The Sign of the Red Cross: A Tale of Old London

by Evelyn Everett-Green

  CHAPTER IV. JAMES HARMER'S RESOLVE.

  It was with a grave face, yet with a brave and cheerful mien, thatthe worthy Harmer met his household upon the following morning. Hehad passed the remainder of that strangely interrupted night inmeditation and prayer, and had arrived now at a resolution which heintended to put into immediate effect.

  His household consisted, it will be remembered, of his own family,together with apprentices, shopmen, and serving wenches. To all ofthese he now addressed himself, told the story which his daughterhad related of the treatment received in the house of the high-bornlady by the poor girl stricken by the pestilence, and how it hadmade even his own child almost fear to enter her father's house.

  "My friends," said the master, looking round upon the ring of graveand eager faces, "these things ought not to be. In times of commontrouble and peril the hearts of men should draw closer together,and we should remember that God's command to us is to love ourneighbour as ourself. If we were to lie stricken of mortal illness,should we think it a Christ-like act for all men to flee away fromus? But inasmuch as we ought all of us to take every care not torun into needless peril, so must we take every right and reasonableprecaution to keep from ourselves and our homes this just butterrible visitation, which God has doubtless sent for ouradmonition and chastisement."

  After this preface, Harmer proceeded to tell his household what hehad himself resolved upon. His two apprentices--other than his ownson Joseph--were sons of a farmer living in Greenwich; and hepurposed that very day to get his sailor son Dan to take them downthe river in a boat, that he might deliver the lads safe and soundto their parents before further peril threatened, advising them tokeep them at home till the distemper should have abated, andarranging with them for a regular supply of fresh and untaintedprovisions, to be conveyed to his house from week to week by water,so long as there should be any fear of marketing in the city. Heforesaw that very soon trade would come almost to a standstill. Thescare and the pestilence together were emptying London of all itswealthier inhabitants. There would be soon no work for eithershopmen or apprentices, and he counselled the former, if they hadhomes out of London to go to, to remain no longer in town, but totake their wages and seek safety and employment elsewhere, untilthe calamity should be overpast. He also gave the same liberty tothe serving wenches, one of whom came from Islington and the otherfrom Rotherhithe. And all of these persons having home and friends,decided to leave forthwith, to be out of the danger of infection,and of that still more dreaded danger of being shut up in aninfected house with a plague-stricken person.

  The master gave liberally to each of his servants according totheir past service, and promised that if he should escape thepestilence, and continue his business in more prosperous times, hewould take them back into his house again.

  For the present, however, it seemed good to him that only his ownfamily should remain with him. His wife and three daughters couldwell manage the house, and he did not desire that any other personshould be imperilled through the course of action he himselfintended to take.

  When he took boat with his apprentices, he offered to Joseph toaccompany his companions and remain under the charge of the farmerand his wife at Greenwich; but the boy begged so earnestly toremain at home with the rest, that he was permitted to do so. Truthto tell, Joseph was more fascinated than alarmed by the thought ofthe advance of the dreaded plague, and was by no means anxious tobe taken away from the city when all the world was saying that suchstrange things would be seen ere long. The lad felt so safe beneaththe care of wise and loving parents, that he would never of his ownwill consent to leave them.

  The moment the party had started by boat, the shop being that dayshut for the first time, albeit for some days nothing had beenstirring in the way of custom--Joseph darted away down a network ofalleys hard by in search of his younger brother Benjamin, who wasapprenticed to a carpenter in Lad Lane, off Wood Street, andtherefore much nearer to the infected parishes than the house onthe bridge. Benjamin was sure to know the latest news as to thespread of the pestilence. Joseph was of opinion that it was allrather fine fun, especially since it seemed like to get him a spellof unwonted holiday.

  Already as he passed through the streets he noted a great manyempty and shut-up houses. Men were going about with grave andanxious faces. Often they would look askance at some passerby whomight be walking a little feebly or unsteadily, and once Joseph sawa man some fifty paces in advance of him stagger and fall to theground with a lamentable cry.

