e case,
the forlorn creature was forced to wander away, and generally tried
to find her way out of the city and into the country beyond. Many
such unlucky wights, having no passes, were turned back by the
guardians of the road; but some succeeded in evading these men, or
else in persuading them, and many such unfortunates had found rest
and help and shelter beneath Mary Harmer's charitable roof.

September was now come, but as yet there was no abatement of the
pestilence raging in the city. Indeed the accounts coming in of the
virulence of the plague seemed worse than ever. Ten thousand deaths
were returned in the weekly bill for the first week alone, and
those who knew the state of the city were of opinion that not more
than two-thirds of the deaths were ever really reported to the
authorities. Hitherto the carts had never gone about save by night,
and for all that was rumoured by those who loved to make the worst
of so terrible a calamity, it was seldom that a corpse lay about in
the streets for above a short while, just until notice of its
presence there was given to the authorities.

But now it seemed as though nothing could cope with the fearful
increase of the mortality. The carts were forced to work by day as
well as by night; and so virulent was now the pestilence that the
bearers and buriers who had hitherto escaped, or had recovered of
the malady and thought themselves safe, died in great numbers. So
that there were tales of carts overthrown in the streets by reason
of the drivers of them falling dead upon their load, or of
driverless horses going of their own accord to the pits with their
load.

These terrible tales were reported to Mary Harmer and her nephews
by the fugitives who sought refuge with her at this time. And very
thankful did the lads feel to be free of the city and its terrors,
albeit they never forgot to offer up earnest prayer for their
father and mother and all their dear ones who were dwelling in the
midst of so much peril. There was no hope of hearing news of them,
save by hazard, whilst things were like this; but they trusted that
the precautions taken, and hitherto successfully, would avert the
pestilence from their dwelling, and for the rest the boys were too
well employed to have time for brooding.

When their daily work at home was done, there were always errands
of mercy to be performed to neighbours who had had sickness at
home, or to the persons encamped in the fields, who wer