It had also become apparent that some of the older boys were taking a reciprocated interest in the girls when two pupils were discovered copulating in the coal cupboard and urgent action needed to be taken.
Now the girls received schooling in the morning and boys in the afternoon with meal times staggered to fit in with the new routine. Then Father Michael came to an arrangement with the local workhouse to take worn-out children’s clothing that would otherwise have been disposed of to a rag-and-bone man.
He had also hoped to persuade the children to make use of the workhouse facilities to bathe themselves, but workhouses were anathema to the residents of the Old Nichol – and all the other slums of London – so the resourceful priest had two wash-houses built at the rear of the school, where soap, water and towels were readily available.
The result was that there was less of an odour in the classrooms and that summer proved a very satisfying one for all those involved in the ragged school. There was a steady rise in the number of pupils, and to everyone’s delight the police reported a drop in crime in the area.
It did not mean there was no longer any crime. For many of the Old Nichol families, stealing was as much a part of their lives as breathing and drinking – and more familiar than eating.
Then, as autumn grudgingly gave way to winter and the weather began its seasonal change, Nessa’s life suffered an upheaval that could not have been anticipated.
It began when Sally failed to arrive for her lessons one morning. This in itself was unusual. Although never the best of timekeepers, she had never missed a day’s schooling in all the time she had been a pupil.
When she failed to attend school the next day too, Nessa became very concerned. She asked the other pupils whether any of them had seen Sally, but learned nothing. However, she felt it was evasiveness on the part of the girls rather than a lack of knowledge that was the reason for their silence.
Sally had never shown any great friendliness towards any particular girl in the class but Nessa had occasionally seen her talking to a girl named Marie and when the class was dismissed that morning, she called the girl back.
‘Just a minute, Marie, I want to talk to you.’
‘Can’t it wait, miss, I’m starving! If I’m late I won’t get no dinner.’
‘I’ll see you don’t miss it, but I want to know why Sally isn’t at school – and it’s no use telling me you don’t know because I won’t believe you.’
‘You’ve already asked the class, I don’t know any more than anyone else about her.’ Marie spoke without looking at Nessa and it was clear she was lying.
‘You’re not telling me the truth, Marie. If Sally is in some sort of trouble I want to help her. Now, I suggest you tell so you can get on your way and have your soup.’
Marie was obviously reluctant to say anything, but when Nessa continued to wait without dismissing the girl she eventually said, ‘It’s not Sally who’s in trouble but Arthur, her brother.’
Alarmed, Nessa demanded, ‘What for? What’s he done?’
‘He was collared last Saturday after he’d broken into a shop and nicked some clothes.’
‘Where is he now?’
‘He came up before a beak yesterday and they sent him for trial, so I expect he’s in Newgate … that’s where my dad is.’
The fact that Marie’s father was in Newgate Prison was expressed with a hint of pride that, having spent some time working in the Old Nichol, no longer surprised Nessa.
‘Where does Sally stay? Where can I find her?’
‘I don’t know, nobody knows … except Arthur.’
When Nessa broke the news to Father Michael about Arthur and expressed her concern for Sally, the Old Nichol priest was deeply saddened. He had always felt Arthur could have made something of himself had he only put his mind to it.
‘Regrettably, Arthur has always been his own worst enemy, but you have worked hard improving the life of young Sally Harrup’s life, we can’t let her down now. I’ll go along to the magistrates now and find out exactly what’s happening and where Arthur is. While I’m away arrange for someone else to take over any duties you have and put on your coat, ready for when I come back.’
‘Where will we be going?’
‘Newgate Prison if that’s where they’ve taken Arthur – but may the Lord help him if it is.’
When Father Michael returned from the magistrates court he confirmed that Arthur was in Newgate Prison and suggested he and Nessa should walk there. It would take them about half an hour, but he explained he had not left the Old Nichol for more than two months and felt an acute need for a change of air and scenery.
In the ragged school Nessa rarely had an opportunity for a lengthy conversation with the priest and she made the most of the opportunity on their walk to the infamous London prison.
‘What made you come to work in the Old Nichol? Uncle Cedric says you could have had your pick of almost any parish in the country.’
‘I came here for that very reason. I had always felt I have more than my share of the good things in life; a happy childhood and comfortable home and, as I grew up, the respect that came with being the son of a vicar well liked by his parishioners. It was never in doubt that I would go into the Church – especially as one of my uncles is a bishop – and another dean of a West Country cathedral. I would probably have taken a comfortable parish somewhere had I not attended a lecture given by a priest returning from a spell as a missionary in Africa. I spoke to him after the talk and mentioned I was soon to be ordained. I said that missionary work greatly appealed to me and asked where he believed there was most need for such work. Much to my surprise, instead of mentioning some rather romantic and exciting foreign land, he said the greatest need was right here, in London. Two days later he persuaded me to accompany him on a walk around Bethnal Green and Shoreditch to witness the poverty and lack of godliness to be found here. Later, soon after my ordination, I returned here and discovered the Old Nichol. Witnessing the utter degradation of those who live here – especially the children – I made a vow to dedicate my life to the betterment of their lives in every way possible, both spiritually and materially and … well, here I am!’
