"Ladies and gentlemen, pray charge your glasses." "The toast is Master William." " The latest..." " And not the last, we hope." "The latest addition, friends, to the famous Frazer family." "Fortunate indeed is such a child, blessed from birth by the grace and love of two such perfect parents." "Hear, hear!" "Doubly fortunate, in that he will undoubtedly inherit from the one those characteristics of charm and beauty which have so endeared her to all our hearts." "And from the other, an endowment of wit, manly strength and generosity of spirit, which will so readily distinguish him from those of more common pottery." "To Master William!" "I will not particularise nor condemn those who through reasons of greed or avarice are unable to be present on this auspicious occasion." " Father." " I will simply pass without comment to the subject of this lavish entertainment." "I give you Master William Frazer!" " Master William." " 12 months old today." "Long may he rejoice in health, happiness and prosperity." "Master William!" "Me friends, as I cannot hope to match Captain Webster's...eloquence," "I'll content meself by thanking you all on behalf of me wife, meself and me son." "Spoken like a man." "The wine is with you, sir." "Have you any plans for his future?" "Indeed, yes." "When William attains his majority he will have quite an inheritance." "I have today banked five pounds in his name." "I shall add an extra five on each succeeding birthday." " Well!" " What a splendid idea, Robert." "We must follow suit with little Samuel." "Aye, we'll set him up as a limited company, eh?" "And perhaps persuade James to invest in him too." "Now, Mr Baines..." "what do you think of that, eh?" "Emigrants." "As many as we can catch." "Five pounds a head." "It's a deal of money for 'em to scrape together." "The law doesn't allow them passage feeding themselves so they must pay to eat our vittles." "Quebec." "I know that place well." "It's full of frog-eaters." "Well, show that for as many to see as possible." "We sail Wednesday, first tide, come foul weather or fair." "We're on time charter." "Time costs money." "Well, get along with you." "Is there not something that you've overlooked, sir?" "I feel wretched." "James has charge of our present." " He chose it himself." " Don't worry." "£5 from Uncle Richard." "Two pages of advice on how to invest it." "I know - you shall have a new dress." "No, Albert, it's for William." "He'll be such a rich little man." "I like the cut of his jib, every inch a Frazer." " Every inch!" " With his mother's eyes." "No, he's the spitting image of his father is little Daniel, eh?" "Sorry I'm late, er..." "I had some pressing business." "There you are." "There we are, little one." "Sleep well." "Are you not going to say good night, Albert?" "Later, perhaps." "After our guests have left." "A grandson." "It is my dearest wish that one day" "Anne will present me with the gift of a grandson." "I had a son once." "Poor, weakly thing." "Died before Anne was born." "They were hard days." "Hard days." "Perhaps it was better that he did." " What?" " Die." "Albert, that's a cruel thing to say!" "We must ask Captain Webster's view." "No man of conscience could wish ill to his own flesh and blood." "No man of conscience could wish ill to any child." "And when the child becomes a man?" "He will return the love that he's been given." "You have your answer, sir." "Arguing with a woman is like being lost in shoal water." "Whichever way you turn, there's trouble." "That would be time to abandon ship." "Strike your colours and admit defeat, sir?" "If your adversary were sailing under false colours..." "No quarter, sir." "No quarter." "Great big...blabbermouth." "James, you go too far." "It were a simple slip of the tongue." "Aye, one that's liable to cost us very dear." "If Albert's anything like his father, he's not likely to be a forgiving man." "Why should he suspect?" "An unguarded word, magnified out of all proportion." "The situation's impossible." "Albert was bound to find out." "The question is..." "what action will he take, eh?" "Get out the way!" " Morning, sir." " You're late." "Barely a minute, sir." "You will have noticed the increase in Canadian timber prices." "I've also noticed that you've negotiated higher freight rates, Captain Fogarty." "I anticipated a consequent rise in insurance rates." "Sharp head on young shoulders, eh?" " Sharp enough for James Onedin?" " I've not matched him as yet." " You did once, in fair fight." " Long time ago and best forgotten." "I doubt James Onedin would forget so easily." "I care little for James Onedin's opinions on any matter." "Not even on