"All right, then," a.s.sented Cicely, agreeing as usual with Lindsay"s proposal.
The small, nail-studded oak door leading to the tower stood open, and they could see that there was a winding staircase inside. There was n.o.body to forbid them to explore, and though they knew they were due back at the Manor they considered they might allow themselves a little lat.i.tude in the way of time. It was rather dark up the corkscrew stairs, though there was a slit every now and then in the wall to admit air and light. At the top they found themselves in a square room, where the clerk evidently pulled the bell on Sundays, for the rope was hanging within easy reach. The roof was made of enormous oak rafters, and through it ran a ladder reaching higher than they could see.
"That will be the way up to the bell," said Lindsay.
"What a horrible place for Sir Mervyn to climb!" commented Cicely. "I can imagine him rushing up with a dagger in his hand, and the others swarming after him. I"m almost sorry they killed him. He was very brave, although he was so bad. You go first, Lindsay."
Up and up they toiled, till they thought they should never reach the top.
"The bell"s hung very high," panted Cicely.
"We"re nearly there now," replied Lindsay.
The ladder ended in a rough platform which was built round the bell, probably to allow workmen to attend to it now and then in case it were not hanging safely. It looked a great ma.s.s of metal, so large and heavy that even the clapper must be an enormous weight.
"There"s a very queer mark on it here," said Cicely, in rather an awed voice.
Lindsay walked round to the other side of the platform. There was a most curious stain running along a portion of the bottom of the bell--a dull, irregular mark that might well have had its origin in some dark and dreadful deed. Cicely touched it cautiously, and then looked at her finger as if she expected to find the traces red on her hand.
"I think we"d better go down again," she said, with a shiver.
"All right, only I want to look out of the window first. Oh, what a glorious view!"
There was indeed a splendid prospect to be seen from the old church tower--a vista of village roofs, and tree tops, and fields, and winding high road, and distant woods and hills, all bathed in the beautiful, rosy light of sunset. It was so lovely that the girls stood for some time watching the sky turn from pink to crimson, and great bands of dappled clouds catch the reflection from the glow beneath. They quite forgot that supper would probably be over at the Manor, and that Miss Russell would be wondering why Monica had kept them so long, and wishing she had not allowed them to go without Miss Frazer or one of the monitresses to escort them back.
At last they tore themselves reluctantly away. It was much harder to come down the ladder than it had been to climb up. Cicely turned quite giddy, and they were both glad when they reached the square room where the bell rope was hanging. It was very dark on the winding staircase; they had to feel their steps most carefully, and keep a hand on the wall as they went. The church looked dim and gloomy as they found themselves once more in the nave. Cicely turned her back upon the monuments. She did not want to give even a glance in their direction just then. Perhaps Lindsay felt the same, for she also hurried quickly towards the door. To their utter amazement it was closed, shut tight and firm; and though they lifted the latch, and tugged and rattled and pulled with all their might, they could not open it. They stared at each other with blank, horror-stricken faces. They were locked up alone in the empty church!
"Let us call," quavered Cicely.
"Perhaps someone may be in the churchyard. I can"t believe they"ve really left us shut up here. Somebody must be coming back," said Lindsay.
She knew in her heart of hearts all the same that it was a forlorn hope.
The old s.e.xton had probably seen Monica walk through the village, and had come to lock the church as usual after her practice, quite unaware that anyone was exploring the belfry. By this time he would be at home again, with the keys in his pocket. The two girls shouted themselves hoa.r.s.e, and kicked and beat against the door, but there was no reply except hollow echoes that resounded from the vaulted roof. The church was just out of earshot from either the village on one side or the rectory on the other, and it did not seem likely that anybody would happen to pa.s.s through the churchyard at that hour in the evening. No doubt they would soon be missed at the Manor, but Miss Russell would be sure to go first to Monica to enquire about their absence, and it might therefore be some little time before anyone came to look for them inside the church.
