‘They’ll keep him at forced labour at the dockyard,’ he answered, ‘till a transport hauls alongside the hulk for a cargo.’
‘When will that be?’
‘Impossible to say, miss.’
‘Will you get me the rules of the hulk?’
‘They are the same as the jails.’
‘But I have not seen Captain Butler since his conviction, nor heard from him, nor know whether he has received my letters.’
He answered that he would make inquiries and call. He was intelligibly punctual, because he had to receive ten guineas, but he brought me what I wanted to know, and to my joy I learned that I was at liberty to visit Tom next day, and that he would be brought on board to see me if he was ashore when I arrived.
The morning following I dressed with care. I wore black clothes. I had worn black ever since my sweetheart was taken from me. I put on a black veil, and going into the street, walked till I met with a coach, and drove to Blackwall. I had not visited those parts since Tom and I and the others had seen Will Johnstone off, and I dared not glance in the direction of the hotel in which my sweetheart had made love to me and asked me to marry him. Indeed, my heart needed all the fortitude my spirit could give it.
It was a bright, hot day. The sky was high with delicate, frostlike cloud, and the running river blue with the reflection of the heavens. The wind was a light summer breeze and blew from London, and many ships of many rigs floated before it, some of them lifting lofty fabrics of swelling breasts of canvas, some of them dark with a weather-stained look, like my father’s coasters. Here at Blackwall I took a boat, and told the man to row me to the Warrior hulk.
‘You know her?’ said I.