relations between the Carnarvons and the Rothschilds, the product of the merging of Jewish capital and the hereditary English land aristocracy.

Here is Rosina, a girl of unknown origin, who somehow turned out to be a ‘ward’ of Dr. Bartolo. Lady Almina before her marriage was also a girl of questionable origin, who was ostentatiously patronized by Baron Alfred Rothschild. In society, Almina was considered his illegitimate daughter. Her mother Marie Wombwell allegedly hid the “secret’ of the girl’s origin in exchange for financial assistance and expensive gifts “from an unknown person.” Actually, the “secret’ besides being apparent was flaunted in every possible way. The first letters of Almina’s name matching the first letters of Alfred’s name loudly hinted slow-witted folks at the identity of the “unknown”. Baron Rothschild surreptitiously supported this legend, although officially acknowledging nothing, however not refuting it. Almina’s dowry of half a million pounds served as unofficial recognition of Alfred Rothschild’s paternity.

Indeed, everything in this story was a secret wrapped in a mystery and placed inside a puzzle. And the key to it is money interests. It’s so obvious!

Stop it! And here are some more documents… oh! As it turns out, the stake is higher than only a money. Because in fact, Lady Almina could not possibly be the real daughter of Rothschild. The documents Gregson had seen clearly disproved Rothschild’s paternity. According to those documents, should they had been officially presented to the court, even Baron Alfred Rothschild, if he was still alive, could have been imprisoned for a long time on the shameful charge of <Censored on the basis of Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation>. Of course, no one in their right mind in England would prosecute Baron Rothschild or any other respected member of society for <Censored on the basis of Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation> as long as such gentleman maintains external decorum, avoids open statements about his passions and does not get into public scandals. But information about this is collected and, just in case, filed by the special services. Alfred Rothschild was a <Censored on the basis of Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation>, incapable of having relationships with women, he never openly admitted his perversion and tried his best to keep up appearances. Just in case, he laid straw for a soft landing. For the purpose of such a soft straw he presented to society his romantic relationship with the Frenchwoman Marie Boyer Wombwell, who had a daughter. Alfred subsequently became the guardian of the girl and started a deliberately loud story with his alleged paternity, the only purpose of which was to reliably hide from society the fact of his <Censored on the basis of Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation>.

So, Alfred Rothschild is not Lady Almina’s real father. Nevertheless, for some reason he gave her a huge dowry! Monstrously huge! The amount of the dowry of half a million pounds is amazing and therefore requires a separate explanation. Lady Almina is not Jewish by her mother, so in this case it cannot be assumed that the money remained in the “family’. That’s not how they do it. Therefore, it was an investment of capital. Into what? Is it just the reputation of the Rothschild family? But why back up the family’s already strong reputation with such an exorbitant amount? In all likelihood, it was an investment in a certain venture, and late Lord Carnarvon was appointed a nominal manager and formally received the money at his disposal. What kind of venture? Under what obligations? And what if the naive Lord Carnarvon, after the death of Alfred Rothschild, considered himself free from obligations and was punished for it? Perhaps this is also a possible motive!

And what could be such a venture in which Rothschild invested?

Gregson carefully reviewed the information about the property of the deceased. Highclere Castle and a huge manor house. Vast lands. It is expensive and beautiful, but from a financial point of view it is a liability: the estate requires permanent maintenance expenses and the land itself does not provide income. Probably, the count had shares the income from which went to the maintenance of the castle and the manor. Rothschild’s money in stocks? But who prevented Rothschild from simply investing his money in shares and entrusting the management of the package to his managers, who in any case would have handled this matter better than the count and his managers? Rothschild could have invested in the steel, oil or chemical industries himself, without an intermediary. An intermediary is needed only for the venture where the Rothschilds are not allowed yet or where the Rothschilds cannot publicize their participation. Stop! What did the Count suddenly do after his marriage? Egyptology! But what is Rothschild’s interest in Egyptology? Who needs millennial potsherds and broken pots? Or are they still needed? Pure art? Is the flow of antique valuables turning into such a cash flow that even the Rothschilds might be interested in?

There is too much speculation! It was pointless to think further without new facts. The first thing to do upon arrival at the scene is simply to find out if the death was natural or violent. If the death is natural, further questions would disappear naturally and you can return with a clear conscience and write a report. If not, then… there is no point in even thinking about it now.

