The people were restive, looking for scapegoats; in vain did the army attempt to suppress these despatches; the hideous stories kept coming through.
Something had to be done.
One day there was a paragraph in the papers which startled us.
ad air for the Crimea, it announced.
I read it aloud to Henrietta.
Dr. Damien Adair is to go to the Crimea. He says that he is deeply shocked by what is happening out there. He wants to look into what is going on. He says it seems like an example of crass mismanagement. Dr. Adair is that doctor whose Eastern travels have interested so many. He is an expert on the use of drugs in medicine. He left today and should shortly be on the spot.
I dropped the paper and looked at Henrietta.
“How I wish,” I said, ‘that I could be there. “
“What harm do you think he will do?”
I shook my head.
“Wherever he is, disaster follows.”
“It seems it has come to the Crimea without him.”
“I wonder …”
“So do I.”
“Wouldn’t it be exciting … if we could go?”
“We should never be allowed to.”
“I’ve always told myself that nothing is impossible.”
Henrietta shrugged her shoulders.
“He’ll soon be back. Perhaps he’ll be in London with Charles. Then we can ask them both to dinner.”
I kept thinking of him with his demon face and those poor men lying at his mercy in some ill-equipped hospital.
The Russell articles could not be ignored. Something had to be done and it was.
The next item of news was that Miss Florence Nightingale had been asked to get together a group of nurses to take out to the Crimea.
That was all we needed.
Henrietta, through her connections, had soon acquired the information as to how the nurses would be selected. We were to present ourselves at the home of the Herberts, who had lent it to Miss Nightingale for this purpose. It was in Belgrave Square and when we arrived we had to face four ladies, one of whom was known to Henrietta. I was not sure that this was an advantage, for she would have known of Henrietta’s breaking off her engagement to Lord Cariton, which would be considered a feckless action, particularly as she had gone off and escaped from her social circle, disappearing into near obscurity.
We were studied with some amazement.
“Do you realize that this is going to be very hard work?” we were asked.
“It is not for young ladies like you.”
I retorted rather warmly: “We have been for just over three months at Kaiserwald. There we worked very hard indeed and learned something about tending the sick. I think that I have an aptitude for the work and indeed this could be confirmed by the Head Deaconess of Kaiserwald. It is my firm desire to join the party of nurses. I hope you will consider us.”
“We have no doubt,” was the answer, ‘that you are the sort of person Miss Nightingale would want, but I am warning you. The majority whom we have seen have been working girls without employment. girls who have to earn a living. “
“We want to come,” I said earnestly.
“Miss Marlington?” said our inquisitor, looking at Henrietta.
“I was at Kaiserwald. I worked hard and I want to go very much.”
“I will put your names before Miss Nightingale and I will tell her what impression you have made.”
We left not exactly elated.
“I think,” said Henrietta sombrely, ‘that I may have spoilt it for us both. They know of me and they regard me as feckless and frivolous.
I’m sorry, Anna. You should have gone alone. They would have seized you, but I fancy you are a little contaminated by your proximity to one who has proved herself no asset to society. “
“Nonsense,” I said.
“We’ll go and we’ll go together.”
A little to my amazement, I was proved right.
A few days later we both had a note to say that we were accepted.
During the weeks which followed there was no time to think of anything but our impending departure. The journey to Kaiserwald had seemed an exciting adventure but it was nothing to this.
Jane and Polly were wide-eyed with amazement when they heard what we were going to do.
“Lord ‘a mercy,” said Polly, “I never heard the likes of what you two ladies get up to. I should have thought young men was what Miss Henrietta ought to be thinking of … As for you. Miss Pleydell, a little of that wouldn’t do you a bucketful of harm.”
“We have made up our minds that we are going out to nurse the wounded soldiers.”
Lily said: “If it wasn’t for young Willie, I’d come with you. Look out for William, won’t you, Miss.”
I said I would.
Joe shook his head in disbelief.
“And who’s going to be riding in the carriage when you’re out there?” he demanded.
“Carriages isn’t meant to stand in Mews. They want to be out and about, rolling along the road.”
“It can wait until we come back.”
“You be careful,” said Joe.
“Wars is dangerous things.”
When we brought home our uniforms Jane and Polly were too shocked for speech. We had been told that the nurses would be dressed all alike.
There were no concessions for ladies. We would all eat together, share duties and wear the same uniform. Miss Nightingale planned it so to create a new professionalism.
I must admit to a certain horror when I saw what we were to wear.
“Why,” demanded Henrietta, ‘do we have to be ugly to be efficient? “
“Perhaps they are meant to imply: ” Keep off, you gallant gentlemen. We are bent on duty. “
“I don’t think any gentleman will feel very gallant when he sees us in these. Yours is too small. Mine is too big.”
It was true. The uniforms were not made to measure. There were sizes and we were given the nearest to what would fit us. We had what was called a wrapper, which was a tweed dress in an ugly shade of grey; a jacket of worsted in the same dull colour; a woollen cloak and a white cap.
When Lily saw them she held up her hands in dismay.
“Wherever did they find such things?” she demanded.
“They are designed especially to show that we are not to be regarded as objects of admiration,” I explained. Then I said to Henrietta: “You don’t look too bad in yours.”
“Which is more than I can say for you. You look as if you’ve robbed a scarecrow.”
Lily commented: “They wouldn’t look quite so awful if they fitted.”
“Perhaps you can shorten Henrietta’s and turn up the sleeves,” I suggested.
Lily examined the garment.
“Yes, I can do that.”
“But I think mine is a hopeless case.”
She was kneeling at my feet.
“There’s a tidy hem here … and as you’re like a beanpole you don’t take up much in the body. I could lengthen the sleeves, too.”
She got to work immediately, eager to do something for us. She was more sombre than the others. I think Jane and Polly thought our going to the Crimea was something of a joke. Lily did not take it quite like that. But I think she was secretly glad we were going. She had such a high opinion of me and believed I could look after William, for it seemed to her that I should be sure to find him, since we were going to the same place.
There was a slight improvement in our uniforms when they fitted better; and Lily, with her needle, was a miracle worker.
Feverishly we prepared for our departure, and on a bright October Saturday morning, we set out for London Bridge on our journey to the Crimea.
All the nurses were travelling together and I had my first glimpse of Miss Nightingale. She was an extremely handsome woman, which surprised me. I had heard, through Henrietta, that she could have made a brilliant marriage and been a star of society; instead she was absorbed by her mission, which was to nurse the sick and to give England hospitals of which she could be proud. She was noble. She was admirable. In fact I thought then and this was confirmed later that she was the most remarkable woman I had ever met. She was aloof, yet at the same time obviously watchful of everything which was going on. She had a rare dignity and distinction; and I thought her wonderful.