Chapter 5: University

In the next six years the Emir made sure that Sharifa travelled fairly widely, but always with him or one of the Princesses, so that she was not surprised by the customs of other countries, and was always carefully supervised on the trips. Sharifa’s first experience of travel alone outside Kobekistan was her visit to Oxford for her interview for a place at the University. Even then she had a bodyguard of four trusted soldiers.

The interview was with her father’s old friend, who was now Amelia Ransome Professor of Topology. The chair had been endowed by the Emir and named for his mother. Alan Jones, the Professor was extremely worried about this interview. He had been told privately by the Emir that he was to be completely fair and open, and to refuse the candidate if she was unsuitable just as he would refuse a similar candidate who had no ‘connections’. On the other hand the Master of the College had told him in no uncertain terms that there was no need to interview this girl, and that anyone a rich and generous benefactor sent to them would be accepted and would be given a degree, “Even if we have to teach her to count to ten,” as he put it.

When she came into the room, Professor Jones could see the likeness to her father at once. He was much reminded of the fellow student he had known before the Emir succeeded to the throne. He had still not resolved the problem of what to do if she was not up to the high standard they normally set. Certainly on paper she was competent, but other Royal children had had good marks in public examinations which were clearly not justified. To that end he had collected from the archives some old examination papers, and proposed to give her a viva.

Starting gently, in an attempt to put her at her ease he asked, “If two men go fishing in a boat on a lake and row out to the middle, then throw the anchor overboard, attached to a long enough line, what happens to the level of the water in the lake?”

Sharifa stared at him, and then stood up.

“I am sorry to have wasted my time, Professor. I could answer questions like that when I was twelve years old, and if that is the level of mathematics taught here I want no part of it.”

Alan was annoyed, and it showed, “Sit down. I am not wasting my time either. Can you answer?”

So was she, “Yes, the level of the lake goes down. I can also state and prove Pythagoras theorem if you wish,” she snapped.

“If it is geometry you want, try this,” he said, “Prove, on the board there, that the radius of the incircle of a triangle is never more than half the radius of the circumcircle.”

Sharifa stared at him and thought for fifteen seconds. She stood again and walked over to the board.

“The proof starts thus:...”

Half an hour later she finished her lecture.

“Well done,” said the Professor, “It may interest you to know that four hours were allowed for answering that question in Paper Seven of the Scholarship exams for entry to St. John’s College at this University in 1957. Furthermore no candidate succeeded in getting full marks.”

There was a short silence as each contemplated the other.

“Welcome to the University, Ms. Abdullah,” said Alan, “Is there anything you would like to ask me?”

“Can you recommend a good place for me to stay? I am in a dump called the Randolph and someone will be in trouble for putting me there. It’s old and the food isn’t much good.”

Alan smiled at her. “All of Oxford is old, and mostly the food isn’t very good. The Randolph is the best hotel in town, but we can find you a room here, I’m sure. That way you will not go home with a false impression of how you will live while you are here.”

“Thank you,” she said, “I’ll have my things brought over.”

As she went out of the room Alan caught a glimpse of four large men in Arab costume, carrying scimitars, falling into step behind her with a single worried looking uniformed British policeman in attendance. ‘Like father, like daughter,’ he mused, remembering the armed escorts who always arrived when her father visited.