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family had perished of the disease, and that the landlord himself, the

last survivor, had been carried off not twenty ue-pit

"But," added the

informed what he wanted, "there are two or three horses around there

in the stable, and you may as well help yourself, for if you don't take

theic struck Sir Nor so extremely

reasonable, that without more ado he stepped round to the stables and

selected the best it contained Before proceeding on his journey, it

occurred to hiue-patient, it would

be a good thing to get his clothes fuated; so he stepped into an

apothecary's store for that purpose, and provided hiar Thus prepared for the worst, Sir Nor his good steed

Rozinante, and sallied forth in quest of adventures These, for a short

ti the noise of

a horse's hoofs in the silent streets at that hour of the night, the

people opened their doors as he passed by, thinking it the pest-cart,

and brought forth

his head fro spectacles, Sir Norar to his nostrils, and rode rapidly till he reached Newgate There

he was stopped until his bill of health was exaht, he was permitted to pass on in peace

Everywhere he went, the trail of the serpent was visible over all Death

and Desolation went hand in hand Outside as well as inside the gates,

great piles of wood and coal were arranged, waiting only the ht

hour to be fired Here, however, no one see; and no

sound broke the silence but the distant ru of the driver's bell There were lights in some of the

houses, but many of them were dark and deserted, and nearly every one

bore the red cross of the plague