We and the World, Part II | Page 7

do not. But she sails with the morning for Halifax, I'm told. And
that's America way, and I insensed the cook--that was him that axed me
where I bought my coffee--to have an eye out for Micky, in case he
might come across him anywhere."
America way! To-morrow morning! A storm of thoughts rushed
through my head, and in my passionate longing for help I knelt up by
the old Irishwoman and laid my hand upon hers.
"Mother dear, do help me! You are so kind, and you've a boy of your
own at sea. I want to go to America, and I've no papers or anything.
Couldn't I stow away as Micky did? Couldn't I stow away on this one?
I can work well enough when they find me out, if I could only hide so
as to get off; and you know the ships and the docks so well, you could
tell me how, if only you would."
I am always ashamed to remember the feeble way in which I finished
off by breaking down, though I do not know that I could have used any
argument that would have gone so far with Biddy. If it had been a man

who had been befriending me, I'm sure I shouldn't have played the fool,
but it was a woman, so I felt doubly helpless in having to depend on her,
and she felt doubly kind, and, in short, I put my face in my hands and
sobbed.
For quite four hours after this I was puzzled to death by smelling stale
bad tobacco about myself; then I discovered that by some extraordinary
jerk in the vehemence of the embrace which was Biddy's first response
to my appeal, the little black pipe had got out of her coat-pocket and
tumbled down the breast of my slops.
I hope my breakdown was partly due to the infectious nature of
emotion, of which Biddy was so lavish that my prospects were
discussed in a sadly unbusiness-like fashion. My conscience is really
quite clear of having led her to hope that I would look out for Micky on
the other side of the Atlantic, but I fear that she had made up her mind
that we should meet, and that this went far towards converting her to
my views for stowing away on the vessel lying alongside of us.
However, that important point once reached, the old woman threw
herself into the enterprise with a practical knowledge of the realities of
the undertaking and a zest for the romance of it which were alike
invaluable to me.
"The botheration of it is," said Biddy, after some talk, tangling her
bonnet and handkerchief over her face till I felt inclined to beg her to
let me put her straight--"the botheration of it is, that it's near to
closing-time, and when the bell rings every soul'll be cleared out,
labourers and idlers, and myself among 'em. Ye'll have to hide, me
darlin', but there'll be no mighty difficulty in that, for I see a fine bit of
tarpaulin yonder that'd consale a dozen of the likes of you. But there's
that fool of a watchman that'll come parading and meandering up and
down wid all the airs of a sentry on him and none of his good looks,
and wid a sneaking bull's-eye of a lantern in his hand. He's at the end of
the wharf now, purshuin' to him! Maybe I'll get him to taste a dhrop of
me coffee before the bell rings. Many's the cup I gave to the old
watchman before him, peace to his sowl, the kindly craythur! that never
did a more ill-natured thing on his beat than sleep like a child. Hide

now, darlin', and keep the tail of your eye at the corner where ye'll see
the ship. Maybe he'll take a nap yet, for all his airs, and then there's the
chance for ye! And mind now, keep snug till the pilot's gone as I
warned ye, and then it's the bold heart and the civil tongue, and just the
good-nature of your ways, that'll be your best friends. The cook tells
me the captain's as dacent a man as iver he served with, so you might
aisy do worse, and are not likely to do better. Are ye hid now? Whisht!
Whisht!"
I heard most of this through a lifted corner of the tarpaulin, under
which I had the good luck to secrete myself without observation and
without difficulty. In the same manner I became witness to the
admirable air of indifference with which Biddy was mixing herself a
cup of coffee as the watchman approached. I say mixing advisedly, for
as he came up she was conspicuously pouring some of the contents of
the stone