Shades

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Father Charles straightened and said to Walter, "Take the lad down to Mrs Farborough, will you, Brownley? I shouldn't wonder if we have to call on Dr Fraser for stitches." He turned back to Truter. "Perhaps, Mr Truter, you should come down to the office and we'll have a word in private."

"In private, you say?" and Truter's eyes blazed red. "What's there to say in private? There's a lot of 'private' going on here indeed," and he laughed, the gin strong in the air about him. "This fellow," indicating Benedict, "has his own 'private' at night, don't you, Master-High-And-Mighty? Scratch the surface of a popinjay nigger like him and you'll find a heathen underneath, running about in the dark, singing songs with red-blanket kaffirs." He insinuated himself closer and said, breathing heavily, "And what's more" and a cunning in the way he looked up and sideways at Father Charles "if we're discussing 'private' now, you'll not blame me if I take the quince stick to my own daughter. It's a father's right, wouldn't you say? For I will, you see, if I get another whiff of 'private' with regard to her and a certain gentleman and neither will live to tell the tale."

Father Charles regarded him a moment and then he said, "Will you come with me, Mr Truter? I'll discuss nothing with you here." He looked around at the apprentices. "Back to work, lads. Tom Pumani, take charge till recess."

As Walter helped Sonwabo Pumani away, he heard Father Charles say to Benedict, "I'll speak to you after evensong, Benedict. Go to the church now and read with the class."

The next day, as Walter went to his duties in the schoolroom, he saw an old Scotch cart drawn up outside the wheelwright's cottage. A shabby pair of mules stood drooping in the traces. A meagre load of household goods was piled in the back.

By midday, when he passed that way again, the cottage stood empty, the door padlocked at the bolt.

There was no more word of nightly ramblings.

Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?

Read the notes in the left column before answering the questions below:

Who was Mr Truter? (2)

[Need help?]

Mr Truter was the wheelwright who was working at the St Matthias Mission.

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Explain briefly the events leading up to this incident. (4)

[Need help?]

Truter had struck Sonwabo with a mallet, accusing him of being insolent and lazy. Benedict, on the other hand, said that Sonwabo had merely laughed, and it was this that had caused Truter to lose his temper.

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What does Truter mean when he says that Benedict has his own "private" at night? (4)

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Truter is of course accusing Benedict of sneaking out at night to visit Dorcas Pumani. The implication is that Benedict is having sex with her — which is probably quite true.

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Read the notes on racism and colonialism before you answer the following question: Would you regard Mr Truter as a racist or simply as a typical colonialist? Give reasons for your answer. (4)

[Need help?]

Truter is clearly racist. His language is typically that of a racist, and he has no hesitation in clubbing Sonwabo with a mallet. A colonialist, on the other hand, tended to be rather paternalistic in his attitude towards other races.

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What reason does Mr Truter have for taking a quince stick to his own daughter? (2)

[Need help?]

Truter is convinced — and is right — that his daughter is sneaking out at night to meet Victor. Indeed, she is probably having sex with him. Sex outside of marriage was frowned upon even amongst the poorer classes like Truter, although he was probably turning a blind eye because, should his daughter fall pregnant, Victor would be forced to marry her and that action would have elevated his daughter above the working class. The poorer classes believed it their right to beat their children if necessary.

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What was happening when a "certain gentleman" went on his "nightly ramblings"? (2)

[Need help?]

The "certain gentleman" is Victor. His "nightly ramblings" were to meet with the wheelwright's daughter — and probably have sex with her. Although sex outside of marriage was frowned upon even amongst the poorer classes like Truter, the wheelwright was probably turning a blind eye because, should his daughter fall pregnant, Victor would be forced to marry her and that action would elevate Truter's daughter above the working class.

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What reason is there for the fact that Mr Truter's daughter is never given a name? (2)

[Need help?]

The fact that the girl is never given a name is an indication of a faceless person whom Victor uses, abuses and then casts aside as having no relevance to him.

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Why did the "nightly ramblings" stop? (4)

[Need help?]

Fr Charles was a paternalist who cared a great deal for the boys on his mission. Once the wheelwright had shown his true colours and beaten Sonwabo — probably without much real provocation — it was impossible for him to remain at the mission. He was also clearly a heavy drinker, something frowned upon by Victorian pastors. Once Truter was dismissed, therefore, his daughter would have had to leave with him, thereby saving Victor from an embarrassing situation where he might have been forced to marry the girl.

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What effect did this affair and its conclusion have on Victor? (6)

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Once Truter was dismissed, his daughter would have had to leave with him, thereby saving Victor from an embarrassing situation where he might have been forced to marry the girl. Indeed, during her final few weeks at the mission, she had been putting pressure on Victor so as to secure a firmer commitment out of him, i.e. marriage. The sexual experience, however, provided Victor with an insatiable lust for more. There was no other White girl on the mission except Frances — and so his eyes now began to look more seriously at her. Immediately the wheelwright's daughter departs the scene, we find Victor trapping Frances with him down at the river, indulging in serious kissing and, ultimately, desiring to go the whole way with her, just as he did with the wheelwright's daughter.

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