All That Swagger by Miles Franklin — Read

William was unofficial steward of the proprieties, and the whole boiling of Delacy women was blameless. Technical chastity was obligatory for all decent women and had to be vouched for by watchdogs of sexual decorum called chaperons. Feminine frailty of mind and physique was sentimentally idealized, and, to complement this faked fruit of chivalry, masculine virility was so emphasized as almost to induce satyriasis. However, all the Delacy men were so civilized that none of those tragedies common to servant maids in the protection of gentlemen's homes had ever disgraced the habitations of the Delacys or of their in-laws: and Uncle William was the most correctly chaste of them all.

He awakened with Clare Margaret on his conscience. As he yawned he was thinking that he should have consigned her to her aunt before retiring. Sissy Vance, adopted sister of Fannie, was already out of bed and surprised to see a formidable black beard other than her foster-father's beside her foster-mother. She was only twelve but the code was embedded in her mind. Surprise ripened to startled astonishment. She was transfixed. So was the bearded one as his wits cleared. That was a big girl putting her naked limbs--they were not legs except to the vulgar--into her drawers! Her long hair was afloat about her shoulders. Sissy emitted an hysterical yelp, "Ma!" --which brought that person to consciousness. Uncle William and Mrs Vance sat up and confronted each other as though the Judgment Day had come and wiped out distinctions. Sissy ran out shrieking, "Ma and Mr Delacy are in bed together!"