It did not occur to them that this was none other than
the notary Basil, clad in a new robe, who for purposes of his own was
spying upon their movements.
They came to a large, ruinous-looking house, of which the gateway
attracted Grey Dick's sharp eyes.
"What does that entrance remind you of, master?" he asked.
Hugh looked at it carelessly and answered:
"Why, of the Preceptory at Dunwich. See, there are the same arms upon
the stone shield. Doubtless once the Knights Templar dwelt there. Sir
Andrew may have visited this place in his youth."
As the words left his lips two men came out of the gateway, one of them
a physician to judge by the robe and the case of medicines which he
carried; the other a very tall person wrapped in a long cloak. The
physician was speaking.
"She may live or she may die," he said. "She seems strong. The pest, you
say, has been on her for four days, which is longer than most endure it;
she has no swellings, and has not bled from the lungs; though, on the
other hand, she is now insensible, which often precedes the end. I can
say no more; it is in the hands of God. Yes, I will ask you to pay me
the fee now. Who knows if you will be alive to do so to-morrow? If she
dies before then I recommend you to throw her into the river, which the
Pope has blessed. It is cleaner burial than the plague pit. I presume
she is your grand-daughter--a beautiful woman.
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