Downton Abbey - The Story of Emma Barrow

The Barrow Family (November 1917)

Emma's first train journey and her very first trip outside of Downton were filled with excitement. She pressed her little nose against the window pane, watching the landscape whizzing by. Eager to know where the train would take her, she fidgeted with her legs and even turned around on the seat. The wooden bench was far too uncomfortable to sit upright and patiently wait like her father and the other adults did. In this train compartment, the 5-year-old was the youngest. Perhaps it was because many mothers were now alone with their children, as the fathers were away at war, and only a few mothers dared to take a train journey or lacked the funds to do so. Taking a closer look around the compartment, one would notice that it was mostly occupied by soldiers, whether on a brief visit home or on their way back to the front.

"Emma," Thomas whispered his child's name, hoping to convey with a slight shake of his head that she should refrain from all that fidgeting. After all, many soldiers had their eyes on them. Emma sighed and settled down on the seat next to her dad. Her head rested on his upper arm, but it wasn't long before she started fidgeting with her leg again.

"Dad?" Emma drew out the word 'Dad' unbelievably long. "When will we finally arrive?"

"When the train stops... and please, stop fidgeting," Thomas replied, smiling faintly as he observed his daughter's impatient movements. He understood her excitement and couldn't blame her. After all, it was her first train journey and a new experience outside the familiar walls of Downton Abbey.

As Thomas was busy putting on his hat and taking down the suitcase from the rack, the young child ran out of the train. Curiously, she looked around the platform. There was an older lad distributing newspapers, two children polishing shoes, and an older frail gentleman sitting on the ground with his dog.

"Emma!" Thomas called out. The bustling crowd on the platform made it difficult for him to locate the girl. And amidst the sea of adults, her little black wool coat didn't stand out. "Emma Grace!" It was only when the train they had arrived on departed, and many people either boarded the train or bid farewell to their loved ones and left the platform, that he finally spotted the child in the distance. Emma was squatting down, petting a dog that evidently belonged to a homeless man. As he reached for Emma's arm, intending to lift her up, the homeless man grabbed hold of Emma's jacket sleeve. "What right do you have to take the child away?" he growled.

"That's my child," Thomas asserted sharply. With a stronger tug, he freed his daughter from the stranger's grasp. The man now held his cap upside down in the air, containing a few pennies. Pulling the child behind him, Thomas left the station premises. He didn't see the need to give his meager money to a homeless man.

"The dog's name is Cooper," the girl recounted, struggling to keep up with her father's brisk strides. "Cooper doesn't have a home anymore." Suddenly, she even stumbled over her own feet, but her dad didn't care. He didn't pause or slow down his pace. Emma continued to ponder over the homeless man. Not only was he incredibly dirty, and his clothes torn—she doubted they would be sufficient for the cold—but what troubled her most was his appearance.

"He didn't have a leg," Emma realized. "But how can he walk?"

Thomas swallowed hard. He had been trying to shield his daughter from such horrifying images for the past six months. The girl was not allowed to go upstairs or play near the terrace. Emma was meant to experience a carefree childhood without worries, suffering, or grief. Thomas tried to protect her from the cruel world.

"You're going too fast," she whimpered.

"Well, you were pretty quick to run off," Thomas retorted.

"But I waited!"