Literary Snippets: A Piece of Justice by Jill Paton Walsh

Here the lady detective reflects on the domestic virtues...and quilting...

Here in this modest little suburban corner, within easy walk of the centre of Cambridge the contrast, Imogen reflected, was not so much between housewives and women with doctorates - half the housewives were women with doctorates. It was a question of how people saw what they did. Of what counted for credit, so to speak. And one way or another, simple skills - domestic skills, the ability to make comfortable beds, and arrange rooms pleasantly, to preserve fruits in season, and make the little back gardens grow flowers and tomatoes and beans, to bring roast beef to table perfectly done at the same moment as perfectly done roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding: all these abilities were disregarded; taken for granted by those who had them, not thought of as achievements worth crediting oneself with. Not taking credit for altogether more arcane skills required for the quilt was part of the culture. Best not even call it an art. 'Craft' was more like it. Imogen reflected, in more ways than one.