  Instead of flying to his assistance, all who saw him fled interror, crying one to the other, "It is the pestilence! Send forthe watch to get him away!"

  And presently there came two men who lifted him up and carried himaway, but whether he was then alive or dead the boy did not know,and a great awe fell upon him; for he had never seen such a thingbefore, and could not understand how death could come so suddenly.

  "Is it always so with them?" he asked of a woman who was craningher head out of a window to see where the bearers were taking him.

  "I cannot tell," she answered. "They say that there be many walkingabout amongst us daily in the streets who carry death to all intheir breath and in their touch, and yet they know it notthemselves, and none know it till they fall as yon poor man did,and die ofttimes in a few minutes or hours. If such be so, whoknows when he is safe? May the Lord have mercy upon us all! Therebe seven lying dead in this street today, and though folks say theydied of other fevers and distempers, who can tell? They bribe thenurses and the leeches to return them dead of smaller ailments, butI verily believe the pestilence is stalking through our very midsteven now."

  She shut down the window with a groan, and Joseph pursued his waywith somewhat modified feelings, half elated at being in the thickof so much that was terrible and awesome, and yet beginning tounderstand somewhat of the horror that was possessing the minds ofall. He found himself walking in the middle of the street, andavoiding too close contact with the passersby; indeed all seemeddisposed to give strangers a wide berth just now, so that it wasnot difficult to avoid contact.

  Yet crowds were to be seen, too, at many open spaces. Sometimes afervid preacher would be declaiming to a pale-faced group on thesubject of God's righteous judgments upon a wicked and licentiouscity. Sometimes a wizened old woman or a juggling charlatan wouldbe seen selling all sorts of charms and potions as specificsagainst the plague. Joseph pressing near in curiosity to one ofthese vendors, found him doing a brisk trade in dried toads, whichhe vowed would preserve the wearer from all infection. Another hadpackets of dried herbs to which he gave terribly long names, andwhich he declared acted as an antidote to the poison. Another hadsmall leaflets on which directions were given for applying acertain ointment to the plague spots, which at once cured them asby magic. The leaflets were given away, but the ointment had to bebought. Those, however, who once read what the paper said, seldomwent away without a box of the precious specific.

  Joseph would have liked one himself, but had no money, and wasfurther restrained by a sense of conviction that his father wouldsay it was all nonsense and quackery.

  Church bells were ringing, and many were tolling--tolling for thedead, and ringing the living into the churches, where specialprayers were being offered and many excellent discourses preached,to which crowds of people listened with bated breath. Joseph creptinto one church on his way for a few minutes, but was too restlessto listen long, and soon came forth again.

  He was now near to Lad Lane, and hastening his steps lest he mightbe further delayed, came quickly upon the back premises of thecarpenter's shop, where the sound of hammer and chisel and saw madequite a clamour in the quiet air.

  "They are busy here at all events," muttered Joseph, as he pushedopen the gate of the yard, and in truth they were busy within; butyet the sight that presented itself to his eyes was anything hut acheerful one, for every man in the large number assembled there wasat work upon a coffin. Coffins in every stage of construction stoodeverywhere, and the carpen
ters were toiling away at them as if fordear life. Nothing but coffins was to be seen; and scarcely was onefinished, in never so rude a fashion, but it was borne hurriedlyaway by some waiting messenger, and the master kept coming into theyard to see if his men could not work yet faster.

  "They say they must bury the corpses uncoffined soon," Joseph heardhim whisper to his foreman as he passed by. "No bodies may waitabove ground after the first night when the cart goes its round.Six orders have come in within the last hour. No one knows how manywe shall have by nightfall, or how many men we shall have workingsoon. I sent Job away but an hour since. I hope it was not thedistemper that turned his face so green! They say it has broken outin three streets hard by, and that it is spreading like wildfire."

