Part 9 (1/2)

Miss Wilton came up behind me. *There is no lake,' she said. *I had heard these places mimicked the great houses, but without a water feature ...'

I looked at her in astonishment.

*My dear Beatrice, I hardly think a lake would be a suitable aspect for an asylum for the mentally unbalanced.'

Miss Wilton looked at Mr Bertram blankly.

*I did not imagine it would be so large,' I said, breaking the awkward moment.

*We are considered a very small facility,' said a man in the doorway. He was of slightly below average height, neatly dressed in a tweed country suit and wearing small round gla.s.ses. *But then in London land is not always to be easily had.'

Miss Wilton whirled. *You are Dr Frank? Is that a German name? Always take them off-guard,' she hissed to Bertram and me.

*No,' said the doctor in impeccable English, *but I am often asked the question. The issue of the collective paranoid mania surrounding the Germans and gripping the general populace I find quite fascinating. Of course, the press, such as your own paper, Miss Wilton, hardly help matters.'

Touche, I thought, warming to this little man.

*If you would be seated I shall see what I can do to help you.'

Miss Wilton introduced herself and Bertram formally. I was dismissed as a companion and left unnamed. She then reiterated her desire to tour the establishment.

Dr Frank shook his head. *Impossible. These are not the days of the Bedlam asylum. We provide a sanctuary for our patients. We are an asylum from the world that has brought pressure so harshly to bear upon them. We are not a zoo.'

*How convenient for you,' said Miss Wilton. *Who then watches the watchers?'

*The Lunacy Commissioners may visit at any time of day or night without appointment,' said Dr Frank. *And they frequently do so.'

Miss Wilton appeared at a loss for words.

*You are aware of the 1890 Lunacy Act?' continued Dr Frank. *It is extremely difficult for even a pauper to be admitted in these modern times.'

*But the country is full of asylums and their inmates!' protested Mr Bertram.

*Indeed,' said the doctor, *a sad reflection of our time. But I a.s.sure you each person admitted goes through a most rigorous admission procedure. There are no mistakes.'

*Are you telling me that in the history of asylums that no unwanted members of rich families have ever been placed in the care of a place such as this?' asked Miss Wilton.

*One might say that all the people here are unwanted members of the human family, Miss Wilton.'

*That is not what I meant!'

*I know, and I wish I could answer otherwise, but it is true that the evolution of the asylum has gone through more than one unfortunate phase.'

*So it is true!'

*I can a.s.sure you that no modern asylum harbours anyone who should not be there.'

*But if someone was erroneously admitted before 1890 they would not now, after 26 years, be fit to re-enter normal life,' I said.

All heads turned towards me and Miss Wilton positively scowled.

*You are quite right, Miss, er ...'

*St John.'

*Miss St John. You're not related to the St Johns of Lower Warmington, are you? A most interesting family.'

*Would anyone confess to be a.s.sociated to a family of interest to an alienist?' I countered.

Behind his gla.s.ses Dr Frank's eyes twinkled. *Well said, my dear. You are quite right. Long-term inst.i.tutionalisation will rob even the sanest individual of the ability to live in the outside world. The world of the asylum is small and its morality comfortingly black and white.'

*So those who spend much of their lives within its walls are changed?' I asked.

Dr Frank now openly smiled. *You are referring to the staff, I take it? How refres.h.i.+ng to encounter such a lively mind. Are you also with the press?'

*No, she is not,' snapped Beatrice. *Answer the question.'

Dr Frank's good humour vanished. *I would rather say that those of us who have witnessed the depressing deterioration of the human spirit under adversity or through the cruelties of nature have a different and perhaps more generous appreciation of the human race.' He frowned again. *We care very much about those in our charge. Far more so than those who placed them here.'

*And yet being an alienist must set you apart and even give cause for you to see your charges as subjects for study?' I asked. *My father was strong in the belief that family and church should care for the mentally afflicted rather than placing them in the care of strangers.'

Mr Bertram gave me an odd look.

Dr Frank nodded. *There is much in what your father says. But at the heart of the matter is the mentally well do not wish to care for the mentally unwell. They fear illnesses of the mind as if they were infectious.'

*They're not, are they?' said Bertram looking alarmed.

Dr Frank shook his head. *Not in the sense you mean.' He turned his attention to me once more. *I a.s.sure you, Miss St John, I run this asylum on principles your father would approve of. We treat our inmates as if they were part of a large family. We run orderly days with regular activities. We hold sports events and they enjoy light work. There is a great deal of satisfaction and sanity to be found in feeling useful and proud of oneself.'

*You are a most modern inst.i.tution,' I said. *Do you effect many cures?'

*A few,' said Dr Frank. *Not as many as I would wish and generally of the mental illnesses that are caused by life events, such as the birth of a child. The deeper-seated illnesses are less likely to lift. Although we work hard to lighten our patients' burdens.'

*It all sounds quite admirable,' said Mr Bertram sincerely.

*What about the man who showed us in?' said Miss Wilton. *He did not have the look of a gentle carer.'

Dr Frank sighed. *This is an asylum. There is always the possibility of violent behaviour when the mind is overset. Yet one more reason why visitors are not permitted. For their own safety.'

*If I wished to have a family member committed?' asked Miss Wilton suddenly.

*You would need to provide a signed statement of social and medical history along with two detailed medical statements confirming the individual was an insane person or an idiot of unsound mind.'

*That hardly sounds difficult,' said Miss Wilton.

*The Lunacy Commissioners are able to release any patient if on two visits of more than seven days apart they are convinced of their mental health,' said Dr Frank coldly. *The system is not open to abuse.'

Miss Wilton rose. She had sensed, as had I, that Dr Frank's patience was exhausted. *In my world you would be surprised, doctor, what money can buy.'

And with this she swept from the room. Bertram muttered what could have been an apology and followed her.