Short Fiction · Chapter
King Pest explained
Two drunken seamen, Legs and Hugh Tarpaulin, flee from a tavern and stumble into a plague-quarantined district of London.
What happens
Two drunken seamen, Legs and Hugh Tarpaulin, flee from a tavern and stumble into a plague-quarantined district of London. They break into an undertaker's shop where they encounter a grotesque company of six figures seated around a table, presided over by a gaunt, emaciated figure in a pall and hearse-plumes.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, the dramatic climax occurs when Legrand’s frantic, "dancing mad" behavior—attributed to a tar…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Death and Mortality
The plague-ridden district, skeletons, corpses, and the undertaker's shop underscore the omnipresence of death.
- The Supernatural and the Gothic
The eerie, desolate setting and the grotesque, almost spectral company in the undertaker's shop evoke a Gothic atmosphere.
Characters to notice
- Hugh Tarpaulin
A short, stout seaman who accompanies Legs into the plague district and the undertaker's shop.
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator describes the adventures of Legs and Tarpaulin, and the scene in the undertaker's shop.
Key passages
“At the epoch of this eventful tale, and periodically, for many years before and after, all England, but more especially the metropolis, resounded with the fearful cry of 'Plague!'”
During the time of this story, and for many years around it, the cry of 'Plague!' was heard throughout England, especially in London.
Establishes the historical context of the plague.
“The room within which they found themselves proved to be the shop of an undertaker; but an open trapdoor, in a corner of the floor near the entrance, looked down upon a long range of wine-cellars, whose depths the occasional sound of bursting bottles proclaimed to be well stored with their appropriate contents.”
The room they entered was an undertaker's shop, with a trapdoor revealing wine cellars below, from which the sound of bursting bottles indicated they were well stocked.
Describes the macabre yet ironically festive setting.
