of the women these last few
years is the most surprising transformation that has happened in the
valley of the Nile. One should have seen the nonchalant life, the almost
complete indifference to anything savouring of politics, to appreciate
the enormous steps taken in the last few months. For example: last
summer a procession of women demonstrators was surrounded by British
soldiers with fixed bayonets. One of the women, threatened by a soldier,
turned on him, baring her breast, and cried: 'Kill me, then, so that
there may be another Miss Cavell.'"[174]

Faced by this unprecedented nationalist fervour, Englishmen on the spot
were of two opinions. Some, like Sir William Willcocks and Sir Valentine
Chirol, stated that extensive concessions must be made.[175] Other
qualified observers asserted that concessions would be weakness and
would spell disaster. Said Sir M. McIlwraith: "Five years of a
Nationalist regime would lead to hopeless chaos and disorder.... If
Egypt is not to fall back into the morass of bankruptcy and anarchy from
which we rescued her in 1882, with the still greater horrors of
Bolshevism, of which there are already sinister indications,
superadded, Britain must not loosen her control."[176] In England the
Egyptian situation caused grave disquietude, and in the summer of 1919
the British Government announced the appointment of a commission of
inquiry headed by Lord Milner to investigate fully into Egyptian
affairs.

The appointment was a wise one. Lord Milner was one of the ablest
figures in British political life, a man of long experience with
imperial problems, including that of Egypt, and possessed of a
temperament equally remote from the doctrinaire liberal or the hidebound
conservative. In short, Lord Milner was a _realist_, in the true sense
of the word, as his action soon proved. Arriving in Egypt at the
beginning of 1920, Lord Milner and his colleagues found themselves
confronted with a most difficult situation. In Egypt the word had gone
forth to boycott the commission, and not merely nationalist politicians
but also religious leaders like the Grand Mufti refused even to discuss
matters unless the commissioners would first agree to Egyptian
independence. This looked like a deadlock. Nevertheless, by infinite
tact and patience, Lord Milner finally got into free and frank
discussion with Zagloul Pasha and the other responsible nationalist
leaders.

His efforts were undoubtedly helped by certain