Midsummer's Eve

She lifted her shoulders. "My father will have to disappear from public life. After all he has built up! And he had such plans. It was almost a certainty that he would have been on this vice committee. He would have been so effective.”

"How is the family taking it?”

"Stoically. They are all standing by him. Joe, of course, is the one who will be most affected.”

"Do you think it will ruin his career?" I asked.

"Well, for the time being ... yes. He is the son of his father ... same name and everything. Oh, it was a bitter blow to us all. For myself it does not matter.

It's just that I can't bear for my father to be put through all this. It's so malicious.”

"I wrote to Joe," I told her. "I had a short note back.”

"I think they all just want to be left alone.”

"I'm sure that's how I should feel," said Peterkin.

"Joe thinks that our father was trapped into the situation.”

"Trapped?”

"It's a wild idea, of course, but Joe is in iw state to reason.”

"Frances," said Peterkin, "if there is anything we can do ...”

"There isn't really. The best thing is to leave them all alone for a while. Something will work itself out.”

"You're just carrying on here as usual.”

"It makes no difference here. The people who work with me are marvellous. Matthew Hume whom you just met is typical. They just want to help people, to make society a little more tolerable for the unfortunate. As for the people who are living in this neighbourhood, they are not censorious. Moreover they can't read ... most of them. They understand how easy it is for these girls to fall into prostitution.

They would say, Oh they have to live-and that's one way of doing it. They wouldn't condemn my father-even if the accusations were true as much as those who pay them so little for their work or wouldn't give them a few pence for a decent meal. It's a different set of morals.

I suppose morals are tuned to the sort of society in which we live and the middle and upper classes take a highly moral tone on these matters. You must be without reproach and if you do stray, make sure you are not found out. A sin is a sin only when it is public knowledge. Hypocrisy is the order of the day.”

She spoke without bitterness and I liked her more than ever.

This was not the sort of visit we had planned though we did look over the house.

She had rows of beds in the upper rooms where she housed the homeless; then she took us and showed us the kitchen where a cauldron of soup was simmering on the fire. "It's all so inadequate," she said. "I want bigger premises. I want more and more houses like this so that I can do some real work.”

When we left Peterkin said what a fine job she was doing, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

In the papers that day there was a notice which caught my eyes. William Gardiner had been chosen as the prospective candidate for Bletchfield. That was the one for which Joe had been hoping.

Whatever had happened on that fateful night in the prostitute's bedroom had had a far-reaching effect.

My parents were in London. I left Uncle Peter's house and went back to the one in Albermarle Street with them.

They told us the news at Eversleigh, and of course they had heard of the Cresswell scandal. I guessed from their comments that they believed the story, which was an indication that most people would by the manner in which he had been presented in the press, and who did not know the family.

I told them that I refused to believe the accusations against Joseph Cresswell and then they were all sympathy.

"This sort of thing can happen," said my father. "A false step taken innocently enough ... and it can influence one's life.”

My mother said thoughtfully: "This will mean that Joseph Cresswell is out of the running for that chairmanship.”

"Yes, of course," I replied. "And poor Joe has lost his chance to stand as candidate for Bletchfield." 'What a tragedy," said my father.

"They are very brave," I told them. "They are the most wonderful family. It has made us all very sad, and I was having such a marvellous time before it happened.”

"It's good news about Helena," said my mother.

"Yes, isn't it?”

"They are very thrilled at Eversleigh.”

"The wedding is going to be in August. It's quite soon but there doesn't seem to be any reason for delay. The two families are well satisfied.”

"I daresay Peter is," said my mother shortly. "He'll revel in connections with an ancient dukedom.”

"But what is so nice, Mama, is that Helena is so much in love and so is John Milward.”

"I suppose Peter will be able to supply the necessary settlement," she said.

"Apparently. There doesn't seem to be any hitch about that.”

"The Milward estate is ready to collapse, I believe," said my father. "The heir made a good marriage and saved it in the nick of time, otherwise it would have been a ruin by now. But still more is needed.”

"Your father has something to tell you, Annora," said my mother.

"Yes. I have come to a decision, Annora. We are definitely going to Australia.”

"When?”

"The beginning of September.”