The Stevens are a
lower middle class family who live in a small mid-terrace house near the railway in
Dulwich. Since their marriage twenty years ago, they and their growing family have taken an annual two-week summer holiday at the coastal resort of
Bognor. For Mr Stevens, an accounts clerk at the London firm of Jackson & Tidmarsh, the holiday is the family's highlight, and he plans meticulously. Mrs Stevens, though, has never much enjoyed her time away; she fears the sea and she finds the crowds stressful. Yet she has never said anything, and tries to find pleasure in the family's delight. Mr Stephens presides over a meticulous schedule of preparations before supper on what he calls Going Away Eve, to him one of the best evenings of the year. The children, Mary, 19, Dick, 17, and Eddie, 10, all have tasks. The next morning, leaving their house key with a neighbour, they walk to the railway station for the train to Bognor. On the journey, Mrs Stevens recollects the disappointments of her husband's past, including his disastrous resignation as founding secretary of the local football club. Mr Stephens daydreams about the time twenty years ago when he first met his wife, and his mild disappointment that she had neve found the knack of making friends. He looks forward to his usual evening trips to the local pub, the little jokes he will share with the barmaid, and the companionship of the regulars. After a long journey, they check in at Mrs Huggett's increasingly run-down boarding house, 'Seaview', where they stay every year. The family settle into their familiar holiday routines: daily strolls, cricket on the beach, listening to the band, and bathing in the sea. Mr Stephens takes a long walk and reflects on his life, his job, and his marriage. He remains disappointed that he was overlooked for promotion, but consoles himself that his wife and home have represented his refuge. As he returns, he becomes more optimistic, planning what he intends to do when his big stroke of luck comes. Dick works as a junior clerk in a stationer's office, a job that his father had found for him, but that he hates. He knows that his father is extremely proud, and is devastated that he is unable to feel grateful. Once a top athlete at his old school, he has become disillusioned at the school's poverty and its pretentiousness. Suddenly his thoughts take quite a new tack, and rather than anger he starts to feel a sense of obligation, realising he could do something to turn the sham pride of the school into reality. He resolves to work towards a new career, perhaps architecture. At the beach, Mary bumps into Jessica, a girl of about her own age, who invites her to meet up that evening for a walk along the promenade. This is new and exciting for Mary, who lives a very restricted life as a dressmaker's assistant. Near the pier they make the acquaintance of two young men – one of whom, Pat, is an actor with a travelling theatre company. Mary and Pat meet regularly over several evenings, sitting in the public seats on the pier and taking the opportunity for some gentle flirtation. Their tentative romance ends naturally when Pat's company moves on. Mr Stephens is approached by a vulgar-looking man, Mr Montgomery, one of Jackson & Tidmarsh's richest and most important clients. He invites the family to tea at his luxurious but vulgar holiday home. Though the afternoon is a trial, all acquit themselves well, and Mr Stephens hopes that this contact will improve his standing in the eyes of his company's directors. Mrs Huggett seems ill and admits that she is finding it increasingly difficult to keep up the boarding house. Her regular guests are looking for higher quality accommodation and are not returning. Mr Stephens promises that the family will always support her, although he realises that the traditions he values cannot last forever. The family bid farewell to Mrs Huggett, who inquires whether they have found everything satisfactory. Mr Stephens replies that it is always all right at 'Seaview'. == Principal characters ==