a subject which touches you closely?" " I don't follow you, sir." " Oh, come on." "You were affianced to that dollymop Elizabeth Onedin." "As long as you traduce a lady I hold in esteem," "I cannot remain in your presence." " Nor in my employ?" " Nor your employ." "Here, Dawson, take these back." "You're a stiff-necked rascal, aren't you?" "Understand me, Captain Fogarty." "I care not for your attachments and endearments but I do concern myself for the good name of this firm." "I cannot see how affections I had for Miss Elizabeth" " have to do with this firm." " She's now Mrs Albert Frazer." " Now do you begin to understand?" " No." "Well, I'll try another tack." "What is your attitude towards Albert Frazer?" " I envy him his good fortune." " Nothing else?" " Nothing else." " Good." "Then there's no chance of any renewal of this entanglement?" "Such a suggestion is unworthy of you." "I hold Mr and Mrs Frazer in the highest regard." "Good." "That's precisely what I required to know." "I don't understand." "These questions are pertinent to your future." "You're no doubt aware, as it's the tittle-tattle of every club, that marriage caused a breach between Mr Frazer and his son." "Rightly too, in my view." " Fool married beneath him." " Mr Callon, please!" "No, hear me out, sir." "One day, there could be a reconciliation between old Mr Frazer and his son." "Frazer and I are very firm friends, have been many years, so when that day comes," "I want to ensure that not one breath of scandal will touch either of our houses." "You have my assurance on that score, sir." "Good." "Oh, my niece Emma was dining with us last night." "She was asking after you." "There's a young girl who'll make some young man a fine wife." " Yes, sir." " And I'm growing old, Daniel." "Too old to crawl through bilges and sound ships' timbers." "I need a ship's husband." "Someone with sharp wits." "Loyal, trustworthy, honest." "Someone who knows that his best interests are my best interests." "Somebody who knows men and can handle ships." "The modern title is "marine superintendent", if you'd care for it." "I'm overwhelmed, Mr Callon." "You'll be overwhelmed with work if you accept." "Now do you understand my questions?" "I'm to be stationed ashore?" "You'll move in the same circles as the Frazers." "You must meet them only on the most formal of occasions." " That has always been my intention." " Very well, Captain." "This is your office." "You will assume your duties immediately." " Er, sir..." " Remember... one touch of scandal and out you go." "Yes, sir." "I felt early in our marriage that you were striving to tell me something." "Could it be that you had pangs of conscience?" "The doubt is in your mind, not mine." "Then the onus is upon you to put my mind at rest." "I've told you, the child was born prematurely." " You prevaricate again." " You are not seeking the truth but confirmation of your own unworthy suspicions." "Oh...not unworthy." "Under the circumstances, the proper adjective to be "justified"." "The circumstanecs were that my brother couldn't hold his wine, stumbled over a name which resulted in you calling your wife..."whore"!" "The name tripped off me tongue." ""Trollop" would be the closer term." "Being on unfamiliar ground, I leave the choice of noun to you." "Is the child forever to be known as the Frazer bastard?" "You can decide that with one word." "A whole dictionary of words wouldn't convince you." "What you need is proof, and proof you cannot have." "We shall see, madam." "We shall see." "If you could cast your mind back 21 months, Mr Baines." "21 months is a tidy slice out of any man's life, sir." "Perhaps I can refresh your memory." "As I recollect, some of the Onedin casks were to be stored in me father's yard." "Aye." "Callon had been flooding us with empty casks so we could neither stow nor work the ship." " You have a sharp memory." " That's only natural." "Before I could read, everything was carried in my head." " A much to be envied accomplishment." " Thank you." "Perhaps we can stir it further." "I wager...you cannot remember detail." "Try me out, sir." "I lost me hat that day." "Me head as well, I think." "Your hat?" "Yeah, there was something about a hat." "Er..." "Hold fast, I have it." "Miss Elizabeth came aboard looking for you." "For me?" "You left your hat somewhere, she found it and brought it." "You were ashore with Captain Onedin discussing casks." "What then?" " I went in search of a cab." " Leaving her alone?" " Not exactly." " Oh?" "Daniel Fogarty turned up, so she was in safe hands." "Daniel Fogarty." "I see." "They were bespoke at the time, sir." "Of course." "You