Then the bell rang, inviting passengers to lunch. Gregson suddenly felt hungry again: mental exertion requires a lot of energy for the brain. He put the documents in his valise, locked the cabin and went to lunch.

Egyptology and Archaeology

BARTHOLO: There are fellows up to tricks everywhere, the audacious scoundrels!

Beaumarchais. The Barber of Seville.

All the passengers gathered for lunch in the same dining room. While everyone was still sitting down, the preacher, in an attempt to restore his shattered reputation, quickly recited a short prayer, everyone listened too impatiently and quickly began to eat. The conversation at the table was incomparably easier and more lively than it was at breakfast. It was about Egypt – the country where everyone was going.

The garrulous Frenchman Lepont trilled away like a nightingale: “Herodotus in his History in the second book Euterpe dwells in detail on Egypt and says there is more extraordinary and remarkable in this country compared with all other countries. And I would like to focus on…”

The colonel’s secretary interrupted the Frenchman’s abstract historical outpourings: “Monsieur Lepont, this morning we did not come to a general agreement whether or not Tutankhamun’s tomb should have been opened. And what is your opinion on this matter as an archaeologist?”

“Absolutely necessary!” The archaeologist impulsively waved his fork, almost pricking his neighbor. “This is the greatest archaeological discovery!”

“And what is its meaning? What does Egyptology give to Humankind? What do you think is the meaning of archaeology in general?”

“The meaning of science is to expand human knowledge. History and archaeology are the greatest sciences that give Humankind knowledge about itself, about its past, knowledge that allows it to look more confidently into the future. After all, the deeper you look back, the further you see forward. A person has a measly fifty, sixty, or even a hundred years of life. Getting to know the lives of parents and grandparents can extend the experience for another fifty years. And History allows you to extend your imaginary life by five thousand years or more! Our archaeological discoveries in Egypt and Mesopotamia allow us to look back around this period. Just imagine: you have gained an additional five thousand years of life experience and memories! Isn’t the work of a historian and an archaeologist worth it?”

“The main lesson of history is that human race does not learn lessons.” The colonel noted. “So, the work of historians and archaeologists is, in fact, useless.”

The reverend objected to this: “The Holy Scripture has already given us reliable knowledge about ourselves and the world from its creation to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our duty is to study a Good Book and draw from it true knowledge and life guidance. But weak human understanding sometimes needs additional supports, so it is forced to use pictures of the world around us to interpret the innermost meanings of Scripture. This should be the primary purpose of historians and archaeologists: to obtain visible evidence of the information contained in the Scripture and steadily assert its validity. It would be useful for a Christian to look at the remains of Pharaoh in order to once again recall the story of Joseph the Beautiful, the exodus of the Jews from Egypt under the leadership of Moses, the escape of the Holy Family to Egypt and their sheltering under the shadow of the pyramids during the time of King Herod.”

“It is impossible to wait under the shadow of the pyramids.” Mr. Atkinson said. “Pyramids, by their geometric shape, cannot give shelter to travelers unless they go inside, which could not happen in any way.”

Mademoiselle Saad barely suppressed a giggle.

“And I don’t recall the Bible mentioning pyramids at all.” Gregson added.

“The Bible mentions pyramids!” The reverend responded passionately. “In the Good Book they are called Joseph’s granaries!”

“I suppose that’s not the case,” the archaeologist gently objected. “The pyramids could not serve as warehouses or storages. The science has reliably established that the pyramids are the tombs of the pharaohs.”

The reverend’s face began to turn red again.

The colonel raised his hand in a conciliatory manner and remarked with a smile: “None of us questions the authority of the Bible. And the absence of an evidence is not an evidence of absence. This is also true of the pyramids. Isn’t that right, Monsieur Lepont? Do you hope to reveal the infinite mystery of nature with your interpretations and penetrate into the unknown?

The archaeologist nodded gravely: “There is a scientific opinion that the recently discovered Pharaoh Tutankhamun was the son and heir of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who, in turn, may have been a contemporary of Moses. His new Egyptian religion of that time closely resembles Jewish monotheism. Some even consider Pharaoh Akhenaten to be Moses himself! Of course, we still don’t have enough facts thereby the work of archaeologists becomes more important for us.”