  Joseph shuddered as he listened and crept away to the corner wherehis brother was generally to be found. And there sure enough wasBenjamin, a pretty fair-haired boy, who looked scarce strong enoughfor the task in hand, but who was yet working might and main withchisel and hammer. His face brightened at sight of his brother, yethe did not relax his efforts, only saying eagerly:

  "How goes it at home with them all, Joseph? I trow it is the coffinmakers, not the lace makers, who have all the trade nowadays! Weare working night and day, and yet cannot keep up with the orders."

  Benjamin was half proud of all this press of business, but he didnot look as though it agreed with him. His face was pale, and whenat last he threw down his hammer it was with a gasp of exhaustion.The day was very hot, and he had been at work before the dawn. Itwas no wonder, perhaps, that he looked wan and weary, yet themaster passing by paused and cast an uneasy glance at him. For itwas from the very next stool that he had recently dismissed the manJob of whom he had spoken, and of whose condition he felt gravedoubts.

  Seeing Joseph close by he gave him a nod, and said:

  "Hast come to fetch home thy brother? Two of my apprentices havebeen taken away since yesterday. He is a good lad, and does hisbest; but he may take a holiday at home if he likes. You arehealthier at your end of the town, and they say the distemper comesnot near water.

  "Wilt thou go home to thy mother, boy? We want men rather than ladsat our work in these days."

  Joseph had had no thought of fetching home his brother when hestarted, but it seemed to him that Benjamin would be much better athome than in this crowded yard, where already the infection mighthave spread. The boy confessed to a headache and pains in hislimbs; and so fearful were all men now of any symptom of illness,however trifling, that the master sent him forth without delay,bidding Joseph take him straight home to his mother, and keep himthere at his father's pleasure. A young boy was better at home inthese days, as indeed might well be the case.

  Benjamin was well pleased with this arrangement, having hadsomething too much of over hours and hard work.

  "He thinks perchance I have the distemper upon me," he remarkedslyly to Joseph, "but it is not that. It is but the long hours andthe heat and noise of the yard. I shall be well enough when I gethome to mother."

  And this indeed proved to be the case. The child was overdone, andwanted but a little rest and care and mothering; and right gladwere both his parents to have him safe under their own wing.

  Upon that hot evening, almost the first in June, James Harmer hadthe satisfaction of feeling that he had every member of his familyunder his own roof, and that his household contained now none whowere not indeed his very own flesh and blood. Janet had sleptpeacefully almost the whole day, and had conversed happily andaffectionately through the closed door with her sisters, who wererejoiced to have her there. She spoke of feeling perfectly well butdesired to remain in seclusion until certain that she could injurenone beside. She was not therefore able to be present when herfather unfolded his plans to the rest of the family, though she wasquickly apprised of the result later on.

  "My dear wife and dutiful children," said the master of the house,as he sat at table and looked about him at the ring of dear facesround him, "I have been thinking much as to what it is right for usto do in face of this peril and scourge which God has sent upon thecity; and albeit I am well aware that it is the duty of every manto take reasonable care of himself and his household, yet I alsofeel very strongly that in the protection of the Lord is ourgreatest strength and safeguard, and that our best and strongestdefence is in throwing ourselves upon His mercy, and asking day byday for His merciful protection for a household which looks to Himas the Lord of life and death."

  Then the good man proceeded to quote from Holy Writ certainpassages in which the pestilence is represented as being thescourge of the Lord, and is spoken of as being an angel of the Lordwith a drawn sword slaying right and left, yet ever ready to sparewhere the Lord shall bid.

  "I shall then," continued Harmer, "daily and nightly confide thoseof this household into the keeping of Almighty God, and pray to Himfor His protection and special blessing. It may be (since His earsare always open to the supplication of His children) that He willsend His angel of life to watch over us and keep us from harm; andhaving this confidence, and using such means as seem wise andreasonable for the protection of all, I shall strive--and you mustall strive with me--to dismiss selfish terrors and the horror thatbegets cruelty and callousness, that we may all of us do our dutytowards those about us, and show that even the scourge of arighteous and offended God may become a blessing if taken inmeekness and humility."

