the plague
s spring advanced, the plague came on amain. houses were shut up, some empty, some with infected people in them under guard, ne’er to be let out, save in perfect health or to be cast into the dead-cart. swarms of people hurried out of town, some in health, some already infected: never was such a blockade of carts, coaches, and horsemen on the bridge; and i was told, on the northern and western roads ’twas still worse. every horse, good and bad, was in request, at enormous hire: as soon as they had done duty for one 135party, they came back for another, so that the poor things had an ill time o’t. the court set the example of running away; the nobility and gentry followed it; the soldiers were all sent to country quarters, the tower was left under the guard of a few beef-eaters, all the courts of law were closed, and even the middle and lower ranks that could not well afford to leave their shops and houses, thought it a good matter to escape for bare life, and live about the country in removed places, camping in the fields, and under hedges.
houses were shut up, some empty, some
with infected people in them
thus the city, which had previously been so over-filled as to provoke the comparing of it with jerusalem before the last passover, was in a manner so depopulated, that though vast numbers remained in its by-streets and lanes, whole rows of houses stood empty. those that walked 136abroad kept the middle of the streets for fear of infection; grass began to grow between the paving-stones; the sound of wheels was scarce heard, for people were afraid of using the hackney-coaches; beggars, and street-singers, and hawkers, had altogether disappeared; so that there was nothing to break the awful stillness save the shrieks of dying persons in lone houses, or the rumbling of the dead-cart.
meanwhile, though the distemper was raging on both sides of us and all about us, it came not on the bridge. crowded assemblages of buyers and sellers at markets, &c., being much to be avoided, we laid in as much stock as our small premises would hold and our small family require, of soap, candles, groceries, cheese, bacon, salt butter, and such-like. and whereas the plague 137raged worse than anywhere among the butchers’ stalls and low fishmongers, we made a merit of necessity, and fasted from both fish and fresh meat, as well for our health as our sins, which, if sundry others had done in a proper frame and temper, ’tis likely they might have been spared.
thus we kept close and went abroad little, except to public prayers; reading and meditating much at home, and considering, as noah and his family probably did in the ark, that if our confinement were irksome, ’twas a cheap price to pay for safety. of the blenkinsops we saw nothing after the regular outburst of the calamity; but we knew that mistress blenkinsop was not only resolved not to stir, but that she would not so much as lay in stores for daily consumption; perversely and cruelly persisting in sending 138her servants into the danger, she feared not for herself to purchase pennyworths of things she might have bought wholesale.
keeping the gates.
meantime, though our bridge, by reason of its being one of the great thoroughfares of london, could not well be shut up, yet the bridgewardens took all the care of us they could, keeping the gates with much jealousy, and burning large fires of resinous and strong-smelling substances. early in the season, there was one person who took a mighty panic at her own danger, which was mistress armytage. she had left her lodgings, ostensibly to be with kitty during her confinement, but in reality, as the event proved, to be out of the reach of infection. however, the news of each day, which she greedily gathered, becoming dismaller, and the crowds of 139people pouring out of town exciting her desire to be among them, she wearied hugh braidfoot with entreaties that he would promise to go into the country as soon as kitty got about again; and, one night, a coffin leaping into her lap out of the fire, her fears for herself could no longer be allayed, but she declared she must go the next morning, come what would. i heard much sobbing and loud talking through the wall overnight; and the next morning at day-break, saw the widow departing with a small bundle in her hand, and a young lad carrying her heavy box. however, the end, which was impressive, was this. she over-heated herself in her selfish flight, slept in a damp bed the next night, and took a hurt which ended her life before the year was out, though not by the plague.
