Shades

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The worlds of Walter and Frances are filled with cynicism. Walter at Mbokothwe contemplates madness. He thinks often of Frances but his letters to her are never posted.

In Grahamstown, Frances too thinks often of Walter. Eventually she sees Brompton's musical-box in a pawn shop. It reminds her of Walter and of her brother, and so she pawns her engagement ring so as to buy it.

Was Frances at all responsible for her sexual encounter with Victor?

Many would answer with a glib "Yes!" After all, she admits she knew about sex. It was, she said, all around her on the mission station and in the unwanted babies that were left abandoned at the church door. And, following Victor's lead, she had also ridiculed Helmina's prudish warnings on this subject.

Finally, she believed herself guilty. And there lies the problem! Frances HERSELF says she is guilty!

But are we to believe her? Think about it carefully. Frances went to Victor's room for no other reason than to see whether or not his clothes were there. She did NOT expect to find Victor in his room, and certainly did NOT intend to have sexual intercourse with him.

Remember this: she felt guilty about the fact that she had allowed Victor to kiss her down at the stream! Is it likely she would willingly consent to his going further? And another thing — she never allowed him to kiss her again.

Since that day when Walter had caught Victor and Frances together at the stream, Frances's affections towards Victor had become distinctly icy. Victor was beginning to treat her as a conquest, while she felt most guilty because she had allowed him to kiss her.

On the day when Victor discovered Walter and Frances together at the piano, it was very clear to him that a bond was growing between the two. Victor was about to leave for Johannesburg and he knew very well that, within a very short time, he would lose her to his rival.

The only way he could prevent that was to trap her into having sexual intercourse with him. By Victorian standards, such a deed would constitute marriage in her mind. Frances would therefore be his forever — and he could go to Johannesburg knowing that she would wait for him.

On the fateful day in question, Victor had to journey into King William's Town. Before leaving, he attempted to win her affections but she was deliberately curt towards him.

He responded by suggesting that he might not come home but might rather proceed directly to Grahamstown — and then to Johannesburg. She might not see him again.

His reply intended to provoke a reaction from her but he received none — just a cool, uncaring reply. No outward reaction whatever.

Victor then played a game with her. He knew she would worry about him. He therefore deliberately returned home very late that night, making sure that her emotions would be stretched to breaking point.

He guessed she would rush to welcome him back — and he would have her alone to himself, late at night and with no one to interrupt.

On his way back from King, he ran various scenarios over and over through his mind of what would happen when they met. Each ended in the same way — with his taking her virginity and claiming her as his possession.

Victor was quite correct. Frances was indeed worried — helped on by her mother who repeatedly suggested the possibility of Hector having gone lame, or perhaps had an accident.

It was now late at night. Frances was in her nightdress but could not sleep. Eventually she decided to go to Victor's bedroom to check in his cupboard to see whether or not his clothes were there.

The point is that she wanted to settle in her own mind whether he had gone directly to Grahamstown, or whether he was late in returning home — and therefore the possibility of an accident.

If his clothes were indeed missing, it would mean he had packed and headed for Grahamstown and Johannesburg. If his clothing was still there, however, it meant he was supposed to be coming home and might be even now lying in the dark somewhere — injured, or even dead.

Victor caught her in his bedroom. He was correct. Her relief at seeing him sent her into his arms. For her it meant no more than a huge sisterly hug of relief — and the knowledge that she had won her game because he could not leave without saying goodbye to her.

He, however, used the opportunity (as he has been mentally planning the whole way home) to help himself to her virginity.

Frances had no way of knowing the depths of depravity that Victor's game was taking him.

Did she willingly offer her body to him? Certainly not! "She neither thought nor feared," says Marguerite Poland.

Frances was not expecting sexual intercourse. The author points out that she quickly discovered his embrace was "too urgent".

And then there was the sudden pain of "UNEXPECTED" intercourse - "too sharp and unexpected", says the author.

It is true that she had a vague understanding of sex — but this was theoretical and not at all practical. She did not expect Victor to do that to her.

More importantly, she had certainly not give her consent!

Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?

