At a Winter's Fire

by Bernard Edward Joseph Capes

  THE BLACK REAPER

  TAKEN FROM THE Q---- REGISTER OF LOCAL EVENTS, AS COMPILED FROM AUTHENTICNARRATIVES

  I

  Now I am to tell you of a thing that befell in the year 1665 of the GreatPlague, when the hearts of certain amongst men, grown callous inwickedness upon that rebound from an inhuman austerity, were opened tothe vision of a terror that moved and spoke not in the silent places ofthe fields. Forasmuch as, however, in the recovery from delirium apatient may marvel over the incredulity of neighbours who refuse to givecredence to the presentments that have been _ipso facto_ to him, so, thenation being sound again, and its constitution hale, I expect little buta laugh for my piety in relating of the following incident; which,nevertheless, is as essential true as that he who shall look through theknot-hole in the plank of a coffin shall acquire the evil eye.

  For, indeed, in those days of a wild fear and confusion, when everycondition that maketh for reason was set wandering by a devious path, andall men sitting as in a theatre of death looked to see the curtain riseupon God knows what horrors, it was vouchsafed to many to witness sightsand sounds beyond the compass of Nature, and that as if the devil and hisminions had profited by the anarchy to slip unobserved into the world.And I know that this is so, for all the insolence of a recoveredscepticism; and, as to the unseen, we are like one that traverseth thedark with a lanthorn, himself the skipper of a little moving blot oflight, but a positive mark for any secret foe without the circumferenceof its radiance.

  Be that as it may, and whether it was our particular ill-fortune, or, assome asserted, our particular wickedness, that made of our village aninviting back-door of entrance to the Prince of Darkness, I know not; butso it is that disease and contagion are ever inclined to penetrate by wayof flaws or humours where the veil of the flesh is already perforated,as a kite circleth round its quarry, looking for the weak place tostrike: and, without doubt, in that land of corruption we were a veryfoul blot indeed.

  How this came about it were idle to speculate; yet no man shall have thehardihood to affirm that it was otherwise. Nor do I seek to extenuatemyself, who was in truth no better than my neighbours in most that madeus a community of drunkards and forswearers both lewd and abominable.For in that village a depravity that was like madness had come to possessthe heads of the people, and no man durst take his stand on honesty oreven common decency, for fear he should be set upon by his comrades anddrummed out of his government on a pint pot. Yet for myself I will saywas one only redeeming quality, and that was the pure love I bore to mysolitary orphaned child, the little Margery.

  Now, our Vicar--a patient and God-fearing man, for all his predial titheswere impropriated by his lord, that was an absentee and a sheriff inLondon--did little to stem that current of lewdness that had set instrong with the Restoration. And this was from no lack of virtue inhimself, but rather from a natural invertebracy, as one may say, and anorder of mind that, yet being no order, is made the sport of anysophister with a wit for paragram. Thus it always is that mere example isof little avail without precept,--of which, however, it is an importantcondition,--and that the successful directors of men be not those who goto the van and lead, unconscious of the gibes and mockery in their rear,but such rather as drive the mob before them with a smiting hand and noinfirmity of purpose. So, if a certain affection for our pastor dwelt inour hearts, no title of respect was there to leaven it and justify hishigh office before Him that consigned the trust; and ever deeper anddeeper we sank in the slough of corruption, until was brought about thispass--that naught but some scourging despotism of the Church shouldacquit us of the fate of Sodom. That such, at the eleventh hour, wasvouchsafed us of God's mercy, it is my purpose to show; and, doubtless,this offering of a loop-hole was to account by reason of the devil'shaving debarked his reserves, as it were, in our port; and so quarteringupon us a soldiery that we were, at no invitation of our own, tomaintain, stood us a certain extenuation.

  It was late in the order of things before in our village so much as arumour of the plague reached us. Newspapers were not in those days, andreports, being by word of mouth, travelled slowly, and were often spentbullets by the time they fell amongst us. Yet, by May, some gossip therewas of the distemper having gotten a hold in certain quarters of Londonand increasing, and this alarmed our people, though it made no abatementof their profligacy. But presently the reports coming thicker, withconfirmation of the terror and panic that was enlarging on all sides, wemust take measures for our safety; though into June and July, when thepestilence was raging, none infected had come our way, and that from ourremote and isolated position. Yet it needs but fear for the crown to thatwickedness that is self-indulgence; and forasmuch as this fear fattenslike a toadstool on the decomposition it springs from, it grew with us tothe proportions that we were set to kill or destroy any that shouldapproach us from the stricken districts.

  And then suddenly there appeared in our midst _he_ that was appointed tobe our scourge and our cautery.

  Whence he came, or how, no man of us could say. Only one day we were acommunity of roysterers and scoffers, impious and abominable, and thenext he was amongst us smiting and thundering.

