alltheentertainment.Afterall,thiswasa bigevent:thedepartureofthefirstever fleetofshipstoNewSouthWales,where prisonerswouldsetupacolonyand spendtheirsentencesbusywith wholesome,productivework.Oratleast thatwaswhattheauthoritiesclaimed.It wasalsoaratherconvenientwayof freeingspaceinthehideously overcrowdedprisons.Estherknewnothingofthis.Her bewilderedmindbuzzedwithquestions shecouldn’tanswer.Howlongwouldthe journeytake?Howcouldaplaceexist whenitwasontheothersideofthe Earth?Shewouldn’thavebeensurprised tohearthatAustralianspermanently stoodontheirheadsorheldontotheir hatstostopthemfallingofftheworld. Andtheboatwasn’tevenparticularly
Crimeandpunishmentduring Sophia’slifetime
Sophiawasaccusedofhercrimes knownastheduringthereignofGeorgeV,often Edwardianera(named afterthepreviousking,EdwardVII).At thistime,peopleweregenerallyhealthier andbettereducatedthaneverbefore, whichmeantalowercrimerate.Thepolice forcewasalsowellestablishedandprison conditionsmuchimproved.Abettereducatedpopulationalso meantthatpeoplewantedmoreofasay inhowthecountrywasrun.However,this highlightedaglaringinjustice.Onlymen whoownedorrentedpropertywereable tovoteinelections–nowomenatall.
women’sSeveralsocietiescampaignedfor suffrage, theWomen’sSocialandPoliticalUnionthemostfamousbeing (WSPU),whosemembersoftenused extremetacticssuchasbreakingwindows andotherformsofvandalism.Around 1,000suffragettes wentonhungerstrikeinprisonasawerejailed,andsome furtherprotest.In1918,allmenwere allowedtovote,alongwithwomenover30 whoownedtheir homeorhada universityeducation. Itwasn’tuntil1928 thatallwomenwere giventhevote.They hadbravewomen likeSophiaDuleep Singhtothankfor that.
loomedintosight,thefaintglowofthe coachman’slanterncreatingstrange swellingandshrinkingshadowsasit swungtoandfroabovethehorses’backs. Besideher,shefeltBraceytensehis griponhisreins.Closerandclosercame
andburstontotheroad,therewasa suddencommotionbehindthecoach,then
