e very
thankful of any little presents of vegetables or eggs or other
necessaries; whilst others of larger means were glad to buy from
those who came to sell, and gave good money for the accommodation.

Mary Harmer had a large and productive garden and a large stock of
poultry, so that she was able both to sell and to give largely; and
the boys thought that working in the garden and looking after the
fowls was the best sort of fun possible. They were exceedingly
useful to her, and she kept them out of danger without fretting or
curbing their eager spirit of usefulness. Of course, no person in
those days could act with unselfish charity and not adventure
something; but she took all reasonable precautions, and, like her
brother, trusted the rest to Providence. And she believed that the
boys were safer with her, even though not so closely restrained,
than they would have been had they remained in the infected city,
where the people now seemed to be dying like stricken sheep.

But the spirit of curiosity and love of adventure were not dead
within the hearts of the boys; and although for some weeks they
were fully contented in performing the duties set them by their
aunt, there were moments when a strong curiosity would come over
them for some greater sensation, and this it was which led them to
an act of disobedience destined to be fraught with important
consequences, as will soon be seen.

Mary Harmer's house was empty again, and she had promised to sit up
for a night with a sick woman who lived some two miles off, and who
had entreated her to come and see her. This was no case of plague,
but fear of the infection had become so strong by this time that
the sick were often rather harshly treated, and sometimes almost
entirely neglected, by those about them. Mary Harmer had heard that
this poor creature had been left alone by her son's wife, who had
taken away her children and refused to go near her. Mary knew that
her presence there for a while, and her assurances as to the nature
of the malady, would be most likely to bring the woman to reason,
so she decided to go and remain for one whole night, and she left
her own cottage in the charge of the boys, bidding them take care
of everything, and expect her back again on the following
afternoon.

They were quite happy all that evening, seeing to the poultry, and
running races with Fido in the leafy lane. They liked the
importance of the charge of the house, although they