  Then the good man proceeded to say what precautions he was about totake for the preservation of his family. He did not propose to flythe city. He had many valuable goods on the premises, which hemight probably lose were he to shut up his house and leave. He hadno place to go to in the country, and believed that the scourgemight well follow them there, were every householder to seek toquit his abode. Moreover, never was there greater need in the cityfor honest men of courage and probity to help to meet the comingcrisis and to see carried out all the wise regulations proposed bythe Mayor and Aldermen. He had resolved to join them--sincebusiness was like to be at a standstill for a while--and dowhatsoever a man could do to forward that good work. His son Reubenwas of the same mind with him; whilst his wife would far ratherface the peril in her own house than go out, she knew not whither,to be perhaps overtaken by the plague on the road. Her heart hadyearned over the sick ever since she had heard her daughter'sharrowing tale, and knew that her sister was at work amongst thestricken. She knew not what she might be able to do, but shetrusted to her husband for guidance, and would be entirely underhis direction.

  Some citizens spoke of victualling their houses as for a siege, andentirely secluding themselves and their families till the plaguewas overpast--and indeed this was many times done with success,although the plan broke down in other cases--but this was notHarmer's idea. He did indeed advise his wife and daughters to becareful how they adventured themselves abroad, and where they went.He had arranged at the farm near Greenwich for a regular supply ofprovisions to be brought by water to the stairs hard by the bridge;and since their house was supplied by water from the New River,they were sure of a constant fresh supply. But he had no intentionof incarcerating himself or any of his household, and preventingthem from being of use to afflicted neighbours, whilst he himselfanticipated having to go into many stricken homes and into infectedhouses. All the restriction he imposed was that any person sallyingforth into places where infection might be met should change hisraiment before going out, in a small building in the rear of theshop which he was about to fit up for that purpose, and to keepconstantly fumigated by the frequent burning of certain perfumes,of oil of sulphur, and of a coarse medicated vinegar which was saidto be an excellent disinfectant. On returning home again, theperson who had been exposed would doff all outer garments in thislittle room, would resume his former clothing, and hang up thediscarded garments where they would be subjected to thisdisinfecting fumigation for a number of hours, and would be thensafe to wear upon another occasion. He intended burning regularlyin his house a fire of pungent wood such as pine or cedar, whichwas
to be constantly fed with such spices and perfumes anddisinfectants as the physicians should pronounce most efficacious.Perfect cleanliness he did not need to insist upon, for his wifecould not endure a speck of dust upon anything in the house.

  A careful diet, regular hours, and freedom from needless fearswould, he was assured, do much towards maintaining them all inhealth, and he concluded his address by kneeling down in the midstof his sons and daughters, and commending them all most ferventlyto the protection of Heaven, praying for grace to do their dutytowards all about them, and for leading and guidance that they rannot into needless peril, but were directed in all things by theSpirit of God.

  They had hardly risen from their knees before a knock at the doorannounced the arrival of a visitor, and Joseph running to answerthe summons--since there was now no servant in the house--came backalmost immediately ushering in the Master Builder, whose face worea very troubled look.

  "Heaven guard us all! I think my wife will go distraught with theterror of this visitation, if it goes on much longer. What is a manto do for the best? She raves at me sometimes like a maniac for nothaving taken her away ere the scourge spread as it is doing now.But when I tell her that if she is bent upon it she must e'en gonow, she cries out that nothing would induce her to set her footoutside the house. She sits with the curtains and shutters fastclosed, and a fire of spices on the hearth, till one is fairlystifled, and will touch nothing that is not well-nigh soaked invinegar. And each time that Frederick comes in with some freshtale, she is like to swoon with fear, and every time she vows thatit is the pestilence attacking her, and is like to die from sheerfright. What is a man to do with such a wife and such a son?"

  "Surely Frederick will cease to repeat tales of horror when he seesthey so alarm his mother," said Rachel; but the Master Buildershook his head with an air of more than doubt.

  "It seems his delight to torment her with terror; and she appearsalmost equally eager to hear all, though it almost scares her outof her senses. As for Gertrude, the child is pining like a cagedbird shut up in the house and not suffered to stir into the freshair. I am fair beset to know what to do for them. Nothing willconvince Madam but that there be dead carts at every street corner,and that the child will bring home death with her every time shestirs out. Yet Frederick comes to and fro, and she admits him toher presence (though she holds a handkerchief steeped in vinegar toher nose the while), and she gets no harm from him."

