It's been some time now since I last wrote for the "Guild of Hypatia". I'm glad that it has attracted some interest from around the world.

Although I promised that the series on Ellen Chennels was "to be continued", that continuation has been a long time coming, now, and the next chapter is very long overdue!

In particular, two e-mails have been interesting. The first was from Mr. Terry Walz, who agrees with me that Emmeline Lott's book "Nights in the Harem" was not written by a governess to the Khedival family!

I'd like to quote Mr. Walz's e-mail at length, as his comments are very intresting:

"It [i.e. 'Nights in the Harem'] displays an unusual grasp of the geography of Cairo in the 1850s, maybe 1860s - I even want to say a man's grasp - the location of markets, the different nationalities - and yet a poor grasp of Arabic (odd spellings that seem almost correct, but are not)... the 'mohaddetyn' in the title comes from Lane's 'Manners and Customs', and perhaps some of the other descriptions from Lane or Lane Poole, or Sophia Poole, and even Burton. Yet they would not have made the same mistakes in Arabic that she did.

You're quite right to conclude that it was entirely imagined, and yet it is interesting that she used an old eunuch - usually the most terrifying, horrifying of creatures in Victorian literature - as her central character and endowed him with some sympathetic feelings."

I personally think that Mr. Walz has found the answer to the puzzle. The books by "Emmeline Lott" are indeed by a man - the titles and content suggest this so very strongly. Who, however, I have no idea, and perhaps we can only speculate, now.

One thing seems for sure - my researches now and since have failed to find any trace of an "Emmeline Lott." I'm increasingly of the opinion, therefore, that the works attributed to her should not, therefore be regarded as history, but rather as fiction.

The second e-mail was from Mr. Michael Ward, who has asked me for more information about the visit to the Khedival family by the Earl and Countess of Dudley. Mr. Ward points out that in turn the Khedive stayed with them in England, at Dudley House, London.

I'm still researching this. My initial thoughts are that it was associated with Ishmail's plans for the economic expansion of Egypt - the Dudleys were very well-connected in banking and industrial, as well as political circles. The Earl of Dudley would, in short, have been a very useful person for the Khedive to know.

If anyone has any further information about this, please pass it on to Mr. Ward and the Guild of Hypatia.

And now, where precisely did I leave poor Miss Chennells?