At any rate, he found his way three or four evenings in the
week to Harmer's fireside, and exchanged with him the news of the
day, or retailed the current gossip of the city.

Harmer was by trade a gold and silver lace maker. He carried on his
business in the roomy bridge house which he occupied, which was
many stories high, and contained a great number of rooms. He housed
in it a large family, several apprentices, two shopmen, and his
wife's sister, Dinah Morse, at such times as the latter was not out
nursing the sick, which was her avocation in life.

Mason and Harmer had been boys together, had inherited these two
houses on the bridge from their respective fathers, and had both
prospered in the world. But Harmer was only a moderately affluent
man, having many sons and daughters to provide for; whereas Mason
had but one of each, and had more than one string to his bow in the
matter of money getting.

In the living room of Harmer's house were assembled that February
evening six persons. It was just growing dusk, but the dancing
firelight gave a pleasant illumination. Harmer and Mason were
seated on opposite sides of the hearth in straight-backed wooden
armchairs, and both were smoking. Rachel sat at her wheel, with her
sister Dinah near to her; and in the background hovered two
fine-looking young men, the two eldest sons of the household--Reuben,
his father's right-hand man in business matters now; and Dan, who
had the air and appearance of a sailor ashore, as, indeed, was the
case with him.

It was something which Dinah Morse had said that had evoked the
rather fierce disclaimer from the Master Builder, with the
rejoinder by Rachel as to the laxity of the times; and now it was
Dinah's voice which again took up the word.

"Whether it be God's judgment upon the city, or whether it be due
to the carelessness of man, I know not," answered Dinah quietly; "I
only say that the Bill of Mortality just published is higher than
it has been this long while, and that two in the Parish of St.
Giles have died of the plague."

"Well, St. Giles' is far enough away from us," said the Master
Builder. "If the Magistrates do their duty, there is no fear that
it will spread our way. There were deaths over yonder of the plague
last November, and it seems as though they had not yet stamped out
the germs of it. But a little firmness and sense will do that. We
have nothing to fear. So long as the cases are duly reported, we
shall soo