money.
He gave a soft whistle through his teeth as he contemplated it. There would be enough here to set him up for a long time. But no, he deliberated. I haven’t yet stooped so low. I’ll get by on my own endeavours. He put the pocketbook on top of the small chest, moved the chair back to its original place and continued packing.
A moment later, Newmarch burst through the door. ‘My pocketbook!’ he blurted out. ‘I must have dropped it somewhere.’
‘Here, sir.’ Allen, picking it up, waved it at him. ‘I found it on the floor. Must have dropped out of your coat.’
‘Phew!’ Newmarch took it from him. ‘Thank God for that, Allen. We’d have been stumped without it. My whole life is in here.’
CHAPTER FIVE
‘I have an introduction, Allen.’ Edward watched as Allen and the Negro driver loaded their luggage into the open trap. ‘We’ll book in at the hotel, then I’ll change and go calling.’
Allen was already exhausted. The heat beat down, even though the day was drawing on, and the aroma of blossom was overpowering. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. ‘Very good, sir.’
They drove to the hotel which the ship’s captain had recommended, watching the hustle and bustle of New Orleans as they trotted by. The streets were filled with Negroes, Indians, dark-eyed Creoles, Europeans and Chinese and frontiersmen of every nationality in their leather-skinned jackets, and they could hear French, Spanish and English voices as people greeted each other.
Young slave girls with their dark hair covered by colourful scarves, wicker baskets hooked over their arms, chatted on street corners, and laden pack mules plodded slowly up the road towards the market as the drivers cracked their whips above them and shouted fruitlessly for them to hurry.
The cab driver sang in a rich deep voice as he drove away from the river and towards the interior of the city. Within cool flower-filled courtyards, buildings of sun-dried brick or yellow stucco were festooned with bougainvillea and jasmine, and white shutters enclosed the windows against the heat.
‘Quite a city, eh, Allen? Very exotic.’ Edward glanced over his shoulder at a graceful ivory-skinned woman carrying a parasol, a young Negress at her side. The woman saw his stare and lowered her parasol so that her face was shielded from his gaze.
He suddenly thought of Ruby and was filled with an impotent desire and melancholy for her. He had first seen her whilst travelling in a chaise with his brother as they were returning home from the Hull cotton mill in which they were shareholders. She had lifted her head and smiled at him in a spontaneous carefree manner. He had immediately fallen in love and wanted her, no matter that she was a poor mill girl and he engaged to be married.
I must be careful, he thought. The ladies here will be kept under lock and key. He had heard that the New Orleans gentlemen with their French or Spanish background would not tolerate any reckless dalliance with their womenfolk.
They obtained rooms at the hotel which Captain Voularis of the
Mississippi Girl
had recommended. It was cool within the white walls and they were shown upstairs by a young black boy in a dark blue jacket and trousers which were edged with red. Edward gave him an English shilling, as he hadn’t yet worked out the American currency system.
The boy looked at it in his hand and Edward asked him if it was acceptable.
‘Sure thing, sir. My boss will take any kind of money so long as he can spend it.’
‘But that’s for you,’ Edward objected, ‘for bringing up the luggage.’
The boy nodded. ‘That’s mighty kind of you, sir. But Señor Gomez will be waiting when I get down dem stairs, and I ain’t got no pockets where I can hide it.’
‘In that case I’ll have it back.’ Edward put out his hand for the boy to return the money. ‘I’m not tipping your employer. That’s not on at all!’
‘There’s a lot to learn, Allen,’ he remarked as the
He gave a soft whistle through his teeth as he contemplated it. There would be enough here to set him up for a long time. But no, he deliberated. I haven’t yet stooped so low. I’ll get by on my own endeavours. He put the pocketbook on top of the small chest, moved the chair back to its original place and continued packing.
A moment later, Newmarch burst through the door. ‘My pocketbook!’ he blurted out. ‘I must have dropped it somewhere.’
‘Here, sir.’ Allen, picking it up, waved it at him. ‘I found it on the floor. Must have dropped out of your coat.’
‘Phew!’ Newmarch took it from him. ‘Thank God for that, Allen. We’d have been stumped without it. My whole life is in here.’
CHAPTER FIVE
‘I have an introduction, Allen.’ Edward watched as Allen and the Negro driver loaded their luggage into the open trap. ‘We’ll book in at the hotel, then I’ll change and go calling.’
Allen was already exhausted. The heat beat down, even though the day was drawing on, and the aroma of blossom was overpowering. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. ‘Very good, sir.’
They drove to the hotel which the ship’s captain had recommended, watching the hustle and bustle of New Orleans as they trotted by. The streets were filled with Negroes, Indians, dark-eyed Creoles, Europeans and Chinese and frontiersmen of every nationality in their leather-skinned jackets, and they could hear French, Spanish and English voices as people greeted each other.
Young slave girls with their dark hair covered by colourful scarves, wicker baskets hooked over their arms, chatted on street corners, and laden pack mules plodded slowly up the road towards the market as the drivers cracked their whips above them and shouted fruitlessly for them to hurry.
The cab driver sang in a rich deep voice as he drove away from the river and towards the interior of the city. Within cool flower-filled courtyards, buildings of sun-dried brick or yellow stucco were festooned with bougainvillea and jasmine, and white shutters enclosed the windows against the heat.
‘Quite a city, eh, Allen? Very exotic.’ Edward glanced over his shoulder at a graceful ivory-skinned woman carrying a parasol, a young Negress at her side. The woman saw his stare and lowered her parasol so that her face was shielded from his gaze.
He suddenly thought of Ruby and was filled with an impotent desire and melancholy for her. He had first seen her whilst travelling in a chaise with his brother as they were returning home from the Hull cotton mill in which they were shareholders. She had lifted her head and smiled at him in a spontaneous carefree manner. He had immediately fallen in love and wanted her, no matter that she was a poor mill girl and he engaged to be married.
I must be careful, he thought. The ladies here will be kept under lock and key. He had heard that the New Orleans gentlemen with their French or Spanish background would not tolerate any reckless dalliance with their womenfolk.
They obtained rooms at the hotel which Captain Voularis of the
Mississippi Girl
had recommended. It was cool within the white walls and they were shown upstairs by a young black boy in a dark blue jacket and trousers which were edged with red. Edward gave him an English shilling, as he hadn’t yet worked out the American currency system.
The boy looked at it in his hand and Edward asked him if it was acceptable.
‘Sure thing, sir. My boss will take any kind of money so long as he can spend it.’
‘But that’s for you,’ Edward objected, ‘for bringing up the luggage.’
The boy nodded. ‘That’s mighty kind of you, sir. But Señor Gomez will be waiting when I get down dem stairs, and I ain’t got no pockets where I can hide it.’
‘In that case I’ll have it back.’ Edward put out his hand for the boy to return the money. ‘I’m not tipping your employer. That’s not on at all!’
‘There’s a lot to learn, Allen,’ he remarked as the
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