have a most remarkable memory, Mr Baines." "Oh, there." "Mama's little boy mustn't cry." " I will have the truth, Anne." " I understand your concern." "20 months ago James came to blows with Daniel Fogarty." "Shouldn't you be asking James about that?" "I know James too well- he enforces his will by exploiting weakness, not by behaving like a prizefighter." "Now, why should he indulge in a public brawl with a man for whom he had the highest regard and who, moreover, was shortly to be his brother-in-law?" "It was a personal matter." "A straight question is deserving a straight answer." "Did Elizabeth take you into her confidence before we eloped?" " Yes, she did." " What did she tell you?" "It was a confidence, and a confidence cannot be breached simply because there's been a passage of time." "Did she ask your advice?" " Yes." " And?" "I advised her to marry Mr Fogarty." " Why?" " It was a confidence, Albert." "Me apologies to you." "Good day." "All right, sir." "Come on, now." "Right, there we are." "Right, come on, sonny." "There's a good lad." "There we are." "Here we are." "You'll need a doctor's examination before we sail." " Doctor?" " Formality." "Just show him your ticket and stick your tongue out." "You're lucky." "First aboard has first pick of the berths." " Births?" " When shall we be sailing?" "Tomorrow, come hell or high water." " Anything else you require?" " Food." "I'll send you some burgoo and molasses." " Burgoo?" " Porridge to you." "Keep a sharp watch on your dunnage." "Some of these folk are not as honest as we might wish." "I thought we might hire a trap and go into the country." "Visit your brother Jeremy, perhaps." "Robert, you are the kindest of men." "Not too much dust, or we'll have it returned with complaints." "What do they want for the price, best Souchow?" " Ah, Mr Frazer." " I've caught you at an opportune moment." "We were about to take tea, if you'd care to step through." "Thank you, no." "I called to thank you for the birthday gift." " Oh, it was nothing." " A most convivial evening." "Too convivial for me." "I've a very poor head for wine." "My husband is the best of men." "But I'd not be disloyal if I were to say that, upon occasion, after a glass of wine, he is inclined to...talk a little too much, perhaps." "In vino veritas." "You amused me wife and meself by referring to our child as..." "Daniel." "A simple slip of the tongue." "Tell him, Robert." "Mr Frazer will be as amused as we were." "We had quite a laugh about it later." "Well, I was just admiring the child, such a splendid little fellow." "With his mother's eyes." "I noticed the most marked resemblance with our Samuel." "Indeed?" "Yes, and being somewhat..." "well, a little befuddled, as it were," "I started to say "Samuel", you see, but then changed course in midstream and..." "Well, it came out as "Wamuel"." "Well, when Robert explained the matter in the coach to us going home, we simply roared!" "Had your husband said "Wamuel" rather than "Daniel"," "I'm sure I would have shared in the humour." "I could've bitten off my tongue." "Did you think I would be offended?" " Well, yes." " I cannot for the life of me imagine why." " The coincidence." " Coincidence?" "Daniel, you see - with Daniel Foga..." "Fogarty." "Oh, of course." "You must think me uncommonly stupid not to have related the name to that of me wife's former suitor." " I didn't mean that, Albert." " I've met Mr Fogarty briefly, so I haven't had the chance to judge his character." "Mr Fogarty is a most upright and honourable man." "Aye, he's as honest as the day is long." "Then I must conclude that Elizabeth has chosen unwisely." "For I'm sure I have none of those qualities." "Then you do yourself an injustice, Mr Frazer." "My sister-in-law has a very great affection for you." "A fact which can scarcely have escaped your attention." "Aye. you see, she chose to ignore our advice." "We urged her to marry Daniel Fogart..." "In preference to meself?" "That is hardly flattery." "You didn't come here looking for flattery." "You came here to badger us with impertinent questions." "If you want the answers, I suggest that you go home and ask them of your wife." "You'll get no more of us." "Good day to you, sir." "Good day, sir." "Madam." " Mr Frazer." "Whoa, mare, whoa." " Is that Jeremy's cottage?" " Aye." "It must be." "It's pretty, isn't it?" "Come on, girl." "Who's this coming?" "Whoa." "It's Sarah and Robert!" "Sarah!" " Kate, it's good to see you." " Hello, Robert." "He refuses to accompany me to church." "Oh..." "Well, as yet that's not a crime." "Though some of these hellfire preachers would have us think so." "Nothing for it - put on a bold face and come with us." "He's spoken to Baines, Robert and Sarah." "Has he spoken to you?" " Yes, he has." " You didn't say anything?" "Of course not." "You two must work out your own salvation." "What happened to all your furniture?" " We had to sell." " Why?" "Old story." "Rent's up, wages down." " We have a mound of debts." " No work, no credit." " What will you do, Jeremy?" " Take to the road, like as not." "Well...we came for a picnic, Sarah, and a picnic we shall have." "Right here." "There." "Where's me spectacles?" "They're being kept from me." "Here they are." "Not the only thing that's being kept from me in this house." " What does that mean?" " Storm clouds are brewing." "I know the signs." "Everyone in the wind and running for shelter." "It'll be that son-in-law of mine at the bottom of it." "James is concerned with business, nothing else." "He has a talent for turning a penny, I'll give him that." "That talent has kept us from the poorhouse and brought you comfort for your old age." " It was a bargain." " Which James has kept." " You've a sovereign or two." " From you, not from him." "He wouldn't give me the time of day without asking 10% return." "We've a fine house, food, clean linen - what more do you want?" "Fine house indeed." " With an empty room." " What do you mean?" "What's the use of a fine house with no children?" "A man needs sons." "I reckon that the best bust-up I've ever had." "And you folks call it picnicking?" "You've certainly come up in the world." "Aye, I haven't done too badly." "He has an important position in the world of commerce." " Oh?" " He's a director of a shipping line." "Just in a small way of business." "My husband is far too modest." "They've quite a fleet." " On charter only." " And their own warehouse." " Where do these ships go?" " Anywhere that shows a profit." " Canada, perhaps?" " Aye, to lower Canada, I think." " Quebec, I think." " Robert... does this ship...carry emigrants?" "Aye, Scotlanders and Irishers mostly." "At five pounds a head." "Five pounds a head?" "Ten pound?" "I've never owned ten pound in the whole of my life." " Robert?" " Mm-hm?" "Perhaps you could use your influence?" "After all, Kate and Jeremy are family." "Oh, yes, of course." "Aye." "Are you in the habit of reading me private correspondence?" "The address, that's all." "Who is this Mr Ericsson?" "I don't see he's any concern of yours." "If it will ease your mind, Mr Ericsson is a brilliant marine engineer." "But he lives in America and they're in civil war." "Mr Ericsson will hardly be shouldering a musket." "Why are you writing to him?" "I've been corresponding with him for some time." "He wants me to go out there and work with him." "You never mentioned it to me." "I had not then decided." " And now you have decided?" " Not yet." "Robert, we shall be eternally grateful." "Let's hurry aboard before James sees you." " I don't know how to thank you." " Look, here are your tickets." "Show those to the doctor, he passes you." "Then give them to the mate next to him." " Come on." " Aye." " Kate, are you all right?" " A little dizziness, that's all." " Is all well, Robert?" " Aye." "Come along, we must hurry aboard." "Right, Mr Baines." "These are mine." " Thank you." " Brother Robert, either these accounts are short or we've two too many emigrants." "No, they're all aboard and accounted for." "In that case, you, as chandler and agent, owe the company £10." "What do you mean?" " Oh, that?" " Mm." "You mean Sarah's brother and his wife?" "Since when have we shipped your poor relations free of charge?" " They are family." " Well, what of it?" " Articles of association." " Articles..." "What's that?" "Articles of association." "Look, it's there, in black and white." "You should read the small print, James." " I see no humour in the situation." " It's perfectly clear." " When you went limited..." " With me as director." "..you inserted this clause yourself." ""All members of the board and their families" ""may travel free on allvessels owned by or chartered by Onedin Line."" " Not every Tom, Dick and Harry!" " It means exactly what it says." "Robert's outsmarted you, James." "I shall use the same clause to make the crossing myself." " Listen here, madam..." " No, James." "I won't be left behind to shoulder Elizabeth's troubles." "Good day, James." "Ah, Mr Fogarty." "Mr Frazer." "If I might have the privilege of a few minutes' conversation?" "Come inside." "Thank you." "How can I be of assistance, Mr Frazer?" "It's a matter of...some delicacy and I must confess, I find it rather difficult to begin." "Short, plain and to the point is usually the better