p from the North on
great occasion, to see my kinsman and claim his help.'

'Alas!' said the gentleman; 'he is past rendering help to any. It was
mightily suspected,' said he whisperingly, 'that he died of the Plague;
but your great rich folks can smother these matters up. This is certain,
that he had secret and hasty burial, and all his family are fled and
gone, without so much as locking the door behind them, as it is said;
but I think none have been so bold as to try that; men love their lives
too well to venture within; nor would I advise you to do it.'

'No, no,' said Althea a little wildly; 'I will not take the Plague and
die--not yet; I have work to do;' at which the man smiled pityingly, and
added,--

'You would not find Mr. Dacre here now, were he in life--he designed to
follow the Court, which is removed to Salisbury for safety; but he
lingered about some money matters, which have cost him very dear, as I
think;' and bowing to us he walked hastily away.

Well, we knew not what to do now, and so returned to our inn, where we
sat the rest of the day in the room we had hired, talking over our few
acquaintance in town, but unable to hit on one who would have will and
power to help us much. Our good hostess served us again at supper, and
asked how we sped in our search for Mr. Dacre; so unthinkingly we told
her the whole tale; at which her colour changed and she left the room
without saying a word in answer. That night we slept heavily for very
trouble; so we were not aware of a great stir there was in the night;
for Mrs. Bell, the poor landlady, was taken very ill about midnight, the
maids were called up, and a physician sent for; they had some trouble to
find one; but when he came he told them plainly that her disorder, which
they and she too had feared was the Plague, was nothing but pure terror;
our careless words about Mr. Dacre's death having struck such a fear in
her as to throw her into a kind of fever.

Will told us this news in the morning, and we were grieved at our
foolishness, and wondered at hers; but we had little time for lamenting,
as we were setting forth to visit a distant kinswoman of our father's,
who, being rich and well reputed, we thought might be able to help us.
But here we fared no better,--not that the lady was dead; but she had
gone out of town on the first alarm of the sickness, leaving her house
locked up and empty, as the neighbours told us. So we went back to our
inn yet more c