Rose's Challenge

by Lucia Masciullo

  ‘There are some silly men, too,’ Rose said, thinking of the two who laughed at her playing cricket.

  Father laughed. ‘You’ve got me there, Rosie.’

  Once Father decided he was going, Mother grumbled but didn’t object too loudly to Rose attending. Hoorah! Rose couldn’t wait.

  On the night, Aunt Alice came down the stairs dressed in a very smart dark-green skirt and jacket, with a plain white shirt underneath and her hair tightly pinned back. She looked very serious.

  ‘Are you speaking?’ Father asked, as they all climbed into the carriage.

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘but I’ll be sitting on the stage as a supporter, so it’s important that I look dignified and level-headed.’

  ‘Do you really think the crowd will cause trouble?’ Rose asked.

  ‘I hope not,’ was all Aunt Alice said.

  When they reached the hall, there was already a long line of people waiting to get in, and many of them had severe or angry faces. They didn’t look like they were there to support the suffragettes.

  Father took Rose’s hand. ‘Stick by me,’ he said. ‘We have seats up the front, thank goodness.’

  Inside, the hall was more than half full and several hundred voices made a terrible din. Rose gazed around nervously, looking for Abigail, but saw instead that already some people were arguing. Father and Rose found their seats in the second row, and Aunt Alice made her way to the stage, where Vida Goldstein and several other women, as well as three men, were standing. Some of them watched the crowd cautiously, but Vida was talking enthusiastically, smiling and confident. Rose thought that her speech was bound to be stirring.

  A few minutes later, one of the men banged a gavel and the crowd began to shuffle to their seats and sit down. As Rose glanced over her shoulder, she spotted Abigail and her mother four rows back, and waved. Abigail waved back wildly, grinning.

  ‘How does a debate work?’ Rose whispered to Father.

  ‘Each side takes turns making their arguments about the issue, and answering the other’s statements. I think this will get quite lively, so you won’t be bored.’

  Rose wasn’t too sure about that, but once it started, Vida’s animated expression and passionate voice kept everyone enthralled, and you could have heard a pin drop in the hall.

  Vida talked about how women had had the vote in South Australia since 1894. ‘Here in Victoria, we have argued for this over and over. As far back as 1891, we gathered over 30,000 signatures and presented them to a bunch of politicians who found it too easy to ignore us. But we are citizens, we are landowners, we are workers. We contribute to the economy of this country as much as men, and we should have the right to elect those who govern us!’

  Wild cheering and applause broke out, and the women on the stage, including Aunt Alice, jumped to their feet, clapping and smiling. Rose, too, leapt up, clapping madly. Oh, how could anyone not agree with Miss Goldstein!

  When the noise died down, the next speaker stepped forward. He was a short man with large whiskers, and a huge belly that strained at his burgundy waistcoat. His voice boomed around the hall.

  ‘How could we possibly allow women to vote?’ he began. ‘Do they manage large tracts of land? Do they manage thriving businesses? Do they manage important trade deals? No!’ He paused and looked around at the women on the stage, then faced the audience again. ‘It’s all very well to point at these fine examples of womanhood up here, but there are many females who I wouldn’t trust to post a letter, let alone make important decisions about politics.’

  Several boos came from the audience, mostly from women.

  He strutted along the stage, glaring at various women in the first few rows of seats. Rose shrank a little, sure he was about to point at her.

  ‘I see women every day who engage in hysterics, who faint for no reason, who scream at every little ache and pain. Weak women!’

  The more the man talked, the more Rose hated him and his sneering manner. ‘Who is he?’ Rose asked Father.

  ‘A doctor, I believe,’ Father said.

  The booing was getting louder, and some people were shouting back.

  The man ignored them. ‘It’s all women can do to keep their houses in some kind of order, or no order at all. If we give them the vote, they will just do as their husbands tell them, giving married men an unfair advantage at the ballot box.’

  ‘Absolute rubbish!’ a woman shouted.

  ‘Get him off the stage!’

  The man wagged his finger. ‘Mark my words, I know from experience – women are weak. Their brains are feeble. They are incapable of voting properly.’

  Holy smoke! thought Rose. He can’t be serious!

