19: To MiddlesbroughJack’s arrest at the Liverpool docks did not lead to a lengthy detention. As soon as the ship was safely out of harbour Father O’Driscoll slipped some money to the police officers and they went away. They didn’t take the handcuffs with them and Jack had to suffer the ignominy of traveling back to Bristol in MacBride’s coach with the cuffs still binding him – a long and miserable journey. It was only when they were installed in Victoria Lodge that the priest removed them.
Father O’Driscoll and Tom MacBride exerted a heavy price to preserve the reputation of Mary Ellen. All the way back to Bristol they harangued him. Jack could barely make sense of what they were saying. Their words flowed over him like a river in flood, a constant barrage that formed a background to his
