'd have had half the money. How did
you come so to fail in your duty, Nick?'

Mr Culpeper laughed--his only laugh that evening--and the children
jumped at the loud neigh of it.

'We were not fearful of men's judgment in those days,' he answered. 'Now
mark me closely, good people, for what follows will be to you, though
not to me, remarkable. When I reached the empty Mill, old Saturn, low
down in the House of the Fishes, threatened the Sun's rising-place. Our
Lady the Moon was moving towards the help of him (understand, I speak
astrologically). I looked abroad upon the high Heavens, and I prayed the
Maker of 'em for guidance. Now Mars sparkingly withdrew himself below
the sky. On the instant of his departure, which I noted, a bright star
or vapour leaped forth above his head (as though he had heaved up his
sword), and broke all about in fire. The cocks crowed midnight through
the valley, and I sat me down by the mill-wheel, chewing spearmint
(though that's an herb of Venus), and calling myself all the asses'
heads in the world! 'Twas plain enough now!'

'What was plain?' said Una.

'The true cause and cure of the plague. Mars, good fellow, had fought
for us to the uttermost. Faint though he had been in the Heavens, and
this had made me overlook him in my computations, he more than any
of the other planets had kept the Heavens--which is to say, had been
visible some part of each night wellnigh throughout the year. Therefore
his fierce and cleansing influence, warring against the Moon, had
stretched out to kill those three rats under my nose, and under the nose
of their natural mistress, the Moon. I had known Mars lean half across
Heaven to deal our Lady the Moon some shrewd blow from under his shield,
but I had never before seen his strength displayed so effectual.'

'I don't understand a bit. Do you mean Mars killed the rats because he
hated the Moon?' said Una.

'That is as plain as the pikestaff with which Blagge's men pushed me
forth,'Mr Culpeper answered. 'I'll prove it. Why had the plague not
broken out at the blacksmith's shop in Munday's Lane? Because, as I've
shown you, forges and smithies belong naturally to Mars, and, for his
honour's sake, Mars 'ud keep 'em clean from the creatures of the Moon.
But was it like, think you, that he'd come down and rat-catch in general
for lazy, ungrateful mankind? That were working a willing horse to
death. So, then, you can see that the meaning of the blazing star above