‘That was very noble of you, Father.’
‘Noble is not a word that comes easily to mind when talking about the Old Nichol, Nessa … and talking of mere words, when we are not in school I would prefer you to call me Michael and not Father. But, to return to my work here, I feel deeply that it was never God’s intention that men, women and children should suffer such misery as exists in the Old Nichol. I like to think I am carrying out His will by working to improve their lives.’
For perhaps the first time since coming to teach in the ragged school, Nessa realized her companion was a devout Christian priest whose missionary zeal was the equal of any of those better known men and women who forsook the comforting shelter of the Mother Church in order to bring Christian principles to those in far away lands.
She hoped Father Michael would not burn himself out in seeking to achieve more than was possible in one man’s lifetime.
Chapter 39
NEWGATE PRISON WAS a formidable and grimly imposing building, its high walls towering high above the surrounding streets, giving comfort to those who lived in fear of having a colony of criminals living in their midst, but adding to the despair of those whose lives wasted away within its crowded and festering interior.
Nessa shuddered as she and the priest waited for someone to respond to the echoing sound of the huge iron knocker attached to the main road door, separated from the huge, solid gates through which vehicles carrying prospective inmates entered the prison.
The gaoler who opened the door recognized Father Michael as having visited the prison on a number of previous occasions and greeted him by name, but when they stated their business the warder shook his head dubiously.
‘If he’s only on remand there’s no visiting allowed. I think you already know that, Father.’
�
��I do, but there are exceptional circumstances in this case. Arthur Harrup has been taking care of his young sister ever since their mother – the sole surviving parent – died. Since Arthur’s arrest she has not been seen and has failed to attend my ragged school, where Miss Pyne is a teacher. We are both extremely worried about her. No one in the school is able to tell us where the girl might be found and we both feel she could be in some danger. Arthur is our only hope.’
‘Sally Harrup is a bright girl who shows great promise,’ Nessa added. ‘I have every hope that, given a chance, she may be found respectable work outside the Old Nichol – but we need to find her quickly. She relied heavily upon the support of her brother.’
‘Well, he’s not going to be able to help her no more,’ was the gaoler’s pessimistic reply. ‘It’s transportation for him, for sure – if he survives the hulks. He’ll be sent to one of ’em to wait for a ship to take him to the colonies and there’s something like a two-year wait for a passage, the courts sentencing them faster than they can be carried away.’
‘Then we need to find Sally very quickly,’ Father Michael said, firmly. ‘It’s bad enough that she no longer has Arthur to take care of her, once he’s sentenced she’ll go to pieces completely unless she has Miss Pyne to support her.’
Looking from one to the other of them, the man said, ‘Well, it’s not really allowed, Father, but seeing as how it’s you and it’s a matter of life and death, I think we can bend the rules a bit. I can’t leave the office for long enough to take you there, but you wait here and I’ll go and find someone to take you to where he’s being held.’
Nessa would look back on her walk through the prison as one of her life’s most horrifying experiences. The stench inside the building was highly offensive, as might have been expected in a building which housed an excess of unwashed bodies, both male and female, and which possessed a notoriously poor sanitation system but, adding to this was an indefinable odour of fear and despair.
Her presence as the small party passed by iron-barred cages crammed with men provoked ribald and obscene shouts and suggestions to which she tried hard to show no reaction. The cages containing women were only marginally less noisy.
Eventually they reached a cage no different to the many others in which there were about thirty fettered men, most attired as befitted vagrants.
‘Arthur Harrup?’
The gaoler needed to repeat his shout a number of times before there was movement among the large cell’s inmates and Arthur pushed his way towards the visitors, calling out, ‘What d’you want?’
Reaching the bars and seeing Nessa and Father Michael, his surly indifference turned to concern, ‘What are you doing here, has something happened to Sally?’
‘She hasn’t been seen since you were arrested, Arthur, that’s why we’ve come to speak to you. Where have you both been sleeping?’
The young prisoner looked at Nessa uncertainly as she was speaking, then, habitual secretiveness coming to the fore, he replied, ‘If Sally don’t want to be found then that’s her business.’
Making an awkward shuffling turn, hampered by the leg-irons he was wearing, he intended returning to the rear of the iron-barred cell but Nessa said desperately, ‘If that’s what she wants we’ll respect her wishes, but I’m concerned for her, Arthur. You have a lot of friends in the Old Nichol – but you have enemies too. They’ll know you’ve been arrested and no doubt some of them will know where to find Sally. Is that what you want?’
She put the question to him, at the same time trying to keep the desperation she felt from her voice.
‘Sally can look after herself.’
Arthur’s words lacked conviction and, pressing home her advantage, Nessa said, ‘She could look after herself while you were around but you’re not there for her now – and probably won’t ever be again. I’d like to help her make a good life for herself and I think that’s what you want for her too, otherwise you wouldn’t have been so insistent that I take her on when I began teaching at Father Michael’s school. I won’t be able to do anything to help her if the wrong people get hold of her first, Arthur, and you don’t need me to spell out what life will be like for her then.’
