A Mother's Courage by Dilly Court Page B

them, but her
attention was soon diverted by concern for Beth,
who did not seem to be her usual sunny self. She
had been sleepy and uninterested in taking her
milk that morning, but Eloise had put this down
to their early start and their hasty departure from
Cribb's Hall. After sleeping fitfully during the
cart ride to the station, Beth was now awake and
crotchety; her cheeks were flushed and she was
abnormally hot. Eloise recalled Mabel's words
with a stab of fear. Norah, the scullery maid, was
one of Nancy's sisters, and if she had gone down
with the dreaded measles it was just possible that
Nancy might have passed it on to Beth, who was
obviously running a temperature, and seemed to
be getting worse by the minute.
    Ada was sitting opposite Eloise, doing her best
to keep Joss amused, but even she noticed that
something was wrong, and when Beth had a
mild convulsion, Ada began to scream. 'Is she
going to die? My baby died. Beth is going to die
too.'
    'Hush,' Eloise cried, close to tears herself.
'You're not helping, Ada.'
    A woman who had been sitting on the opposite
seat leaned over to feel Beth's forehead. 'She's
proper poorly, lass. I know, because I lost three
babies to fever. You don't want to take chances.'
    By this time, Eloise was completely terrified
and close to panicking. 'What should I do?'
    'Where are you bound, lass?'
    'To Hull and then on to London.'
    'I doubt she'll make it if you stay on the train.
Driffield is the next station. Get off there and ask
the station master to direct you to the doctor's
surgery. I wouldn't take risks if I was you.'
    By the time the train stopped at Driffield, Ada
was hysterical and Joss was sobbing with sheer
fright. Helped by some of the other passengers,
Eloise managed to get them all onto the platform,
as well as her luggage. Clouds of steam
enveloped them in a thick, damp mist as the train
pulled out of the station and Eloise watched it
leave with a heavy heart. She had pinned all her
hopes on reaching London by nightfall. In her
haste to escape from Cribb's Hall she had formed
no definite plans, but she had vaguely thought
that she would return to Myrtle Street and seek
shelter with the Higgins family for a day or two
until she could find lodgings and suitable
employment. The chugging sound of the engine
and the clatter of its wheels as they ran over the
points grew fainter as the train disappeared into
the distance. Eloise had never felt so lost and
alone in her whole life as she attempted to
quieten Joss. Ada was clinging to her mantle
like a frightened child and Beth was lying in
Eloise's arms, deathly pale now and terrifyingly
still.
    'Can someone help me?' Eloise cried out in
desperation, and to her intense relief the door to
the station master's office opened and a gentleman
in a frock coat emerged. He placed a top hat
on his head and strode towards them. He looked
rather fierce but Eloise was too desperate to
worry about offending a railway official. 'Please,
sir, I need help. My child is ill and we have had
to leave the train before we reached our
destination.'
    His stern expression softened into a look of
concern. 'The doctor's house is not far from the
station. If you'll wait here for a moment I'll
summon a porter to carry your luggage and he
will take you there.'
    'Thank you,' Eloise murmured. 'You're very
kind.'
    He tipped his hat, looking slightly embarrassed.
He turned away to summon help in a
booming voice, and almost immediately an old
man wearing a porter's uniform came through
the ticket office pushing a trolley. 'Yes, master?'
    'This lady has a sick child, Brough. Take her
luggage and escort her to the doctor's house.'
    'Aye, master. Right away. Follow me, missis.'
Brough hefted the cases onto his trolley and
shambled off the way he had come.
    Murmuring her thanks to the station master,
Eloise took Joss by the hand, and with Ada
clinging to the hem of her mantle she followed
Brough out of the station. He led them to a neat
red-brick house set a little way