up a long flight of steps. Men in white coats stood at the top of the steps, watching us. As immigrants passed them, they stepped forward and wrote letters in white chalk on the people's backs. When we drew level with them they looked at us but didn't write anything. I wasn't sure whether that was good or bad.
Then suddenly someone said, "Eye inspection." Before I could react, I was grabbed and yelled out in pain as a sharp instrument was dug into my eyelid, turning it backward. Bridie screamed as they came toward her and wriggled out of the way of the assault.
"Check needed on the child," one inspector said to his fellow and wrote a letter in chalk on Bridie's back.
"Do you speak English?" the man demanded. "As well as you do," I replied.
"Oh yes." He examined my tag. "The Majestic, from Liverpool. Okay. Take the kid over to that room on your left. They'll want to check her eyes before you can go any further."
We joined the line at the door. A doctor in a white coat made me sit Bridie on the table, then his assistant held her while he turned back her eyelids.
"Both eyes are red," he commented to the assistant. "Possible trachoma. Need to keep her for observation."
"What do you mean, you need to keep her?" I demanded.
"In the hospital observation unit," the man said expressionlessly. "If it's trachoma, she'll be sent back where she came from."
"Of course her eyes are red," I exclaimed indignantly. "She's been kept standing outside in the bitter cold, hasn't she, and she's been crying. When she cries, she rubs her eyes and they get worse. There's nothing wrong with her eyes. They're as bright and clear as the light of day itself."
"You Irish could sweet-talk the hind leg off a donkey," the man said, but he managed a ghost of a smile. "Wait on the seats over there and bring her back in an hour."
It was the best I could hope for but it meant that my shipmates would have gone ahead of me, both Michael and O'Malley. I sat the children down, instructing them not to move whatever happened and followed the crowd into the great hall they called the registry room. The entire room was full of wooden benches, and the benches were full of people. I could see now why the guard had made the joke about cattle. The benches were separated by iron railings, and so the whole effect was of the stock pens on market day.
"Where do you think you're going?" A guard grabbed my arm. "Back into the line and wait your turn."
"I just have to talk to a shipmate," I pleaded. "That's what they all say." He frowned at me as if sizing me up, "Although I could be
persuaded to get you through all this in a hurry. ..."
"You could? That would be wonderful." "For a small fee, of course. Shall we say twenty dollars?"
He wanted a bribe! I looked around to see who might have overheard. Other guards were standing nearby. Now I started to wonder--was this whole place corrupt? If I had to bribe somebody before they'd release me, then we'd be here forever. Unless they had listened to O'Malley. Then I'd be sent straight back to Ireland. I tried to spot his bright red cravat among the throng, but it was impossible. There must have been close to a thousand people in that room and more streaming in all the time.
I hurried back to the children, who hadn't moved an inch, and I watched the clock on the wall until the hour was up. Then I took Bridie back to the doctor.
"You see," I said triumphantly. "Take a look at her eyes now. Not a speck of red in them, is there? Tell me when you've seen brighter eyes?"
He laughed as he looked at them. "Bright as the light of day, like you said," he said. "Off you go and good luck to you. You're lucky to have a very persistent mother, little one."
"Oh, but she's not my ..." The last of Bridie's sentence was lost as I whisked her away. That was close. I'd have to make the children understand that I had to play the part of their mother for just a while longer.
We joined the line to enter the registry room. "Name and ship?"
Then suddenly someone said, "Eye inspection." Before I could react, I was grabbed and yelled out in pain as a sharp instrument was dug into my eyelid, turning it backward. Bridie screamed as they came toward her and wriggled out of the way of the assault.
"Check needed on the child," one inspector said to his fellow and wrote a letter in chalk on Bridie's back.
"Do you speak English?" the man demanded. "As well as you do," I replied.
"Oh yes." He examined my tag. "The Majestic, from Liverpool. Okay. Take the kid over to that room on your left. They'll want to check her eyes before you can go any further."
We joined the line at the door. A doctor in a white coat made me sit Bridie on the table, then his assistant held her while he turned back her eyelids.
"Both eyes are red," he commented to the assistant. "Possible trachoma. Need to keep her for observation."
"What do you mean, you need to keep her?" I demanded.
"In the hospital observation unit," the man said expressionlessly. "If it's trachoma, she'll be sent back where she came from."
"Of course her eyes are red," I exclaimed indignantly. "She's been kept standing outside in the bitter cold, hasn't she, and she's been crying. When she cries, she rubs her eyes and they get worse. There's nothing wrong with her eyes. They're as bright and clear as the light of day itself."
"You Irish could sweet-talk the hind leg off a donkey," the man said, but he managed a ghost of a smile. "Wait on the seats over there and bring her back in an hour."
It was the best I could hope for but it meant that my shipmates would have gone ahead of me, both Michael and O'Malley. I sat the children down, instructing them not to move whatever happened and followed the crowd into the great hall they called the registry room. The entire room was full of wooden benches, and the benches were full of people. I could see now why the guard had made the joke about cattle. The benches were separated by iron railings, and so the whole effect was of the stock pens on market day.
"Where do you think you're going?" A guard grabbed my arm. "Back into the line and wait your turn."
"I just have to talk to a shipmate," I pleaded. "That's what they all say." He frowned at me as if sizing me up, "Although I could be
persuaded to get you through all this in a hurry. ..."
"You could? That would be wonderful." "For a small fee, of course. Shall we say twenty dollars?"
He wanted a bribe! I looked around to see who might have overheard. Other guards were standing nearby. Now I started to wonder--was this whole place corrupt? If I had to bribe somebody before they'd release me, then we'd be here forever. Unless they had listened to O'Malley. Then I'd be sent straight back to Ireland. I tried to spot his bright red cravat among the throng, but it was impossible. There must have been close to a thousand people in that room and more streaming in all the time.
I hurried back to the children, who hadn't moved an inch, and I watched the clock on the wall until the hour was up. Then I took Bridie back to the doctor.
"You see," I said triumphantly. "Take a look at her eyes now. Not a speck of red in them, is there? Tell me when you've seen brighter eyes?"
He laughed as he looked at them. "Bright as the light of day, like you said," he said. "Off you go and good luck to you. You're lucky to have a very persistent mother, little one."
"Oh, but she's not my ..." The last of Bridie's sentence was lost as I whisked her away. That was close. I'd have to make the children understand that I had to play the part of their mother for just a while longer.
We joined the line to enter the registry room. "Name and ship?"
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