About half-past six Jane became unconscious, and an hour afterwards she died.

Then in his agony and the bitterness of his just rage a dreadful purpose arose in the mind of Merchison.  He went home, changed his clothes, disinfected himself, and afterwards came on to the Agricultural Hall, where I was addressing a mass meeting of the electors.  It was a vast and somewhat stormy meeting, for men’s minds were terrified and overshadowed by the cases of disease which were reported in ever-increasing numbers, and even the best of my supporters had begun to speculate whether or no my anti-vaccination views were after all so absolutely irrefutable.

Still, my speech, which by design did not touch on the smallpox scare, was received with respect, if not with enthusiasm.  I ended it, however, with an eloquent peroration, wherein I begged the people of Dunchester to stand fast by those great principles of individual freedom, which for twenty years it had been my pride and privilege to inculcate; and on the morrow, in spite of all arguments that might be used to dissuade them, fearlessly to give their suffrages to one who for two decades had proved himself to be their friend and the protector of their rights.

I sat down, and when the cheers, with which were mixed a few hoots, had subsided, my chairman asked if any one in the meeting wished to question the candidate.

“I do,” said a voice speaking from beneath the shadow of the gallery far away.  “I wish to ask Dr. Therne whether he believes in vaccination?”

When the meeting understood the meaning of this jester’s question, a titter of laughter swept over it like a ripple over the face of a pond.  The chairman, also rising with a smile, said:  “Really, I do not think it necessary to put that query to my friend here, seeing that for nearly twenty years he has been recognised throughout England as one of the champions of the anti-vaccination cause which he helped to lead to triumph.”

“I repeat the question,” said the distant voice again, a cold deep voice with a note in it that to my ears sounded like the knell of approaching doom.

The chairman looked puzzled, then replied:  “If my friend will come up here instead of hiding down there in the dark I have no doubt that Dr. Therne will be able to satisfy his curiosity.”

There was a little commotion beneath the gallery, and presently a man was seen forcing his way up the length of the huge and crowded hall.  For some reason or other the audience watched his slow approach without impatience.  A spirit of wonder seemed to have taken possession of them; it was almost as though by some process of telepathy the thought which animated the mind of this questioner had taken a hold of their minds, although they did not quite know what that thought might be.  Moreover the sword of smallpox hung over the city, and therefore the subject was of supreme interest.  When Death is near, whatever they may pretend, men think of little else.