“The science, which deepens our understanding of the Good Book, can only be welcomed.” The priest agreed. “And a Good Book benefits not only the soul, but also the body! Let me tell you an enlightening tale. About five years ago, during the war in Palestine, British troops launched an offensive against the Turks at Jericho. One pious British commander was tasked with attacking and capturing the village of Mihmas. As befits a good Christian, our officer prayed fervently and read the Bible on the eve of the attack. And God directed him to read the fourteenth chapter of the First Book of Kings. Surely you remember what it says?” The priest looked around at his companions and with a sly smile took out a black volume of the Bible from his pocket, leafed through it and began to recite in a singsong voice:

“Now between the passes by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison there was a sharp rock on the one side and a sharp rock on the other side; and the name of the one Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. The one crag a pillar on the north opposite to Michmash, and the other on the south opposite to Geba.

And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armour, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised: perhaps Jehovah will work for us; for there is no restraint to Jehovah to save by many or by few.

And his armour-bearer said to him, Do all that is in thy heart; turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.

Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will shew ourselves to them.

And both of them shewed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines; and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.”

The priest put the Bible in his pocket and finished with a victorious look: “Our British repeated Jonathan’s trick. A small detachment of infantry marched through the gorge between the rocks of Bozez and Seneh. Then the Turks, like the Philistines, were afraid of the encirclement and hastened to surrender. Just like almost three thousand years ago, the experience of Saul and Jonathan helped the pious folk to defeat the enemies of God!””

The reaction was a reverential silence unceremoniously broken by Gregson: “I am familiar with this story and even personally made my own contribution into it.”

All eyes turned to him, and he had to explain: “It happened on the night from the thirteenth to the fourteenth of February in 1918, during our unfortunately thwarted Jericho offensive. But we still had some tactical successes back then. Indeed, Major Gilbert back then captured the Arab village of Mihmas, where we took many Turkish prisoners. This was partly the merit of our topographers. But, most of all, it was the merit of our intelligence and their good job with our Arab friends. Unfortunately, scouts are not supposed to be famous, so this, no exaggeration, brilliantly invented story was launched as a cover-up. By the way, at the time this story amused General Allenby very much, and we shortly expect its appearance in the flamboyant memoirs.”

The reverend’s face was turning beetroot again. The colonel hastened to smooth over the awkwardness: “I believe that Mr. Gregson’s addition does not in any way negate both the authority of the Bible and the benefits of studying antiquities. And even more, it emphasizes the importance of the latter in his own way, doesn’t it Mr. Gregson?”

“A perfectly fair idea!” Gregson smiled back.

The maroon hue on the reverend’s face gradually began to fade.

Mademoiselle Saad stated: “And, in my opinion, the main benefit of Egyptian archaeology is to attract world attention to my country and to rid the Arabs of their national inferiority complex. The world must reconsider the prejudice about the exceptional role of the West in world History. Our History began several thousand years before the Christian era.”

“Ancient Egypt has nothing to do with the Arabs.” Lepont noted.

“And, in my opinion.” Atkinson replied. “The meaning of history and archaeology is solely to make money. As well as the meaning of any other human activity. Excessive value is attributed to fossil shards. They sell for big money. Therefore, interest in the topic should be maintained all the time and it is desirable to bring it to an agitation, which we are witnessing today in relation to Egypt and Tutankhamun. Collectors, tourists, newspapermen, publishers would help the Egyptologists to remain in high demand, if they, of course, dig in the right direction.”

“You Americans are despicable materialists.” Verte replied. “Materialism is the trouble of our time. People became blind to spiritual values. Thousands of years of mystical secrets are hidden under the Veil of Isis and are known only to the devoted people. But even laymen sometimes feel an unconscious awe of the mystery! Our civilization is unable to repeat even the simplest achievements of the ancient Egyptians. With all our technology, we are unable to lay down the pyramids that the Egyptians erected with the help of their secret knowledge!”

“I don’t agree with you here.” The colonel laughed. “Should such a task be set, we Americans would build anything, any pyramids. But the meaning, the point comes first and the technique is secondary.”

“And what do you think is the point?” Gregson asked.

