Another result of the prosecution was the accession of “D.” to the staff of the National Reformer.  This able and thoughtful writer came forward and joined our ranks as soon as he heard of the attack on us, and he further volunteered to conduct the journal during our expected imprisonment.  From that time to this—­a period of fifteen years—­articles from his pen appeared in its columns week by week, and during all that time not one solitary difficulty arose between editors and contributor.  In public a trustworthy colleague, in private a warm and sincere friend, “D.” proved an unmixed benefit bestowed upon us by the prosecution.

Nor was “D.” the only friend brought to us by our foes.  I cannot ever think of that time without remembering that the prosecution brought me first into close intimacy with Mrs. Annie Parris—­the wife of Mr. Touzeau Parris, the Secretary of the Defence Committee throughout all the fight—­a lady who, during that long struggle, and during the, for me, far worse struggle that succeeded it, over the custody of my daughter, proved to me the most loving and sisterly of friends.  One or two other friendships which will, I hope, last my life, date from that same time of strife and anxiety.

The amount of money subscribed by the public during the Knowlton and succeeding prosecutions gives some idea of the interest felt in the struggle.  The Defence Fund Committee in March, 1878, presented a balance-sheet, showing subscriptions amounting to L1,292 5s. 4d., and total expenditure in the Queen v.  Bradlaugh and Besant, the Queen v.  Truelove, and the appeal against Mr. Vaughan’s order (the last two up to date) of L1,274 10s.  This account was then closed and the balance of L17 15s. 4d. passed on to a new fund for the defence of Mr. Truelove, the carrying on of the appeal against the destruction of the Knowlton pamphlet, and the bearing of the costs incident on the petition lodged against myself.  In July this new fund had reached L196 16s. 7d., and after paying the remainder of the costs in Mr. Truelove’s case, a balance of L26 15s. 2d. was carried on.  This again rose to L247 15s. 2-1/2d., and the fund bore the expenses of Mr. Bradlaugh’s successful appeal on the Knowlton pamphlet, the petition and subsequent proceedings in which I was concerned in the Court of Chancery, and an appeal on Mr. Truelove’s behalf, unfortunately unsuccessful, against an order for the destruction of the Dale Owen pamphlet.  This last decision was given on February 21, 1880, and on this the Defence Fund was closed.  On Mr. Truelove’s release, as mentioned above, a testimonial to the amount of L197 16s. 6d. was presented to him, and after the close of the struggle some anonymous friend sent to me personally L200 as “thanks for the courage and ability shown.”  In addition to all this, the Malthusian League received no less than L455 11s. 9d. during the first year of its life, and started on its second year with a balance in hand of L77 5s. 8d.