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Page 269
toward the Chepe. Had Knud heard the horror with which the alderman received Joanna's statement that she would accompany them, he might have been more cautious. By the time Knud drew his horse up behind his mistress, however, the question was settled. The alderman understood that he could have Joanna with her men or not have the men.
When they arrived, it seemed the fears had been unnecessary. Although the odor of burning was much stronger, that was to be expected since they were almost directly across from Southwark now. Nothing could be seen of the ruins of that place because the Chepe was well inland from the river bank. The lord mayor's plan, which the alderman was trying to implement, was to scour the lanes and houses throughout the commercial district and confine everyone discovered, who was not a resident of the area, in the great open square of the Chepe. Then, at leisure, each person could be interrogated and, if he had a good character and a purpose for being where he was, he would be permitted to go his way. This work was already well under way, some fifty or sixty ragged, grimy, disgruntled men and women squatting or standing under the watchful eyes of the lord mayor's men. More were being herded into the Chepeside continuously as groups of armed men scoured the lanes.
It was reasonable that Joanna's men should take over the duty of controlling the temporary prisoners. The lord mayor's men were more familiar with the area and could search it more effectively and they were more likely to recognize those who had legitimate business there. For a time, Joanna questioned those who were confined, trying to discover someone who had seen Geoffrey, but even the few who thought they recognized her description were very uncertain. Yet she could not stop asking; someone must have seen Geoffrey.
One description of horrors after another was poured into Joanna's ears, regardless of her attempts to stem the flow. It was as if the images were fixed in the minds of those who had seen them and they could do nothing except describe them. A woman, blank-faced, dead-eyed, related how the

 
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