Col's safe, civilized world on the Upper Decks of the World-Shaker, a huge ship that had been sailing since 1845, is changed forever when a Filthy from Below finds her way into his cabin.Col twisted over in bed, lifted the fringed edge of his bedspread and looked underneath.Two eyes looked back at him.The female Filthy!Disgusting!Then she moved. Fast as a snake, she slid out and knelt at the side of his bed. 'Don't let 'em take me, ' she said. Col goggled. It wasn't a grunt, but actual proper words. She pronounced them in a rough and uncouth accent, but definitely words. A whole sentence! 'You can speak, then?'''Course I can speak. Why wouldn't I?''I thought I didn't know Filthies could speak. Menials can't.''Yeah. I heard about Menials.''We train Filthies to become Menials. Then they can understand human language.''Un-train 'em, more like. They could understand and speak, before.'Col had no answer. His head was spinning, he couldn't adjust.Richard Harland has created an acutely observed and utterly compelling Gothic world of warped Victoriana to explore 16-year-old Col's journey from cosseted youth to courageous maturity.