‘Regiment’s barracks at Hillsborough, I reckon. Wave broke through’t boundary wall and filled up the Sergeant’s house. Drowneded two of his bairns.’ Jim shook his head. ‘That outer wall were three foot thick, tha knows, solid stone. That din’t do it a speck o’ good, though. I were lucky I never saw the great wave but it rolled across an open field to demolish that wall. Some fucken’ wave that must ‘av been, eh? Well, tha knew about it, I suppose. Silas?’

‘Eh?’

‘Are tha listening to a word I’m sayin’?’

‘Yeah, I mean no. Sorry, Jim. Gi’ us a minute.’

His attention was on the two men who had entered and were being served whisky at the bar. They disappeared into the snug.

‘What’s up?’ said Jim.

‘When I were rescued…’

‘Oh aye, tangled up in the arms of a young lady in the lass’s bedchamber, no less. Some ’ave all the luck.’

‘T’weren’t her bedroom.’

‘Details, lad. Anyway, what’s it got to do wi’ that pair?’

‘One of ’em’s the man o’ the house. I borrowed his clothes. I never did manage to find where they live. I had a wander round, but this town is a bleedin’ maze. I wanted to thank the young lady.’

‘I bet.’ Jim leered. Silas ignored him. ‘D’you not have the address then?’

‘Nah. I had somewhat o’ a merry ride to their place and weren’t really paying attention to street names. I saw her, tha knows. She were wi’ a man, walkin’ o’er the bridge. I should ’av gone after her, but the boss would’ve ’ad me guts for garters.’

‘Aye, tha’s told me this tale, such as it is. More’n once.’

Silas stayed on after Jim bade him farewell. He would help clear up when the place closed. The landlady waved a cloth at him from behind the bar and Silas gave her a thumbs up. She had a soft spot for him. He’d won her over by asking her to write a letter home to reassure his family he was alive and well. He had given his address, enclosed money to replace the coins he had stolen and wished them well. He’d hesitated over mentioning Shandy and, in the end, did not.

The moment he was waiting for finally came. Silas followed the two men outside, his heart thumping. One of them, not Silas’s target, staggered off the kerb and into the road.

‘Whoops,’ he said, returning to the pavement.

‘Sir, can I have word?’

The man whose arm he had touched turned around, his eyes widening in instant recognition.

‘Ah!’ He turned to his friend. ‘This is the ruffian who landed like a fish on my bedroom carpet.’

The other man laughed lightly. ‘I heard of it.’

Silas held out his hand, and the two men, in turn, reluctantly shook it.

‘I want to thank thee for… to express my gratitude to the young lady who… well, she saved my life from that flood, gettin’ me to swim for the window. Elsewise, I’d’ve been swept away for sure and drowned. I saw her, in the town, but there wasn’t the opportunity to speak to her. I’m reight sorry for babbling on. My name is Silas Hinchcliffe and I’m very pleased to ’ave bumped into you.’