140soon after, kitty gave birth to twin daughters, the sweetest little dears that ever were seen, whom she very prettily insisted on naming violet and cherry. but now, the plague being more and more talked of, and she being unable to nurse both, it became a momentous question with her whether to bring one up by hand or send it to a foster-nurse in the country. at length, the latter was decided upon; and little violet was put out to nurse at lewisham.
and now the judgment of god fell very heavy on us; insomuch that amid the general visitation and bereavement, it would have been strange indeed if even the unafflicted could have been so unfeeling as to hold back from the general mourning. the cry from every pulpit and every altar was, “spare, o lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed 141with thy precious blood;” and the churches were open all day long and crowded with penitents, till it was found that contagion was thereby augmented; whereon all but the bold fell to exchanging public for private devotion.
about this time, poor kitty braidfoot fell into much danger. she was nursing her little cherry one morning, and saying to me how her heart yearned for a sight of its twin-sister, when, as if in answer to her wish, in comes the foster-nurse, looking defiant and heated, with the infant in her arms, whom without more ado she sets upon the table, and then retreats to the door.
“there’s your babby, mistress,” says she bluntly, “and you owes me one and twenty shillings for the last six weeks’ nursing, at three and sixpence a week ... it’s taken the plague, and i can’t 142have my own babby infected, so i declines the farther charge of it—’tis a puny little thing, and i doesn’t think would anyhow ha’ lived long.”
“puny!” cries kitty, with eyes darting fire; “why, you’ve starved it for the sake of your own baby! ’twas as fine a child as this, and now a downright skeleton!”
the woman had an answer on her lips, but something in kitty’s eye and in her own heart suddenly abashed her; and with a “marry come up!” she hastily turned about and quitted the house, without so much as asking again for her one and twenty shillings. poor kitty exclaimed, “oh, you little starveling!” and bursting into tears, put cherry into my arms, and began to unfasten her own dress. i said, “remember, you cannot nurse both——” she said, “i must 143commit the other to you to bring up by hand and keep out of the infection—i cannot let this little thing perish,” and showered on it kisses and tears, quite thoughtless of her own safety.
just then, hugh came in, and stood amazed when he saw kitty fondling the famished little infant. she, thoughtful of him also before herself, cried, “don’t come near me, hugh! baby has the plague. i’m thankful the woman brought it home; god forbid a child of mine should endanger a child of hers!” and pressed her little one yet closer to her, and kissed its little, meagre hands. poor hugh stood aghast at the news, regarding her from where he first stood with a mixture of wonder, admiration, and fear; at length exclaiming, “god be your blessing, kitty!”—he brushed off a tear and turned away. 144again saw i that the strongest heart is not always in the biggest body. as for kitty, i thought she had never looked so beautiful as at that moment. she was now eagerly seeking for some token of the disease about her child, but could find none. “what and if ’twere a false alarm?” cries she,—“heaven grant it!—but now, dear cherry, take your little charge out of harm’s reach—and bid nell tend dear hugh all she can—i’ve everything i want here, and they can set down my meals at the door without coming in.”
i looked back at her as i closed the door, and saw her smiling so over her baby that it really seemed as if she felt she had in it everything she wanted. and when i lay down by my little cherry at night, and felt its little mites of hands straying over my face, i felt 145drawn towards it with a love i had never experienced for a child before, and wondered not how kitty, who might call it part and parcel of herself, could so cheerfully risk her own life for that of her child.
next morning, both our heads were thrust simultaneously out of our bedroom windows. “violet is doing purely,” cries she; “there’s no plague-spot—how is cherry?” we exchanged congratulations and heartfelt blessings.
in short, it proved a false alarm; but as cherry was so miraculously contented under my care, her mother would not have her back till every fear of danger was over, by which time the pretty creature was well weaned. if hugh had loved his wife before this, he now absolutely adored her: he said he had learned the value of his treasures too dearly to 146run any farther risk of losing them, come what might to his business. so he shut up shop, left an old woman in charge, bought a tent, horse, and cart, and everything else he wanted or could take; and, one fair morning, he mounted kitty all smiling under the tilt, with a darling on each arm, and bags, baskets, and crockery-ware all about her; and shouldering his carter’s whip, started off with his family for kent, like a blythe, honest patriarch.
