The Sign of the Red Cross | Page 8

long since taken to himself other associates of a more
congenial kind. The Master Builder went to and fro as before,
permitting his wife full indulgence of her fads and fancies, but resolved
to exercise his own individual liberty, and quite unconscious of the
blow that was being inflicted upon his daughter, who was naturally tied
by her mother's commands, and forced to abide by her regulations.
Madam had been quick to see that if she did not take care Reuben
Harmer would shortly aspire to the hand of her daughter, and she was
not sure but that her husband would be weak enough to let the foolish

girl please herself in the matter, and throw away what chance she had
of marrying out of the city, and rising a step in life.
Madam pinned her main hopes of a social rise for herself in the
marriages of her children. She fondly believed that Frederick, with his
good looks and his wealth, could take his pick even amongst high-born
ladies, and not all the good-natured ridicule of her husband served to
weaken this conviction. She was not a great admirer of her daughter's
charms, but she knew that the girl was admired, and had been noticed
more than once by the fine ladies who had come to look at her furniture
and hangings. She had a plan of her own for getting Gertrude into the
train of some fine Court dame, and once secured in such a position, her
fair face and ample dowry might do the rest. If her son and daughter
were well married, she would have two houses where she could make a
home for herself more to her liking. No end of ambitious dreams were
constantly floating in her shallow brain, and as all these were more or
less bound up with the future of her son and daughter, it was natural
that she should desire to put down with a strong hand the smallest
indication of a love affair between Gertrude and Reuben. She had even
persuaded her husband that Gertrude ought to make a good marriage;
and as he was able to give her an ample dowry, and was proud of her
good looks, he himself was of opinion that she might do something
rather brilliant, even if she did not realize her mother's fond dreams.
All this was very well known to poor Gertrude by this time, and it was
seldom now that she did more than catch a passing glimpse of Reuben,
or exchange a few hasty words with him in the street. The young man
was proud, and knew that he was looked down upon by the Master
Builder and his wife. This made him very reticent of showing his
feelings, and reduced Gertrude often to the lowest ebb of depression.
So the coarse jests of her brother were a keen pain to her, and she
presently rose and left the room in great resentment, followed by a
mocking laugh from the ill-conditioned young man.
Having lost one victim, that amiable youth next turned his attention to
his mother, and began to torment her with the same zest as he had
displayed in the baiting of his sister.

"All the town is talking of the plague," he remarked, in would-be
solemn tones. "They say that in St. Giles' and St. Andrew's parishes
they are burying them by the dozen every day;" and as his mother
uttered a little scream, and shrank away even from him, he went on in
the same tone, "All the fine folks from that end of the town are thinking
of moving into the country. The witches and wizards are declaring
openly in the streets that the whole city is to be destroyed. Some folks
say that soon the Lord Mayor and the Magistrates will have all the
infected houses shut up straitly, so that none may go in or come forth
when it is known that the distemper has appeared there. The door will
be marked with a red cross, and the words 'Lord, have mercy upon us!'
writ large above it. So, good mother, when I come home one day with
the marks of the distemper upon me, the whole house will be closed,
and none will be able to go forth to escape it. So we shall all perish
together, as a loving family should do."
The blasphemies and ribald jokes with which this good-for-nothing
young man adorned his speech made it sound tenfold more hideous
than I can do. Even his mother shrank away from him, in terror and
amaze at his levity, and cried aloud in her fear so that instantly the door
opened, and her husband entered to know what was amiss.
Frederick looked a little uneasy then, for he still held his