part of the city, near the docks. Stay close to me, all right?”
The driver had walked around to open the carriage door, and as he did the smell of sewage and garbage filled the air.
Maisie’s hand shot up to her nose and covered it.
“Stinking city,” Aleck said. “Makes me homesick for Edinburgh.”
The driver offered his hand to Maisie, and she stepped out of the carriage.
“Careful, Miss,” the driver said. “I can’t get any closer to the place.”
For once, it wasn’t raining. But still the road was muddy. There were no gas lamps here, and the dark seemed to stretch out forever. A shiver ran up Maisie’s spine as she looked around and slowly followed Aleck toward the hospital
As soon as they were away from the carriage and halfway to the hospital, a gang of boys in various degrees of disarray—torn pants, torn shirts, bare feet, thin jackets, dirty faces and arms—surrounded them.
“Fancy,” one of them said, giving a low whistle.
“You lost?” another asked Aleck, standing too close to him and then shoving him just a little.
“We’re going in there,” Aleck said.
“The pauper’s hospital?” the boy said with a smirk.
“My brother’s in there,” Maisie said, hearing the desperation in her voice. “Please just let us go.”
“Come on, you,” a third boy said. He was the biggest of them all, and he towered above Maisie threateningly. “How would
your
brother be in there?”
“Yeah,” said the dirtiest boy of all. “What you take us for? Fools?”
Maisie realized that the boys had formed a tight circle around her and Aleck, leaving no room forthem to escape. The carriage and driver seemed to have vanished in the fog.
The boy who had shoved Aleck poked him in the chest.
“You sure don’t look ’ungry, mate,” he said.
“I don’t have any money or food or anything,” Aleck said. Maisie could tell he was struggling to keep calm.
“Sure you do,” the boy said, poking him harder still. “Your lot always ’as something.”
In a flash, the boys were on Aleck, knocking him to the ground and holding him there. He disappeared in a tangle of flying fists and bodies flung over him.
“Run!” Maisie heard him shout.
And run she did, calling “Help! Help!” as she did.
She thought she heard people laughing at her. Or was it just the wind? Lurching blindly forward, calling for help the whole way, Maisie moved toward a dull glow in the distance.
As she reached it, she could vaguely make out the image of a hulking gray building. Her foot smacked into something hard and she tripped, falling forward onto damp stone steps.
Hot tears sprung to her eyes as her shin hit theedge. Instinctively, she reached down to touch it and felt a lump already forming.
Struggling to her feet, Maisie slowly felt her way up the stairs. The light there illuminated the double doors that led into the hospital. Through the glass, she could see nurses in long white uniforms with caps that looked like giant wings perched on their heads.
Maisie pounded on the door until one of them opened it.
At the sight of the nurse’s kind, pale face, Maisie burst into tears. Behind her, Aleck was getting beat up; somewhere in here Felix lay helpless. She didn’t know what to say first.
Through her muffled cries, she pointed behind her.
“Police,” she managed to sputter.
The nurse’s eyebrows shot upward and she reached for a long string, pulling it hard and sending a frantic bell ringing. Immediately, footsteps pounded down the corridor and two policemen appeared.
“My friend,” Maisie gasped. “He’s out there and these boys are beating him up—”
They didn’t wait for her to finish. Sticks raised,they rushed past her and out the door, shouting.
“You’re bleeding,” the nurse said kindly, pointing to Maisie’s shin.
She took Maisie’s arm and led her into a room that looked very much like a doctor’s office.
“Let me clean that for you and bandage it,” the nurse said.
Now that
The driver had walked around to open the carriage door, and as he did the smell of sewage and garbage filled the air.
Maisie’s hand shot up to her nose and covered it.
“Stinking city,” Aleck said. “Makes me homesick for Edinburgh.”
The driver offered his hand to Maisie, and she stepped out of the carriage.
“Careful, Miss,” the driver said. “I can’t get any closer to the place.”
For once, it wasn’t raining. But still the road was muddy. There were no gas lamps here, and the dark seemed to stretch out forever. A shiver ran up Maisie’s spine as she looked around and slowly followed Aleck toward the hospital
As soon as they were away from the carriage and halfway to the hospital, a gang of boys in various degrees of disarray—torn pants, torn shirts, bare feet, thin jackets, dirty faces and arms—surrounded them.
“Fancy,” one of them said, giving a low whistle.
“You lost?” another asked Aleck, standing too close to him and then shoving him just a little.
“We’re going in there,” Aleck said.
“The pauper’s hospital?” the boy said with a smirk.
“My brother’s in there,” Maisie said, hearing the desperation in her voice. “Please just let us go.”
“Come on, you,” a third boy said. He was the biggest of them all, and he towered above Maisie threateningly. “How would
your
brother be in there?”
“Yeah,” said the dirtiest boy of all. “What you take us for? Fools?”
Maisie realized that the boys had formed a tight circle around her and Aleck, leaving no room forthem to escape. The carriage and driver seemed to have vanished in the fog.
The boy who had shoved Aleck poked him in the chest.
“You sure don’t look ’ungry, mate,” he said.
“I don’t have any money or food or anything,” Aleck said. Maisie could tell he was struggling to keep calm.
“Sure you do,” the boy said, poking him harder still. “Your lot always ’as something.”
In a flash, the boys were on Aleck, knocking him to the ground and holding him there. He disappeared in a tangle of flying fists and bodies flung over him.
“Run!” Maisie heard him shout.
And run she did, calling “Help! Help!” as she did.
She thought she heard people laughing at her. Or was it just the wind? Lurching blindly forward, calling for help the whole way, Maisie moved toward a dull glow in the distance.
As she reached it, she could vaguely make out the image of a hulking gray building. Her foot smacked into something hard and she tripped, falling forward onto damp stone steps.
Hot tears sprung to her eyes as her shin hit theedge. Instinctively, she reached down to touch it and felt a lump already forming.
Struggling to her feet, Maisie slowly felt her way up the stairs. The light there illuminated the double doors that led into the hospital. Through the glass, she could see nurses in long white uniforms with caps that looked like giant wings perched on their heads.
Maisie pounded on the door until one of them opened it.
At the sight of the nurse’s kind, pale face, Maisie burst into tears. Behind her, Aleck was getting beat up; somewhere in here Felix lay helpless. She didn’t know what to say first.
Through her muffled cries, she pointed behind her.
“Police,” she managed to sputter.
The nurse’s eyebrows shot upward and she reached for a long string, pulling it hard and sending a frantic bell ringing. Immediately, footsteps pounded down the corridor and two policemen appeared.
“My friend,” Maisie gasped. “He’s out there and these boys are beating him up—”
They didn’t wait for her to finish. Sticks raised,they rushed past her and out the door, shouting.
“You’re bleeding,” the nurse said kindly, pointing to Maisie’s shin.
She took Maisie’s arm and led her into a room that looked very much like a doctor’s office.
“Let me clean that for you and bandage it,” the nurse said.
Now that
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