The reverend Roger Eslip, who was born in the north after 1500, could not have known so much about the devastating plague that had struck the city of London 44 years earlier, but he had only heard some fragmentary rumors from the bishop or the Archbishop of York.

His face became a little embarrassed, and he nodded when he looked at Isabel, "Miss, the plague that happened in the city of London more than 40 years ago, I... I did hear some rumors. ”

Of course, Isabel couldn't have gotten nonsense, and she had seen it from some royal record books in the Duke of Richmond's library. The fingers of his left hand were still rhythmically tapping on the armrest of the bench, and he calmly recounted, "Six years later, there were another people with sweating in the city of London, and many people died within a few hours. ”

Eleven years later, in 1517, in the city of London, about 10,000 people were killed by the plague. In Oxfordshire, with the exception of noble, knightly or gentlemanly families who could flee to other counties, there was hardly a farmer in many villages. ”

Then God once again brought sin upon the subjects of the Kingdom. In 1528, there were many places in the kingdom where a large number of people died of fever. Isabel recounted some of the things she had seen and looked at the priest unhurriedly, "Priest, did you know that in 1518 the kingdom enacted the plague law and began to take some means or measures against the spread of the plague. Therefore, as the daughter of a nobleman, I will not watch the plague spread in the north. ”

"Mademoiselle, I see in you a chivalry worthy of praise. Well, how did you come up with this? "Pastor Eslip's attitude changed and he became somewhat interested in vaccinating for vaccinia. Perhaps, for him as a clergyman, it was an unheard-of way to resist the plague.

Now, Isabel has a very useful shield, the maid Dorothy, who has seen the truth with her own eyes. Either way, she could easily avoid people's questioning or curiosity about her. Faced with the priest's inquiry, he chuckled softly, "This is what my maid told me. Before I took her in, she was the wife of a country farmer. ”

At this time, Baron Walton led several male servants into the hall. Isabel and the priest stood up and saluted Baron Walton, who had walked up to them. The baron focused his gaze on the priest and asked with a look of seriousness, "Priest, did my daughter tell you about the reason for this oath ceremony today?" ”

Pastor Eslip, who had the Bible in hand, smiled softly and nodded at the baron, "Yes, sir. ”

"Well, let's start now." With that, Baron Walton walked over to the main seat in the center of the hall and turned around and sat down. Immediately, he looked at Isabel standing on her left and nodded at her.

"Dorothy, come over here and stand in front of Pastor Eslip." Isabel commanded the maid Dorothy.

The maid Dorothy's expression was a little cramped, her head bowed slightly, and she walked quickly to the center of the hall with her hands on the lower abdomen of the hoop skirt. After a quick glance at where the pastor was, he stood in front of the priest without saying a word.

At this moment, Isabelle, who was standing next to the priest, came to Dorothy, looked at the entrance of the hall behind the maid, but whispered in the maid's ear, "Don't be afraid, whatever the priest says, you can say." ”

The so-called oath ceremony was just as Isabel said, and Pastor Eslip said it, and the maid Dorothy repeated it. Thus, the ceremony ended quickly after a few words. At this time, Baron Walton stopped his daughter and two maids, who were about to leave. Stepping down from the throne and coming to Isabel, he thoughtfully said the words, "My daughter, I know that God is just, and that he will bring sin to everyone in the secular world. It's just that your mother and I don't want to lose another daughter. ”

"What do you mean? Could it be that the baron wanted Dorothy to be inoculated with cowpox first? Isabel stared at Baron Walton, who had lost his second son and was now likely to lose his eldest son and second son-in-law, and a sour taste inexplicably welled up in her heart. After a moment of silence, he nodded, "Yes, Father, I can let God punish Dorothy's soul and body for sin first. But when the terrible plague came, she needed our comfort and salvation even more. ”

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In the end, Baron Walton made the decision to have his maid Dorothy act as a tester for vaccinia. However, Isabel was unwilling to leave Dorothy alone with the psychological changes caused by vaccinia and the great sense of panic in the face of the plague. As she walked out of the manor gate with the two maids toward the grove to the north, she was going to tell Dorothy of her father's decision first.

"Dorothy, if you are afraid of the sins of the hired women, you can repent or pray. You can also tell me that you don't want your soul to be corrupted by sin. Isabel whispered to the maid beside her as she walked. However, she was a little surprised when she uttered the words related to religion in a natural situation, and she felt very much like an exorcist sent by the Holy See with a priesthood.

Dorothy walked silently on the road, slowly raising her head and staring at her, "No, miss, in fact, my son and I, my father died a few years ago, didn't he?" ”

Isabel was slightly stunned, and quickly woke up and shook her head, "Perhaps, those thieves don't want to kill you and your family." Or maybe you and your family will meet others who will help you. ”

Dorothy gazed at the tall trees, grass, and houses that lined the road, and said, "Miss, this is God's will, and God knows that my family and I will meet you." ”

Annie, the maid who was walking beside Dorothy, nodded hurriedly and looked at Isabel, "Miss, what Dorothy said is exactly what I want to say to you. If it weren't for your help to me and my parents over the years, I don't think we would be alive today. ”

Seeing that the two of them were completely grateful to her, Isabel didn't feel like she had done anything. Glancing at the two of them, he just asked calmly, "Dorothy, are you willing to accept my father's decision?" ”

"Yes, Mademoiselle, because I believe that what I see is the truth, and that I and the hired woman are sinners in the eyes of God. God will save her from evil, and he will save me from evil. ”

Isabel sighed inwardly, "It's not vaccinating cowpox, it's exorcism." ”