They had therefore been on the borders of want, and for Hester it was
one of those happy cases in which she felt at full liberty to help with
money. The part of the house occupied by them was pretty decent, but the
rest of it was in bad repair and occupied by yet poorer people, of none
of whom she knew much.
It was in fact a little way beyond what she had come to count her limit.
She knocked at the door. It was opened by the parish doctor.
"You cannot come in, Miss Raymount," he said. "We have a very bad case
of small-pox here. You good ladies must make up your minds to keep away
from these parts for a while. Their bodies are in more danger than their
souls now."
"That may very well be," replied Hester. "My foot may be in more danger
than my head, but I can better afford to lose the one than the other."
The doctor did not see the point, and thought there was none.
"You will only carry the infection," he said.
"I will take every precaution," answered Hester. "I always take more, I
am certain, than it can be possible for you to take. Why should not I
also do my part to help them through?"
"While the parish is in my care," answered the doctor, "I must object to
whatever increases the risk of infection.
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