  Most of the audience jumped to their feet and began shouting. In the front row, two men began shoving each other, and one fell to the ground. Father pushed past Rose. ‘That’s Joseph Leaning. He needs help.’

  Rose was left on her own, with the crowd growing louder by the second. Scuffles broke out all around as the arguing became more fierce. Rose’s heart banged in her chest. Her limbs felt like lead, and she had no idea what to do or where to go. Only when a man behind her flung out an arm and nearly hit her in the head did she move, scuttling along her row of seats and out of harm’s way. She found a space in the front corner of the hall, and from there she was able to see what was happening.

  The hall was a swirling pond of bodies, topped by angry faces. Nobody was on the stage anymore – Vida and Aunt Alice were standing with the doctor who’d caused the uproar with his speech, and he was still wagging his finger, this time in Vida’s face. Suddenly, some of the crowd surged forward, chairs went flying, and several people fell, including Aunt Alice. Rose saw her on the floor, struggling to get up, and then she was knocked down again.

  ‘Father!’ Rose screamed.

  But he was nowhere near.

  FATHER was on the other side of the hall, holding two men apart and talking to them. With all the noise, Rose knew he’d never hear her. She ran to her aunt, dropping to her knees.

  ‘Aunt Alice, are you all right?’ She lifted her aunt’s head off the floor, and was rewarded with slow blinking and a shaky, ‘I think so.’

  ‘We need to get her out.’ It was Abigail and her mother, right next to Rose, leaning down with helping hands. They grabbed Aunt Alice’s arms and quickly got her to her feet. ‘Come on, there’s a side door by the stage.’

  Abigail’s mother was a tall, sturdy woman, and she used her size to shove a path through the people, while Rose and Abigail supported Aunt Alice. The door sprung open and cool night air rushed in, reviving them all, and they were soon out of the hall, shutting the door behind them.

  Some of Aunt Alice’s hair had come out of its pins and straggled around her face. She still looked dazed, but eventually she was able to walk on her own.They were in a side alley, with little lighting, and shouting was now coming from the main street.

  ‘Good Lord,’ Abigail’s mother said. ‘This is terrible.’

  ‘I was frightened we’d get trapped in there,’ said Abigail.

  ‘Me, too. It was awful,’ Rose said. She didn’t really want to venture out into the street with all those angry people around, but she was desperate to get Aunt Alice to safety, and make sure she wasn’t injured. ‘I really need to find our carriage.’

  ‘I’ll go,’ Abigail’s mother said. ‘You girls stay here. I’ve met your driver, John – I’ll look for him.’

  She left the alley, and Abigail found an empty crate for Aunt Alice to sit on.

  ‘Are we going to get home safely?’ Rose said. ‘We can’t leave Father behind.’

  ‘It’ll be fine,’ Abigail said. ‘Ma will sort it out, and find your father. Don’t worry.’

  Rose’s chin trembled and she blinked back tears. ‘I am worried. Aunt Alice looks … very odd. It’s not like her not to talk.’

  ‘She just needs to rest. I saw her get knocked down, but it’s probably the shock more than anything.’

  ‘That st
upid man!’ Rose said, her fists clenched. ‘It’s all his fault. How dare he say women are too feeble-minded to vote!’

  ‘That’s how lots of men think,’ Abigail fumed. ‘They treat women like fools, so how are their wives ever going to be sensible? If you insist that someone is an idiot, they will come to believe it.’

  ‘You sound like Vida Goldstein.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Abigail said seriously. ‘When we have the vote, I shall be voting for her to enter parliament.’

  ‘Me, too,’ said Rose. She folded her arms and jutted her chin. ‘It’s time we stood up for ourselves.’

  ‘There’s Ma,’ Abigail said. Her mother was walking back into the alley with John, who picked up Aunt Alice and carried her, although she protested that she was fine.

  ‘Hush,’ Abigail’s mother said. ‘Let’s get you home, my dear.’

  Rose felt a blast of relief to find Father waiting with the carriage and scanning the crowd. When Rose arrived, he grabbed her in an enormous bear hug.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness,’ he said. ‘I’ve only just made it back to the carriage. I looked everywhere for you.’