"What are we going to do?" asked Cicely.
"We must get out somehow," replied Lindsay desperately. "Let us walk all round, and see if there is any window it would be possible to climb through."
They went up the aisle, looking carefully at the windows; but all were equally impracticable, being built high up in the walls, and the only panes that opened were at the top.
"There may be a lower one in the vestry," said Lindsay, after they had examined the side chapels and transepts. "Here"s the door, and fortunately it"s not locked."
Again they were doomed to disappointment. The vestry was one of the oldest portions of the building, and the tiny diamond-paned cas.e.m.e.nt was fully ten feet above their heads. Plainly it was useless to think of escape there.
"We"d better go back to the door," said Cicely, "just in case anyone should be coming down the road, and might hear us."
The light was rapidly growing dimmer and dimmer, the pillars cast long shadows, and the corners were already wrapt in darkness, through which here and there a figure on a monument stood out white against the gloomy background. Once more the girls thumped at the door and shouted, though they feared it would be of no avail.
"There"s only one thing left to be done, Cicely," said Lindsay at last.
"And what"s that?"
"Go up into the belfry again and ring the bell. Everybody in the village would hear that, and Judson would come to see what was the matter."
"Yes," replied Cicely with some hesitation, "I suppose we must--but----"
"But what?"
"We should have to walk up the belfry stairs."
"Well?"
"Oh, Lindsay, Sir Mervyn! Suppose we were to meet him on the staircase?
The village people say he walks!"
"And Monica said it was nothing but nonsense and superst.i.tion."
Lindsay tried to sound brave, but she held Cicely"s arm tightly notwithstanding.
Poor Cicely felt ""twixt Scylla and Charybdis". To toll the bell seemed their only chance of escape, and to do so they must certainly mount into the square room where the rope was hanging. On the one hand was the prospect of spending some time in a building which was rapidly growing darker and darker, and on the other, there was a quick dash up the winding staircase, which was the centre of all her nervous fears.
"We must do it," urged Lindsay. "Come along! Let us go now, before you think about it any more."
It was very dark when they went through the small door and began groping their way up the narrow steps. There was not room for both to walk abreast, so Lindsay went first and Cicely clung tightly on to her skirt behind, ready to turn and flee precipitately if she heard the slightest sound from above. The stairs seemed twice as long as when they had mounted them before, and far narrower and steeper.
"Here we are!" exclaimed Lindsay, when at last they found their feet on the flooring of the tower room. There was just light enough to faintly distinguish objects, and they were making straight for the bell rope when Cicely grasped Lindsay"s arm in a panic of fear.
"What"s that noise?" she whispered breathlessly.
"Where?"
"There! Up the ladder in the roof!"
Both girls listened, their hearts beating in great thumps. Cicely was not mistaken. There was a faint rustling, as if someone were moving softly about in the tower above. Too terrified even to run away, they stood with their eyes fixed on the open trapdoor that led up to the bell.
"He"s coming!" shrieked Cicely, as something large and white appeared silently through the aperture and glided down into the room. There was a sudden weird, uncanny cry, like a mournful, despairing wail, and a large pair of wings flapped through the open lattice that served for a window out into the thickness of the yew trees beyond.
"It"s an owl--a big white owl! That"s your ghost, Cicely!" cried Lindsay, with intense relief.
"It"s gone, at any rate. Oh, what a fright it gave me! I thought it was Sir Mervyn himself."
"I expect it sleeps up there during the day, and then goes out hunting at night for birds and mice. What a fearful screech it gave!"
"Let us go and ring the bell before we have any more scares."
They dashed across the room and seized the rope. Surely since the day it was first hung the poor old bell had never been tolled with such frantic, hurried jerks. It was like an alarm of war or fire as the swift, short strokes went echoing from the tower. The girls pulled and pulled until they were both nearly exhausted.
"Somebody must have heard us by this time," said Lindsay. "Let us go down into the church and wait by the door."