  Some would have it that he was an old collegiate of our Vicar's, but atlast one of those wandering Dissenters that found never as now the timesopportune to their teachings--a theory to which our minister's treatmentof the stranger gave colour. For from the moment of his appearance hetook the reins of government, as it were, appropriating the pulpit andlaunching his bolts therefrom, with the full consent and encouragement ofthe other. There were those, again, who were resolved that his commissionwas from a high place, whither news of our infamy had reached, and thatwe had best give him a respectful hearing, lest we should run a chance ofhaving our hearing stopped altogether. A few were convinced he was no manat all, but rather a fiend sent to thresh us with the scourge of our owncontriving, that we might be tender, like steak, for the cooking; and yetother few regarded him with terror, as an actual figure or embodiment ofthe distemper.

  But, generally, after the first surprise, the feeling of resentment athis intrusion woke and gained ground, and we were much put about that heshould have thus assumed the pastorship without invitation, quarteringwith our Vicar; who kept himself aloof and was little seen, and seekingto drive us by terror, and amazement, and a great menace of retribution.For, in truth, this was not the method to which we were wont, and it bothangered and disturbed us.

  This feeling would have enlarged the sooner, perhaps, were it not for acertain restraining influence possessed of the new-comer, whichneighboured him with darkness and mystery. For he was above the commontall, and ever appeared in public with a slouched hat, that concealed allthe upper part of his face and showed little otherwise but the denseblack beard that dropped upon his breast like a shadow.

  Now with August came a fresh burst of panic, how the desolation increasedand the land was overrun with swarms of infected persons seeking anasylum from the city; and our anger rose high against the stranger, whoyet dwelt with us and encouraged the distemper of our minds by furiousdenunciations of our guilt.

  Thus far, for all the corruption of our hearts, we had maintained thepractice of church-going, thinking, maybe, poor fools! to hoodwink theAlmighty with a show of reverence; but now, as by a common consent, weneglected the observances and loitered of a Sabbath in the fields, andthither at the last the strange man pursued us and ended the matter.

  For so it fell that at the time of the harvest's ripening a goodish bodyof us males was gathered one Sunday for coolness about the neighbourhoodof the dripping well, whose waters were a tradition, for they had longgone dry. This well was situate in a sort of cave or deep scoop at thefoot of a cliff of limestone, to which the cultivated ground that led upto it fell somewhat. High above, the cliff broke away into a wide stretchof pasture land, but the face of the rock itself was all patched withbramble and little starved birch-trees clutching for foothold; and inlike manner the excavation beneath was half-stifled a
nd gloomed over withundergrowth, so that it looked a place very dismal and uninviting, savein the ardour of the dog-days.

  Within, where had been the basin, was a great shattered hole going downto unknown depths; and this no man had thought to explore, for a mysteryheld about the spot that was doubtless the foster-child of ignorance.

  But to the front of the well and of the cliff stretched a noble field ofcorn, and this field was of an uncommon shape, being, roughly, a vastcircle and a little one joined by a neck and in suggestion not unlike anhour-glass; and into the crop thereof, which was of goodly weight andcondition, were the first sickles to be put on the morrow.

  Now as we stood or lay around, idly discussing of the news, andcongratulating ourselves that we were featly quit of our incubus, to usalong the meadow path, his shadow jumping on the corn, came the verysubject of our gossip.

  He strode up, looking neither to right nor left, and with the first wordthat fell, low and damnatory, from his lips, we knew that the moment hadcome when, whether for good or evil, he intended to cast us from him andacquit himself of further responsibility in our direction.

  "Behold!" he cried, pausing over against us, "I go from among ye! Behold,ye that have not obeyed nor inclined your ear, but have walked every onein the imagination of his evil heart! Saith the Lord, 'I will bring evilupon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shallcry unto Me, I will not hearken unto them.'"

  His voice rang out, and a dark silence fell among us. It was pregnant,but with little of humility. We had had enough of this interloper and hisabuse. Then, like Jeremiah, he went to prophesy:--

  "I read ye, men of Anathoth, and the murder in your hearts. Ye that haveworshipped the shameful thing and burned incense to Baal--shall I cringethat ye devise against me, or not rather pray to the Lord of Hosts, 'Letme see Thy vengeance on them'? And He answereth, 'I will bring evil uponthe men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.'"

  Now, though I was no participator in that direful thing that followed, Istood by, nor interfered, and so must share the blame. For there were menrisen all about, and their faces lowering, and it seemed that it would gohard with the stranger were he not more particular.

  But he moved forward, with a stately and commanding gesture, and stoodwith his back to the well-scoop and threatened us and spoke.

  "Lo!" he shrieked, "your hour is upon you! Ye shall be mowed down likeripe corn, and the shadow of your name shall be swept from the earth! Theglass of your iniquity is turned, and when its sand is run through, not aman of ye shall be!"

  He raised his arm aloft, and in a moment he was overborne. Even then, asall say, none got sight of his face; but he fought with lowered head, andhis black beard flapped like a wounded crow. But suddenly a boy-child ranforward of the bystanders, crying and screaming,--

  "Hurt him not! They are hurting him--oh, me! oh, me!"

  And from the sweat and struggle came his voice, gasping, "I spare thelittle children!"

  Then only I know of the surge and the crash towards the well-mouth, of aninstant cessation of motion, and immediately of men toiling hither andthither with boulders and huge blocks, which they piled over the rent,and so sealed it with a cromlech of stone.