“The artist paints in order to convey his inner images to the audience. The writer creates a text to make the reader see the fruits of his imagination. Just like any person seeks to influence others. To do this one needs to learn how to imprint his own pictures in other people’s minds. Those who can impose their own picture of the world in the minds of nations are truly powerful. Achieving such power is the major point.”

“And what are the tools to create these paintings?” Gregson asked.

The Colonel laughed: “There is a variety of methods, sometimes the most unexpected. Let’s take archaeology as an example. Suppose you have a certain picture in your head that you want to broadcast to others. For example, the tales from the Bible. From the scant information publicly available you create in your imagination the picture of reality that presumably existed in those distant times. Then you make a few artistic final touches and here comes a picture you need. Next you dig up the specific area, find insignificant material fragments and put them together in a way to support your imaginary mosaic. Such mosaic brought together helps others to accept your customized reality. This is how you can control the actuality by creating your own imaginary reality in people’s minds.”

“But it would be a false picture! Something that never happened!” The archaeologist exclaimed.

The Colonel laughed again in response: “As a rule, the less truthful is a story, the more aesthetic pleasure it gives. Of course, as Plato mentioned, the creators of the myths have to be watched, otherwise they may loose boundaries. If their work is good, we would endorse it, if not, we would reject it. At our discretion, the educators would tell children only the approved myths.”

“And what would you do if the material fragments found do not match the picture you need?” Monsieur Lepont persisted.

“It’s very simple!” The colonel shrugged his shoulders. “Then you need to find or make up new fragments.”

“This is openly impudent” The archaeologist furiously threw his fork making a bang against the table.

“That is just one of the synonyms for courage!” The colonel smiled. “What is the most important thing when you run the country? The courage. What’s in second and third place? Also the courage. And at the same time, the courage is a child of ignorance and villainy. After all, only the practical result matters, so in our difficult times there is higher demand for the practical people than for the virtuous ones.”

Mr. Atkinson said: “Recently in New York I was offered to buy a unique precious Ming porcelain vase. It had a proper certificate of authenticity certified by experts. When I complained that it was too expensive for me, it was only out of deep respect for me that I was offered to buy two such identical vases at once for the price of one. In response, I joked that I would probably take a dozen with an appropriate discount. The seller seriously advised me to pick them up in a week.”

“Those are crooks and hucksters! Real scientists would never degrade to such a foulness!” The archaeologist exclaimed. “It’s disgusting and unworthy of a scientist!”

The colonel waved his hand away: “They have already degraded far below, long time ago. Here’s an example for you. In America there was a project to restore the ancient Indian pyramids, which would surpass the Egyptians and Sumerians in antiquity. Of course, the word ‘restore’ essentially means ‘build new’. New York and Chicago for a long time have been lined with artificial stone, indistinguishable from the monuments of ancient Egypt, so there was no technical difficulty in ‘repeating’ antiquity.”

“Scientists would quickly recognize your fake!” The archaeologist shouted angrily again.

“Oh, leave it, for God’s sake!” The colonel waved off. “For money scientists would confirm everything they were ordered to and would back up the whole enterprise with full appearance of scientific respectability. For now the project is on hold – not because of a technical difficulties, but because of discussions about expediency: why should America do this? Now America is so proud of its youth compared to the old Europe. But if we want to, we would surpass over Europe many times in the matters of antiquity. For example, we are very fond of the history of dinosaurs. Do you like dinosaurs?” The colonel smiled broadly and looked around the table.

Mademoiselle Saad confessed. “I remember how the whole cinema hall froze in horror when they showed the film Brute Force! I went to this film several times in a row and each time I felt terrible horror mixed with excitement.

“The Ghost of the Sleeping Mountain is much scarier.” Verte perked up. “Have you seen it? I also went to the cinema several times for it.”

“Your dinosaur is a vile dragon, one of the incarnations of the devil!” Mrs. Romney threw it in disgust.

The Reverend nodded in agreement and added pompously: “And the great dragon was cast forth – the old serpent, who is called ‘Devil,’ and ‘the Adversary,’ who is leading astray the whole world – he was cast forth to the earth, and his messengers were cast forth with him.”

“Revelation, chapter 12, verse 9.” Mrs. Romney immediately responded.