  "Poor child!" said Rachel, thinking of Gertrude, whom once she hadknown so well, running to and fro in the house almost like one ofher own. "Would that we could do somewhat for her. But I fear meher mother would not suffer her to visit us, especially since poorJanet came home last night from a plague-stricken house."

  Reuben's eyes had brightened suddenly at his mother's words, butthe gleam died out again, and he remained quite silent whilst thestory of Janet's appearance at home was told. The Master Builderlistened with interest and sighed at the same time. Perhaps he wascontrasting the nature of his neighbour's wife with that of hisown. How would Madam have acted had her child come to her in such aplight?

  Harmer then told his neighbour the rules he was about to lay downfor his own household, all of which the Master Builder, who was akeen practical man, cordially approved. He was himself likely soonto be in a great strait, for most probably he would be appointed indue course to serve as an examiner of health, and would ofnecessity come into contact with those who had been amongst thesick, even if not with the infected themselves, and how his wifewould bear such a thing as that he scarce dared to think. Business,too, was at a standstill, all except the carpentering branch, andthat was only busy with coffins. If London became depopulated,there would be nothing doing in the building and furnishing linefor long enough. Some prophets declared that the city was doomed toa destruction such as had never been seen by mortal man before.Even as it was the plague seemed like to sweep away a fourth of theinhabitants; and if that were so, what would become of such tradesas his for many a year to come? Already the Master Builder spoke ofhimself as a half-ruined man.

  His neighbour did all he could to cheer him, but it was only tootrue that misfortune appeared imminent. Harmer had always been acareful and cautious man, laying by against a rainy day, and notstriving after a rapid increase of wealth. But the Master Builderhad worked on different lines. He had enlarged his borders whereverhe could see his way to doing so, and although he had a largecapital by this time, it was all floating in this and that venture;so that in spite of his appearance of wealth and prosperity, he hadoften very little ready money. So long as trade was brisk thismattered little, and he turned his capital over in a fashion thatwas very pleasing to himself. But this sudden and totallyunexpected collapse of business came upon him at a time when hecould ill afford to meet it. Already he had had to discharge thegreater part of his workmen, having nothing for them to do. Theexpenses which he could not put down drained his resources in a waythat bid fair to bring him to bankruptcy, and it was almostimpossible to get in outstanding accounts when the rich persons inhis debt had fled hither and thither with such speed and haste thatoften no trace of them could be found, and their houses in townwere shut up and absolutely empty.

  "As for Frederick, he spends money like water--and his motherencourages him," groaned the unhappy father in confidence to hisfriend. "Ah me! when I look at your fine sons, and see theirconduct at home and abroad, it makes my heart burn with shame. Whatis it that makes the difference? for I am sure I have deniedFrederick no advantage that money could purchase."

  "Perhaps it is those advantages which money cannot purchase that helacks," said James Harmer, gravely--"the prayers of a godly mother,the chastisement of a father who would not spoil the child bysparing the rod. There are things in the upbringing of children, mygood friend, of far more value than those which gold willpurchase."

  The Master Builder gave vent to a sound almost like a groan.

  "You are right, Harmer, you are right. I have not done well in thisthing. My son is no better than an idle profligate. I say it to myshame, but so it is. Nothing that I say will keep him from hisriotous comrades and licentious ways. I have spoken till I am wearyof speaking, and all is in vain. And now that this terrible scourgeof God has fallen upon the city, instead of turning from their evilcourses with fear and loathing, he and such as he are but the morereckless and impious, and turn into a jest even this fearfulvisitation. They scour the streets as before, and drink themselvesdrunk night by night. Ah, should the pestilence reach some amongstthem, what would be their terrible doom! I cannot bear even tothink of it! Yet that is too like to be the end of my wretched boy,my poor, unhappy Frederick!"