They Knew Mr KNight Part IV

Celia starts to feel more and more resentment against Knight, since he seems to be breaking up her family. Freda has become an aimless socialite. Douglas is unhappy because of the loss of his girl, and only Ruth seems happy and not seeking for more. Knight suggests that the Blakes buy out his country house, and Celia is tempted by this. She does not want material possessions but she is happy to get out of the town and to have more space and a more active country life. She enjoys gardening and the women's insititute and is happy for a time, but Thomas is always worrying about money, and he is eager to make more. Knight is launching a new business called Kosmos, and Thomas buys in. The shares go up and up and he is delighted but then abruptly the business crashes. Thomas seeks out Knight for advice and the older man tells him that he has finished wet nursing him and that he wants Blake to repay the money he owes him, immediately or he will sue. Thomas is horrified and realises that Knight is a fraudster who has probalby managed to get out of the business before it collapsed. But he does not know how he is going to pay back his many debts. Celia asks if he can get a loan from the bank, but he will still be in debt. Freda is very upset that she has had a few years of a social life and now she will have to support herself, and she walks out of the house one day and marries Coggy, almost in secret. She does not love him but he is a good natured man and she hopes he will look after her a bit. Celia thinks he is a nice man but weak and foolish, and she hopes her daughter wont regret the hasty marriage. Thomas is desperate and in a wild attempt to borrow enough money to sort himself out, he alters papers in his company's accounts, and then feels guilty and gives himself up to the police. It looks pretty certain that he will go to jail, for fraud.