Children of the Tide Read Online Free Page A

alongside the River Hull. It was an area which, though safe enough during the day, at night the inns and taverns would be overflowing with seamen and travellers, and others who might be on the lookout for easy money, and who would not be too particular or discriminating about delivering violence in order to get it.
    She wrapped the infant inside her cape, and James and his father came on either side of her. She was glad that she was dressed in her plain cape and bonnet, but wished that she had changed from herflounced silk gown which she had dressed in for the ill-fated supper, and which peeped from below her cape. Her uncle, though, was conspicuous in his greatcoat and top hat and with his silver-topped cane clutched firmly in his hand. James, though hatless, was wearing a velvet coat and a cravat at his neck, and both men, she thought, summed up the epitome of wealth.
    They moved away from the inn, following the crowd down from the northern end of the Market Place towards St Mary’s Church where there were several inns and grocery shops and all manner of business premises, and which led ultimately to the Queen’s Dock, the first dock to be built in this town of shipping, whaling and fishing. Here, too, in this crowded area were banks and brothels, alms-houses and pawnbrokers, temperance houses and sailors’ mission homes.
    ‘I think we must go back,’ Isaac said nervously. ‘The crowd is too great. We’ll turn around and knock on someone’s door. It will be a start at least.’
    The first door on which they knocked was in Vicar Lane, a quiet street near the ancient Holy Trinity church.
    ‘A respectable place,’ Isaac said. But it was so respectable a place that the residents of the house wouldn’t open the door to their knock. A twitch of curtain was the only indication of anyone’s presence within, and although they all thought they had seen a glow of candle flame as they approached, the house was now in darkness.
    ‘Here’s someone coming, Father. Should we ask?’ James’s voice was husky as he whispered.
    Isaac nodded and called out to a man approaching them. The man stood back, he appeared as nervous as they were. ‘I’m looking for the family of an infant. The child has been abandoned or lost, it needs immediate attention if it is to survive.’
    The man came closer and stared curiously at them.‘If it’s been abandoned, then whoever abandoned it didn’t intend it to survive. Where did tha find it?’
    ‘Oh, er, out in the country.’ Isaac pulled up his coat collar and adjusted his scarf so that it hid the lower half of his face.
    The man grunted and started to move away. ‘Then I don’t know why tha’s bringing it here, sir. If it’s a country bairn tha’d better look elsewhere. There’s enough starving infants round here without bringing ’em in from out of town.’ He walked away down the dark street and then turned back. ‘Tha could try workhouse, but I doubt if they’d tek it. They’re all full up and they’ll onny tek bairns from Hull.’
    They moved out of that street and down others, and once more knocked on other doors, but again there was no answer except from the bark of a dog. They heard a cough and rattle of someone clearing his throat and saw the movement of a dark bundle huddled in a doorway, and they quickly turned away. Then came the sound of loud voices and a crowd of people turned the corner.
    Women were laughing and Sammi determined that this time she would speak. ‘Uncle, please may I ask this time? They may tell me something, being another female.’
    Her uncle nodded wearily. He was tired. He had had a busy day at the company. He was hungry and it seemed that he might have missed his supper. He was also angry with James, who was in such a stupor that he said hardly a word over this damnable affair. What was worse, he had to face Mildred when he got home and he didn’t know how he could.
    ‘I beg your pardon for intruding,’ Sammi began. ‘We’re looking for