“I never suspected it earlier, but now it’s pretty clear that Miss Norma became infected while visiting on the coast, and it usually takes a couple of weeks before the first symptoms show up. Then there are a few days of headaches, high fever, and perhaps vomiting, following which the patient feels better. But after that comes a rash, something like fleabites, on the face, palms, and foot soles, and then larger and larger sores break out on the body with pus in them. In some cases, the sores just crust over and heal up, and this is what causes the scars we see on so many people’s faces. But if the sores all run together or the infection goes inside the body, to the brain, heart, or lungs, that’s when it can’t be cured.”

“Then when do people get the pox?”

“Well, I’m not really sure, but maybe the person can spread smallpox to others just a short time after being exposed, and before there are any clear symptoms. There is no doubt that our wives were in close contact with Miss Norma. Whether we like it or not, they might now be able to give the disease to others.”

“Is there anything you can do for Sophie and your wife?”

“Henry, in the last few years some people have been given a light dose of smallpox, also called variola, in hopes that it might head off a more serious case, but this is something that hasn’t been proven for sure. They call this procedure variolation, or inoculation. It’s a hotly debated subject among doctors and especially among the general population, and is illegal in most cities along the coast, except Philadelphia. There was an outbreak of the pox there last year, and some people were paying three pounds for the procedure. In 1760 there was pox in both South Carolina and Georgia. A doctor in Savannah who tried variolation had his house and apothecary burned down and was, in effect, run out of the colony for trying to give smallpox to people who had been exposed. I’ve got a pamphlet on the subject at home that I’ve just reread, and considering how serious our exposure has been, I recommend strongly that the two women and I be inoculated.”

When Henry objected, Railston reminded him that as they were probably infected already, inoculation wouldn’t hurt anything, and it might head off a truly serious case.

“How would you do it?” Henry asked.

“What seems to get results sometimes is to collect some of the pus on a string, let it dry, and then put a little of it in the person we want to protect. It’s supposed to give a milder case that won’t be fatal, and after that they won’t get the pox again.”

“How would you put this in your body?”