Turning back to her, Arthur said, ‘You really will take care of Sally? Why … she’s nothing to you?’
‘I’ll do it because she’s a bright young girl, Arthur, bright enough to leave the Old Nichol behind and really do something with her life. She could even become a teacher herself and be someone for other girls in the Old Nichol to point to and say, “Look, she did it – and so can we”.’
‘You’d help Sally do that?’
‘I would – and will if I can find her in time.’
Arthur needed a few more moments to think over what Nessa had said before replying.
‘You know where the old houses were knocked down, over by Mount Street?’
Nessa did not know and turned to Father Michael, who nodded.
Seeing the gesture, Arthur continued, ‘Well, soon after they were knocked down workmen came to dig a tunnel underneath them to make a sewer, or something. They dug a shaft down a little way before starting on a tunnel, but then work was stopped and they were supposed to have filled in the shaft again, but if you climb in among the bricks and stones you can wriggle your way into what’s left of the tunnel. Me and Sally made a place in there for ourselves and no one’s ever found us.’
‘And you think that’s where she’ll be?’ Nessa asked eagerly.
‘It’s where she’s always gone when something’s upset her.’
‘Thank you, Arthur. You may be locked up but you’re still able to help Sally. We’ll have a word with the gaoler and try to improve things in here for you a little, then go off and find Sally right away.’
They had turned to go when Arthur said plaintively, ‘D’you think Sally could come in here and see me?’
Father Michael and Sally looked at the prison guard who had remained silent throughout their conversation with Arthur although he had heard everything that was said. Still silent, he shook his head and it was Father Michael who replied to Arthur’s plea.
‘I don’t think this is a place to bring Sally, it would upset her far too much to see you here. We’ll try to bring her to court when you are put on trial and we should be able to arrange a meeting afterwards. Until then take care of yourself as best you can.’
Chapter 40
BEFORE LEAVING NEWGATE Father Michael was able to speak to the gaoler in charge, who was surprised that anyone should show interest in such an urchin. However, after a couple of guineas had changed hands, the Old Nichol priest was assured that pending his trial Arthur would be housed in a smaller cell, among more ‘select’ prisoners and be supplied with adequate food.
When Nessa and Father Michael returned to the Old Nichol, the former was still affected by all she had witnessed at Newgate but the priest collected the odd-job man who worked at the ragged school and the three set off for Mount Street.
A number of sites in the street were little more than heaps of rubble, anything capable of being either burned or reused having been carried off within days of the demolition. With only the vague description of the site that Arthur had been able to give them it was an almost impossible task to locate the spot where Sally might be found, but they were fortunate enough to come across a vagrant who was known to the parish priest and he was able to point out the particular site where the aborted attempt to begin work on a sewer system had taken place.
Scrambling over the uneven piles of rubble the shallow filled-in shaft was eventually located. Even so, it was some minutes before they found a hole between some of the stones that looked as though it might be the entrance to the underground tunnel, even though the odd-job man insisted it was too small for the purpose – and certainly too small for him to attempt to investigate the possibility.
It was frustrating, but a crowd of inquisitive young urchins had gathered to watch what was going on and Father Michael turned to them
for help.
‘Do any of you know whether this hole leads to an underground tunnel?’
He received no immediate reply but the knowing glances exchanged between some of the urchins did not pass unnoticed.
‘Oh well, it’s a pity because it could have been worth a few pennies to anyone who could tell us something about it.’
Once again there were exchanged glances, but it was a young girl of perhaps eight or nine years of age who broke the frustrating silence.
‘My brother Tim’s been down there.’
‘Has he, indeed! When was this – and did he find a tunnel?’
‘I don’t know. He only went down once because a bigger boy came along and told him that if he ever went down there again he’d kill him.’
‘Who was this bigger boy, do you know him?’
The young girl shook her head, but another boy whose ragged clothing was barely sufficient to preserve decency, said, ‘It was Arthur Harrup.’
Nessa and Father Michael realized they had located Arthur and Sally Harrup’s secret ‘home’ but Nessa said, ‘How are we going to find out whether Sally’s in there? The hole’s not large enough for a man to go through and we can’t ask any of these children to risk their lives trying.’
‘I don’t think there’s an alternative.’ Addressing the young girl who had volunteered the information, Father Michael said, ‘Where is this brother of yours who has been inside the hole?’
‘I dunno.’ The girl shrugged her thin shoulders. ‘He went out fogle-hunting last week and never came back. He was probably nicked.’
If the boy had been arrested while out stealing silk handkerchiefs he would not be available to go down to the unseen tunnel again. It was a set-back, but then a skinny, frail urchin stepped forward.
‘I’ve been down there.’
‘You? When?’
‘A couple of weeks ago I saw Arthur Harrup and a girl come out and I took a candle and went down there to see what they’d been doing.’
Bonds of Earth, The Page 20