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

In what way has Walter's life become cynical? (4)

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Walter is, of course, at Mbokothwe, the mission that he feared the most. He arrives at a critical time. Not only has the mission been subjected to a lengthy drought and to the rinderpest epidemic, but the Anglo-Boer War has erupted and causes Mbokothwe to be even further isolated. Furthermore, paper has become a luxury because of the war and so correspondence with St Matthias becomes a rarity. Walter must therefore be very lonely, and his longing for Frances is unbearable. His attempt to put her out of his mind causes him to become a workaholic — and leads to despair even that his God has abandoned him.

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Why did Hubert Brompton go mad? (4)

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The isolation would have done much to induce this state. But it is possible too that the isolation was exacerbated by his failure to receive any replies from his correspondence. Brompton's letter book indicates numerous letters in his early years, but few replies. Was Pusey perhaps hiding his correspondence so that few of his letters ever reached their destination? Was he perhaps destroying incoming letters?

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Walter reads through Brompton's letter book.

• What is a letter book? (3)

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During the 19th century, much use was made of letter books. These consisted of pages of writing paper separated from each other by a very thin sheet of opaque paper which absorbed the residue of ink. In writing a letter, therefore, the thin paper served as a copy of the original.

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When Walter settled at Mbokothwe, Pusey immediately made his re-appearance.

• Why did Walter not fire him? (3)

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It is very difficult to fire somebody who goes out of his way to serve. Pusey's first action after his re-appearance was to make Walter a pot of tea. He thereafter became a very good servant and offered no reason for Walter to be angry.

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What is the main purpose of this section dealing with Mbokothwe? (4)

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This brief narrative keeps us informed of Walter's activities and mood. It shows us how cynical and frustrated he has become, and how much he is missing Frances. It also points to the passing of time. The author wants the story to leap ahead by about a year and this is probably the best place in which to do it. When the reader is taken to Grahamstown later in the chapter, we are already aware that a considerable time has passed.

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"He worked and worked and worked. And rarely prayed."

• How would you account for Walter's becoming a workaholic, and for his turning away from prayer? (6)

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Walter must have been very lonely, and his longing for Frances is unbearable. His attempt to put her out of his mind causes him to become a workaholic, and leads to despair even that his God has abandoned him.

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Walter writes a letter to Frances but he leaves it in his letter book unposted.

• Why does he not post it? (5)

[Need help?]

The probability is that Walter does not know whether Frances is married or not. He has had little news from St Matthias, and Frances has not written to him. In any case, even if she is not married, she would be still engaged to Victor, and Walter would be determined not to interfere with her in any way.

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Frances shows increased irritation with her new life. Explain why. (6)

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Frances was a mission girl, born and brought up in the bush lands around St Matthias Mission. She didn't really want to marry Victor. Her uprooting from the mission and being thrust into the alien world of Grahamstown was therefore hateful to her. She dreaded the tea parties and the fine clothes. She was becoming both claustrophobic and bored. After a year of this, she just wanted to go home again! And, of course, there was the realisation that Johannesburg would be no better. Indeed, the thought of it would have been distressing because she would be bound forever to Victor's company. Furthermore, she is forbidden to speak Xhosa and finds herself increasingly isolated.

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It is clear that Frances's affection for Victor is waning. How do we know? (5)

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Frances has already begun to realise that it is the Victor of her childhood that she loves. And she finds little memory of that in the house. Indeed, relics of Victor's father dominate the house. Frances realises that these relics will also dominate their house in Johannesburg after they are married. Her letters to Victor become shorter and shorter, containing nothing but small talk and no intimacies. It is as though she is merely writing to a brother whom she doesn't much care for.

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Why is the musical box more important to Frances than her engagement ring? (5)

[Need help?]

Think of such things as: The musical box had been repaired by her brother, Crispin; It reminded her of Walter because he had brought it back from Mbokothwe; It also reminded her of how Walter had stood up against Victor when the latter was being an absolute prat; The ring, on the other hand, represented Aunt Alice and not Victor because it was she who had put it on Frances's finger, a bauble out of her own jewellery box. Furthermore, it was an attempt to legitimise her sin with Victor and so it had become something hateful to her.

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