way." "In that case, I shall take your advice, and beg your indulgence if the questions I ask seem to be of a personal nature." "You've...never married, Mr Fogarty?" "No." "I let the first opportunity slip through my fingers through overcaution." "The second has not yet arrived." "You are referring to your engagement to me wife?" "I once had a great affection for Elizabeth, yes." "An affection which she no doubt returned?" "I think that's a question better asked of your wife." "Oh, I have, Mr Fogarty, I have." "I'm sorry, sir, the purpose of this conversation eludes me completely." "I'm of the opinion that me wife has deceived me." " I'm sorry to hear it." " With you." "I have clapped eyes on her but once since the day you were married and that was in your company, sir." " No, once on the quayside..." " What I have in mind... must have occurred before our marriage." "Such a suspicion can but raise a canker in a man's mind." "On that account alone you have my sympathy, for what it's worth." "If it were in my power to help you, I..." "I would do so." " Then it is true." " I did not say so!" "I'm trying to say you have put me in an impossible position." "Am I to confirm or deny?" "You must surely understand that no man with honour could put a lady into such jeopardy." "For the selfsame reason, would you accept a denial?" "Even if I were to swear on a stack of Bibles 12 masts high?" "Whose child is it - yours or mine?" "You must go to your wife." "Accept her answer, and for your own peace of mind, believe her." "Believe her." "What the devil's wrong with young Frazer?" "He nearly knocked me down the stairs." " A personal matter, sir." " Personal matter?" "There's no such thing as a personal matter during company time." " Come on." "Out with it, man." " It won't happen again." "I've given you fair notice." "One breath of scandal..." "Yes, I understand well enough." "Boatswain!" "Liven 'em up, there." "Liven 'em up." "Albert, however we resolve our differences, we cannot hold a child to ransom." " Whose child?" " Come to bed." " I want the truth." " And you shall have it, I promise." " Come to bed." " God's blood!" "Cannot even you answer a plain question with a plain answer?" "Very well." "Do I blurt it out or can you cool your temper long enough to listen?" " I am listening." " Daniel Fogarty and I were promised." " Did you love him?" " How can I possibly remember?" "He would have made an excellent husband and father and I would have escaped from that dirty little shop." "He would have been an excellent catch for a girl in my circumstances." "And then you came along." "Do you deny that you pursued me?" "Only with the most honourable of intentions." "Honourable!" "Is it honourable to make overtures to a lady" " once she is foresworn to another?" " You were not formally engaged." "Daniel was but mate of a barque and poorly paid." "To have money for such niceties!" "James implied there'd be no insurmountable obstacles." "James." "That brother of mine has much to answer for." " We're wandering from the point again!" "I imagine that me intentions were clear enough." "Crystal clear." "His face seems hot." "What should a girl think when a gentleman of your class comes strutting and la-di-daing with posies and pretty speeches?" " Oh, really, Elizabeth." " Oh, tush, Elizabeth." "You mustn't know of such things, Elizabeth." "You're a fool, Albert Frazer." "I was bred in a neighbourhood where the intentions of a strolling gentleman of quality were abundantly clear." "It's understood that gentlemen are entitled to their experiences before they marry their virtuous ladies." "With whom do they gain their experiences?" "With shop girls and milliners but not with me!" "You have an uncanny ability for putting me in the wrong and yourself in the right and still avoiding the issue." " Who is the father?" "!" " Very well." "The child is Daniel's!" "Now are you content?" " Robert's vittling has improved." " Indeed." "His voyage on the Charlotte Rhodes gave him the taste." "He vowed to improve the vittling and he's done so." "Beg pardon, sir." "Anne." "One of the emigrants has a sickness." "You finish your dinner." "That bedroom's no place for a woman." "Over here, sir." " Smallpox?" " Yes." "What can we do?" "Nothing." " What is it?" " I'm..." "I'm not yet certain." "A day or two will tell." "Thank you." "Erm..." "Mr Frazer, I wonder if I could have a word with you, please." " Of course, Doctor." " Thank you." "Best specific is said to be saltwater, ma'am." " Saltwater?" " Aye." "There's plenty of it and it's the only one we have." "James, we must turn back." "Cannot." "We're on time charter, every day costs