  ‘We escaped out a side door,’ Rose said.

  ‘We’re leaving, right now,’ Father said. ‘John, force a way through.’

  ‘What about Abigail and her mother?’ Rose said.

  ‘We’re fine,’ Abigail said, and leaned over to squeeze Rose’s hand. ‘Our cart is just around that corner. Good night!’

  In a few minutes, they were free of the crowd and Chester was clip-clopping down a quiet street away from the hall. Father had one arm around Aunt Alice and one around Rose, holding her so tight that she wriggled until he released his grip a little.

  ‘That was unbelievable,’ he said. ‘Almost a riot. It’s a wonder no one called the police.’

  Aunt Alice lifted her head and looked around. Her eyes were clear at last, and she had a little smile on her face. ‘Ah, but who won the debate?’

  Father exploded with laughter. ‘My goodness, Alice,’ he said, when he could draw a breath. ‘Only you could ask that.’

  As they got closer to home, Aunt Alice said, ‘I hope you’re not going to mention this to Elizabeth.’

  ‘It’s sure to be in the newspaper tomorrow,’ Father said. ‘And the gossip mills will be busy overnight. I doubt you’ll be able to keep it from her.’

  ‘All we need to say is that we left when the uproar got out of hand, which is true.’ Aunt Alice clasped Rose’s arm briefly. ‘As long as Rose is all right.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Rose said. ‘But I’d like to give that awful man a good thumping!’

  ‘Rose!’ Father said. ‘That is definitely not a ladylike thing to say.’

  ‘And it wouldn’t help,’ Aunt Alice said. ‘His sort are convinced they know best, and nothing will persuade them, although I’ve heard Vida sway a few.’

  When they pulled up at the front steps, Father and John helped Aunt Alice out of the carriage and up to the front door. ‘I’ll be fine now,’ she said. ‘Besides, I think Elizabeth is still up.’

  Mother came out of the drawing room as they entered the hallway. ‘Thank goodness you’re home safely!’

  Father and Aunt Alice glanced at each other.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ Father asked.

  ‘Your telephone rang, and I thought I had better answer. It was some newspaper man, saying there had been a riot, and Alice was in the middle of it.’ She glared at Alice. ‘How could you put Rose in danger like that?’

  Father interrupted. ‘My dear, the man was vastly exaggerating.We are all perfectly safe and here to prove it. There was some disturbance, but nothing much. I’m sure everyone will make more of it than really happened.’

  Mother eyed them all suspiciously. ‘Is that so? So what did really happen?’

  For some reason, everyone looked at Rose. She felt her cheeks burn. ‘Miss Goldstein made a wonderful speech, and then a very rude man got up and said lots of very stupid things. And then people argued about it. I suppose that’s what a debate is all about.’

  ‘There we are,’ Father said. ‘Time for you to go to bed, Rose.’

  ‘Yes, I think I’ll turn in, too,’ AuntAlice said. ‘Good night.’

  Aunt Alice took Rose’s arm and they went up the stairs together, only the two of them knowing how much Aunt Alice was leaning on her niece.

  In her bedroom, Aunt Alice collapsed on her bed, sighing. ‘My head does hurt. I must have hit it when I fell.’

  Rose ran her hands over her aunt’s head and felt a lump at the back. ‘Maybe you should call the doctor.’

  ‘It’ll be fine. I just need to sleep.’ She closed her eyes.

  Rose found a rug and spread it over Aunt Alice, then stayed a while to make sure she was breathing regularly. Rose wasn’t sure what to do about the lump. She’d heard of cricketers being hit with a ball and getting concussion, and they had to be carefully watched. In the end, Rose changed into her nightdress and brought a quilt and pillow in, laying them on the floor. She slept the night next to her aunt’s bed, waking up and checking her every so often.

  Early the next morning, Aunt Alice’s eyes opened and she murmured, ‘I hope Vida is all right.’

  Rose leapt up, giving her aunt a big fright.

  ‘Oh, Rose! What are you doing down there?’

  Rose explained and then asked, ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Fine, just a small headache.’

