The Streets by Quinn Anthony

Author:Quinn, Anthony [Quinn, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2012-10-03T16:00:00+00:00

11

Dark horse

THE NEWSPAPERS’ REPORTS of Kenton’s death were, in the main, generous towards his achievements as a union organiser and social reformer. They acknowledged his tireless work on behalf of the renting classes, and several praised his fierce oratorical power in public debate, ‘most recently evinced at the Trafalgar Square disturbances in May’. Yet barely one of them troubled to doubt the official verdict of suicide, or the coroner’s explanation: according to The Times Kenton had been ‘temporarily of unsound mind’ when he had taken his plunge into the cold Thames, and no evidence of foul play had been discovered.

‘Rot,’ said Paget, tossing the newspaper aside. ‘Kenton was as sound as Lloyd’s. I’m sorry to see the Thunderer doing the police’s work for them.’

We sat in the booth of a dimly lit chop house round the corner from the Chronicle.

‘I notice that your own paper declined to air any suspicions,’ I replied.

‘I don’t believe the misbuttoning of the deceased’s coat will carry much weight in a court of law. And at least our report refused to call it a suicide.’ He shrugged, his expression disgruntled. ‘Until we have more persuasive evidence it would be better for us to lie low. I have no wish to follow poor Kenton into the morgue.’

The Bindon Fields postcard lay on the table. Its discovery in Kenton’s pocket still tantalised us: Paget believed that someone had passed him information about Father Kay and the Social Protection League, but whatever it was we could only guess. If continuous staring at an object could yield its secret I would have possessed it by now.

‘The disturbing part of it is that Kay appeared quite serious about the idea of male–female segregation.’

‘He and Sprule both,’ said Paget. ‘And they are not without support in Parliament either. I know a fellow, an underling of the Home Secretary, who has told me things that would raise the hairs on your neck. He’s heard members talk openly of measures to prevent the lowest classes from breeding – as though it’s a danger to humanity!’

‘Kay said something about appointing a superintendent at Bindon Fields. Would your man be privy to that sort of information?’

‘Perhaps,’ he replied, ‘though I really don’t see how such a scheme is practicable. You may separate the sexes in a workhouse, but on a larger scale nobody would stand for it. You cannot “engineer” the race.’

A waiter interrupted us, and Paget’s beady eyes brightened as he contemplated the beefsteak and mound of boiled carrots set before him. Steam rose off it, and he gave the satisfied sigh of a trencherman. ‘Hearty fare they do here,’ he said unnecessarily. ‘Are you sure you won’t join me?’

‘Thank you, but no.’

He looked more closely at me. ‘You look rather pasty, my boy. Is all well?’

‘I’m . . . out of sorts, I confess.’ To his enquiring look I gave a small grimace. ‘I have an engagement, this afternoon. With someone I have not spoken to in more than a year.’

‘And may I ask .

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