money." " What if we run into bad weather?" " We'll batten them down below." "You cannot." "Smallpox is contagious." "They must take their chance below." "Would you rather they were washed overboard?" "What did the doctor say this time?" "It might or might not be." "I could have told him that meself." "I suggested a second opinion but he pooh-poohed the notion." "He will call again soon?" "Twice a day at least, damn it, or I'll know the reason why." "He..." " He suggested a nurse." " No!" "I shall nurse him myself." "We shall take turn and turn about." "Poor little chap." "Beg pardon, ma'am." " The captain is right, ma'am." " What?" " There's little sense to turning back." " It's their only chance." "You're wrong, ma'am." "If they don't survive, they'll be buried at sea." "But if they recover, they've booked passage to Canada and you'll gain small thanks for taking them back to quarantine in Liverpool." " Quarantine?" " Aye." "We make slow headway against the westerlies." "Six weeks out, twenty days back." " Smallpox can rage like a fire." " Aye, and die as quickly." "If those two recover, the longer we're at sea the better." " Time for the scars to heal." " And if they don't recover?" "Then they'll be buried at sea and nobody the wiser." "You cannot falsify the ship's log." "A hundred times over, I cannot afford to spend three weeks in quarantine." "You've never been on a quarantine ship, have you?" " No." " Then think yourself fortunate." "Guard boats to see that nobody approaches or leaves." "Nobody to bring fresh water or meat or bread or biscuits." "You live off what's left of the ship's vittles - rotten meat, foul water." "Then, what the smallpox don't take, cholera and typhus do." "Now, while I'm on time charter," "I'm caught between the devil and the deep blue sea." "With a vengeance." " Give him to me." " What?" "You must eat." "There." "I can't afford to have two invalids on me hands." "You really do love him." "If he was a foundling, left on me doorstep, do you think I'd leave him there to die?" " Go on, eat." " I'm not hungry." "We agreed to turn and turn about, so you'll oblige me by keeping your side of the bargain." "Oh, eat, damn you, eat." "If he is to survive..." "we'll need all our resources." " Have you ever had the smallpox?" " No." " Aren't you afraid?" " I want nothing but to see our child well again." "Her husband's not putting up a very good fight." "If only they could take a little broth." "Feed a cold, starve a fever." "Main thing is to keep them separate from the others." " What are you doing, thieving?" " I am no thief." "I am come for my own." "Let's have a look at you." "You look healthy enough." "Get along with you." "Her husband's condition's worsening." "Well?" "What can I do?" "I'm not a doctor." "Anne." "You've had no sleep, now get down below." " James." " Look, if you're ill, who's gonna look after them?" "Now, below." "Rest." " Blankets, Mr Baines." " There's none to be had, ma'am." "Wait here, I have some." " What are you doing?" " It's one of the emigrants." " She needs blankets." " Well, not ours." "Yes." "Yes, er, chickenpox, Mr Frazer." " Chickenpox?" " You're quite certain?" "Yes, indeed, but he's a strong, healthy child, so there's no reason to alarm yourselves." "Now, I prescribe calamine lotion." "And do keep the child's nails cut short, Mrs Frazer," " to prevent the spread of infection." " Yes." "Oh, and, er, I'll send you a bottle of patent medicine to keep the temperature down." " Oh, I'll see you out." " Thank you." "Oh, thank God." "Thank you very much." ""Buried at sea this day, Jeremy Stirling, an emigrant," ""died of natural causes."" "Now, then, when we get to Quebec I want a clean bill of health." "No objections from anybody." " Thank you, Mr Baines." " Aye, sir." " Well?" " I don't know." " Don't know what?" " Your motives." "My motives have never changed from the first day that we met." "Have yours?" "The wife'll recover." "We're past the danger." "Now, to turn back would have been impracticable." "Would you have turned back had it been me?" "No." "To turn back would have made no difference." "Don't you see that?" "Oh, Anne." "When will you stop trying to be my conscience, eh?" "Land ho!" "One of these days..." "One of these days, your confounded scruples'll... bring us to the workhouse." "Here we are, little one." "There." "How's that?" "All right?" "With all the turmoil, I'd quite forgotten to post me letter to Mr Ericsson." " It is important?" " Of course." "Are you going to work for this Mr Ericsson?" " Perhaps." " America is far away." "It does have that merit." "Will you be coming back to Liverpool?" "If I go, no."