  ‘Do you want a cup of tea?’ Rose said. ‘I can hear Cook downstairs.’

  ‘That would be lovely.’

  Rose pulled on her dressing gown and tiptoed down to the kitchen, pushing open the door to find Cook bent over the stove, putting a tray of bread into the cavity. When she’d straightened, Rose said, ‘Is there hot water yet?’

  Cook jumped. ‘Oh, Miss, you gave me a start. What was it y’ere wanting?’

  ‘Tea for Aunt Alice, please.’

  ‘Sally is just checking the night soil man has been. She’ll bring tea up in a few minutes.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  On her way back upstairs, Rose bumped into Father, and whispered, ‘I was asking for tea for Aunt Alice.’

  ‘Ah,’ Father said. ‘I think I’ll check on her, since she’s awake.’ Now it was Father’s turn to tiptoe back down the hallway to Alice’s bedroom. He knocked and they both went in. Aunt Alice was still lying down, but her face was not so pale.

  ‘How are you, my dear?’

  ‘Perfectly all right,’ Aunt Alice said. ‘Lord forbid I should be one of those feeble women and have hysterics.’

  They all laughed, and Rose was pleased to see pink blooming on Aunt Alice’s cheeks at last.

  Sally knocked and brought in the tea, and Rose shared a cup with Aunt Alice while Father went down for breakfast and then off to the Emporium.

  ‘It’s best you don’t attend any more meetings, Rose,’ Aunt Alice said firmly. ‘If our opponents are going to cause such trouble, I don’t want you anywhere near it.’

  ‘But I want to be part of it,’ Rose protested. ‘It’s important!’

  ‘There’s plenty you can do without being in the middle of a screaming crowd.’ Aunt Alice sipped her tea thoughtfully. ‘I’m glad your mother took it fairly calmly. Her health is much better these days, but I’d still hate to upset her unnecessarily.’

  ‘Me too.’ Rose sighed. It had been so frightening when Mother was ill, and it was wonderful that she was better now. But along with that came the old familiar squeezed feeling, where Rose was always stuck between her own dreams and guilt that she was disappointing Mother.Would it never end?

  Her aunt peered at her closely. ‘What’s wrong, Rose?’

  ‘Well …’ Rose wasn’t sure quite how to explain all the things in her head. So instead she said, ‘St Swithin’s is planning a proper game of cricket when school begins again. A game against another school, and I want so much to play.’ She hesitated.

  ‘You think your mother will forbid you,
now she’s up and about again,’ Aunt Alice said.

  Rose nodded.

  ‘Don’t give up on your dreams, Rose, not even the small ones. Who knows – watching you play as brilliantly as you do might be the one thing that convinces your mother to give you more freedom.’ She gave Rose a kiss on both cheeks. ‘Let’s go and have breakfast. I have a hankering for some nice crispy bacon.’

  Thinking about going back to school cheered Rose up greatly. She and Abigail would be together every day, and this time she wouldn’t be starting so far behind. In fact, with all the reading and study she’d been doing, she might even do quite well. And then, of course, the big match – if only she’d be allowed to play …

  Feeling much happier, Rose put on her dressing gown and skipped downstairs. The front door was open to let in the cool southerly breeze that had sprung up. She stood on the doorstep, gazing out at the garden and trees and up at the racing clouds in the sky, breathing in gum-scented air. A lone seagull floated overhead and disappeared past the roofline.

  What would it be like to be so free? Rose wondered. To fly wherever you wanted?

  Maybe one day she’d be like the bird. She’d read in Father’s newspaper about men who were trying to build airplanes. If they were successful, people could be up in the air looking down on the world and flying. The thought of it was so cheering that Rose set off to the dining room humming, her arms out wide, gliding like a bird.

  I was born and grew up in New Zealand, on a dairy farm, and travelled all the way around the world before I eventually came to Australia. My oldest sister, Karen, was a world traveller and I wanted to be just like her.

  I arrived in Australia in 1978. I was only planning to stay for three months but I’m still here, and now I am a citizen.

  At school, I learned a lot about European history but nothing about Australia. I had no idea how the government worked, or that the states were independent until Federation. And what was Federation anyway?