Случай Чарльза Декстера Варда

           By1760JosephCurwenwasvirtuallyanoutcast,suspectedofvaguehorrorsanddaemoniacallianceswhichseemedallthemoremenacingbecausetheycouldnotbenamed,understood,orevenprovedtoexist.Thelaststrawmayhavecomefromtheaffairofthemissingsoldiersin1758,forinMarchandAprilofthatyeartwoRoyalregimentsontheirwaytoNewFrancewerequarteredinProvidence,anddepletedbyaninexplicableprocessfarbeyondtheaveragerateofdesertion.RumordweltonthefrequencywithwhichCurwenwaswonttobeseentalkingwiththered-coatedstrangers;andasseveralofthembegantobemissed,peoplethoughtoftheoddconditionsamonghisownseamen.Whatwouldhavehappenediftheregimentshadnotbeenorderedon,noonecantell.

           Meanwhilethemerchant’sworldlyaffairswereprospering.Hehadavirtualmonopolyofthetown’stradeinsaltpeter,blackpepper,andcinnamon,andeasilyledanyotheroneshippingestablishmentsavetheBrownsinhisimportationofbrassware,indigo,cotton,woolens,salt,rigging,iron,paper,andEnglishgoodsofeverykind.SuchshopkeepersasJamesGreen,attheSignoftheElephantinCheapside,theRussells,attheSignoftheGoldenEagleacrosstheBridge,orClarkandNightingaleattheFrying-PanandFishnearNewCoffee-House,dependedalmostwhollyuponhimfortheirstock;andhisarrangementswiththelocaldistillers,theNarragansettdairymenandhorse-breeders,andtheNewportcandle-makers,madehimoneoftheprimeexportersoftheColony