“Who hired him?” Macdonald’s mind was locking onto Carnarvon’s cautionary word about the Fenians, words he had dismissed with a wave of the hand.
“I did, sir. He seemed a likely lad. Anxious to work. Full of the Irish blarney and all. Knew there was a lot of Canadians staying in the ’otel. Said he has relatives in Canada and the U.S. Had experience in other London ’otels, the Strand an’ such. Bright lad, sir. Good worker. We got on well. No idea why he’d quit.”
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know, Mr. Macdonald. All I know is he couldn’t get out of ’ere quick enough. Only about ten minutes ago or so. Got out of his uniform, put on his civvy clothes, said ‘We’ll get all you British bastards out of Ireland yet,’ and he was gone. Didn’t even ask for his pay!”
Macdonald grunted. “His pay was the privilege of putting the torch to this room, the honour of killing me as I slept, a Fenian killing me for the honour of Ireland. And he almost succeeded.”
“You mean Kelly started this bloody fire?” Ben’s mouth was agape with astonishment. He couldn’t believe his ears. Nor could Cartier and Galt, both of whom were uncharacteristically speechless.
Macdonald struggled to his feet, his hand clutching his right arm just below the area of his burn. He was in deep pain, his face twisted by it as he stood.
He looked intently at his colleagues and the night porter. “Not a word about how this fire started, gentlemen. Not a goddamn word. But there’ll have to be an explanation about the fire and the burn.”
“Of course, John A.” Cartier understood immediately. “If this man Kelly was a Fenian …”
“He was, make no mistake about it. Carnarvon warned me about them when we were getting on the train at Newbury.”
“But you didn’t tell us,” Galt protested.
“Of course not. I didn’t think anything of it. No need to get you two alarmed, that’s what I thought. And I was wrong.”
“Almost dead wrong. I’ll go and fetch the doctor.”
“Good. And remember, this was an accident. I fell asleep, didn’t get the candle blown out. The newspaper caught fire. You hear that, Ben?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Macdonald. I hear you strong, I do. I’ll clean all this up straightaway, sir. Cor, wot a bloody mess.”
5
December 14, 1866
London
The delegates had decided to take Friday the 14th of December as a break. The burn-injured Macdonald was at the Bernard flat for most of the day. There, to the amusement of his colleagues, he was continuing his wooing of Agnes. All silently wished him well, even the bellicose but softening Robert Wilmot.
But for Alexander Galt and George Cartier, it was a heavy working day, to say the least. The two men met with merchant banking groups in the City to discuss an urgent financial matter.
With Cartier at his side, Galt had the difficult, painstaking task of raising the preliminary funds for the construction of the railway line to Quebec and Ontario from the Maritime provinces which those hardnosed Maritimers had made a principle condition of Confederation. During the discussion with the largest banking firm in the City substantial progress was being made when suddenly, without prior discussion with his shocked colleague, Cartier, Galt said to the bank’s chairman, who was also its managing director, “You know, Sir William, if we’re successful in completing the financing of the inter-colonial, it is only the beginning.”
“Oh, really. You mean you have other railways in mind?”
“Of course. We must move quickly to bring the colony of British Columbia into our new Confederation.”
“And the price they’ll demand is a railway?” Sir William was quick.
“Precisely. It could well be the longest railway yet built. It would run from Ontario west across the North-Western Territories through the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver and the Pacific.”
“What sort of distance are you talking about?”
“Something in the range of two thousand miles.”
Sir William’s eyebrows shot up as he contemplated the tens upon tens of millions of pounds that would be needed to undertake such a monumental project.
“So as long as you have Her Majesty’s government covenant to guarantee, Mr. Galt, we’ll be happy to do business with you. When would you be needing money for the Pacific railway?”
“It’s difficult to say. It’ll take some time and effort. First, we must have the Colonial Secretary’s support for our plans to bring B.C. into Confederation. We’ve started the negotiations with Sir Frederic Rogers. He’s the —”
“Yes, I know him. He’s the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Colonial Office.”
“In fact we’ve been negotiating with him on and off for the past ten days.”
“But why are you negotiating with Sir Frederic? Doesn’t British Columbia have a governor or legislature? Won’t you have to deal with them?”
“Of course, Sir William. But if we can convince Rogers and the Foreign office that Canada’s offer to British Columbia to join our Confederation is practical and realistic, then he can recommend it to his government.”
Sir William was dubious. “But if you’re going to build a railway all the way to Vancouver and the Pacific that is thousands of miles long and costs millions of pounds, it will take years and years!”
“Probably fifteen or twenty years,” Galt acknowledged.
“How long will it take to start construction?”
“Perhaps a year, eighteen months, to get the British government to agree to a deal for us to bring B.C. in.”
“And then?”
“Maybe another year to convince the B.C. legislative assembly to join Confederation.”
“Next?”
“Collateral to all this will be the negotiations with you people here who will put up the money, so long as Her Majesty’s government and the Canadian government are on the guarantor’s covenant.”
“How long for that?”
“You’re the best judge, Sir William.”
“Probably no more than six months after the B.C. government or the British approve, whichever is the later. Then it’s a matter of laying out the route. How long for that phase?”
“Likely a couple of years. Then the preparation of tender calls and the actual callings. Receiving and analyzing them would be next, followed by the legal paperwork. Try nine months for the phase. No, better settle for eighteen months.”
“What about the approval of the proposed Canadian government?”
“Well, we haven’t been able to really deal with that issue yet. We’re not sure of a confederation approval, let alone the confederation date. Probably next spring or summer.”
“The upper house will have to be appointed. Who will do that?”
“The first Prime Minister.”
“And who will that be?”
“We don’t know yet. It will be up to Governor General Monck. He will appoint the Prime Minister to take office on Confederation day. The Prime Minister will then appoint the senators and call a general election to take place within a month or two.”
“If the Prime Minister’s party loses the election?”
“Then he’s out and the leader of the majority