Free House of Strangers by Anne Forsyth

simply shrugged and said, ‘Old age, that’s all. Comes with aches and pains.’
    But Flora was aware that Cousin Chris was not as lively as she had been, though she took a great interest in all that was going on around her. And now Flora realised what an effort it must have been for her to go to the wedding, ‘And thank goodness she did,’ Flora thought, ‘or I would never have been here. More likely I’d be running around doing errands for Aunt Mina.’ She shuddered.
    So she decided she would go to the meeting.
    *
    Miss Craig looked disapprovingly at Flora, who had dressed in her Sunday coat and skirt and had wound a bright scarf round her neck. It was pleasant, she thought, to be able to afford the odd luxury now, like a scarf or a lace handkerchief. Cousin Chris had insisted on paying her a regular wage. ‘You don’t need to dress up, you know,’ Miss Craig said. ‘We are not concerned with appearances.’
    ‘I just thought...’ Flora’s voice trailed away.
    Miss Craig strode ahead as soon as they left the tram stop.
    ‘I wondered,’ Flora had been longing to ask, ‘if you have plans for - action.’
    ‘Oh, there has been action already,’ said Miss Craig breezily. ‘A number of our members have already been involved. Some of us tried to make our way into a meeting in Dundee, but we were thrown out. And a number of our women in Dundee went on hunger strike, but they weren’t forcibly fed. The authorities let them go.’
    Flora shivered. ‘It sounds so horrible, forcible feeding.’ She had read about it and seen illustrations.
    ‘Needs must,’ said Miss Craig.
    There was already a large audience when they arrived at the hall. Flora looked round the women; most of them were in their twenties, she judged, talking eagerly with the friends around them.
    ‘Here.’ Miss Craig pushed Flora into a seat at the back of the hall. ‘It’s just about to start.’
    The main speaker, a Miss Fraser, was greeted with cheers and applause. ‘A very active woman,’ Miss Craig whispered to Flora. ‘She’s an inspiration, the way she’s travelled all over the country.’
    To Flora the speaker’s arguments sounded very sensible. She was not one of those in favour of militancy, reminding her audience that they would gain the vote not by violence but by reason. There were a few murmurs of disagreement at this, but more applause.
    Flora found herself swayed this way and that. There did not seem much point in disrupting public meetings, she thought. What was the use of shouting out in the middle of someone’s speech, if you were only going to be thrown out of the hall?
    And as for militancy—how could some women be in favour of burning down churches and beautiful buildings?
    Many of the speakers were greeted with loud applause. One spoke about the superiority of men. Why should a man have the right to refuse his wife a medical operation? Why just because men were physically stronger, did it follow that they had more intelligence? This was greeted with cheers and clapping.
    Beside her, Flora could sense Miss Craig’s enthusiasm, and as soon as questions were invited, she raised her hand and jumped to her feet. ‘We are to have a national census,’ she said. ‘Why should women agree to be counted when we are second class citizens? We should refuse to be listed in the census.’
    There was some agreement, though most people did not seem to feel this was a workable idea. But Miss Craig sat down, very pleased with herself at having made her point.
    Towards the end, there was an appeal for more members. Flora shrank back in her seat.
    On the way out, Miss Craig stopped at a table where pamphlets were being distributed. ‘ Here,’ she said, grabbing a handful. ‘I’ll take these back to the house.’
    Flora couldn’t help feeling that neither Mr Turnbull nor Arabella would be pleased to have pamphlets thrust on them, but she picked up a few, and together they hurried out of the hall towards the tram