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arrested and sent to England for treason – if we don’t keelhaul him first. I will not tolerate any interference with this project.”
    Ailish saw Dalton look at Paddy, then draw his thumb across his throat in a gesture that made her blood run cold.
    The captain called for order. “We will splice the cable and continue on our mission. Thousands of men have worked for many years to make this dream come true and we shall not be defeated. This is our chance to make history, gentlemen. Let’s make that history a glorious one!”
    A chorus of enthusiastic assent rose from the men and they set to work. The captain’s words stirred something in Ailish, too, and she saw how, small as it seemed, the cable was bigger than any single person here. She had a feeling the transatlantic telegraph cable would change the world as she knew it.
    “What happens now?” she asked Paddy, who had slid farther back into the crowd to stand beside her.
    “They’ll cut out the bad section and splice the end to fresh cable from the tanks. If it’s still dead once we’ve completed this, then we have naught else to do but sail for home. We’ll have done all we can.”
    The sun scribed its brilliant arc as it climbed ever higher in the clear blue sky but no one left Oxford Street while the splice was made. The crowd milled about, men offering help wherever needed. Paddy pulled out some sailor’s hardtack and broke her off a piece. With the biscuit, Ailish was able to wait the long, tense time until at last, the cable was whole once again.
    Cyrus Field left for the telegraph testing caboose to see if the freshly repaired wire would actually work. The very air around them stilled as every man and one young girl stood silently awaiting the verdict.

5
    Slip of the Lip
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    Moments later, the American gentleman emerged from the caboose and the crowd held its breath. His face remained inscrutable but then he lifted his head and spoke the welcome words.
    “The cable is working perfectly! Ireland is engaged again.”
    A cheer swelled from all on deck. Ailish felt her spirit leap. She was truly glad the cable was repaired and she raised her voice along with the others.
    “Time to cadge a quick forty winks,” Paddy said with a yawn. “Dalton’s keeping an eye on me and knows when he goes off shift in two hours I’ll be left on afternoon watch. I don’t want the crew chief to have me up on orders for falling asleep at my post. I think you’ll be safe enough on deck now that the crisis has passed. I’ll see you later, O’Connor.” With a wave, he left her standing amid the hustle and bustle.
    Everyone else, excited at the happy news of the signal, remained to watch as the cable was returned to the sea.
    Ailish herself desperately needed sleep. But first, she wanted to tell Davy what had happened. She threaded her way through the crowd, then past several cabooses to the hatch that led belowdecks. As she reached for the iron door, it flew open and Rufus Dalton stood in her path.
    Ailish was so surprised, she stood rooted to the spot.
    “You again! Where are you off to, boy?”
    “Ah, going to get some sleep, sir.” She ducked her head, not wanting to look him in the eye.
    He stared down at her suspiciously. “What did you say your name was?”
    Ailish gulped. “O’Connor, sir.”
    “Why don’t I remember seeing you before today?”
    “I’m not sure, sir. I’m small, maybe you overlooked me.” Ailish kept her eyes downcast. For someone who was supposed to be an example to his men, Dalton was downright scruffy. His boots and wool trousers were coated in dingy black dirt, and he smelled of rank sweat.
    Dalton grunted and pushed past her. “Stay out of my way, stupid boy, or I’ll have you paying the devil!”
    It must be another seafaring term, Ailish thought, but whatever “paying the devil” was, she knew it wouldn’t be pleasant. Grateful to escape